You would be somewhat irritated if a blue screen with the stop code “Critical Process Died” kept popping up when Windows 10 and Windows 11 were booting up. You can find solutions to the problems Critical Process Died Windows 10 and Windows 11 won’t boot and a brief introduction to the BSOD stop code in this article.
There is a long list of errors that a system can experience, but the BSoD (Blue Screen of Death) error occupies a significant position on the list. Fair enough, BSODs are much less frequent in Windows 10 than in earlier OS versions, but they are still annoying when they occur. The last thing you should be concerned about is losing the work you were doing.
The BSoD occurs when the error system becomes unresponsive and the screen only displays the error message, which reads: “Your device ran into a problem and needed to restart. We’re just collecting some error info, and then we’ll restart for you”.
What is the “Critical Process Died” Blue Screen error?
This Windows 10/11 error “Critical Process Died” appears when the system’s boot process ended unexpectedly for an unknown reason. This error typically appears Windows 10 system upgrade or the setup of a fresh copy of Windows on pcs.
Most people decide to upgrade to Windows 10 because of its benefits. The upgrade could, however, result in problems like partition loss, sluggish startup times, etc. The error Critical Process Died or BSOD stop code may appear even during the Windows upgrade process or after a successful upgrade because of RAM problems, compatibility problems, corrupted or altered system files, bad sectors, etc.
The BSoD error includes the Windows stop code critical process died error. The system restarts itself repeatedly when such errors occur, and the screen displays a large blue screen as seen in the above image. This error is fatal for your system because it can corrupt your data and cause you to lose all of your important files.
Causes Of Error “Critical Process Died” in Windows 10 and Windows 11
The Critical Process Died indicates a critical system process that expired with error code 0x000000EF. The operating system won’t start up when a crucial system process fails to run. Corrupt files in the memory are the primary culprits behind this error. Corrupted files ultimately cause the boot-stage error, corrupting the entire hard drive and causing data loss.
The following are the primary causes of the Critical Process Died error in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
- Even more hardware bugs could appear in conjunction with driver problems.
- issues with compatibility, the installation of sophisticated software that might not be compatible with the hardware.
- The disk has corrupted bad sectors.
- Compatibility problems may be caused by bad updates.
- The cause of abnormal functioning could turn out to be malicious files in the memory.
How do I Fix the “Critical Process Died” BSOD Error?
This error manifests as a blue screen and can be brought on by a bad driver, a malicious program, corrupt software that has been installed on the system, and more. The critical process died Windows 10 error could result in the system getting stuck in a boot loop or even crashing. Here, we provide the best solutions to help you resolve the Critical Process Died error stop code.
1. Restore Your System to the Previous Point
The System Restore tool can be used to attempt a rollback of your computer to a previous state. Errors are easily fixed with the help of System Restore. Windows 10’s critical process of died error is fixed by rolling back the system to a previous state.
To use the System Restore tool follow the following steps:
- Press Windows + R to open the Run Command Box.
- Type Control Panel and click Ok.
- Once, Control Panel is opened, search for Recovery and open it.
- In the Advanced Recovery tools, click on Open System Restore.
- System Restore can be started by clicking Open System Restore. then click the Next button,
- You will see a list of your most recent restore points here. Simply choose it and press Next to proceed.
- Next, you need to verify the restore point. When you click Finish, you will see a warning that once the restore process has started, it cannot be interrupted.
2. Run the System File Checker (SFC Tool)
Run the System File Checker program as the next action. It is a well-known tool that can fix corrupted or incorrectly modified system files to treat a wide range of Windows-based ailments. The SFC (System file checker) utility may be able to help you scan and fix corrupt system files if you receive the blue screen of death error “Critical Process Died” when trying to boot your computer. The cause of this error can occasionally be corrupt system files. Use the system file checker by performing the following steps.
- Type the command prompt in the Start Menu’s Search box.
- Right-click on the Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
- Type the
sfc/scannowin the command window and hit Enter to execute this command.
3. Run DISM to Repair Corrupted System Image
Run DISM to repair the Windows system image if the sfc/scannow command fails to resolve the Critical Process Died error on the Windows 10 blue screen. Deployment Image Servicing and Management, or DISM, is a command-line tool included with Windows 10. Many users endorse this approach.
- Similarly, run the Command Prompt with administrative privileges. Then run the following commands one by one:
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Usually, it takes 10 to 30 minutes to complete the process. If the progress bar stops moving after pausing at 20% for several minutes, it is normal behavior.
Restart your machine once the scan is complete. It was expected that the “critical process died” error would be fixed.
4. Update Your System Drivers
“Critical process died” errors in Windows 10 and Windows 11 can also be caused by driver bugs, so updating all of your drivers is a good idea to ensure that the system runs smoothly. To avoid this, you need to update your drivers. To do this, you need to follow these steps:
- Right-click on the Start Button.
- Select Device Manager.
- Search through the drivers that have a yellow exclamation point.
- If there is an exclamation mark, right-click the device and select Update Driver from the menu.
5. Run CHKDSK Command to fix Hard Drives
Bad disk blocks are a typical additional cause that may exist. Windows may display the error message Critical Process Died upon startup if your hard drive has bad sectors. To find out if your disk has any bad sectors in this situation, One of the best utilities, CHKDSK Utility fixes significant disk problems and gets rid of all kinds of system disk errors.
- Type the command prompt in the Start Menu’s Search box.
- Right-click on the Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
- Type the CHKDSK D: /F/R/X command in the Command Prompt and press Enter. Replace the D with your driver’s letter.
Please wait patiently for CHKDKS to finish scanning and fixing in order to avoid unexpected errors.
Also Read:-
- A Media Driver Your Computer Needs Is Missing Error
- How to Fix Error Code 0x80004005 Unspecified in Windows 10/11
6. Run the Hardware and Device Troubleshooting Tool
Multiple specialized troubleshooting tools are now included with Windows. One of them is made especially for problems with hardware and device. Unfortunately, it is no longer accessible through the Settings menu. Instead, you must launch it from the command line. Thankfully, doing it is simple.
- Press Windows + R Key to open Run Box.
- Type the msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic in the run box and hit Enter.
Once you click Next in the window that appears, your system will spend a few minutes looking for issues. It will provide feedback on its findings.
7. Reset Your System
By removing the apps, settings, programs, and drivers that are causing the issue, you can reset the PC to resolve it. While the system is being reset, you can choose which files to keep. Follow the instructions here:
- Press Windows + I key to open Settings.
- Select Update & Security
- Now, click on Recovery which see in the left pane.
- Click on Get Started.
- follow the on-screen instructions.
Final Conclusion
What the Critical Process Died error on a Windows computer means and how to fix it are both covered on this page. We strongly advise you make a system backup beforehand because this error tends to occur at random.
No matter what the actual cause of the “Critical Process Died” error is, it may result in a booting loop or even a complete system crash. You can eliminate the error using the solutions described in this post.