MacBook Blue Screen of Death

The MacBook Blue Screen issue is a very prominent problem with some devices but here is everything you should know about this bothersome problem

Being met by a blue error screen upon starting your device is never a good sign. In fact, most people are so afraid of this dreaded screen that they have begun calling it the “blue screen of death”. While it sounds quite serious, in most cases, it is not. The Macbook blue screen of death used to be a sign of dying or damaged hardware. Even today, it can be a bad sign, but fortunately, we have more ways of trying to fix it.

Today, we are going to take a look at how can one encounter the blue screen of death on their MacBook. And if they do encounter this screen, what can be done.

The MacBook is a pretty capable device. But just like any other electronic device out there, it cannot function if its hardware is acting up. A blue screen of death is caused by hardware that is acting up. It is basically an error message telling you that something is preventing your computer from starting up. In order to solve this problem, we need to understand what exactly is a blue screen of death.

What is a Blue Screen of Death?

The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is shown when your MacBook runs into a STOP error. This is a critical error that caused your OS to crash. When your OS crashes, the computer hangs and you need to restart your device. The BSOD can occur when you startup your device or when you are already using it.

Depending on your MacBook version, your BSOD will look different. However, the culprits behind this critical failure are always the same. The BSOD will ail your computer due to hardware failure, driver failure, or because of some low-level software causing trouble. Regardless of the reason, your MacBook will hang and you will have to either shut it down or restart it. But before it hangs, it will generate a crash report that you can check out if you are tech savvy. This report will be able to tell you what exactly caused the BSOD.

What Can You Do About It?

Due to this error’s name, a lot of people tend to panic when they see it. A BSOD does not always mean that your laptop motherboard is dead and needs replacement. In most cases, it is probably being caused because of some software problem.

When you run into this problem, you should carry out a small diagnosis. If you have recently installed some new software, it could be the cause of the problem. Or, maybe your device has recently been infected by malware. In order to diagnose a software issue, try starting your device in safe mode.

Your peripherals could be causing this problem as well. In order to check your peripherals, disconnect them from your device. For desktop Macs, you will want to leave the mouse and keyboard plugged in. After disconnecting your peripherals, shutdown your computer and wait for 30 seconds. Then turn it on again and check if your problem is resolved. If it still isn’t, you will have to do some more troubleshooting.

Usually, starting your device in safe mode does the trick. It gives your MacBook time to resolve the problem that caused the crash. Startup in safe mode and then restart your device normally. If you’re met with a BSOD again, then you might have to update your Mac’s software. Start your device in safe mode once more and check if any latest software updates are available.

If your software is up-to-date, move onto the next step of your diagnosis. Go to your System Preferences and click on Users & Groups. Here, you will find your user account and the Login Items tab. Open this tab and take a screenshot of all the login items in it. After that, delete all of them. If your laptop fails to start even after this, then there is a chance that your startup drive is faulty. The startup drive is where your MacBook’s OS is stored. If it runs into trouble, your OS has difficulty loading properly. This causes it to crash and lead you to a BSOD.

A fault in your startup drive can be physical or software based. You can find hard drive diagnostic tools online that can check your hard drive for you.

You should note that your BSOD may not actually be blue in color. In Macs, the color of this screen changes from model to model. The BSOD on modern MacBooks tends to be greyish black instead of blue. Also, the MacBook has a number of different error messages that can appear when your computer crashes. And not all of them are BSODs. You should search the internet for whatever error message pops up before troubleshooting it. Knowing what an error message means can really make fixing the problem a lot easier.

Should You Be Worried?

Like we mentioned before, the BSOD does not always spell doom for your device. In most cases, it is a resolvable problem. But there is a small chance that it may actually be serious. The only way to figure this out is by diagnosing your device before jumping to conclusions. If you are not able to pin down the problem even after a thorough diagnosis, then you should consider taking your device to a professional.

MacBook technicians can diagnose your device for you and identify the root of your problem. And if they find a critical hardware failure, they can help you save your device. If your MacBook is under warranty, you can consider taking it to an Apple Store. They will repair or replace your device free of cost.

The BSOD is not as scary as it once used to be. But it can still be a cause for concern. Fortunately, we now have ways of resolving the problem on our own. Only in extreme cases you will have to take your device to an expert for further diagnosis.

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