How to Fix the “Critical Structure Corruption” Error Windows 10 (2024)

Blue screen errorscan be very hard to understand and deal with. They render your computer useless, and they’re capable of causing significant loss to your projects and files. When you get a blue screen error, you should always see an error code at the bottom of your screen. One of these is “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION.”

When you get this error message accompanied by the popularWindows 10blue screen, it may appear very intimidating. However, there’s nothing to fear. With our article, you can learn all about this error and even find methods on how you can fix it.

Let’s not waste time and get started with fixing the “Critical Structure Corruption” blue screen error on Windows 10.

Jump to Solutions:

• What causes the “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” error?
• Method 1: Uninstall any known problematic application
• Method 2: Update your graphics driver
• Method 3: Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool
• Method 4: Run the System File Checker
• Method 5: Check the Event Viewer
• Method 6: Update Windows 10 to the latest release
• Conclusion

What causes the “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” error?

Critical Structure Corruption isa BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) error, that several Windows users are encountering in their Windows 10 PCs (Image 1). The most common causes for this error include hardware failure, system crash, or corrupt/faulty drivers.

Similar to most complex Windows 10 issues, there isn’t one definitive cause for this error. The active user base of the operating system was able to tie it to two scenarios thought, which are as follows.

• There is acorrupted hardware componentinstalled inside your computers, such as a faulty memory card or motherboard. This makes it so your computer is unable to operate well, causing the “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” error constantly.
• Adriver has made changes to critical kernel codeor data. This action may have been intentional or accidental, which makes the error quite unexpected.

Just like there are causes, there are multiple ways to solve this problem. Below are several methods proved to work against the “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” error. Simply follow our steps and ensure that your files and system are in safety from the blue screen of death.

Optional: Log into Windows 10 using Safe Mode

ManyWindows 10 usershave reported that before troubleshooting this issue, you should boot your device up in Safe Mode.

This isoptional, however, we recommend giving it a try in case none of the methods below seem to be working for you, or in case you can’t log into Windows 10 after thesystem crash. Here’s what you need to do to boot Windows 10 in Safe Mode.

1. Turn off your device, then press the power button to turn it back on. As soon as you see that Windows 10 is starting, hold the power button until your device shuts down again.Repeat this processuntil you enterwinRE.
2. When in the winRE interface, you should see the “Choose an option” page.
3. Navigate throughTroubleshoot→Advanced options→Startup Settings→Restart.
4. Your device should automatically restart itself. The next time it boots up, you’ll see a list of options. Chooseoption 5from the list forSafe Mode.

Method 1: Uninstall any known problematic application

Some known applications have been reported to cause the “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” error on Windows 10. Uninstalling these applications may fix the error from happening again.

At the moment, some of the known applications that cause this error areDaemon Tools,BlueStacks,Alcohol 120%,VirtualBox,Intel Hardware Accelerated Execution Manager, andMacDriver. These are only a few, so we recommend using the Windows Event Viewer (jump to Method 5.) to identify any other possible app.

If you have any of these applications installed on your device, follow the simple guide below to remove them. Doing so can potentially eliminate the possibility of this blue screen error from happening again.

1. Click on theStart menuin your taskbar, then choose “Settings.” Alternatively, you can press theWindows + Ikeys on your keyboard to open the app.
2. Click on the “Apps” tile.
3. Use the search function to look for the problematic application you have installed.
4. Click on the app and choose the “Uninstall” option.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to properly remove the application.
6. When the uninstallation is complete,restart your computer.

Method 2: Update your graphics driver

Keeping your drivers updated is important. An outdated graphics driver may be able to cause frustrating errors on your device, and can ultimately lead to blue screens. Thankfully, updating these drivers is quite easy and doesn’t take any expertise — simply follow our steps to ensure you have the latest version of your driver.

1. First, you need tocheck what graphics card you’re using. If you don’t already know the exact model, follow these steps:

• Press theWindows + Rkeys on your keyboard to bring up the Run utility. Here, simply type in “dxdiag” and press the OK button.
• The DirectX Diagnostic Tool should open up on your screen. Use the header menu to switch to the “Display” tab.
• In the “Device” section, check “Name.” You should be able to see the manufacturer and graphic card model. Keep this in mind for the next steps.

• Intel Drivers & Software page
• NVIDIA Driver download page
• AMD Drivers and support page

Method 3: Run the WindowsMemory Diagnostic tool

Windows 10 comes with many troubleshooting tools to ensure that you can easily diagnose and fix problems without having to turn to customer service. One of these tools is Windows Memory Diagnostic, which is capable of identifying issues with your memory.

Here’s how you can run it.

1. Press theWindows + Rkeys on your keyboard to bring up the Run utility. Here, simply type in “mdsched.exe” and press the OK button.
2. Choose “Restart now and check for problems (recommended)” to instantly start a memory scan. Make sure to save any files and close all open applications before clicking on this option.
   Otherwise, choose “Check for problems the next time I start my computer” and restart the device at a more convenient time.
3. During the next boot, you’ll see theWindows Memory Diagnostictool check for issues. Make sure to read all the information displayed on the screen and wait for the completion.
4. Once the memory test is complete, you’ll be able to see if any issues were identified. If there were none, your memory is luckily working fine.

Method 4: Run the System File Checker

The System File Checker is a tool available in Windows 10 by default. It’s also called an “SFC scan,” and it’s your quickest way to automatically fix corrupted system files and other issues.

1. Press theWindows + Rkeys on your keyboard. This is going to bring up the Run utility.
2. Type in “cmd” and press theCtrl + Shift + Enterkeys on your keyboard. Doing so, you’re launching the Command Prompt with administrative permissions.
3. If prompted, clickYesto allow the Command Prompt to make changes on your device.
4. Once in the Command Prompt, type in the following command and press Enter to execute it:sfc /scannow
5. Wait for the SFC scan to finish scanning your computer and repairing corrupt files. This may take a long time; ensure that you don’t close the Command Prompt or shut your computer down.
6. Restartyour device after the scan is complete.

Method 5: Check the Event Viewer

Are you entirely unsure of what application, service, or other error caused the “Blue Screen of Death” to appear on your screen? Don’t worry, we know the perfect, built-in tool to use to identify what exactly happened on your device. It’s theEvent Viewer.

With the Event Viewer, you can easily see the last thing that happened on your computer before it crashed. This will allow you to identify what exactly is causing your issue and resolve it more effectively by removing the app or disabling the service.

1. Press theWindows + Xkeys on your keyboard at the same time, then choose “Event Viewer” from the context menu.
2. Click on “Windows Logs” inside the left-side panel, then choose “System.” This should change the middle section to show all events with timestamps.
3. Locate the last event recorded before the “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” error occurred on your system. If you see a certain application or service, this is most likely the culprit.

Method 6: Update Windows 10 to the latest release

If none of the methods above seemed to work, the last thing you can try is simply upgrading to the newest Windows 10 release. This can fix bugs, bring you new features, patch up security holes, and much more.

Here’s how you can update Windows 10.

1. Click on theStart menuand choose “Settings.” You can alternatively use theWindows + Ikeyboard shortcut as well.
2. Click on the “Update & security” tile.
3. Make sure to stay on the default “Windows Update” tab.
4. Click on the “Check for updates” button. When an update is found, click on the “Install” button and waitfor Windows 10to download and apply the update.

Conclusion

We hope that this article was able to help you resolve the “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” error on your Windows 10 system. Now, you’ll never have to worry about losing your files to this annoying system crash again. If you know anyone else dealing with Windows 10 related issues, make sure to recommend us!

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