If you've used a computer for any length of time, you've almost certainly encountered the Blue Screen of Death, or kernel panic, in which the computer restarts unexpectedly, erasing all your work.

What causes this, and what can you do to prevent it in the future? Let's take a look.

What Is a Kernel Panic, and What Causes One?

A kernel panic, which is also called a stop error or the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in the Windows world, happens when an operating system can't figure out how to fix a low-level error. The error is thought to be more serious than a simple app that won't work. It could also harm the system or your data.

In layman's terms, a kernel panic is simply a safety measure taken by an operating system to lower the risk of hardware damage. For example, when your device has a major system error, the kernel sends a signal to shut down the device and then shows error codes that tell you what exactly happened.

From the user's perspective, all it means is that one minute you're working as normal, and the next, your computer is restarting, and you've lost everything you've done since you last saved.

Windows—the Blue Screen of Death

On Windows, you'll know one has happened when the whole screen turns blue, with a message stating that the computer needs to restart. Poor driver optimizations or hardware malfunctions typically cause BSODs.

Related: Tips to Help You Fix the Windows Blue Screen Error

Therefore, if you're experiencing an excessive number of BSODs, you should update your drivers to the latest stable version using a reliable driver updater software. We've already covered many free driver updaters for Windows; don't forget to give them a try.

Blue Screen Of Death Error
Image Credit: Dmitriy Domino/Shutterstock

Mac

Kernel panics are the very last thing from the mind of any Mac owner. Your Mac will display an error message and then restart. On macOS, Kernel panics are most frequently caused by software errors, but they can also be caused by hardware failures, as mentioned previously.

Related: What To Do If Your Mac Keeps Shutting Down

In such cases, the computer simply restarts without any warning, followed by a brief message explaining what has happened. On higher versions, the screen fades to black in a rather more alarming manner, with a message telling you to restart.

Linux

On Linux computers, there is also a concept known as kernel oops, which refers to a serious error that the operating system isn't capable of handling. The system will continue to run, but it may cause instability and may even result in a full kernel panic, manifested by a black screen filled with code.

On Linux, a kernel panic does not always precede a kernel oops.

Kernel Panic In Linux
Image Credit: Waferboard/Flickr

Android

Kernel panics also occur on Android OS. However, due to kernel optimizations and Android security updates, it is less probable that the newer versions of Android would experience a Kernel Panic. In general, it all depends on the operating system's optimizations, the hardware, and other such factors. This is why we always recommend that you update to the latest Android version.

The causes of a kernel panic or BSOD are many and varied, and they can be hardware or software-related. Common causes include faulty RAM or malfunctioning peripherals, drivers or software plugins, or even badly written programs.

What to Do When You Get One

When you encounter a kernel panic or BSOD, the only thing you can do is restart your computer and resume your work.

The kernel panic generates a log file with information that can assist an engineer in deciphering what occurred. You should be offered the opportunity to send this to the OS developer upon restarting, depending on your operating system.

You will not receive customized support for the issue, but it will assist them in preventing kernel panics in future operating system releases.

Windows Error Illustration Image

It's important to remember that a kernel panic is only a sign that an error occurred, not that there's anything fundamentally wrong with your PC. Everyone will get them from time to time, and you can happily forget about it.

However, if they become more frequent—say, every couple of weeks—you should aim to identify what is causing them.

Troubleshooting a Kernel Panic

Each time a kernel panic occurs, a log containing information about what happened will be created. It's mostly incomprehensible to the regular user, although a scan of the data can sometimes reveal a particular app that was at fault.

On Windows, you may need to download and install the Debugging Tool for Windows to examine the log. Mostly, though, you'll just need to investigate some common causes to see if they are to blame.

Hardware Issues

When looking for possible causes of your kernel panics, the key is to try and identify any changes you've made to your system recently.

Undoing these changes and then re-enabling them one at a time helps you isolate a possible cause.

  1. Check the RAM: If you have upgraded the RAM in your computer, the first step is to check that it is seated properly. If the problem persists, remove the RAM you added. If that solves it, the RAM may be faulty, so contact your retailer for an exchange.
  2. Detach Peripherals: It isn't just large add-ons like scanners and printers that can cause potential problems. A kernel panic can be caused by something as benign as a USB flash drive. Once you are confident that a particular device isn't at fault, you can reconnect it.
  3. Check for Disk Errors: Run the disk repair software built into your computer's operating system to ensure that disk errors are not causing your kernel panics. If the computer crashes as soon as it boots, you will need to either boot into the Recovery partition (usually F10 on Windows and Command + R on Mac; for Linux, it depends on the distro being used) or boot from a disk or USB drive to carry out these diagnostic tasks.

Software Issues

If the software is the cause of your kernel panic (or Blue Screen of Death), you will tend to pick up which program it is over a period. Sometimes, though, applications running in the background, such as security software, may be the cause.

To diagnose software problems, boot into Safe Mode on Mac or Windows. Safe mode loads only the core elements of the operating system. Do this on Windows by holding F8 when you restart, and on Mac, you hold the Shift key after you hear the startup chime. Linux doesn't have a safe mode as such, only a recovery partition.

  1. Check Software and Startup Items: Check all your software is up-to-date, and also look at which programs are launching on boot. Disable any that you installed shortly before you started to experience kernel panics, then re-enable them in turn.
    Startup Items In A Mac
  2. Update the System: Download and install the latest updates for your operating system, as well as drivers for your hardware on Windows. If you're testing beta or preview versions of your operating system, these may not be stable, so they could be the cause of the problem.
  3. Use System Restore: If you make a lot of changes to your system, consider using System Restore or Time Machine to roll back to a time before the kernel panics occurred.
  4. Reinstall your OS: If none of the above worked, you can try a method that will almost certainly save your desktop or laptop - reinstall your operating system from scratch. It's similar to beginning a new life - and it's not tough at all.

Can You Avoid Kernel Panics in the Future?

We hope these tips assist you in overcoming a kernel panic. Kernel panics and the Blue Screen of Death are pretty rare. You will rarely have them from time to time, but they are not always a sign of a bigger problem. If you start to see them regularly, it's almost always a direct result of a recent change you have made to your system. As such, they're often relatively easy to diagnose and deal with.

There's no way to avoid kernel panics, but so long as you're prepared should you ever need to deal with them, there's no need to worry either.