How To Fix Windows 10 Critical Process Died Error?[SOLVED]

Critical_Process_Died or 0x000000ef error

Is an error page like that bothering you! And are you wondering how to resolve this Windows 10, critical process died issue? Then you are in the right place.

Encountering an error like that is devastating in itself.  

Why do ‘critical process died Windows 10’ issues occur in the first place?

Microsoft Windows from its earliest versions have BSOD( Blue Screen of Death). These screens that indicate some system crashes are typical alerts that the Windows Operating system provides. If some hardware failure occurs in your system or rather some crucial process terminates unexpectedly, then you are informed with these blue screens.  Windows Operating System ensures a strict privacy policy and allows only certain privileged applications to access critical data. As against the system definitions, if any unauthorized modification is detected by Windows, then it stands wary and addresses the word of caution with its BSOD. 

You might encounter this ‘stop code critical process died windows 10’ when you upgrade your system or while installation. This error might pause slow startup speed or partition disappearance issues. The 0x000000ef error which we are talking about since the start can also cause RAM issues, bad sectors, or corrupted files in the system.

Of all the BSOD, the Windows 10 critical process died is the most critical as it states. It grabs the most attention because the minimum loss you encounter then is losing the files you were working on. Leave apart the system and storage files.

That said, Windows 10 is a polished version of Operating Systems and BSOD are much less common.

How do I fix ‘Windows 10’s critical process died’ error?

The aforementioned issues are critical, one and all. They demand an in stern repair or fix. So, you need to address them very vigilantly and carefully. 

DISCLAIMER: Before making any changes to your Operating system or its critical processes, I would address you to circumspect, understand the issue, and fix it and move slowly, one step at a time. 

Approach 1: Restart your system in Safe Mode

The Windows 10 Critical Process Died makes your system hang at the blue screen with our at possible moves. The system gets dangerously slow and you are left with not many options to operate safely. So, restarting your system in Safe mode is but the best solution that you can initiate with.

How do you restart the system in Safe mode?

You might be accustomed to a screen like that where you have the option to restart your system in safe mode.

To get the above screen, proceed with these steps.

1. Restart your system.
2. Before Windows 10 starts loading, press Shift + F8. This will trigger the above screen and ensure booting in Safe Mode.
3. Select the safe mode option to restart your system in safe mode. This will avoid the blue screen at the very beginning of the loading and you will have time to troubleshoot the possible causes of the Windows 10 Critical Process Died error.

You may also restart your system by booting to WinRE. The simplest way to do that is restarting your system several times. You may also do it with a disc installation.

1. Once you boot to WinRE, click to Troubleshoot. 
2. Press Advanced options.
3. Enter Startup Settings and you can restart your system as below.                                  

Approach 2: Ensure System Drivers to resolve the ‘stop code critical process died Windows 10‘

After the restarting process, the first thing you can do is check all the drivers in your system. Assuming that the system has recently upgraded itself or possibly you have made some Operating System changes, then the installation or up-gradation process might have missed updating some system drivers. So it’s best to troubleshoot this area, as the initial step.

So, how do you check the system drivers? 

You may run through these steps or use Microsoft’s Driver Verifier instead. Both are assured ways of clearing any driver issues in place.

1. Press Win + X and enter into Device Manager.
2. Ensure that all the drivers in there are properly installed and serving the system requirements. If you find any driver with a yellow exclamation mark, it means the driver is faulty or needs your attention.

As I referred already below, the image shows the Driver Verifier Manager. This is the best automated tool that takes care of your drivers without much intervention.

Approach 3: Scan for Malware

Well, the growing market trends are introducing numerous malware alongside. 

If everyone is healthy, then who will consume all the newly produced medicines, you see? 

Similarly, new malware and viruses are cropping up into our lives unknowingly and creating all the menaces. 

This malware has the capability of posing the failure of some drivers or missing files and folders or even corrupting the system processed. Ensure the total safety and security of the system with a good anti-malware, some powerful one. Before anything, run a thorough scan and check for some nuisance like that. 

Approach 4: Make a thorough hardware check to resolve Critical Process Died in Windows 10

Perform a thorough hardware test as a part of this troubleshoot, targeting all the hardware parts. Any faulty hardware could also induce an error so critical.

It is always recommended to put your system to heavy load to ensure stable working conditions in any amount of load. There are several hardware testing tools out there, select the one apt for your machine.  Hardware Monitor, HeavyLoad Utility, CrystalDiskInfo are a few examples of hardware testing tools that might ensure your hardware well-being. This should give a fix to the windows 10 critical process died error.

Approach 5: System File Checker (SFC) for your rescue

Several corruption issues on Windows find their solution with a System File Checker. Use SFC and trace the corrupt files that might be causing the ‘stop code Critical Process Died Windows 10’, BSOD.

This is a very essential tool that is not usually approached, but this type of issue addresses the heavy need for this tool.

How do you initiate the System File Checker tool? 

1. Run the command prompt in administrator mode. Search cmd and right-click on the result. Select the Run as administrator.

2. On the command prompt type sfc /scannow and hit Enter.
3. This is the best way of troubleshooting. At the end of this scanning process, you will have a list of issues(if any) to be addressed asap.
4. Don’t forget to Restart the System after the process. Check if your ‘stop code critical process died windows 10’ error got a fix.

Approach 6: Repair Corrupted System Image by running DISM

Sometimes the sfc /scan now command fails to fix the blue screen ‘stop code critical process died windows 10’, in that case, run DISM and repair the Windows system image.

 Deployment Image Servicing and Management DISM is a command-line utility in Windows 10. Many users do recommend this method.

How do you run DISM?

1. Follow the above method and run the command prompt in administrator mode.
2. Enter the  following commands:

2.1 Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

            2.2 Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

            2.3 Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

This should repair the corrupted system image and solve your problem of ‘stop code critical process died windows 10’. If the issue persists, please jump on the next approach.

Approach 7: Uninstall any latest software that might be opposing the ‘critical process died windows 10‘

If you are unable to troubleshoot the issue so far, then enlist the software that you have recently downloaded and installed. There is a thin possibility of any one of that software carrying some malware that is causing all this hassle. Figure it out and uninstall the software.

Find the source of the software in possibly C drive and uninstall it. Or uninstall the applications from Applications in the Control Panel.

Approach 8: Update the BIOS

Every device has its format of entering and altering the BIOS, typically all on similar grounds. But it is highly recommended that you follow the steps specified for your systems and perform a BIOS update as a troubleshooting step. Very unlikely, there can be something wrong with your BIOS and you can strike out this possibility by updating BIOS. This should provide a fix to your ‘stop code critical process died windows 10’ error, if not jump to the next approach.

Approach 9: Perform a Clean Boot

You can troubleshoot your system best with the bare minimum number of drivers, processes, and applications to understand the root cause of Critical Process Died BSOD. A clean boot is the simplest booting option for the same.  You can approach in a step-by-step process by isolating one process from others and underline the cause of this error.

So, how do you clean boot your system?

1. In the Windows search bar type System Configuration.
2. Press Enter to find the Services tab.
3. Uncheck the tab that says- Hide all Microsoft Services.

4. And Click the Disable All button
5. Open Task Manager
6. This is a critical step here. Perform with utmost caution.   

 Disable the complete list

7. Don’t forget to Restart your system.

The clean boot option can ensure locating the exact driver, application, or process that is causing this ‘stop code critical process died windows 10’ error.

Approach 10: Restore the previous version of the working Operating System and resolve the ‘critical process died windows 10’ error

If your system doesn’t still act normal then another approach could be restored to the default Operating system. If you are quite sure that the problem arose only after the new Operating System installation, then probably you could take a backup (highly recommended) and restore your system to the previous defaults.

This might very well solve the issue. 

Windows 10 has a ridiculously simple way of doing a restore like that. Just open the Advanced options Window as follows and do it with a click.

Conclusion:

One of these 10 fixes should solve your ‘critical process died windows 10’. Try them!