In most cases a blue screen is caused by hardware or driver failure. In this article I show how to find out the cause of the blue screen by using the tool WinDbg.

The Dump File

A dump file is a snapshot. It contains information about the current state of your system. It is often generated when a process is about to crash. The default storage location of dump files can be changed by pressing the keys Windows + PAUSE/Break. Then click on Advanced System Settings. In section Startup and Recovery click Settings.

Reading a dump file can be frustrating. See the following dump ;-). And now tell me what this means.

Make it readable with WinDbg

First, you have to download the Debugging Tools:

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/download-windbg

Next, we have to install it.

Opening the Crash Dump

Start Windbg. Click on File and select Open Crash Dump …

Navigate to your Crash Dump folder and open the file. In the follwing example, I found out that the ATI driver of the graphic card was causing the blue screen.

I wish you all the best finding out the cause of your blue screen.