How to resolve system thread exception not handled error? When you hit the power button on your system tower or laptop, generally, you expect the system to power on and load up without fault. Unfortunately, those on Windows 10 systems who either do not know what device drivers are or are unaware of how to update device drivers may be met with a blue screen of death instead.
This blue screen of death may pop up quickly after you boot your computer up, or it may take ten to fifteen seconds before the computer runs into the error that is making the infamous blue screen of death. In the case of the error code, “system_thread_exception_not_handled,” this error is commonly seen on boot up and can get your computer stuck in a reboot loop, making it impossible to use the computer at all. In this article, we will look at what this code means, when it occurs, why it happens, and outline five methods for fixing it.
What does the System Thread Exception Not Handled Issue mean?
The “system_thread_exception_not_handled” error indicates that a system thread in your computer has generated an exception for an error that the handler missed. Due to it not catching and fixing the error, a blue screen of death has resulted, causing the system to collect data about the error. The following numbers often accompany this stop code: 0x0000007E, 0x1000007E, or, if you are lucky, is accompanied by the file name causing the error, such as: atikmdag.sys, nvlddmkm.sys, igdkmd64.sys, etc. Unfortunately, with this special error, the system almost always ends up in a reboot cycle, which requires you to use safe mode to break.
When does this error happen, and why does it happen?
The system_thread_exception_not_handled error essentially happens when you boot the computer up from shutdown or on restart. However, it can occur sporadically and pop up when the user is running a program that requires specific graphic drivers to work.
This error occurs when the computer has incompatible drivers installed (most commonly graphic drivers), either outdated, corrupted, or plain wrong. Graphic drivers can be manipulated by malware and incorrectly installed, which are other reasons you would get the “system_thread_exception_not_handled” on Windows 10.
Methods for Solving System Thread Exception Not Handled on Windows 10 Systems
Find out which driver is faulty
You can do these several ways, but the easiest way is checking the system log, which tracks events. To do this, you will require to open up the event viewer.
- On your keyboard, hit the Windows key + R to pull up the “run” dialogue box.
- Enter “eventvwr” into the box and hit okay.
- Head down to where it says Windows logs and hits to have the menu drop-down.
- Hit on the system within this drop-down menu to view all recent events.
- See the system_thread_exception_not_handled error and view which driver it is associated with.
Update, rollback, or reinstall your drivers
The most comfortable way to fix incompatible drivers is by updating them, rolling them back to the previous version, or, if you have the most recent version, reinstalling them. To do this, you will need to open up your device manager by either typing “device manager” into your computer’s search or by hitting the Windows key + X or selecting “device manager.”
- To update your drivers, you will need to go through your device list and right-click on every piece of hardware that would have a driver, and choose to update it. This involves your disk drives, audio devices, network adaptors, sound devices, and display adaptors. When you hit update driver, you can have it search automatically for the most recently updated version.
- To roll back your drivers, go through your device list and right-click on every piece of hardware that has a driver, and want properties. You will then want to navigate to the “driver” tab and click on the “rollback” option. Make sure to click yes!
- To reinstall a driver, you will require to uninstall the device first. You will then need to navigate to the device manufacturer’s website, find your device there, and download the most recent driver for that device and install it manually.
Rename the faulty driver
If you have a file title associated with the system_thread_exception_not_handled error code, you can ever rename the driver to something else, and Windows will fetch a new copy of it and reinstall it. You will need to know what hard drive the driver is installed on first.
- Open up the command prompt app by searching “command prompt” or type “cmd“in your computer’s search.
- Enter into the command prompt box, C: (hit enter) cd windows\system32\drivers (hit enter) ren FILENAME.sys FILENAME.old (replace filename here with the incorrect driver file listed with the error code).
- Then type “exit” and restart the computer.
Repair your system files
If you think that you have corrupted system files impacting your device drivers, you can repair them by running Windows repair programs, SFC and DISM.
- To run SFC, open the command prompt as an administrator. If you are in safe mode, you will find the command prompt option under the “advanced options” list.
- Type in sfc/scannow and hit you enter key. This will replace any damaged, lost, or changed system files.
If the difficulty persists after running SFC, you can run DISM to restore the “health” of your computer.
- Open up the command prompt as administrator and type in the following one by one.
- Exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth
- Exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
Restore your PC to an earlier version
If you have made backups of your computer system, you can restore it to an earlier period when you were not getting the “system_thread_exception_not_handled” error code. To do this, though, you will need either a system repair disc for Windows or a recovery drive.
- Insert the system repair disc into the computer and choose your language preference.
- Click on the repair option and decide to troubleshoot advanced options.
- Then the select system restores and follows the instructions given.
While uninstalling, reinstalling, and updating out-of-date drivers will fix the issue for most people, those who still get the error after completing all five of the above methods may want to consider a clean reinstallation of the operating system. Doing a full wipe and reinstall of the operating system will reset you back to factory settings. It will require you to update your operating system and update the primary drivers to their newest versions.