If you see a Blue Screen error on your computer and want to find which driver is causing the BSOD on Windows, here are some ways to help you. There are multiple methods to find the faulty driver, and this guide explains all the possible ways you can use it on your Windows 11/10 computer.
How to find which Driver is causing the Blue Screen on Windows
To find out the Device Driver that is causing the Blue Screen of Death on your Windows 11/10 computers, you can follow any one of these methods depending on the circumstances:
- Check What failed in the Blue Screen
- Use Driver Verifier Manager
- Use File Signature Verification Tool
- Use DirectX Diagnostic Tool
- Check Minidump file
- Use BlueScreenView to see BSOD logs
To learn more about these steps, continue reading.
1] Check What failed in the Blue Screen
It is probably the easiest way to find which driver is causing the Blue Screen error on your Windows computer. When you get the blue screen error, it displays the Stop Error Code and failed driver name. You need to check the What failed section, which is visible at the bottom of your screen. It will show the name of the device driver that failed and caused the BSOD. The name could be iaStorAVC.sys, hardlock.sys, ndis.sys, Tcpip.sys, intelppm.sys, fltmgr.sys, etc.
Once you have this name, search on this site or on the web to find posts that may help you.
Basically, you will need to either update that driver or roll back the driver if you recently updated your driver and see if that helps you.
Fix: Windows Blue Screen when idle
2] Use Driver Verifier Manager
You can use the Driver Verifier Manager on your computer to find the problematic driver on your Windows PC. Whether it is a newly installed or an existing driver, you can find the faulty one.
The tool allows you to verify any category of drivers to verify:
- Unsigned drivers
- Drivers built for older versions of Windows
- All drivers
- Select specified drivers only.
Unsigned drivers are usually suspected and this tool can not only help you identify failed unsigned drives but other signed drivers as well.
Read: Blue Screen of Death Causes and Solutions
3] Use File Signature Verification Tool
The built-in File Signature Verification Tool is yet another utility you can use to find the problematic driver on your PC. It will help you identify Unsigned & Digitally Signed Drivers.
4] Use DirectX Diagnostic Tool
The DirectX Diagnostic Tool is designed to help you troubleshoot DirectX-related issues. If you recently installed a driver for making your games smoother and started getting the Blue Screen error after that, you can use the DirectX Diagnostic Tool. If the Diagnostic Tool flags an unsigned driver, updating the driver might solve your problem. You can typically find the latest driver for your hardware on the support section of the manufacturer’s website. Make sure you have the 64-bit driver for your 64-bit PC and the driver version is compatible. You may have to check your hardware configuration to figure this out.
Read: Bluescreen after installing Drivers in Windows
5] Check Minidump file
When you get BSOD on a Windows PC, a Minidump file gets saved on your computer to store the information or details. The more your computer gets stopped unexpectedly, the more number of minidump files get saved. Therefore, you can follow this path to find the Minidump files:
C:\Windows\minidump
You may find some files named like – Mini031120-01.dmp, etc.
Read: How to open and read Small Memory Dump (DMP) files
6] Use BlueScreenView to see BSOD logs
If you do not understand the Minidump files, you can use free Crash Dump Analyzer software like BlueScreenView on your computer. This free utility helps you give all the information regarding the BSOD, including the driver’s name responsible for the error. Therefore, you can use this app to find the faulty driver’s name.
Read: Understand and Troubleshoot common Windows Blue Screen of Death
How do I find out what driver is causing my blue screen?
You can use the aforementioned guides to find out which driver is causing a blue screen error on your computer. For example, you can find the Driver Verifier Manager, File Signature Verification Tool, DirectX Diagnostic Tool, etc. You can also find the What failed section in the Blue Screen.
TIP: Analyze Windows Memory Dump .dmp files with WhoCrashed
Can bad drivers cause Blue screen?
Yes, bad drivers can cause a blue screen on your computer. If you want to find which driver is causing a blue screen error or BSOD on your PC, you can follow this article. Here are some of the best working solutions to find and fix the BSOD on Windows 11/10 PC.
Related: Microsoft Online Blue Screen Troubleshooter for Windows.
