Four Types of Stop Errors

Your Windows 7 computer can encounter different types of hardware or software problems that generate a Stop message. Stop messages are generally categorized as follows:

Malfunctioning software – A Stop error can occur when a driver, service or system feature running in Kernel mode introduces an exception. Typical errors occur when a driver attempts to use an interrupt request level (IRQL) not assigned to its operation or a driver tries to write to an invalid memory location. Many times a Stop message appears with a specific activity that helps you identify a faulty driver. In general, make sure that all installed software is fully compatible with Windows 7 and that you are running the latest versions. There are applications that install drivers to operate successfully and their compatibility with Windows 7 is crucial!

Malfunctioning hardware – Problems occur due to faulty or incorrectly configured hardware parts. If you suspect a Stop error is caused by hardware, first install the latest drivers for that hardware part and make sure that it is configured correctly before attempting to replace that hardware. Also, make sure to refer to your computer motherboard and device manuals for helpful information. Windows 7 has plenty of tools and utilities that can help diagnose faulty hardware – Device Manager, Reliability Monitor, Event Viewer and others.

Executive initialization Stop errors – Executive initialization Stop errors occur only during the relatively short Windows executive initialization sequence. Typically, these Stop errors area caused by corrupted system files or faulty hardware. The Startup Repair option can help you solve these issues and if the problem persists, it is recommended to verify that all hardware has the latest firmware.

Installation Stop errors that occur during setup – Installation Stop errors typically occur because of incompatible hardware, defective hardware or outdated firmware. During an operating system upgrade, Stop errors can occur when incompatible applications and drivers exist on the system. It is recommended to upgrade your hardware firmware before attempting an operating system upgrade.