Microsoft Corporation calls it a system stop error. Most computer users call it terrifying. Programmers call it the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). Causes of the blue screen vary and while the blue screen details information on memory locations in your computer that are probable causes, often they are only symptoms.
The recommended course of action starts with writing down the information on the blue screen and then restarting your computer. More often than not the computer will start right back up and act as if nothing ever happened. The users then franticly back-up everything they can as fast as possible, the first time.
If your BSOD experiences starts after installing new hardware and/or software there is a good chance the new stuff is at fault. No Problemo, just uninstall or reinstall following the directions this time and the problem is all gone, maybe. If you dont see a blue screen again you are golden.
Most blue screen of death experiences fall in the technical realm of head scratchers. Also known as the FIIK syndrome (Frack If I Know, for you Battlestar Galactica fans). My most recent BSOD experience fell in the FIIK category. In the...