When facing a Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), the screen typically displays:

• Stop code (e.g., CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED, MEMORY_MANAGEMENT)
• Error message (brief description)
• QR code (links to Microsoft support)
• Technical information section

// Example of important BSOD components to document
struct BSOD_DATA {
    string stop_code;        // e.g., "0x0000003B"
    string driver_name;      // if mentioned
    string timestamp;        // when crash occurred
    bool   recurring;        // same error multiple times
};

Essential questions for initial triage:

1. "Does the error show a specific driver name?" (e.g., ntfs.sys)
2. "Was there any hardware/software change before the crash?"
3. "Does the crash occur during specific operations?" (gaming, large file transfers)

Create a PowerShell script to gather crash logs:

# PowerShell script to collect minidumps
$dumpPath = "$env:SystemRoot\Minidump"
$outputDir = "C:\BSOD_Reports_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd')"

if (Test-Path $dumpPath) {
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $outputDir -Force
    Get-ChildItem $dumpPath | Copy-Item -Destination $outputDir
    Get-WinEvent -LogName "System" | Where-Object {
        $_.Id -eq 1001 -or $_.Id -eq 41
    } | Export-Csv "$outputDir\SystemEvents.csv"
}

Basic WinDbg commands for crash analysis:

.symfix                 // Configure symbol path
!analyze -v            // Automatic analysis
lmvm <driver_name>     // Verify driver details
!thread                // Examine faulting thread

This script collects system info for remote analysis:

@echo off
set report_dir=C:\BSOD_Diagnostics_%date:~-4,4%%date:~-10,2%%date:~-7,2%
mkdir "%report_dir%"

systeminfo > "%report_dir%\systeminfo.txt"
driverquery /v > "%report_dir%\drivers.txt"
wmic memorychip list full > "%report_dir%\memory.txt"
wmic qfe list full > "%report_dir%\updates.txt"

Check for problematic drivers using verifier:

verifier /standard /driver <driver.sys>
verifier /querysettings        // View current verification
verifier /reset               // Clear settings

When suspecting RAM issues:

mdsched.exe              // Built-in memory diagnostic
wmic memorychip get      // List installed RAM modules

When Windows encounters a critical error it can't recover from, it displays a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) with error codes and technical information. This contains valuable clues for troubleshooting.

Focus on these elements when analyzing a BSOD:

• Stop Code: The hexadecimal error code (e.g., 0x0000007B)
• Error Name: Text description (e.g., "INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE")
• Memory dump details: Addresses and module names if present
• Driver/Module: Sometimes shows the problematic driver (e.g., ntoskrnl.exe)

Here's how to systematically approach BSOD diagnosis:

// Example PowerShell command to check recent BSOD events
Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{
    LogName = "System"
    ProviderName = "Microsoft-Windows-WER-SystemErrorReporting"
} | Format-Table -AutoSize

Some frequent BSOD scenarios and their fixes:

// Sample batch script to check disk health (common BSOD cause)
chkdsk C: /f /r
wmic diskdrive get status

For deeper analysis, use these tools:

• WinDbg (Windows Debugger)
• BlueScreenView (NirSoft utility)
• Windows Reliability Monitor

Here's a Python script to collect BSOD-related information:

import subprocess
import os

def collect_bsod_info():
    # Get recent system errors
    cmd = 'wevtutil qe System /q:"*[System[Provider[@Name=\'Microsoft-Windows-WER-SystemErrorReporting\']]]"'
    result = subprocess.run(cmd, shell=True, capture_output=True, text=True)
    
    # Save to file
    with open('bsod_report.txt', 'w') as f:
        f.write(result.stdout)
    
    print("BSOD information saved to bsod_report.txt")

collect_bsod_info()

For complete memory dump analysis, use this WinDbg command sequence:

.symfix
.reload
!analyze -v
!errrec <address>
lmvm <module_name>

To reduce BSOD occurrences:

• Keep drivers updated
• Monitor system temperatures
• Run regular hardware diagnostics
• Maintain adequate free disk space