Theorysonic Support/What to do if you see a Red Screen (RSoD)

If your computer automatically restarts or displays a message that it restarted because of an unexpected error, then this means there could be a potential issue with your computer. The display of a Red Screen of Death (RSoD) is not usually caused by a general issue with your computer, but are generally caused by certain software installed on the machine, or a problem with any hardware or device drivers installed on your machine.

About
In rare cases, your TSUG machine might encounter an unrecoverable issue affecting all open apps. When this happens, the system will "crash" and your computer must be restarted. This is also known as a "kernel panic" because an underlying part of the operating system (the "kernel") has determined there is an issue that requires your machine to restart.

If your computer experiences an RSoD, a message may appear for a few or couple of seconds explaining that your computer needs to restart: "Oh dear! Your computer has detected a problem and needs to restart." After a moment, the computer will automatically restart.

How to prevent
In most cases, like above, RSoDs are not caused by an issue with your computer itself. They are usually caused by underlying software installed or a problem with certain hardware.

To prevent RSoDs, install all available software updates until TSUG Update reports, "Your computer is up to date." TSUG updates help your computer handle all of the kinds of issues that can cause RSoDs, such as malformed network packets, or third-party software issues. For most RSoDs, updating your software is all you have to do.

After your computer restarts
Once your computer restarts successfully, an alert message appears, "Your computer has recovered from an unexpected shutdown." Click Open to re-open any apps that were active before the error occurred. If you believe the issue may have been caused by one of the apps that you were using, click Cancel instead. If you don't click anything for 60 seconds, TSUG automatically continues as if you had clicked Open.

Note: If your computer is unable to recover from the issue, it may display the screen and restart repeatedly. If this happens, or if you see the error frequently, see the Additional Information section of this article for more information.

Report the issue to Theorysonic
Once you log in, TSUG lets you know that your computer had recovered from an unexpected shutdown. Clicking "Report…" lets you see the details related to the issue, and can also be sent to Theorysonic. Sending these reports helps us to investigate the kinds of issues that cause RSoDs to occur. Viewing the report may also provide additional clues as to what caused the issue. Note: If you find the term "machine check" in the "Problem Details and System Configuration" field of the report, it may indicate a hardware-related issue. See the Additional Information section of this article for more information.

Click OK to send the report to Theorysonic, or close the window to dismiss the report. If the issue doesn't happen again during the next few weeks, the issue is likely resolved.

Software/Device Drivers known to cause RSoDs
TSUG has a feature that can help you correct RSoDs related to software or hardware you may have installed. If the cause of the RSoD is known, TSUG can let you remove the software/drivers that caused the problem.

If "More Info…" appears, click it to see more details about the issue, including possible workarounds or resolutions. Selecting the option to "Ignore" does not alter the software that may be related to the issue.

"Remove from computer" uninstalls the software/driver that is likely related to the issue. When you select this option, your computer may also need to be restarted again so the changes can take effect.


 * 1) Click "Restart" to disable the software that may be responsible for the issue.
 * 2) When prompted, enter an administrator name and password.
 * 3) Click "Remove from computer".
 * 4) After restarting, the related software is no longer installed on your computer.
 * 5) Contact the developer of the software to see if an update or more information is available.

Additional Information
Read the following information to learn more about diagnosing and troubleshooting a recurring RSoD.

Troubleshooting a recurring red screen
Diagnosing a recurring RSoD can be tricky. If you need help with this process, the computer may need to be serviced. You can open a service request with Theorysonic by sending your machine in, or visit your local IT department.

Tip: To help diagnose recurring RSoDs, record the date and time it occurs, and any information that appears with the kernel panic message.


 * Was the computer starting up, shutting down, or performing a particular task when the recurring RSoD happened?
 * Is the RSoD persistent, or does it happen every time you do a certain thing? For example, were you playing a particular game, or printing at the time?
 * Does it occur only when a certain external device is connected, or a device is connected to a certain port?