Critical Process Died leads to the Blue Screen of Death error with the code 0x000000EF. It means that a critical system process in your device has died. 

If a critical system process can’t run properly, then Windows OS will run into serious troubles which can damage the hard disk, memory card, and even the processor as well.

Consequently, the error will crash and display a notification on your device. Most of the users get stuck with this error after the new installation of Windows 10 system upgrade.

The Critical Process Died Windows 10 specifies that default value in the Boot Loader section of the Boot.ini file is invalid or missing. Also, corrupted system files and incompatible driver software results in the error on Windows 10.

If you are currently going through the same error, then nothing to be getting worried. This post is going to elaborate the error along with all the possible workarounds.

An Overview of Critical Process Died Windows 10

Mostly, Critical Process Died occurs when an unauthorized application attempts to change data associated with the critical components of Windows. The OS immediately stops the process, causing such error.

Once the error appears on the device, the OS may get stuck on any point. As a result, the mouse or the keyboard might not respond properly. 

If you visit this error for the first time, then after a while, you might find that your device will reboot and revert to the normal mode.

 However, it is a serious matter of concern if the error appears randomly over and over again, wrecking your device every time.

Therefore, it is better to take proper steps to eliminate this error at the earliest. To know more about this error, go through the entire post.

Get to Know Why Critical Process Died Occurs

There can be plenty of factors, responsible for the Critical Process Died. Here, we are going to mention the most obvious ones. 

The foremost reason behind the error is the Windows services which face problems on startup due to certain reasons.

Sometimes, faulty or misconfigured device drivers can lead to the error. This situation appears even if your device has been infected by a critical virus or malware infection.

When something went wrong in the memory, such an error can arise. Moreover, corrupted or modified system files are another potential cause of the error. 

Effective Methods to Fix Critical Process Died Windows 10

In this section, we are going to mention some of the best hacks to get it fixed. Just, go through the following section. 

Clean Boot your Device

A Clean Boot starts the Windows OS by using the least amount of startup applications and drivers to remove any software conflict.  It might appear when you attempt to install any update or an application. 

Step 1:

At first, press the Home key along with the R key to launch the Run dialogue box. Once it opens, write “msconfig” and hit the Enter key to run the command.

Step 2:

After that, you need to go to the General tab. Under this tab, find the Selective Startup option. Once you find it, click on it and place a tick mark to the checkbox. Now, under the same window, you need to choose the “Load Startup Items” box and deselect the checkbox.

Step 3:

Afterward, navigate to the service tab and find out the “Hide All Microsoft Services” option. After locating this option, click on the “Disable All” option from the queue menu. This action will disable all unnecessary services and applications that may conflict with the devices.

Step 4:

Now, go to the Startup tab and launch the Task Manager. Here, in this window, you need to disable all the startup items that exist on the Startup tab. 

Step 5: 

After doing all the steps successfully, hit the Apply and OK buttons from the appeared menu to save all the new changes. Lastly, reboot your device and check whether the error gets removed or not.

Run DISM and SFC Utility

System File Checker and Deployment Image Servicing & Management are the built-in utilities that scan your entire device and detect all the internal bugs and glitches. They also repair the corrupted or damaged system files and restore them with the correct one.

To run the DISM and SFC scan, follow the undermentioned steps accordingly.

• Press the Windows key and write “cmd” in the search field. Right-click on the top search result to choose the “Run as Administrator” option from the resultant menu.
• Once the Command Prompt window opens with Administrator privileges, firstly run the DISM restore health command: “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth”
• This process will inspect the integrity of the system files and repair the corrupted or damaged ones.
• Afterward, run system file checker utility command: “sfc /scannow” in the same Command Prompt window and hit the Enter key to run the command. Let the scanning process finish to 100%.
• Once the process is over, reboot your device and verify if the Windows begins normally without any issue.

After running the DISM and SFC, hopefully, there is no more Critical Process Died error at the Startup.

Update the Device Drivers

As we have already discussed that the incompatible device drivers are another significant cause of the error. 

Thus, it is a sensible choice to check that none of them need updates. If yes, then install the newest version of device drivers.

Step 1:

First of all, hold the Windows Home key along with the R key to open the Run dialog box. Type “devmgmt.msc” and hit the Enter key to run the command. This process will launch the Device Manager window.

Step 2:

Now, in the Device Manager window, verify whether any device has a yellow exclamation point. If you locate any exclamation point, then choose the device and right-click on it. After that, select the “Update Driver” option from the queue window.

Step 3:

Otherwise, tap on such devices and hit the Uninstall option from the context menu. Now, reboot your device to let the new changes take effect. Windows will install and device drivers automatically for the device.

Turn Off the Fast Startup Feature

Some users claim that after turning off the Fast Startup feature, they find that the error gets eliminated. Therefore, you can also try out this method.

• At first, go to the Start icon and write “Control Panel” into the Search box and then hit the Enter key. Now, navigate to the Control Panel window and tap on the option “Choose what the power button does”, located on the left side of the window.
• Thereafter, go to the Define power buttons and turn on password protection and hit the option “Change settings that are currently unavailable” from the appeared menu.
• Navigate to the Shutdown settings section and locate the “Turn on fast startup” option. Once you find it, tap on it to turn off the Fast Startup feature.
• Once you are done, hit the “Save Changes” button from the resultant menu to save all the modified settings. Finally, close the window and reboot the system. 

Wrapping Up:

As you see that various troubles lead to the Critical Process Died Windows 10. The above-mentioned methods can eradicate the issue effectively. These methods can also be applied if you ever encounter some other BSOD errors.

Furthermore, if you want to know more about this error, then feel free to drop your queries in the comment section below.