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One of the most feared errors for Windows PC users is the so-called Blue Screen of Death (abbreviated as BSOD). The Blue Screen of Death is a blue screen error that typically happens when you restart your PC or upgrade to a newer version of your Windows operating system. However, it can also come up randomly.

We’re assuming that you might have encountered the Windows Critical Structure Corruption BSOD, which is why you found this article in the first place. In the post below, we will give you the potential reasons for the problem as well as the steps on how to fix the “Critical_Structure_Corruption” blue screen error.

How to Resolve the Critical Structure Corruption on Windows 10?

In most cases, there is a specific reason for the issue. Blue screen errors are typically caused by the programs running in the Windows kernel or problems with hardware. You will usually get the following message:

“Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart.”

The error message seems clear: to fix the problem, you need to restart your PC. However, in a lot of cases, this is not the only thing you will need to do—bypassing the Blue Screen of Death might take a bit more effort. It all depends on the extent of the issue and the specific error code that you are getting. For instance, you may get the following error code:

“CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION”

The “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” BSOD error has a number of causes:

  • Corrupted or incompatible drivers
  • Issues with Random Access Memory (RAM) or Hard Disk Drive (HDD),
  • Third party software conflicts
  • Hardware malfunctions

Thus, in order to fix the error, you will need to try addressing the above points one by one until you get to the root of the problem.

The first thing you will need to do to is log into Windows. However, this can be problematic. If you are having trouble logging into your system and continually receiving the “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” error even after a restart, you will need to boot into Windows in Safe Mode with Networking. Here’s how to do it:

  • Restart your computer and immediately press the F8 key on your keyboard.
  • Continue to press the key repeatedly until the Boot Menu appears.
  • From the list of options, select Safe Mode with Networking: use the arrow keys to navigate between the options.
  • Press Enter.

Once you are logged into Windows, you can start to fix the “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” blue screen error, using the methods below:

  • Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
  • Scan your disk for errors
  • Uninstall third party software
  • Run the Windows Troubleshooter
  • Run System File Checker
  • Perform a Clean Boot
  • Update your system drivers

Let’s start going over each of the listed methods in a bit more detail.

Fix One: Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool

The “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” blue screen error in Windows can be caused by your Random Access Memory (RAM). If your RAM is failing, consider replacing it. However, before you do that, you will need to make sure that this is where the problem is actually coming from. In order to do so, you can use a built-in Windows tool called Windows Memory Diagnostic. You can use the program to check if there is an issue with your PC’s memory. To use the tool, follow the steps below:

  • Go to Search.
  • Type “memory diagnostic” (no quotes) and click “Windows Memory Diagnostic”.
  • You will be presented with two options here: restarting your PC and checking for problems right away or checking for problems the next time you start your PC.
  • Select the option you prefer and run the scan.
  • Give the diagnostics tool some time to complete the scan. If any issues are discovered, they will be reported.

Fix Two: Scan Your Disk for Errors

It’s actually a good idea to scan your disk for errors regularly — especially, since a built-in Windows tool is available specifically for the task. The Chkdsk command is capable of examining and correcting the integrity of disks and is helpful in correcting a wide range of errors. Here’s how to initiate a disk scan:

  • Go to Command Prompt by typing “command prompt” (no quotes) in Search, and right-clicking the “Command Prompt” result.
  • Select “Run as administrator” from the drop-down menu.
  • In the Command Prompt window, type the “chkdsk C: /f” (no quotes) and press Enter.

Note: replace “c” with the letter of the drive that you want to check.

  • The Chkdsk command will run, detect and repair any problems that might exist on the disc.
  • If you want to check for physical issues as well, run the “chkdsk C: /r” command.

Note: You can also run both commands simultaneously by running the “chkdsk C: /f /r” command.

You may receive a message saying that the Chkdsk command cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. You will then be asked if you would like to schedule the volume to be checked the next time you restart your PC. Press “Y” on your keyboard: the disk will be checked for errors after your computer restarts.

Fix Three: Uninstall Third Party Software

If you have recently installed new software, there is a chance that it may be conflicting with other programs on your PC and causing the “CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION” error. Some users, for instance, have reported that programs like MacDriver, Alcohol 120%, BlueStacks, VirtualBox, etc. may be the culprits. If you have installed these (or similar) programs recently, consider removing them to check if the problem goes away after. To uninstall a program, do the following:

  • On your keyboard, press the Win + R key combo and select Run from the context menu.
  • A Run dialog box will open.
  • Type “appwiz.cpl” (no quotes) and press Enter on the keyboard.
  • This will open the “Programs and Features” window.
  • In the new window, find the needed program and right-click it.
  • Select Uninstall from the drop-down menu.
  • Restart your PC and check if the error has disappeared.

Fix Four: Run the Windows Troubleshooter

Your Windows system comes with a number of useful tools designed specifically to quickly diagnose and automatically fix a wide range of PC problems. Here’s how you can run the Windows Troubleshooter:

  • Go to Settings.
  • Type “troubleshoot” (no quotes) inside the Search box.
  • Select “Troubleshoot” from the list.
  • In the Find and fix other problems category, locate Blue Screen and select it,
  • Click Run the troubleshooter and follow the on-screen prompts.
  • Windows will then try to troubleshoot the error that leads to Windows stopping or restarting unexpectedly.

Fix Five: Run the System File Checker

The System File Checker is another handy tool in Windows that lets you scan for file corruptions on your PC and then fix them. Here’s how to run the System File Checker utility:

  • Open an elevated form of Command Prompt.
  • Type “sfc /scannow” (no quotes).
  • Hit Enter to run the command.
  • The System File Checker will now scan your PC.

Note: This generally takes around 15 minutes.

  • Wait for the scanning process to complete.
  • Restart your PC and check if the error has been resolved.

Fix Six: Perform a Clean Boot

As you start Windows, a number of applications and services will run automatically: these include standard system processes, anti-malware software, system utility applications and other software. Occasionally, these programs can cause software conflicts.

In order to check if this is indeed the issue, try performing a Clean Boot of your PC: this will

start Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs and help avoid software conflicts. Here’s how to perform a Clean Boot:

  • Go to Search.
  • Type “system configuration” (no quotes).
  • Click the “System Configuration” result.
  • In the new window, select the Services tab.
  • Check the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.
  • Click Disable all.
  • Go to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
  • In the Task Manager Startup tab, choose the first application and click Disable.
  • Next, disable all applications one by one, repeating the step for every program.
  • When all the programs have been disabled, close Task Manager and click OK in the System Configuration Startup tab.
  • Restart your PC and see if the error has disappeared.

If this helps and your system launches properly with a Clean Boot, then one of the programs that runs on Startup is causing the error message. Find the culprit by disabling the applications that are launched on Startup one by one and checking for the error message after each time. Then, uninstall the error-causing program and keep it from running on Startup.

Fix Seven: Update Your System Drivers

An outdated driver can be the cause of many problems on your PC. So, if your keyboard driver is corrupt or outdated, you may be running into errors. It is, thus, very important to keep your system drivers up to date. You can check if one of your system drivers is out of date or corrupted by disconnecting or disabling the devices on your computer one by one via the Device Manager. After each disconnection, try reinitiating the installation process and check if the error has disappeared. If so, you have found the driver that’s been causing problems. Now, you will need to update the said driver. There are two ways in which you can go about updating your drivers: manually or automatically.

Updating your drivers manually is typically recommended for more experienced users as it will involve a series of steps, each of which needs to be done correctly. This can be quite a time-consuming process and if you do make a mistake when updating your drivers, it can result in more and bigger issues for your PC. The steps for manually updating a driver typically include:

  • Downloading the needed driver for the problematic device from the manufacturer’s website.
  • Saving the driver to a USB flash drive or external hard drive.
  • Connecting the device to your PC (the one you are installing Windows on).
  • Starting the system installation, locating Load Driver and clicking this option.
  • Once the driver is loaded, you can try proceeding with the installation of Windows.


If you’ve never updated your drivers before and don’t feel like taking any risks, you can use specialized software to do work for you. A program like Auslogics Driver Updater will run an automatic scan of your system drivers for existing and potential issues, prepare a report on outdated or missing drivers it has detected and then will update them to the latest manufacturer-recommended versions in just one click.

There you have it. We hope you now know how to get rid of Windows Critical Structure Corruption BSOD and that at least one of the solutions above has been effective. Which method has solved the error for you? Share in the comments below.