First, we need to determine if its a software (bad drivers or a buggy update – most common cause) or hardware (RAM or SSD corruption) issue. I recommend following below steps in order:
- Undo last update. A buggy update is the most common cause of blue screen in my experience.
- Run
chkdsk c: /f - Run
sfc /scan - Run Windows Memory Diagnostics if you are able to boot in. This will check if RAM is corrupted. Do not use memtest86 utility. It just gave me a blank screen and maxed out CPU for hours.
- Restore the PC to a previous restore point if you have one.
- Reset the PC
In my case it was a bad Windows update that caused the error (thanks Microsoft). Resetting the PC fixed it.
Btw Mac is not any better. 2023-09-15: My M2 Mac Mini refused to boot and just died within three months of use. Thanks Apple.