If you’re one of the many users who upgraded to Windows 11, you might have encountered a frustrating error message that says “CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED”. This error means that a critical system process has stopped working, causing your computer to crash and reboot. Read on as we show you the solutions to fix this error. We’ll also explain what causes this error and how to avoid it in the future. Read on to learn more.
Part 1. What is the Critical Process Died Error?
Question from Reddit:
“I’m having trouble with my PC. It keeps showing me the critical process died error whenever I try to start it. I’ve tried using a USB with Windows on it, but it still doesn’t work. It either goes to automatic repair and then crashes, or it crashes right away. How can I fix this?”
“Critical Process Died Error” is a scary message that pops up on your screen when something goes wrong with your windows computer. If you’re wondering what does critical process died mean, it means that a system process that is needed for your PC to work properly has stopped running unexpectedly.
Part 2. Possible Reasons Why the Critical process died error Windows 11?
This could be caused by a faulty update, a corrupted file, a hardware problem, or something else. The stop code Critical Process Died is 0x000000EF, and it usually comes with a blue screen and a sad face. Your PC might have some internal problems that affect how it works and cause the blue screen error. These could be:
- Broken parts inside your PC or laptop that stop the system from running smoothly and accessing the resources it needs.
- Damaged areas on your hard drive where the system files are stored. If these are unreadable, your system can’t use them and will crash.
- Bad or outdated drivers that don’t communicate well with the hardware and the software. This can cause conflicts and errors that disrupt the system.
- Faulty programs or Windows updates that are not installed correctly or have some errors in them. These can interfere with the system processes and prevent them from working properly.
- Viruses or malware that infect your PC and mess with the system files or settings. These can cause all kinds of trouble and damage your PC.
In the next section, we’ll be explaining various solution to fix Critical process died error depending on what caused it in the first place.
Part3. How to Fix Critical Process Died Windows 11 Cannot Boot Error?
Fix 1: Disconnect Faulty External Devices
Sometimes, the problem is not with your PC, but with the devices that you connect to it, such as USBs. If the device is broken and can harm your PC, your system will crash when it tries to read it. This will show you the blue screen error “Critical Process Died”. This may not happen with every bad device, but they can often cause blue screen errors.
To check this, remove any external devices, such as USB cables, keyboards, mice, etc. from your PC. Then see if Windows starts and works normally without them. If it does, the device is probably the culprit, and you need to get a new one.
Fix 2: Run Hardware and Device Issues Troubleshooter Tool
Windows 11 has a handy feature that can help you solve many kinds of system problems, including “Critical Process Died”. Here’s how:
Step 1. Click on Start and then select Settings.
Step 2. Find the Troubleshooter on the right side of the screen.
Step 3. Click the Other troubleshooters option.
Step 4. Here, you can run some troubleshooters on your hardware and device. See if this makes the error go away or not.
Fix 3: Reinstall or Update Drivers
Sometimes, critical process died Windows 11 cannot boot so your computer might have problems because of drivers that are not working well, too old, or damaged. Drivers are programs that help your devices work with your computer. To fix this, here are the steps to follow:
step1. Right-click on Start and choose Device Manager.
step2. Then, click on a device type to see more details. Right-click on the driver that you think is the problem and choose Update driver.
step3. Now, you can let Windows find the best drivers for you. Click on Search automatically for drivers.
Fix 4: Run SFC And DISM Command to Scan Errors
Another critical process died Windows 11 Fix is that you can try is to scan your computer for any problems with the system files, the disk, or the system image. These problems can cause critical process failure, so you need to fix them as soon as possible. You can use three tools that work with commands – System File Checker (SFC), Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) scan – and let them repair the issues automatically. Here are the steps to use them:
step1. Click on Start, type “cmd”, then right-click and choose Run as administrator.
step2. First, use the SFC scan with this command: “sfc /scannow” and wait until the scan is done.
If it finds and fixes any errors, restart your computer.
step3. Next, use DISM. You need to type these three commands one after another:
“dism /online /cleanup-image /checkhealth” and press Enter.
step4. Then type: “dism /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth” and press Enter again.
step5. Then, “dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth” and press Enter and wait for each scan to finish.
Now restart your computer again to make sure Windows stop code critical process died is fixed.
Fix 5: Extend C Drive and Leave Enough Space to Reinstall Windows 11
Sometimes, your Windows drive might not have enough space to work properly. You can fix this by making your Windows drive bigger. You just need ,PassFab 4EasyPartition a tool that helps you manage, edit, and change the drives/partitions for better Windows 11 performance. Here are the steps to use it.
Open PassFab PassFab 4EasyPartition.
step2. In the pop-up Window, you can see the current size of the partition and sliders to change it. Change the size as you wish by dragging the bar; when you are done, click “OK” to save the changes and see them in the main interface.
Fix 6: Remove Problematic Updates
The issue can also be fixed by removing the problematic updates. Here’s how.
Open Control Panel by typing “Control Panel” in Start menu and press Enter.
Select “Uninstall a Program”
Go to “View Installed Updates” at the top left corner
Click on the update you want to remove.
Fix 7: Perform a System Restore
Another way to fix “Critical Process Died” errors is that you need to bring back your system and its settings to how they were at an earlier date. Follow these instructions to do that:
Click on Start, type “system restore”, and choose Create a restore point.
Then click on System Restore.
Click Next.
Pick the date before which you want to restore your system.
Click on Next to continue. And lastly, click on Finish to begin restoring.
Fix 8: Access Safe Mode
Here’s how you can start your PC in safe mode:
Hold down the shift key and click on the restart button on your screen.
When your computer restarts, choose Troubleshoot from the menu.
Next, choose Advanced options and then Startup Settings.
lick on Restart again and wait for the options to appear.
Press 4 on your keyboard to select Safe Mode..
You will see a black screen with Safe Mode written on the corners.
Now you can try to fix any issues by disabling or uninstalling drivers, devices, or updates that might be causing problems.
Fix 9: Reset Windows 11
To reset your PC, follow these steps:
Press Windows Key + I to open Settings. Go to System and click on Recovery.
Click on the Reset PC button.
Choose what to do with your files..
Review your settings and click Reset to begin. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process.
FAQs about Windows Unable to Complete the Format
Q1: How can I change my system crash settings?
Open the Control Panel and select System and Security > System. Now click on Advanced system settings, Then, on the Settings button under Startup and Recovery. Under System failure, you can select the options you want, such as writing an event to the system log, sending an alert, restarting the computer, or creating a dump file. Alternatively, you can change these options by modifying the registry or using the command line utility.
Q2: How to Fix the "Critical Process Died" Stop Code
To fix the “critical process died” error, restart your PC and check it for errors. You can also run the hardware and device troubleshooter, update/delete your drivers, scan and remove malware, Check and repair disk and system files with CHKDSK, SFC, and DISM. Also, you can restore your system to an earlier point or reset Windows.
Q3: What causes critical process died windows 11 while gaming?
When there’s Windows 11 blue screen critical process died, it means that something is seriously wrong with your system. This can happen for various reasons, such as damaged or missing system files, drivers that don't work well with your hardware or software and problems with your hard drive, memory, or other components.
Q4: How to fix Green Screen of Death on Windows 10/11?
Green Screen of Death (GSOD) error is common on Windows Insider builds or Creator editions that let you try new features before they are released. It can be fixed by restarting PC or booting into Safe Mode. You can also update your drivers to the latest versions. Also, removing unnecessary apps or programs also helps.
Final Words
The “Critical Process Died” error can be caused by various factors. Fortunately, you can try disconnecting any external devices, running the troubleshooter tool, reinstalling, or updating drivers, scanning for errors with SFC and DISM commands, extending the C drive (You can use PassFab 4EasyPartition for the best results)removing problematic updates, performing a system restore, accessing safe mode, or resetting Windows 11. Depending on the severity of the error, some of these methods may work better than others.