Dell Solution Network: Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Wizard

Journal ID:	08147B8XN9
Wizard ID:	302947
Date Published:	10/5/2006
Last Revised:	5/22/2008

STEP: Record Important Information About the Displayed STOP Error

Subsymptom: Blue Screen Error [ Microsoft® Windows Vista® ]

Additional Information

When a STOP error appears, it displays information that can help troubleshoot the cause of the error (Figure 1).

Figure 1: STOP Blue Screen Error (Click the image to enlarge)

Record the following information from a STOP error:

• The STOP code


• The four sets of numbers in parentheses immediately following the STOP code


• Any file names that may appear

	Note:
	The file name may not appear in all STOP errors. For more information on STOP errors, refer to Microsoft Developer Network resource Bug Check Codes.

Journal ID:	08147B8XN9
Wizard ID:	302947
Date Published:	10/5/2006
Last Revised:	5/22/2008

Subsymptom: Blue Screen Error [ Microsoft® Windows Vista® ]

STEP: Does Windows Vista® Start Normally?

Additional Information

Start the computer and wait for the entire startup process to finish. If you see either the Windows Vista login screen (Figure 1) or the desktop (Figure 2), then Windows has started normally.

Figure 1: Windows Vista Login Screen

Figure 2: Windows Vista Desktop

Choose an option below:

Windows does not start in Normal Mode.

Windows starts in Normal Mode.

When searching for a STOP error in Google, the following method will maximize the search effectivness:

• In the search field, type site:support.microsoft.com +Stop and then enter the first set of numbers in the stop error message. For example, if the stop code were 0x0000007b, the best search phrase would be as below:
  
  
  site:support.microsoft.com +Stop 0x0000007b


• If any file names appear in the first three lines of the STOP error, add those to the search field.


• If that does not return relevant results, progressively refine your search by adding the rest of the numbers from the STOP error code from left to right.

If you still do not get good results, start over from the top of this list, omitting site:support.microsoft.com +.