Getting a Blue screen of death is undesirable, but sometimes you can’t help it!
BSODs are common, and Windows and Critical Process died as one of them. You can get this error on Windows 10 and 11.
If you are greeted with such an annoying blue screen critical process died Windows 11 error, go through this write-up to know the exact solutions to fix it.
Also read: How To Fix Windows 10 Critical Service Failed Error
What Is Meant By A Critical Process Died BSOD Error on Windows 11?
Windows 11 critical process died means that a background process has become corrupted and the process has stopped.
If a Windows component detects that the data has been modified incorrectly, it shows such an error.
You may get the error while gaming, opening a particular app, waking the PC from sleep, or logging into your device.
Now here I will discuss the solutions to fix this stop code critical process died Windows 11 error. So, keep reading!
How To Fix Critical Process Died Windows 11?
Follow these methods explained in this article and perform the steps accordingly to fix Windows 11 Critical Process Died error.
Preliminary Step 1) Run A Startup Repair
When you get a critical process died Blue screen of death error, run a Startup Repair first.
A Startup Repair scans and repairs the files that are needed o boot your operating system.
So, before you try any advanced method, perform a Startup Repair.
Here is how to perform a Startup Repair on Windows 11:
- Use a bootable device to boot into your PC. When Windows Logo appears on the computer screen, select Repair your Computer.
- This will lead you to the Advanced Startup Recovery menu.
- From here, select Troubleshoot.
- From the next window, choose Advanced Options > Startup Repair.
- Now the repair process will be initiated. Once done repairing, restart your PC.
If you see the BSOD error again, enter Safe Mode and perform the rest of the solutions to fix the issue.
Preliminary Step 2) Enter Safe Mode
When you cannot boot into Windows normally, enter Safe Mode.
Safe Mode boots into Windows with minimal functionalities and specifically detects the root cause of the problem.
Here is how to enter Safe Mode:
- Open the Advanced options following the above method. Next, choose Startup Settings > Restart.
- Now press the F5 key to enter Safe Mode with the networking option.
Once Windows boot into Safe Mode, perform the next solutions.
1) Perform a Clean Boot
The programs & services running in the background interfere with your system and cause such BSOD errors.
So, perform a clean boot to disable those unnecessary running services.
Here are the steps to do that:
- Press Windows + R keys to launch the Run utility. Enter msconfig in the Run command box and hit Enter.
- The System Configuration Window will open now. Select the Services tab & check the box right beside Hide all Microsoft Services.
- Click on Disable all option. This will stop all the programs that are running in the background except the Microsoft services.
- Close the window and right-click on your Taskbar. Click on Task Manager.
- Next, click on the Startup tab and right-click on the programs you want to disable. Click the Disable option.
After finishing the process, restart your PC. If you get the error, perform a system restore.
2) Perform A System Restore
If you have an already created System Restore Point before getting the BSOD error, then revert to it.
If you do not have such a system restore point, then skip this step and go to the next solution.
Here are the steps for a system restoration:
- Type Control Panel in the Windows search menu & choose the top option.
- Select the Recovery option as shown below.
- From the next options, choose Open System Restore and click on the Next button.
- Choose a preferred restore point and click Next.
- Finish the process by clicking on the Finish button.
If your system doesn’t have a restore point before this issue, reinstall the faulty drivers.
3) Reinstall Faulty Device Drivers
Due to outdated device drivers, you can get BSOD errors. So, update the outdated device drivers and see if this can fix the issue.
Here is how to update the device drivers:
- Right-click on Start Menu and click on Device Manager.
- Expand the device drivers and check if there is any yellow exclamation mark beside any device driver.
- This yellow exclamation mark indicates that the device driver is outdated.
- Right-click on the device driver & select the Update driver option.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to finish updating the driver. Repeat the process till you update all the outdated device drivers.
Once the drivers are updated, restart your PC and see if this could fix the BSOD error.
If the error again appears on the screen, reinstall the device drivers.
- For that, right-click on the device driver and select Uninstall device option.
4) Run A SFC And DISM Scan
You may also get a “Windows critical process died” BSOD error due to corrupted system files.
So run an SFC or System File Checker scan to check the missing & corrupted System files and fix them.
If, after the SFC scan, you get the same error, then run a DISM scan.
Sometimes the Windows image can get corrupted due to a virus or bad update and cause such BSOD errors.
DISM or the Deployment Image Servicing & Management tool, can repair the Windows image and fix the issue.
So run the SFC and DISM scans and check if this can fix the BSOD error.
5) Check Your System For Virus
If, after running the SFC and DISM scans, you are still getting the same Critical Process Died error, run a virus scan.
We often insert a USB device or external hard drive into our PC. This may contain a harmful virus and affect our system.
If any virus or malware is responsible for causing the BSOD error, it will get fixed by running the virus scan.
So, run the antivirus software you are using, and this can fix the problem.
6) Run A CHKDSK Scan
If the above methods could not fix the BSOD error, you can also run a CHKDSK scan to fix the BSOD error. To run the CHKDSK scan, follow the steps given below:
- Type Command Prompt in the Windows search menu and right-click on the Command Prompt option. Click on the Run as administrator option.
- Copy & paste this command in the elevated Command Prompt window & hit Enter:
chkdsk C: /f /r /x
In the above command, ‘C’ stands for your drive letter, so replace it accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]
Here are some questions asked by the Windows users who encountered the Critical process died BSOD error.
- Will reinstalling Windows fix critical process died BSOD errors?
As Windows is not the problem, so, reinstalling Windows might not be able to fix the critical process died error.
This BSOD error can happen soon after installing a new program or hardware.
- Does Blue Screen of Death fix itself?
No, the Blue Screen of Death cannot be fixed by itself. This happens mostly due to improper installation of hardware, software or due to corrupted device drivers.
- Can overheating cause a Blue screen of death?
Yes, overheating can cause BSOD errors. You should check the GPU and CPU temperature from time to time to monitor your system.
Wrap Up
Send us feedback if the above article has helped you to fix the BSOD critical service failed error.
If you have any further queries, feel free to ask us in the comments section provided below.
