Help Can blue screen of death(windows 7) damage the laptop?

[John16]

When I clicked on Troubleshooter then *Display Aero Desktop effects* ,my laptop suddenly flashed a few times and then the blue screen of death showed up and it turned off itself. I had to press the power button to turn it back on.

This is my first time receiving a Blue screen of death and I'm worried if it can damage the laptop or laptop components such as hardware, also the only option was to press the power button to turn it back on as the laptop turned off itself so I'm not sure if this is called a cold reboot(scared it can damage laptop) but I'm concerned about the laptop since its fairly new.

 

[Golden]

The BSOD won't damage your laptop per se, but rather its a response to an underlying cause (e.g. in the case of overheating components) which may damage the laptop if left untreated.

Its best to follow these instructions so we can help you:

http://www.sevenforums.com/bsod-help-support/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html

Regards,
Golden

 

[TwoCables]

This is completely harmless to hardware. If it happens again, or if it keeps happening, then the BSOD experts here on SevenForums will be able to help.

 

[John16]

When I turned back on the laptop it was working normally but I'm thinking it *Could* be a driver outdated because all my drivers were from the dell's website where as Nvidia they have a newer version + intel. I'm too scared to press the Troubleshoot since staring at the blue screen for first time

 

[Golden]

Please follow steps outlined here to get BSOD help:

http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html

 

[John16]

Hi thaks for the reply

I had found out the problem which caused it which was the anti-virus software activating when the troubleshoot was scanning the laptop so I disabled it for a short time and it finally worked when I clicked "Display Aero Desktop Effects",
My question is:Can the blue screen of death damage the laptop such as hardware and software in this situation.
Could pressing the power button on when the laptop has just switched off damage the laptop? (Not sure if this is called a cold-boot or hard boot)


I would like to know if anti-virus can cause the blue screen of death or not and it is a software/hardware issue?

 

[Golden]

The only way to diagnose BSOD's is to post the information requested - until you do that, you will never know what is causing them - it could be hardware, it could be drivers, it could be anti-virus software, or all of these.

You've already been given the link for BSOD's - do yourself a favour and use it.

 

[x BlueRobot]

A BSOD won't damage your hardware or your software, the purpose of a BSOD is the prevent the computer from becoming damaged due to the error which is occurring, and to inform the user that a serious error has occurred.

With the correct expertise and debugging tools, the crash dump (file containing information about the BSOD) can be analyzed, and a possible cause can be found, or least some relevant troubleshooting steps. Please follow Golden's instructions.

More information on BSODs here:

• Blue Screen of Death - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[TwoCables]

Hi thaks for the reply

I had found out the problem which caused it which was the anti-virus software activating when the troubleshoot was scanning the laptop so I disabled it for a short time and it finally worked when I clicked "Display Aero Desktop Effects",
My question is:Can the blue screen of death damage the laptop such as hardware and software in this situation.
Could pressing the power button on when the laptop has just switched off damage the laptop? (Not sure if this is called a cold-boot or hard boot)


I would like to know if anti-virus can cause the blue screen of death or not and it is a software/hardware issue?

The answer is no: physical damage to your laptop is not possible from BSODs and its not possible from pressing the power button like that. However, there's always a very slight chance of some data corruption from BSODs, but you would know it if it happened.

Yes, some anti-virus programs have been known to cause BSODs. I think AVG is one of them.

 

[x BlueRobot]

From the my experience, the main AV programs which tend to cause problems are: AVG, Norton, McAfee and sometimes Avast.

 

[John16]

I have Avast anti-virus and I'm not sure if I should reinstall the operating system again or Leave it since happening that 1 time(Touchwood).

Should I reinstall the operating system again or leave it?

 

[x BlueRobot]

There is not much advice I could provide within the dump file, follow the instructions left by Golden, to enable to upload the dump file from the BSOD in your next post. I would leave Avast installed, and leave the operating system as it is.

 

[TwoCables]

I have Avast anti-virus and I'm not sure if I should reinstall the operating system again or Leave it since happening that 1 time(Touchwood).

Should I reinstall the operating system again or leave it?

Nope, there's no need to reinstall Windows. BSODs are just that harmless. I would uninstall Avast though and try something else that the good people here on SevenForums might recommend.

 

[x BlueRobot]

If you are going to remove Avast, then use MSE in combination with Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware.

:info: Remember to unselect the trail for the Pro versions of Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware; install the free version of each. Unselect any additional programs which also may be pre-selected during the installation.