Fix Your PC Ran Into a Problem and Needs to Restart Error in Windows 10

Sometimes you will notice your PC behaving weird and out of nowhere you get a message reading “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart”. It comes with a blue screen and that is why it is a BSOD(Blue Screen of Death) error. This is a serious issue and needs immediate attention. 

In this guide, I will show you some methods by which you can fix the “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart” error. 

Along with the message, these are some of the error codes that you might get: 

WHEA UNCORRECTABLE

KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_ERROR

FAULTY_HARDWARE-CORRUPTED_PAGE

DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION

Stop code: 0xC0000021A

INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED

BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO

Main Causes Behind Windows 10 BSOD

Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart is a serious BSOD error. It has a lot to do with the system files. Here are some of the reasons why you might get this error: 

• Some corrupt Windows files. 
• Outdated Windows 
• A missing registry 
• The RAM gets overwhelmed 
• Overheating issues 
• Forceful Shutdown 
• Malware attack 

Fix Your PC Ran Into a Problem and Needs to Restart Error 

You can fix Windows 10 BSOD issue by following the given methods, try these fixes one by one.

Check for Windows Update

First things first, you have to make sure that your Windows is up to date. Here is how you can check for updates: 

• Go to the Windows Task Bar, type “Check for updates” in the search bar, and hit enter. 
• On the right side, you will see all of the available updates. If there are any updates, you can download and install them. 

It is crucial to keep your Windows updated as it enhances the user experience and is also important for security. After the update restart your computer.

Update Drivers to Fix Your PC Ran Into a Problem

It is recommended that you try updating the drivers in safe mode. Here is how you can enter safe mode in Windows 10: 

Booting into Safe Mode in Windows 10

Well, the easy way to boot into Safe Mode to open advanced settings is by pressing the “f11” key when you turn on your computer. 

If that isn’t working for you then you will have to trigger the Automatic Repair mode. To trigger the automatic repair mode, you will have to perform a hard restart. The Windows automatically enters into Automatic Repair mode if it fails to boot up manually three times.

For Laptops

To trigger the Automatic Repair mode: 

• Turn your laptop on by pressing the power button.
• Now press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds.
• Repeat the above steps three times. 
• Finally, turn your laptop on and this time Windows will start in Repair mode. 

OR you can take out the battery while the laptop is ON, then put it back and turn it ON again to see the Automatic Repair mode.

For Desktops 

Desktops will save you the trouble of pressing and holding the power button as they do not have batteries.

• Just press the power button. 
• Before the Windows load, unplug the CPU from the power source. 
• Repeat the above steps 3 times. 
• Finally, turn your desktop on and this time it will start in Repair mode.

Entering Safe Mode

Step 1: Once you enter the Startup Repair, Windows will ask you to select an account. 

Step 2: Select your user account and type the password to enter. 

Now, the Startup Repair will try to fix your computer. 

Step 3: If it fails, you will get the message and option to Shut down your computer or go to Advanced options. 

Step 4: Click on Advanced options. 

Step 5: From the Advanced options, click on Troubleshoot. 

Step 6: Again, click on Advanced options. 

Step 7: Click on Startup Settings. 

Step 8: Finally, click on Restart. 

Now the computer will restart and you will get startup options. 

Step 9: To start Windows 10 in safe mode, press the “num 4” key.

Windows will now start in Safe Mode. 

Updating Drivers 

Step 1: Press the “Windows+R” key to open the Run dialog box. 

Step 2: Type “devmgmt.msc” and hit enter. 

Here, you can update the drivers by right-clicking on them one by one. This could be a lengthy process. I suggest that you use an automatic driver update tool.

Once you do that, restart your computer and it should now start in normal mode. Hopefully, the “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart” issue will be gone now. 

Boot into Safe Mode and Uninstall Problematic Apps 

Now that you know how to boot into safe mode in Windows 10, you can try uninstalling any recent apps. It is fairly easy to do, just go to the Control Panel. Click on Programs and Features. From here, you can uninstall any recent apps by right-clicking on them. Just make sure to do it in safe mode only.

If you are unable to find the problematic apps then try to uninstall the graphics card driver and then reboot your PC. Check if the problem is resolved or not, if yes then you need to install the latest version of the graphics driver.

Modify Memory Dump Settings

This is also a method that you should try in safe mode. Although you can try it in normal mode too. Here is how to do it:

Step 1: On your desktop, right-click on This PC and then click on Properties. 

Step 2: Scroll down and click on Advanced system settings. 

Step 3: Go to the Advanced tab and click on Settings under Startup and Recovery. 

Step 4: Uncheck the option reading “Automatically restart” under System Failure. 

Step 5: Next, Write debugging information and select the “Complete memory dump” from the drop-down settings. 

Click on OK to save the changes and restart your computer. 

That’s it, this should fix the issue for you.  

Use the DISM Tool Along with SFC Tool

The DISM tool can be used to repair Windows image and once you do that, you can use the SFC command to repair/replace any corrupt files. Here is how to use the DISM command. Before you execute the command, make sure you are connected to the internet. 

Step 1: Go to the Windows Search Bar, type “CMD”, and right-click on it to Run as administrator.

Step 2: Once the command prompt window opens, execute the following there commands one by one:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth 

Once you do this, you have to run one final command: 

sfc /scannow

Let the process complete. This should fix the “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart” error for you.

Run Startup Repair To Fix Your PC Ran Into A Problem

For this, you are going to need Windows 10 bootable media. Once you have that handy, here is what you have to do: 

Step 1: Plug the Windows installation media into your PC. 

Step 2: Once you see the option to install Windows on your PC, click on Repair your PC. 

Step 3: Now choose Troubleshoot, then click on Advanced options. 

Step 4: Finally, click on Startup Repair. 

Now select the target version of the OS to repair. Windows will start the repair. Once it is complete, the system will restart. 

That should fix the problem for you. 

Perform a System Restore to Fix Windows 10 BSOD

You can restore a previous version of Windows in which everything was working well. This will also require you to plugin the Windows 10 bootable media. Here is what to do next:

Step 1: Plug in the Windows installation media into your PC. 

Step 2: Once you see the option to install Windows on your PC, click on Repair your PC. 

Step 3: Now choose Troubleshoot, then click on Advanced options. 

Step 4: Here, select System Restore.

Step 5: Now you might be required to enter the admin password. Do that and proceed.

Step 6: Once you have the System Restore wizard in front of you, click on Next. 

Step 7: Here, select a restore point where you didn’t have this issue. Click on Next. 

Step 8: Click on Finish and then on Yes to start system restore. 

Clean Install Windows 10 

This is the last option that you can try if none of the above methods are working for you. All you have to do is plugin Windows 10 bootable media and then clean install Windows 10. 

Doing so can also result in data loss so make sure to take a backup before doing this. Also, once you take a backup of the important files, I suggest that you completely format your hard drive and install a new copy of Windows.

Verdict

You may face Windows 10 BSOD error out of nowhere with the error “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart“. You can fix the error by following the above methods. After that, you will not get Windows 10 BSOD errors anymore. I hope this guide helps you in fixing the issue. In case of difficulty, feel free to reach out to us. 

Also, Read:

• Fix Windows 10 Stuck at Loading Screen, Infinite loading & Other Other Startup Issues
• How to Fix if Computer Randomly Restarts on Windows 10 & 11
• How to Fix Slow Windows 10 & Improve Performance – 200% Faster PC