It’s a weekday afternoon and you’re composing a monthly report on your Windows 10 computer, then all of a sudden, your computer goes into blue screen. All you can see if the message popping up and saying that “Your PC ran into a problem…”. Then you see the error code: CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED. If this is why you are here, feel free to take a deep breath and relief: we have 4 solutions here for you to fix this problem.
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What is CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED?
Well, Critical_Process_Died blue screen of death error, with the error code 0x000000EF, means that a critical system process is your computer died. The process can be so critical that it could damage your hard disk, your memory or, even very rare, your processor. But no worries, we got you covered. Read on and locate the solutions to this problem.
How do I fix the Critical_Process_Died error?
If this is the very first time you have this problem, your computer will restart and it’ll be back to normal. But if you’ve seen this error message many times, you need to do something about your PC, since it indicates that a critical system process is at fault.
Annoying as this blue screen error may seem, it’s not hard to solve. Here are 4 solutions for you to try. You may not need to try them all; just work your way down until you find the one works for you.
1: Run a virus scan
The CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED error could be caused by some spyware or malware. Even if they aren’t the dangerous kind, they could still cause the problem.
So before we go any deeper into solving this problem in other ways, you should scan your computer with trusted antivirus program(s). If you find any malware infected programs or files, uninstall and remove them completely.
2: Update device drivers
In most cases, buggy drivers is the cause to a Critical_Process_Died blue screen of death error. You can try updating all the device drivers to the latest versions to fix it.
You can update your device drivers by using tool provided by your hardware manufacturer, or you can search for it by yourself. Whichever way you prefer is the best.
If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your drivers manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.
You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click the Update button next to any flagged driver to automatically download and install the correct version of this driver (you can do this with the FREE version).
Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (this requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All).
3: Undo recent changes
Another big cause of Critical Process Died is faulty or buggy hardware or software programs installed. If you’ve recently installed some programs or hardware components, try upgrade them to the latest versions available or remove them completely from your PC.
4: Run SFC & DISM
If your hard drive or RAM is corrupted, a blue screen of death error would pop up and force reboot your computer. This is your computer’s way of protecting itself from further damage.
You can run two built-in checks to make sure that your disk and RAM are at a good state:
- SFC stands for system file checker. It helps you replace corrupted or faulty system files with new good ones.
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key, and type in cmd. Right-click Command Prompt and click Run as administrator.
2) Type in sfs /scannow and press Enter.
Wait for a while for this process to finish. Then restart your computer.
- DISM stands for Deployment Image Servicing and Management. If the system file checker can’t help you fix the blue screen of death error, you can run DISM as well. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be necessary.
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key, and type in cmd. Right-click Command Prompt and click Run as administrator.
2) In the Command Prompt window, type in the following command one by one, and press Enter key after each one.
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
3) Restart your computer when all the checking are done.
Last Resort: Refresh or Reset your Windows 10
If you’ve tried all the above methods but still can’t solve your problem, it’s time to refresh or reset your Windows 10.
If you need more help, go to the posts below for more detailed instructions:
How to refresh or Reset Windows 10 Easily?
My name is PaRa Mu Dita, a web Master, web Developer and Adventurer. Doing work for last 2 years and Running A lot of Techno Sites.