A required Windows 10 update brings the blue screen of death for some

Here’s how to fix it

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A recentWindows 10update is causing the blue screen of death for many users, but there’s thankfully a fix through the command prompt app.

If you’re unaware, the blue screen of death, usually called BSoD by some, can appear when a major Windows issue occurs. This can happen at any time, and when it does, an error code will display with a blue background, and your PC will restart.

However, an update (this one’s called KB5021233) shouldn’t cause this. Fortunately,Microsoft is aware of the issue in a support document.

This is not the first time such an updatehas caused Windows users grief. It makes us wonder whyMicrosoftcan’t discover these issues before the updates are rolled out to all users.

At least there’s a way to fix this issue. You just need to follow these few, slightly technical steps from Microsoft.

How to fix KB5021233 from bringing the blue screen

While the below may be daunting for some, it’s the only way to make sure that the blue screen of death issue won’t occur again, but it shouldn’t have to be like this from Microsoft.

For some reason, the company wants us to go through a system recovery process that might be unfamiliar to most Windows users. However, we’ve gone through the steps to make sure it’s as clear and concise for you as possible - and if you’re anxious at any step, you can restart your PC and try it at another time.

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If the above is done correctly, this should copy over a file to a different folder, which should stop the blue screen of death issue.

Again, it might be daunting to perform these steps, but if you’ve come across this issue, it’s the only way, for now anyway, to fix it.

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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