Are you getting the infamous “Windows 10 Sad Face” blue screen? Usually when this happens you get an error message that says “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We’re just collecting some error info, and then you can restart”
Once it finishes you get a “100% complete” and a QR code for you to scan, just like the image shows above, you’ll get a link to Windows.com/stopcode and a stop code WDF VIOLATION.
This error can happen with just about any manufacturer by the way, I have seen it on HP Laptops and Desktops, Dell computers, Acer and Lenovo.
There are many reasons why this happens, today we are going to give you troubleshooting steps to resolve some of the most common reasons why you receive this Windows error message. The reasons for getting these errors are based on my own personal experience, I have found that these are the reasons why people get a blue screen on their computer and this is what you can do to prevent them.
Bad Sectors on your Hard Drive
One of the most common reasons why you get a blue screen is because there is an issue with your hard drive, as you install applications, delete files or add files to your hard drive there is a big possibility that you could have a corrupt sector on your hard drive, another big cause for hard drive failures is because of a power outage or forcing your computer to shut down, I always recommend that you buy a battery backup to protect your computer and files, you can purchase one here. If you suspect to have bad sectors on your computer I recommend that you run ScanDisk on your computer.
Malware or Adaware got on your Computer
As we spend time on the Internet and we browse through hundreds of websites every week there is a possibility that your computer got infected with Malware or has Adaware installed on it, these applications do not always get picked up by your antivirus simply because they do not behave like one, for the most part the goal of these applications is to serve you with advertisements or track what you do on your computer, the issue is that in most cases they are extremely aggressive and they can damage your Windows Operating System, in such case I would run a virus scan first using your installed Antivirus application and then I would download the paid version of Malwarebytes to eliminate any Adaware or Spyware that got installed on your computer.
Bad Memory Stick RAM for your Laptop or Desktop
One more common reason for getting the Windows 10 sad face on your HP laptop or desktop computer is due to a bad memory stick, now a days computers have RAM chips that are required to perform at very fast speeds, things like heat can damage these memory sticks causing your computer to blue screen, if you have a desktop most likely you will have a DDR memory stick and if you have a laptop you will have a DIMM chip, on both cases it is very easy to replace it and you can buy more on Tigerdirect and test it out, as I mentioned before these memory sticks are very fragile and can be easily replaced at a very low cost, they are also very easy to remove and re-install. I recommend trying to resolve the issue first using the first two steps that I gave you above, if the issue persists then most likely you have a damaged or defective RAM chip installed on your computer.
Not only replacing your laptop memory will stop the blue screens from happening, but it is also a great opportunity to get an upgrade, now a days most laptops require 16 GB to be able to run all of the applications and stream videos at the highest quality possible.
