Why is my Dell laptop showing a blue screen?
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Hello Guys, Model : latitude E5520 Suddenly this laptop shows Blue screen of death and restart right away , even i cant see the error message. During last crash only outlook was working. Troubleshooting Done: 1. Hard disk replaced with SSD. 2. Dell Hardware diagnostics Done , 100% OK 3. Not any event logs regarding this. Any Suggestion would be appreciated
Best Answer
Sonora
OP
Paris2155
Sep 29, 2017 at 14:31 UTC
I use BlueScreenView to pull dump files and view error codes. It works well for me and just being able to google the results work well. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html
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37 Replies· · ·
Chipotle
OP
BH5970
Sep 29, 2017 at 12:24 UTC
Are you able to boot it in safe mode with networking? Did you install any programs recently? Were there any programs that updated or need to be updated? See which programs are starting up in msconfig. Trial and error (disable/enable one) and restart to see if there is a culprit. An option may be to retrieve the date and reinstall the operating system. Before you do this, make sure you have all your license keys available.
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Anaheim
OP
Lovejit3144
Sep 29, 2017 at 12:26 UTC
I already disable all the software's in startup apps, and nothing new is installed. but some old software are updated time to time in past.
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Mace
OP
Martin2012
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Make sure you have all the drivers an BIOS up to date
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Habanero
OP
2300peterw
Sep 29, 2017 at 12:34 UTC
After the above, and if there is not an improvement run an extended RAM check
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Habanero
OP
2300peterw
Sep 29, 2017 at 12:35 UTC
And check out the details of the SMART values for that SSD
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Habanero
OP
Mealy58
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Have you looked over the dump file?
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Cayenne
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fgorovodsky2
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Did you install all generic Dell drivers for the laptop?
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Chipotle
OP
celtek
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Can you boot into safe mode? Have you tried running any third party diagnostic software? After the next crash, try booting into safe mode and run WhoCrashed, it might help you investigate the cause further.
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Pure Capsaicin
OP
Robert5205
Sep 29, 2017 at 13:02 UTC
When diagnosing sudden unexplained shutdown/reboot in a laptop, I start with layer 1: Is the system dirty? If the laptop is overheating (even locally), a thorough cleaning may help. It would be a good first step to eliminate that.
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Pure Capsaicin
OP
DragonsRule
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Change your startup options to not reboot on error, so the BSOD will stay on screen. Welcome to SW! How long have you been in IT?
Is this a home or office machine?
What version of Windows is on it?
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Jalapeno
OP
BBarclay
Sep 29, 2017 at 13:06 UTC
As someone stated, be sure to update your BIOS and video drivers. Helped with a lot of my random BSOD issues lately. The Dell Support Assist application is helpful with this or looking up the service tag on Dell's support sitehttp://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19?c=us&l=en&s=dhs.
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Datil
OP
MR.Burnz
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Ive had a laptop do this. I had to update my sound and video drivers. Brought it back to life.
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Anaheim
OP
Lovejit3144
Sep 29, 2017 at 13:27 UTC
Its one of my company's laptop and working with windows 7. The drivers are also up to date.
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Pure Capsaicin
OP
DragonsRule
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Disable auto restart: https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/help-troubleshoot-the-blue-screen-of-death-by-preventi...
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Anaheim
OP
Lovejit3144
Sep 29, 2017 at 13:31 UTC
I already run Ram check with Dell diagnostic Utility, Is there any other RAM check that can helpful.
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Cayenne
OP
Jenner
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Are you running off battery or are you plugged in? Power issues can cause random BSODs as well in laptops. Battery going bad, power system going bad (caps), bad grounding of components, etc... Unfortunately, unless you're good with pulling things apart and have decent soldering skills, most of these issues are "new laptop" fixes.
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Thai Pepper
OP
BrandonH75
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I had a brand new Dell some time ago acting similar right out of the box. After doing everything else I could think of, I reseated the RAM. Worked perfectly after that. More recently we bought five from somewhere. None of them worked right. Turned out to be a defect in the MB for that model (don't remember which). It was a pain, but we managed to get them returned.
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Anaheim
OP
Lovejit3144
Sep 29, 2017 at 14:14 UTC
How to look the Dump file , what i have to get from that file ?
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Sonora
OP
Best Answer
Paris2155
Sep 29, 2017 at 14:31 UTC
I use BlueScreenView to pull dump files and view error codes. It works well for me and just being able to google the results work well. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html
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Datil
OP
Theborgman77
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Selfstudy is an IT service provider. How old is the laptop? If it is older try buy or placing the docking station power supply on the unit. If it was exposed to high heat over time it will pull more amps. If you have docking stations and power supplies. Make sure that if it is docked the correct cord is connected. The two power supplies look identical FYI on some models they are not.
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Habanero
OP
2300peterw
Sep 29, 2017 at 15:49 UTC
Lots of good ideas above. I suspect that unless that dump file catches anything you will always wonder what is causing the crash. I see that it is a company laptop and maybe it is still in warranty and for that you need to check with your company before you take it apart and in any event if it is in warranty let Dell sort it out. If not and the company are OK for you to tackle it and you feel that you want to then it is a job of eliminating all possibilities. If it where mine I would check the CPU temp in UEFI/BIOS and then strip it down to inspect motherboard for any visual issues, clean filters, re-seat CPU with new thermal paste, re-seat RAM, remake connections to SSD, maybe change CMOS battery, etc. (NB You or someone has recently changed that and it could be the cause.) After reassembling, I would then: check CPU temp again; use a live Ubuntu Distro to check SMART values of SSD and as the Ubuntu Distro starts you can select a RAM check and you can leave it running overnight. Boot it back into Windows and check that all is still well and it should be. If the fault does not reappear in a month, consider it cured. If the fault reappears then it could be motherboard or Windows itself. I would then probably dual boot it with a Linux Distro and if the company tasks allows it work in Linux. Again, if it does not crash in a month then it will be a Windows issue and perhaps a reinstall of Windows will cure that. If it crashes then it could be a motherboard issue. For me this is easy but for many it is not and that is I would re-flow the solder joints (In fact for me I would have done that when I first had it stripped down).
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Datil
OP
Gen. Ripper
Sep 29, 2017 at 16:02 UTC
You haven't mentioned (or I missed where you did), what is the stop code when it blue screens?
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Pure Capsaicin
OP
DragonsRule
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OP said that the BSOD is gone before it can be read. That's why I suggested changing options to stop the machine from rebooting.
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Thai Pepper
OP
Oldsmobile_Mike
Sep 29, 2017 at 16:17 UTC
Format the hard drive and reinstall the operating system fresh. Alternatively, boot and run off the Linux distro of your choice. That will rule out if it's a hardware or software problem. I've owned hundreds of Latitudes, recommend checking for overheating or bad RAM if you suspect a hardware problem. The built-in BIOS-level hardware tests can be helpful, here (make sure you update to latest version of BIOS, first).
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