How to Manually Cause BSOD in Windows: 5 Ways

Quick Tips

• To quickly cause BSOD, go to Task Manager > select Service Host: DCOM Server Process Launcher process > click End task.
• Another way is to open PowerShell (run as administrator) > type Winint > press Enter.

Note: It is vital that you save your work before proceeding with the below-mentioned steps and methods.

Method 1. Using Task Manager

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type Task Manager, and click Run as administrator. In the prompt, click Yes.

Step 2: Under the Processes tab, scroll down to find Service Host: DCOM Server Process Launcher.

Step 3: Select the Process and click End task from the top-right corner.

Step 4: In the prompt, check Abandon unsaved data and shut down, and click Shut down.

And that’s it. Your PC will crash with a Blue Screen of Death, displaying the stop code as Critical Process Died. If you are uncomfortable using Task Manager, there’s another way to use PowerShell.

Method 2. Using Powershell

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type PowerShell, and click Run as administrator. In the prompt, click Yes.

Step 2: Type the command mentioned below and press Enter.

Wininit

And there you go. Your Windows PC will crash, displaying a Blue Screen of Death.

Method 3. Using Command Prompt

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator. In the prompt, click Yes.

Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter.

taskkill /IM svchost.exe /f

There you go. This is how you can fake Blue Screen of Death on your Windows PC.

Method 4. Using Registry Editor

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type Registry Editor, and click Run as administrator. In the prompt, select Yes. 

Step 2: In the top address bar, enter the mentioned address.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\i8042prt\Parameters

If you are using a USB keyboard, ignore the above command and type the below command

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\kbdhid\Parameters

Step 3: Under the Parameters folder, right-click, select New, and choose DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Step 4: Type CrashonCtrlScroll in the name field.

Step 5: Double-click on CrashonCtrlScroll, type 1 in the Value Data field, and press OK.

Finally, restart the system to implement the changes. And that’s it! When the system boots back, press the (right) Ctrl key + Scroll lock twice to force your Windows PC to display the BSOD error.

Method 5. Use a Third-Party BSOD Simulator

We will be using the Not My Fault app, which is, more or less, a BSOD simulator that forces your Windows PC to go Blue Screen of Death with a click of a button. Follow the steps mentioned below.

Step 1: Go to the Not My Fault app download page using the link below and click on Download.

Step 2: Install and run the app on your computer.

Step 3: When you open the blue screen simulator app, you will be given choices to force the Windows crash. Under the Crash tab, select any option (Ex: High IRQL fault) and click Crash.

That’s it. Your PC will crash, and you will see a Blue Screen of Death. The Stop Code will depend on the option you choose to crash.

FAQs

Now that you know how to do it, you must understand that, at times, overdoing BSOD simulation may result in Windows functional and operational errors.