ive just got the so called blue screen of death. should i try to back up?

Question

well i gkeep getting the blue screen of death message when i start up my pc. it doesnt start up to windows as normal. when i leave the pc shut off for a while it starts as normal then it shows the blue screen. should i use my external hard drive in the time it is ok? if i do and my pc goes back to the blue screen while copying my files will it ruin my pc or my external hard drive?

i recently installed a new graphics card in the pc. should i uninstall and take it out of the pc?

how do i backup the stuff on my pc? i am new to this backup business

Answer 1

check for any bulging capacitors on the motherboard and have them replaced.

Answer 2

Remove the new card and see if it still happens, you could also check the bios settings for the graphics card slot to see if changing them help.

Remove the drivers for the old card and the new card and reinstall the new card. If it still happens backup the PC if you can and reinstall windows.

One other thing to try would be to boot to the XP CD and try a repair install. That should put all XP files back to a default state while hopefully keeping your data

If you get the BSOD while transferring files it may affect the file you are transferring at the time. but shouldn't harm the PC, although getting BSOD means something is wrong

Answer 3

↓ If possible make a back-up
↓ When your pc next starts up continue to tap F12 (sometime F8)
↓ This should bring up the Windows default mode settings
↓ I advise you start the pc in safe mode

You normally get the blue screen after installing a new software or download or virus. While in safe mode uninstall any recent programes and run an antivirus.

Afterwards restart your pc.

Answer 4

You should start your computer in safe mode. (hit f8 repeatedly when you boot until boot menu appears) Then proceed to Start>Run>and enter "msconfig" (no quotes) and hit enter. This will bring up your system configuration screen click on the startup tab. You will see a bunch of programs listed. They all start every time you boot up your computer. Uncheck everything except files related to your antivirus program. Click OK to exit the system config app then restart your computer.

Now your computer will be starting fairly clean and you may avoid the BSOD just by doing this and you will have the best opportunity for backing up your data. Now if this fixes your BSOD then you only have to figure out which of the 20 or so program files was the source of your problem

Answer 5

You should be able to fix the BSOD if it is caused by a driver, which is the most common cause. It will have a relevant message at the top of the second area or paragragh.
If you get a BSOD while copying a file only the target file will be affected. The source should be okay.

Answer 6

1. fire up, restore to earlier date, 2.restart an see what happens. If you pc will not restore replace original graphics card and reinstall it. 3. if this fails then as others have said attempt to get your data off the hard drive to the expernal drive while it is running ok and then reinstall windows. Hopefully you use an up-to-date virus checker?

Answer 7

I think you should consider removing the new graphics card and see if this stablises the os. Blue screens can happen for various reasons, but sometimes ther is some imformation on what the problem is, check this the next time it crashes

Answer 8

backup and reinstall windows. you could probably fix the problem but a simple reinstal would be much more trouble free and quicker.

if you crash when copying files over then it will not ruin your hard drive or pc, although it could screw windows up even more.

Answer 9

try to backup your files, install your copy of windows and then try to make a clone of the C: partition.......

Answer 10

If your computer is not working properly while you are working on it, it could be a problem with device drivers, hardware or software.
Detailed instructions at http://tinyurl.com/yk5zpr