One day you sit in front of your computer and press the power button. Then suddenly, all you see in front of you is a blue screen that says, “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart.” You keep on restarting your PC, but you see the same screen again and again.
This is what we call Blue Screen of Death, or BSOD. This is a general problem that happens on a corrupted PC, and people face some trouble getting back their data from the PC.
However, recovering data from such a case is not impossible. Even if you see a blue screen on boot, you can still recover files from your PC. And that’s what this guide is all about.
Common Reasons for Computer Blue Screen on Startup
There are quite some reasons for which you can see a computer blue screen on startup. It generally happens if your PC is encountering some issues with the low-level software that runs in the Windows kernel.
When you see a BSOD on your screen, it means that your computer is sending you the output ‘Stop’ and is showing you the reason behind such output.
Every time a BSOD happens, your operating system creates a minidump file. It contains the reason why your computer failed to function properly.
In most cases, your computer restarts by itself whenever you see a blue screen on boot. However, you can disable the feature of automatic restarts if you want to read the minidump file deeply.
Here are some common reasons why you may see a blue screen on startup.
- Your operating system (OS) is corrupted
- The device drivers are outdated
- Some crucial hardware component is malfunctioning
- There is some issue with the power supply
- Your components have overheated
- You are trying to run a program that consumes your hardware far beyond the specification limit
- You have some incompatible .DLL files
- Errors in the registry
- Your RAM is malfunctioning
Common Ways to Recover from Blue Screen
If your computer had lots of important files and precious photos and videos, losing them can be a disaster. Thankfully, there are a few common ways in which you can fix the problem of BSOD.
The first solution is to restart your PC. If any of your crucial components are not damaged, then you will be able to boot in properly to your Windows after the restart.
Once Windows faces a Blue Screen of Death, it automatically restarts. So, you may have to do nothing.
If you see that some app is responsible for this issue, or if you are running some program whose minimum hardware requirements is far more than what your PC has, you should stop using it.
The next thing to do is to update your device drivers. Sometimes you may be able to boot into safe mode even if your computer shows a BSOD. In such a case, go to the device manager and update all your drivers to the latest version.
Next, you need to check all your hardware components. Check whether your power supply unit is working properly or not. If it is malfunctioning, you may need to replace it. In case it is not able to supply enough power to all of your components, you may need to buy a better power supply.
Take out the RAM sticks and see if they have any damage. Also, check for any damage in the RAM slots.
Clean out all the fans in your PC regularly and replace the thermal paste on your processor and GPU. Also, clean out the vents of your CPU cabinet properly.
Then, see which .DLL files are causing errors and download a better version from reliable sites. Also, check out which registry values are creating problems and try to set them back to default.
Use Windows repair tools and commands like sfc /scannow if you think some of your Windows files are corrupted.
Taking the steps above will allow you to boot into your operating system. Then, you can use an external storage device to recover all your important files.
How to Recover Lost Data Caused by Blue Screen on Startup with Wondershare Recoverit
If none of the solutions work, and if your hardware is not responsible for this issue, then you will need to do a fresh install of Windows. However, it comes with a problem.
When you install Windows on any partition of your hard drive, you need to format it first. So, if you have any important file in that partition, you will lose it.
So, does that mean you need to say goodbye to your important stuff? Of course not, since Wondershare Recoverit is here to help you out.
Wondershare Recoverit is a data recovery tool that can help you get back data from any PC even if it has crashed.
Here are the steps that you need to follow to recover all your important files from a computer that is showing a blue screen on boot. For this, you need a working computer and a blank USB drive. A CD/DVD will work as well.
Step 1: Download and install Wondershare Recoverit from their official site. Once you open it, click on System Crashed Computer located on the left side of the home screen.
After that, click on Start to launch the recovery process.
Step 2: Since you are unable to open your PC, you will need to create a bootable media, which you will use to recover data from your PC. So, connect your USB drive or insert a blank CD/DVD.
On the next screen, Recoverit will ask you to select the USB drive or the disk which you want to use as a bootable media drive.
Once you select the USB drive, Recoverit will format it (keep a backup of the existing data) and then convert it into a bootable drive.
It will even ask for a confirmation before it starts formatting the USB drive. Then, Recoverit will start converting the USB drive or the blank CD/DVD to bootable drives.
Wait for this process to complete. And now you have a bootable USB drive or a disc that has Wondershare Recoverit.
Step 3: Now, insert the USB drive or the CD into your computer.
To ensure that your PC boots from the USB drive and not the Windows in your hard disk, you need to go to your BIOS to make changes to the boot order.
In some desktops and laptops, you can keep on tapping the Esc button as soon as you press the power button. Keep on tapping till the startup of your PC pauses. A menu will open up, which will show you some options like Hardware Diagnostics, BIOS, Boot Order, etc.
Press the button that allows you to change the boot order of your PC. A list will open up that shows all the bootable drives that are present in your computer. Select your USB drive or the blank disc from that list and press Enter.
In case you don’t have such options, you need to check out your manufacturer’s guides.
Step 4: Once you have booted into USB, it is time to recover your hard drive.
On the screen, you will see two options – Hard Disk Copy and Data Recovery.
If you think your hard disk is intact and some other component is responsible for the blue screen on boot, then click on Hard Disk Copy.
If you think that your hard disk is responsible for this issue and is corrupted, then click on Data Recovery.
If you select Hard Disk Copy, select the directory where you have stored your important files. Then, connect a working hard disk.
After that, select the disk that you just connected from the list of available storage devices and click on the Copy button.
The computer will show you the process of copying the contents of one hard drive to another. The process may take some time, depending on the size and speeds of the hard drives.
If you select Data Recovery, select the hard drive that has crashed. Recoverit will start scanning for deleted files.
Meanwhile, connect a working hard disk to your computer.
After the scanning completes, Recoverit will ask for a location where you want to save your recovered data. Select the working hard drive from the list of available storage devices.
Then, Recoverit will transfer all the recovered items from your damaged hard drive to the working hard drive.
The best part of using Recoverit is that you can preview your files and then save them to a properly functioning storage device.
Wrapping Up
And that is how you can recover files from a computer that shows a blue screen on startup. Make sure to take precautionary measures to ensure that such a problem does not happen in the first place. Always take measures to avoid overheating. And make sure that you do not run any software downloaded from untrusted sources, especially if it wants to tamper with the registry.
If you see a BSOD even after taking all precautionary measures, you now know what to do. Simply create a bootable USB drive that contains Wondershare Recoverit and use it to get back all your important files.
