How To Fix DATA_BUS_ERROR Blue Screen Error On Windows?

When the system boots, it takes necessary OS files and loads them to the memory. If the memory on your system is faulty, the system may run into a series of problems. One of them is DATA_BUS_ERROR blue screen.

According to Microsoft, DATA_BUS_ERROR indicates that a parity error in system memory has been detected. As this is likely a memory issue, running the memory diagnostic tool should be the first troubleshooting step.

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What Causes DATA_BUS_ERROR Blue Screen On Windows?

As discussed above, a parity error in the system memory triggers a bug check with stop code DATA_BUS_ERROR. Before you get into the details about parity error, you first need to know about parity.

A parity bit is a single bit embedded into a set of binary values to determine whether the number of 1s is even or odd. This is done as an error detection technique when the PC transfers data.

If the system detects an error in the parity bit when transferring critical data, you will likely get a DATA_BUS_ERROR bug check.

There are several reasons you can get a parity error in system memory, which we have listed below.

Defective RAM stick
Corrupted system files
Outdated Drivers
Incompatible hardware
Faulty Graphics card
Bad sectors on a hard drive

How to Fix DATA_BUS_ERROR Blue Screen?

Based on the causes listed above, we have gathered a few solutions that might fix the issue with related components. This, by theory, should fix the DATA_BUS_ERROR BSOD. Since this is a memory issue, we first check the integrity of the system memory.

Run Memory Diagnostic Tool

Memory Diagnostic Tool thoroughly scans your system’s physical memory for any issues. If the system detects any issues with the memory, this is probably what’s causing the blue screen. To run Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool,

Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
Type MdSched and press Enter to open Windows Memory Diagnostic.
Select Restart Now and check for problems (Recommended).

The PC will now restart, running several memory tests. The scan will simultaneously give you a report of any issues. Besides this, you can also use Event Viewer to get a scan report.

Press the Windows + R key, type eventvwr, and press Enter to open Event Viewer.
On the leftmost panel, go to Windows Logs.
Right-click on System and click on Find.
Type MemoryDiagnostics-Results and press Enter.
Close Find window.
Under System, you can see an event with Source as MemoryDiagnostic-Result. Double-click on it to view the report.

If the Event Viewer reports any error in system memory, you can check the faulty memory by removing it from the PC. However, this will only work if your PC uses more than one memory stick.

To remove RAM from the PC,

Disconnect the PC from the wall outlet.
Remove screws from the case’s side panel to access the motherboard.
Now, you need to remove the RAM stick from the motherboard. Look for long slots with locks on both sides. RAM slots are usually located near the CPU socket.
Pull the lock outwards and remove one RAM from the socket.
Now, reconnect the PC to a power source and turn on the PC.

If the PC works smoothly without any issues, there is a high chance that the RAM stick you removed is the faulty one. However, if the issue still runs into BSOD, switch the RAM stick and check again.

If your PC uses one RAM stick, you need a fresh RAM stick to check if your current RAM is faulty.

Check Event Viewer

Sometimes, your system’s RAM may not be causing the DATA_BUS_ERROR. If that’s the case for you, we recommend you check the Event Viewer to determine the exact cause of the issue.

Event Viewer keeps a record of everything that currently happens in the system. Keeping this in mind, you can check events occurring near the BSOD to determine the exact cause of the issue. To check the BSOD event from the event viewer,

Press the Windows + R key, type eventvwr, and press Enter to open Event Viewer.
On the left panel, navigate to Windows Logs > System.
Here you can see all the Windows events. On the right panel, click on Filter Current Logs.
Set Event sources as BugCheck and <All Event IDs> as 1001.
Click on OK.
Now, the event log will only display events with Source as BugCheck.

Note the date and time of a particular Bugcheck event and check events with the same date and time in the Application, Security, Setup, and Forwarded Events event logs. By doing this, you may be able to determine what exactly caused the issue.

Run Check Disk Command

Just like how Windows Diagnostic tool scans a system’s RAM, the Check Disk command scans the storage device. This utility scans the drive for corrupted sectors and tries to recover data from these damaged sectors.

If any of the OS files are located in the corrupted sector, the system cannot read these files. This may result in the blue screen error. Follow the steps below to check a drive containing OS for the bad sector.

Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
Type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Type chkdsk c: /f /r and press Enter.
The PC will restart and run a series of tests to check for bad sectors.

/f fixes any errors on the drive.
/r locates and recovers data on bad sectors.

Disable Overclock

Although overclocking gives your system a performance boost, it may make it unstable. One overclock settings that increases your system’s performance is the XMP (eXtreme Memory Profile). XMP settings in your BIOS overclocks your RAM speed. Since the BSOD occurs due to issues in the memory, enabling XMP may be whats triggering it.

Not only this, the error may even be triggered due to other overclocked components like the GPU or the CPU. To check if the BSOD error is due to overclocking, we recommend resetting BIOS to disable all overclock settings.

Repeatedly press the BIOS key to enter the BIOS. The BIOS key could be any of the function keys or the Delete key.
Once inside the BIOS, search for settings named Load Default Options, Reset, Load Default Settings, and Load Setup Defaults.
Select any one of these settings.
Save and Exit the BIOS.

Check the Graphics Card

Fault in physical memory is not the only reason that causes DATA_BUS_ERROR BSOD. You can also get the BSOD due to errors in the video memory. A simple reset of the graphics card may fix the issue if you use an integrated GPU. To reset your GPU, press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B simultaneously.

However, if your PC has a dedicated graphics card, you might need to perform some troubleshooting steps to check the graphics card. First, we recommend using the motherboard’s display port as output. If the PC works smoothly, the issue is likely with the graphics card.

To fix this, try reseating the graphics card. Sometimes, overheated components may also cause the video memory issue, resulting in the BSOD. So, it is also highly recommended that you clean your graphics card.

Repair System Files

System files are responsible for operating the entire OS, so you can assume that nothing good happens if these files are corrupted or deleted. If the right files get corrupted, it may even cause DATA_BUS_ERROR BSOD.

In that case, running the SFC command should fix the issue. The System File Checker checks all your system files and repairs them. Follow the steps below to repair system files.

Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
Type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the command prompt as Administrator.
Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. Wait for the process to complete.

Update Driver

A driver is responsible for making the OS communicate with the device. Outdated drivers may face bugs and errors when communicating with newer and updated versions of Windows. Try updating your drivers to the latest version to check if it fixes the BSOD issue.

Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
Type devmgmt.msc to open Device Manager. Here, you will see a list of devices connected to the PC.
Look for a downward-facing arrow or an exclamation mark on the device icon and expand the device.
Here, you may see several devices. Double-click on the device you want to update.
Go to the Driver tab and select Disable device.
Wait a few moments and select Enable device.
Now, click on Update driver.
Select Search automatically for drivers.

Before you update, you should disabled and re-enabled the device. By doing this, it resets the hardware to its default state.

We recommend updating all your device drivers, especially the display adapter driver, as it is responsible for communication between the OS and the GPU.

Check Hardware Compatibility

The PC may run into DATA_BUS_ERROR blue screen error after connecting new hardware to the system. Due to hardware and system incompatibility, the OS may not be able to access the device, even if both are connected.

You can check if the hardware is compatible with the system in its user manual. If a component in your PC is not compatible with the motherboard, try updating the BIOS to see if it fixes the issue.

Perform System Restore

The BSOD also occurs because of configuration issues for the hardware devices. Since these configurations are quite troublesome to trackdown and revert, the system restore feature provided by the Windows is a perfect fix to restore the configurations to previous working condition.

System restore replaces the current system files and configurations from an image snapshot taken at an earlier time.

Press the Windows + R key, type rstrui, and press Enter to open System Restore.
Click on Next.
Select a Restore Point and click on Next.
Click on Finish.
The system will prompt you with a warning. Select yes.