How to fix 0x0000000A Blue Screen Error on Windows 10?

September 21, 2018 |

greater than 9 minutes

An error message with 0x0000000A as a critical term displayed on your screen might have brought you here. The problem you are dealing with most likely runs deeper than you think. It is time you furthered your understanding of the issue at hand.

What is STOP error code 0x0000000A?

0x0000000A is the stop code for a specific Blue Screen of death also defined by this term: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.

Windows often presents a message of this form:
Stop 0x0000000A: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

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We believe that the error message and the description associated with it often come up at startup. Nevertheless, some users reported that they had appeared randomly on Windows while they had been working on their PC.

In technical terms, the error is an indication of the failure involving a kernel-mode process or driver trying to access a specific memory location for which it lacked the required permissions to go into, and thus the IRQL part of the error message meaning Interrupt Request Level makes a lot of sense now.

In general, a kernel-mode process has the permissions or privileges required to access another process only if that process has an IRQL (value) lower than or equal to its own. Otherwise, the attempt results in a failure, and a Blue Screen of Death like the one you saw is merely a consequence of the unfortunate event.

Why does the error come up?

The problem in view is usually a result of a bad, faulty or misbehaving driver. An incompatible hardware component or software in use might also be responsible.

Besides the already established causes of the specific Blue Screen of Death error we are discussing, there are other things capable of triggering a BSOD or events we know that often lead up to it. Here are some of them:

  • Attack from viruses and malware
  • Corruption or damage involving system files and critical data
  • Hardware failure resulting from a wide range of events

The chances of the listed events having something to do with the STOP 0x0000000A: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Blue Screen of Death error on Windows 10 largely depend on the build of the computer involved, the state or composition of the affected PC, and other variables or conditions too numerous to quantify.

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One thing is consistent enough for all the users or PCs where the BSOD appeared, though: As the error in view belongs to the class of Blue Screen of Death error messages, it constitutes a critical problem that must be dealt with as soon as possible.

Blue Screen of Death errors are terrible in that they are always a result of a fatal system crash. The crash is often so severe that Windows must stop working because it cannot recover from the situation—Windows probably reached a condition where it was no longer safe for it to operate, so it had no other option.

We have provided you with enough information to help you understand the issues revolving around the problem in view, and it is time we moved on to show you how to solve it. The fixes form the primary part of this guide, anyway.

How to fix the error code 0x0000000a Blue Screen of death on Windows 10?

Due to the numerous factors, variables and conditions involved in the appearance of the error message in view, different solutions must exist for the problem, and we have done our best to provide the most effective ones of the lot.

With this in mind, you must start with the first fix on the list and continue to another only if it fails to work as expected or if the need arises. This setup is recommended to ensure that all categories of users find something that works for them from a diverse list of procedures.

Carry out preliminary operations:

The work you are about to do here will go a long way in ensuring that you do not apply complicated fixes to a problem that can be resolved through simple actions. All you need to do is verify a couple of things and certain changes to the state of your computer if necessary. Go through these steps:

  • If you recently connected a hardware device (for example, an external camera, a microphone, a gamepad, and so on) in the build to the appearance of the Blue Screen of Death error message, then you must disconnect it. After the removal of the hardware part, you must restart your computer and check if the problem reoccurs. Try to recreate the error message and see how things go.

If you connected numerous hardware devices to your computer, then you must get rid of all of them for the time being and see what changes result from your action. You can start connecting the devices individually to isolate which specific hardware component is responsible. After you identify the faulty hardware device, you are free to reconnect the remaining ones.

If the BSOD fails to reappear no matter what you do, then there is a high probability that the hardware device you isolated had something to do with the problem in view. It is probably incompatible with your computer. You will do well to purchase a replacement for it that works on your PC without causing issues.

  • If you recently installed a specific program or carried out operations on Windows not long before the BSOD came up, we recommend that you uninstall the added application or reverse the actions you took. Reboot your system after you make the necessary changes.

If the Blue Screen of Death stops coming up on Windows after the alterations you made, then you will do well to take note of everything you did to avoid a repeat of the unfortunate events leading up to the problem.

Fix problems involving drivers:

We established that the 0x0000000A Blue Screen of Death error is often a result of issues affecting drivers, and you now are going to deal with them. There is a good chance that the driver for a specific hardware component has become faulty or corrupted and the BSOD you saw is merely an aftermath of this event. A combination of driver problems might be responsible too.

To fix the issue, you will have to identify the affected drivers, then install stable or updated versions of the drivers. The work involved is incredibly complicated as there are numerous drivers on Windows you have to check, and the process of finding replacements for the problematic drivers is even more difficult than the identification procedure.

  • We advise you download and run Auslogics Driver Updater so that you can use the automatic method of updating drivers, and like most automatic procedures, it is a smooth, fast, and risk-free way of getting the job done.

After you run the recommended app on your computer, you can use the software to do a scan to identify all the corrupted, missing or outdated drivers on your PC. After this swift identification process, you can move on to use the option to download and install the replacement for a specific driver.

If you want to go a step further, then you can take advantage of other options to update all the drivers on your computer to their latest manufacturer-recommended versions in no time. This operation will go a long way as it ensures that no driver is left out. From the description we gave, you can see how easy the difficult task of updating drivers becomes when an excellent program becomes involved.

  • Nevertheless, we understand that there are users who often insist on doing everything themselves. If you are one of them, you will prefer the alternative method of updating drivers through successive manual operations.

The work to be done remains mostly the same, but (a significant difference is that) you will be the one carrying out some manual tasks that would otherwise have been executed by a program on your behalf had you gone with the automatic (or first) method of updating drivers.

  1. First, you will have to identify the affected drivers. You can access the list of drivers operating on your system through the Device Manager program. You can launch this utility by right-clicking on the Windows Start icon that is always present on your desktop screen, then selecting Device Manager.
  2. After the required program window shows up, you will see multiple sections for your hardware components. You can expand a section by clicking on it to view the drivers it contains. You can also double-click on a specific driver to open its Properties window.
  3. Now, you will see some details or information concerning the selected driver from which you might be able to figure out if it is working well or if it has suffered a problem. You might have to do this for all the drivers on your computer to detect the problematic ones.

If you determine that a particular driver if faulty or if you find a driver that requires an update, then you will do well to take note of the details you see in the Properties window. With the obtained information, you must go on the web to find a replacement for the driver, and this is no easy task.

With luck, you might find what you are looking for through some links on the first pages of Google search results. Otherwise, you could end up having to scrawl through numerous websites and pages to find a suitable replacement for the driver, or you might not even get what you need.

Whatever you do to find the required driver, you must ensure that you download files only from trusted sources. You surely would want to avoid infecting your computer with viruses and malware since you have enough work on your hands currently.

The driver you downloaded must be an ideal replacement or something close to it if you are to have any chance of getting rid of the Blue Screen of Death error appearing on your computer—It must be an updated and stable version of the affected driver.

You will have to run the downloaded files to install the driver. Find, download, and install replacements for all the problematic drivers you detect to ensure the success of this fix.

After the installation of the drivers, you must reboot your PC to let the changes resulting from the activities of the new software take effect. If everything goes well, we expect that you will stop seeing the 0x0000000A Blue Screen of Death error.

Use System Restore:

In a scenario where you do not know the changes made on the Windows operating system environment that caused the Blue Screen of Death, or given the event where you know the alterations, but you are struggling to reverse them, System Restore will provide you with a lifeline.

With System Restore, you can literally go back in time, and this means all those harmful changes (you want to eliminate) will disappear. Note that a restore point (that determines how far back you can go) must have been created already. Windows is supposed to create restore points automatically if the right setup is in place, anyway.

Follow these instructions to use the System Restore app on Windows 10:

  • Open the Run app by pressing (and holding) the Windows button on your keyboard then following this action up with a tap of the letter R key. After the small program window appears, you must type in the following keyword into the text box available: control

Hit the Enter key to continue. Windows will now run the inputted code, and the Control Panel program window should be up and running by now.

  • Click on View by to expand its options. Select Large Icons. Now, from the list of options you see, select Recovery. Click on the Open System Restore button.
  • The System Restore window should be up and running by now. You will see a short description of the operation and its effect. Click on the Next button once you are ready to continue.
  • Now, you should see the list of available restore points. We recommend that you go with one far enough in the past to ensure that Windows reverts your system to a state where the variables, factors, or conditions involved in causing the BSOD are likely to be absent or non-existent.
  • Click on the Next button to confirm your choice. Click on the Finish button to move on. A message should come up to warn you of some things. Click on the Yes button. Windows will take this as confirmation, and the restoration process should begin.

After all is done, your system will restart, and the BSOD defined by STOP code 0x0000000A should no longer disturb you.

Other things you could try to fix 0x0000000A Blue Screen of Death on Windows 10

We have provided the most effective fixes that users can employ to get rid of the problem in view, but we understand that some people might still end up struggling with the issue after using them. To this end, we have included an additional list of fixes that work well in the vast majority of cases involving BSODs.

Run a comprehensive scan for viruses and malware, using your antivirus. If you do not have a good security program or if you doubt the abilities of the one you have, then you might be interested in trying out Auslogics Anti-Malware.

Identify and fix corrupted Windows system files and critical data by running scans, using the SFC and DISM tools.

Do tests to detect faults or problems involving hardware parts. Start with checks on your RAM (or temporary memory) and Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

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