How to fix a SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION BSOD on Windows

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If you get a Blue screen of death with the SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION shutdown code, there can be many causes, although a bad driver is always a likely culprit. The usual bug check code that goes with a SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION is 0x3B. Interestingly, the digital code has many (7!) Associations in the Microsoft Error Finder, so it is best to search for this using the text stop code alone or in combination with the numeric code. that of Microsoft bug check page because this error provides this explanation for its cause: “This indicates that an exception occurred while executing a routine that changes from unprivileged code to privileged code.” ”

Fix file system for SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION

Microsoft also notes on the bug-checking page for SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION that “If a driver responsible for the error can be identified, its name is printed on the blue screen …” Indeed, I have personally encountered this error with the file. Windows 10 NTFS system driver (Ntfs.sys) identified as the culprit. This identification is a mixed blessing, as it tells you that some sort of file system error has occurred. However, you cannot and should not replace operating system level drivers for Windows as you might for any device driver.

It is best to leave these repairs to the DISM and SFC commands. So my first response to the SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION shutdown code after a restart would be to run these commands in an administrative command prompt or PowerShell session:

Dism / online / cleanup-image / restorehealth

SFC / scannow

The first command will find and replace any corrupt or missing files in the Windows Component Store (usually C: Windows WinSxS). The second command will examine all Windows system files (SFC stands for System File Checker, actually) and replace any damaged or missing files that it identifies. The aforementioned DISM command usually takes 3-5 minutes, and the SFC command may take longer (especially if it is doing repairs). If SFC finds and fixes any errors, repeat this same command until you get a healthy health status on its final follow-up:

BSOD SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION

If SFC finds and fixes corrupted files, continue to run the command until it reports “… found no integrity violations.” Here it only took two tries to reach this state. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Windows 10 and Windows 11 both include a built-in driver verification tool named verifier.exe. It resides in the C: Windows System32 folder (where Windows keeps most of its administration and repair tools). Drivers are indeed often involved in the SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION error because they belong to the class of Windows code items that are allowed to access protected system code (along with the operating system components themselves, of course). Pretty much any device driver can cause this error, so it’s not uncommon to see it pop up when you install new hardware or plug in some sort of removable storage device (usually through a USB or Thunderbolt port).

If previous system repairs (DISM and SFC) do not resolve the SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION BSOD, Windows Driver Checker can help you identify the culprit behind this BSOD. This tool comes with a warning: be sure to create a current image backup for your PC before using it, as the verifier checks all device drivers and intentionally causes a BSOD when it finds a driver that cannot be verified or is corrupt or damaged.

The information you are looking for should appear in the crash dump that is written when a BSOD occurs. This crash dump will occupy a file named memory.dmp or minidump.dmp. The first resides at the root of Windows, usually C: Windows. The latter resides in C: Windows Minidump. I wholeheartedly recommend using Nir Sofer’s BlueScreenView tool for viewing and inspecting crash dumps. He’ll happily target any of those crash dump files and tell you what’s up.

Enabling Pilot Checker

1. Enter “verifier.exe” at an administrative command prompt or PowerShell This will open the Driver Verifier Manager program.

2. Click on Next and leave the default “Create standard settings” in place.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

3. Select “Automatically select all drivers installed on this computer”. If you prefer to focus on a list of pilots by name, click on “Select driver names from a list” rather. In both cases, click on Next Carry on.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Unless you want to let your computer spend hours possibly testing hundreds of drivers, I have some tips for narrowing this list down and picking out the suspicious drivers from the list.

Tip A: Use DriverStore Explorer to get driver names and information

A free GitHub project called DriverStore Explorer offers a convenient and focused software tool for inspecting and managing Windows drivers. I used it on my test system to confirm that there were over 200 drivers present and to clean up enough old ones to bring this count down to “just” 195. This shows that selecting all drivers may involve a lot of checks and takes a long time. So, I tend to focus on drivers by name using DriverStore Explorer and focus on drivers by category (e.g. network adapters, human interface devices, display adapters, etc. ).

Tip B: Limit driver checks to suspicious categories or items, whenever possible

Let’s say I just switched from Lenovo OEM video driver to Intel DCH video driver on my test PC, after which the SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION error occurred. DriverStore Explorer is telling me that the name of this driver is iigd_dch.inf, so this is the one I want to check for a close match in the Driver Verifier Manager driver list. Usually igd is short for “Intel graphics driver”, so I choose the item named igdkm64.sys.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

4. Click on Finish to carry out your checks. Then you will see a warning from Driver Verifier Manager that you need to restart your PC to start running its driver checks.

5. Click OK, restart your PC, here we go ! When the system restarts, the boot sequence may take a little longer because Driver Verifier Manager is doing its job. Be patient. When Driver Verifier Manager finds unsigned or suspicious drivers, it will cause BSODs.

6. Record all messages on blue screen that are displayed (it is convenient to take a picture of them with a smartphone), so that you can investigate later.

Any BSOD will require further investigation and should prompt some action. In most cases, replacing or upgrading the drivers identified in the crash dumps after using Driver Verifier will restore your system to a good state of repair.

If you find yourself stuck in a boot loop (repeated BSODs caused by Driver Verifier), you will need to boot in safe mode (insert link). Then you can go to Driver Verifier (type verifier in command prompt or PowerShell). Once you are in the Driver Verifier Manager user interface, choose “Remove existing settings”, then click Finish. After your next reboot, your self-induced BSODs will stop.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Beyond the pilot checker, it’s last minute repairs

If you are still unable to break out of the BSOD loop, you may need to take more drastic action. Restore the operating system image you created as a precautionary backup and you’ll be back to where you started. On the other hand, you can try a 30-minute repair reinstall of Windows, or if that isn’t enough, choose to completely reset Windows, which is tantamount to a clean install. The last two are obviously maneuvers of last resort.

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