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0X0000001E

Blue Screen (BSOD) KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED Applies to: Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows 11

What it means

A driver running in kernel mode hit an error it couldn't recover from — usually a specific faulty or outdated driver.

Also seen as: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, 0x1E

Quick fix steps

  1. Check Reliability Monitor for what was running right before the crash.
  2. Update or roll back the most recently changed driver.
  3. Run Windows Memory Diagnostic if the crashes seem random rather than tied to one app.
For the full step-by-step walkthrough, see How to Read and Respond to Any Blue Screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED related to a specific type of hardware?
It's most often tied to a driver issue, similar to IRQL-related stop codes, rather than one specific hardware category — updating drivers broadly is the most effective first step.
Does this happen more often on older PCs?
It can, since older systems are more likely to be running outdated drivers, but it's not exclusive to older hardware — a fresh install with an outdated driver can trigger it too.

Other error codes

0X0000001A — MEMORY_MANAGEMENT

Points to a problem with how memory is being handled — faulty RAM, a driver mismanaging memory, or disk corruption.

0X0000000A — IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Almost always a driver issue — most commonly network, audio, or graphics drivers.

0X000000EF — CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED

A core Windows process crashed unexpectedly — often tied to a recent update or corrupted system files.

0X0000007B — INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

Windows can't access the drive it needs to boot from — often after a storage driver change, BIOS setting change, or drive connection issue.