Are you experiencing CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED BSOD on Windows 10? Have you noticed decreased system performance or frequent blue screen errors after recent Windows updates? The Critical Process Died bug check has a value of 0x000000EF, indicating that a critical Windows system process fails to run properly.
Basically, the Windows operating system ensures that only authorized applications can access certain data and parts of the system. But when a critical component of Windows detects an unauthorized modification to its data, it immediately steps in, causing the Critical Process Died blue screen error.
Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We’re just collecting some error info, and then we’ll restart for you. If you’d like to know more, you can search online later for this error: CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED
Most of the time Windows 10 blue screen errors can be caused by buggy drivers. Again corrupted system files, Disk drive Errors, low-level software issues, or the default value in the Boot Loader section of the Boot.ini file are missing or invalid. Whatever the reason here is some solutions you may apply to get rid of this Windows 10 Blue screen error.
CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED Windows 10
Whenever you face a blue screen error, the first thing you must try to remove all external devices include a printer, scanner, external HDD, etc, and start Windows normally. This will fix the problem if the device driver conflicts causing this BSOD error.
If you are using a Desktop computer check if the problem might be caused by a hardware issue, especially with the RAM. If you see this error then take out the RAM and make sure it is clean and doesn’t have any dust around it. Also, make sure the slots are clean as well. Put back the RAM and check if it is connected properly.
Hard drives can also be the culprit behind this issue. Make sure the hard drive is tightly connected to the board and doesn’t have any loose connections.
If due to this BSOD windows 10 frequently restarts at startup and didn’t allow to perform any troubleshooting steps, We recommend booting into safe mode where Windows starts with minimum system requirements and allow to Diagnose the problem.
Uninstall Recently installed applications
If the problem started after installing any third-party application or games, may this is not compatible with the current Windows version and causing a BSOD error. Also sometimes security software (Antivirus) also cause Windows 10 BSOD error. We recommend temporarily uninstall them and check this helps to fix Critical Process Died or not.
- Press Windows + R, type appwiz.cpl, and ok to open the programs and features window.
- Here look for recently installed third-party applications, Right-click, and select uninstall.
- Do the same with security software (Antivirus/Antimalware) if installed.
Uninstall Windows update
If your problem has only just started, a recent Windows update could be to blame. Thankfully, it’s easy to uninstall recent updates so you can see if your issue goes away.
To uninstall Windows 10 update:
- Open the Settings app
- Go to Update and Security then Windows Update
- Click on Update History then Uninstall Updates.
- Highlight the update you want to remove from your system,
- then hit the Uninstall button at the top of the window.
Disable Fast startup
Also, some users suggest Disabling the Fast startup feature helps them to fix the Critical Process Died BSOD error.
- Open the control panel, from All Control Panel Items, click on Power Options
- On the left side of the window click on Choose what the power button does
- If needed, click on Change settings that are currently unavailable, under the Define power buttons, and turn on password protection
- From the enabled options under the Shutdown settings section, uncheck the Turn on fast startup (recommended) checkbox to disable Hybrid Shutdown.
- Click the Save Changes button to save the modified settings.
- Close the Power Options window when done.
Reinstall problematic Device drivers
Again Bad, incompatible device drivers are one of the most common causes of the Windows 10 blue screen error. Therefore, it’s sensible to check that none of them require updates. Especially if the problem started after a recent Windows 10 upgrade, there is a chance the installed driver is not compatible with the current Windows 10 version.
- To check the status of your drivers, right-click on the Start menu, select Device Manager,
- This will display all installed device driver lists,
- Scan through the list to see whether any devices have a yellow exclamation point alongside them.
- If you find an exclamation point, right-click on the device in question and choose Update Driver Software from the context menu.
- select search for automatic driver update and let Windows download and install the latest available driver for you.
Or visit the device manufacturer’s website, Download the latest driver and install it on your device. We recommend updating and reinstall the Display (Graphics) driver, Network adapter, and Windows Audio driver to the latest version.
Especial recommendation: If the CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED BSOD error occurs when you are playing games or when you wake up the PC from sleep, then it could be a video card driver issue. What you can do is update your video card driver to the latest available one.
Run DISM and SFC utility
DISM stands for Deployment Image Servicing and Management. This tool is specially designed to check and repair the system image. If any system corruption or system file missing while the Windows upgrade process causing the Critical Process Died blue screen error, Running the DISM restore health command with the System file checker utility is very helpful in fixing most of the Windows 10 problems include Different BSOD errors.
Type cmd on the start menu search, right-click on the command prompt select run as administrator. Then type Dism Command :
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Wait until 100% the scanning process, then type the command sfc /scannow and ok to run the system file checker utility which scans for missing corrupted system files.
if found ay the sfc utility restores them from a compressed folder located on %WinDir%\System32\dllcache. Restart Windows after complete the scanning process and check There is no more BSOD on your Windows 10 system.
Perform System Restore
If the problem started recently and you think that it is caused by a program that you might have installed in the last few days or weeks then it’s time to utilize the System Restore option. If the problem was caused by a program or a virus then the system restore to an earlier point should be able to solve the issue for you. Check how to perform System restore on Windows 10,11.
Did these solutions help to fix CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED BSOD (Stop Code 0x000000EF ) in Windows 10? Let us know which option works for you,
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