[Resolved] How to Fix “System Thread Exception Not Handled” Error in Windows 10

Computer desktop or laptop use is a norm in our lives today. The first thing to do is to hit the power button on and wait for the computer to load up. We expect this process to be easy and quick without any issues.

Sometimes we are welcomed by a Blue Screen of Death, especially those using Windows 10. It occurs immediately after you boot up the computer or a few seconds later. The Blue Screen of Death appears on Windows 10 if it has no idea what device driver it’s running or how to update them. 

System Thread Exception Not Handled (system_thread_exception_not_handled) error makes the computer or laptop stuck in a reboot mode, hence, impossible to use it.

What actions can you take from here?

In this article, we will help you understand the meaning of this error, why, and when it happens. We will also discuss different ways to fix the error.

What Does the “System Thread Exception Not Handled” Error Mean?

If you are unfortunate enough to see the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), you probably also see the “System Thread Exception Not Handled” error.

“System Thread Exception Not Handled” is a blue text computer screen with some white text in the middle. The error message has code blocks and reads: “STOP 0x0000007E (0x00000007…“

This blue screen appears due to the fact that a system thread has thrown an exception which triggered a page with an error-handling routine that was not present.

The error handler had no actions in it so on attempting to execute the handler the BSOD blue screen came up and attempted to gather information about what caused the problem, stopping the computer in the process.

Because system_thread_exception_not_handled happens at the kernel level, Windows may not have any idea of what caused it. However, sometimes there is a kernel-level driver that’s made a mistake and therefore stops working properly.

An example could be a bad graphics card driver. In this case, the BSOD error code message does not focus on the cause of the error but on the fact that a device driver caused it.

This error means a system thread created an exception for an error not caught by the error handler. They are caused by different errors, such as incompatible systems, incompatible drivers or memory conflicts, and others.

When and How Does the “System Thread Exception Not Handled” Error Occur?

The error occurs when you boot the desktop or laptop after restart or shutdown. Occasionally, it can also appear when running a program that needs a certain graphic driver to operate.

If you have installed incompatible, wrong, outdated, or corrupted drivers, the error will appear. Graphic drivers may be tampered with through malware or improper installation leading to the error.

What Does the Filename Attached to the Error Code Mean?

Sometimes the “System Thread Exception Not Handled” error may have a file name attached to it. This file shows the graphic driver causing the error. The only way out is to repair or update the graphic drivers.

Some of these files include:

• Atikmdag.sys – a graphic driver file produced by ATI Radeon Family. If you have an ATI driver installed graphics card, you know how they tend to crash or cause your system to freeze for no apparent reason. That often happens because the drivers are incorrectly installed or outdated.
• Nvlddmkm.sys – a critical system component of the Nvidia Graphics Drivers. It belongs to the graphics adapter that allows you to view pictures and videos in high resolution. It means the drivers are poorly installed or out-of-date.
• Dxgmms2.sys – associated with the DirectX drivers that you have installed. They are responsible for communicating with your video card and loading the required software to make games playable. If you ever install a new copy of Microsoft Windows, sometimes the files for the DirectX drivers do not install correctly, leading to this error code.
• Ntfs.sys – a Windows system file used to run Windows NT Server. The NTFS file system also uses this file. Using this file in Windows NT Server could cause errors if malware or spyware attacks the OS. In such situations, it is advised to reinstall the OS and Ntfs.sys if ever Windows NT Server gets terminated because of a system error.
• Bcmwl63a.sys – a library that works for your Broadcom 802.11 Network Adapter. If this particular software file is missing or corrupted, you will likely get the “system_thread_exception_not_handled” error.
• Cmuda.sys – a driver associated with the USB device audio. It would seem that the CMUDA driver has been corrupted and needs to be reinstalled on your PC.

If you encounter any of the above errors, you uninstall and reinstall or update the driver. If the error comes with a file attached, you need to search for the driver with the problem. When no file names are attached to the error, update the main drivers on your computer.

6 Ways to Quickly Fix System Thread Exception Not Handled Error

Method 1: Boot Into Safe Mode

Safe mode is a special boot configuration that disables most third-party software to run Windows in a more secure environment.

If you cannot run Windows normally, or your programs unexpectedly quit during startup or while working, using safe mode may help you identify and resolve the problem.

Booting into safe mode is the first thing you should try to do. This will give you a breakthrough from where you were stuck.

Here are some ways to boot into safe mode from your computer:

Boot Into Safe Mode by Setting

1. Go to the Start button and select ‘Setting.’
2. Go to ‘Update & Security‘ and click on ‘Recovery.’
3. Choose ‘Advanced Startup’ and click on ‘Restart now.’ A ‘Choose an option screen‘ pops up.
4. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Setting > Restart.
5. Press F5 to boot your computer in ‘Safe mode with networking.’

Boot Into Safe Mode From the Sign-In Screen

1. Press the Shift and choose the power button and click Restart.
2. The ‘Choose an option screen‘ appears.
3. Go to the ‘Troubleshoot the advanced option‘ followed by ‘Startups settings‘ and click ‘Restart.’
4. After rebooting, press F5 to boot in ‘Safe mode with networking.’

Boot Into Safe Mode From a Blank Screen

This is mainly done if you cannot reach the sign-in screen.

1. Press the power button to switch it off.
2. Hold down the power button to boot it.
3. Immediately the computer starts, and you can see the brand logo appearing, hold down the power button again.
4. Press the power button to start the computer.
5. The computer will start in the Windows Recovery Environment.
6. A ‘Choose an option screen‘ will appear.
7. Go to Troubleshooting > Advanced options > Startup settings > Restart.
8. Press F5 when the computer restarts to boot in ‘Safe mode with networking‘.

Method 2: Find Which Driver is Faulty

We have different ways to do this, but you can have the simplest way of checking the system log, which tracks events. Most likely, the error is caused by a malfunctioning driver, which is easy to check through the Windows log.

• Press the Windows key + R. A ‘run’ dialogue box will appear.
• Type the following command and press Enter.

eventvwr

• Go to the ‘Windows logs‘ menu and expand it.
• From the menu, click System. All the recent events show on the list.
• Look for the ‘System Thread Exception Not Handled‘ error and click on it to note the driver responsible for the problem.

Usually, the associated driver is either a network or display driver.

Method 3: Update, Reinstall or Rollback Your Drivers

Updating or rolling back is one of the easiest methods to fix incompatible drivers. In case you have the most recent versions, you can go ahead and reinstall them.

To be in a position to do this, you have to open your Device Manager by pressing the (Windows + X) command and select ‘Device Manager’ or type ‘device manager’ on the search icon. 

How Do You Update Drivers on Windows 10?

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Proceed and navigate to the associated device and expand the menu. For example, if a display driver caused the error, you must expand the ‘Display Adapters‘ option.
3. Right-click on the driver and then click on ‘Update Driver.’
4. A dialog box will pop up. Under that box, click ‘Search automatically for updated driver software‘.
5. Windows 10 will automatically search the web for the latest version of drivers and automatically install them. 

Alternatively, you can go through the list of all installed devices. Right-click on every piece of hardware that may have a driver and try updating it.

The devices will include display adaptors, sound devices, network adapters, audio devices, and disk drivers. The moment you click on ‘Update Driver’, it will search for the latest updated version. 

How to Rollback Drivers on Windows 10?

1. To start with, you need to open the Device Manager and browse through the driver in question.
2. The next thing you need to do is expand the menu and right-click on the driver.
3. Proceed and click on Properties.
4. Click on Rollback Driver under the Driver tab.
5. Windows 10. will automatically roll back to the last available version of the driver.

Another way of rolling back the drivers is by going through the Device List and making sure you right-click on every piece of hardware that has a driver. Proceed and select its Properties.

You can proceed and navigate to the ‘Driver’ tab and then click on the option asking you to ‘Rollback’. Ensure that you have clicked Yes, and you are good to go. 

How to Reinstall a Driver?

For you to reinstall a driver, you will first need to uninstall the device. You will also need to navigate to the device manufacturers’ websites. Once you find the device, ensure you download the latest driver for the device and install it manually. 

Method 4: Rename the Faulty File

Once you have retrieved the file associated with the ‘System Thread Exception Not Handled’ error, you should rename the file. What this will do is prompt Windows 10 to create a new copy and reinstall it. You will need to know what exact hard drive the driver is installed on, before moving forward.

1. To start, open file explorer and go to C: \Windows\System32\drivers.
2. Proceed to search for the affected driver.
3. Click on it and press F2.
4. You can then replace the filename extension with .old.
5. Then hit the enter button and restart the computer immediately.

Here is an alternative option:

• Open the ‘Command Prompt‘ application by typing ‘cmd’ on the computer’s search, or searching ‘command prompt’.
• Then type ‘c:‘ and press Enter.
• Type the following command and press Enter.

cd windows\system32\drivers

• Type the following command to change the file name recorded by the error code.

rename FILENAME.sys FILENAME.old

• Type ‘exit’ and immediately restart your computer.

Method 5: Repair System Files

Sometimes the system files affecting your drivers get corrupted and need repair. The repair process includes running DISM and SFC repair programs. They are powerful tools available for Windows users to find and fix system-related errors.

Before executing them, create a system restore point since the commands change system files.

How to Use DISM?

• Start by running the ‘Command Prompt’ as Administrator.
• Type the following command and press Enter.

DISM /Online /cleanup-image /ScanHealth

• After completing the scan, type the following command:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-image /RestoreHealth

All the problems found during the scan will be repaired.

How to Use SFC?

• Go to the Start menu search bar, and type ‘cmd‘.
• Right-click on ‘Command Prompt‘ and run it as an Administrator. If the computer is on safe mode, find the command option on ‘Advanced Options‘.
• Type the following command and press Enter.

sfc /scan

It will take a while to scan and repair damaged system files, so be patient.

Method 6: Reset Your Personal Computer

This is the last option to fix the error but it is effective. Follow the steps to reset your Windows 10 :

1. On the Start menu, click on the gear icon and go to Settings.
2. Go to ‘Update & Security‘ and click ‘Recovery‘.
3. You will be presented with three options:
   1. Reset this PC – best for a fresh start
   2. Go back to the previous version – best for those who want to roll back to an earlier build OS
   3. Advanced startup – allows you to boot off a recovery disc or recovery USB drive
4. Under ‘Reset this PC’, click on ‘Get started‘.
5. You can choose either ‘Remove everything’ or ‘Keep my files’ if you want to maintain your data files. Regardless of the option, all settings return to defaults, and apps are uninstalled.
6. If you selected ‘Remove everything’, you can go for ‘just remove my files’ or ‘Remove files and clean the drive’. Cleaning the drive takes a while but it is worth it, especially if you are giving the computer to someone else. It will be hard for them to recover the erased files. Go for ‘just remove my files if you keep the computer.
7. If a warning pops up that you cannot go back to the earlier OS version, click next. When prompted click Reset.
8. Windows will now restart and it may take some time. When prompted, click Continue.

You can also use System Restore to restore your PC. It is a feature that restores the Windows to an earlier state.

1. Go to the Start Menu Search Bar and type ‘control panel’. Click to open it.
2. Type ‘Recovery’ in the Control Panel search bar and open it.
3. Click on ‘Open system restore’.
4. Go to ‘Next’ and choose a restore point.
5. Then click on ‘Finish’.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

If you have had a blue screen error on your Windows PC, the chances are that it is a major computer problem. When these errors appear, it puts the entire system in a state of mayhem. The various blue screen errors have different causes, each requiring specific solutions to be resolved.

The “System Thread Exception Not Handled (system_thread_exception_not_handled)” error is one of the most common errors that you may experience. It will also display an error code on your screen, which you must record for further reference.

However, it should not be a cause for concern because this can easily be solved with the above troubleshooting steps.