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In this Itechguide, Victor teaches you how to fix “critical process died” error on Windows 10.
Each of the methods covered in this guide can fix “critical process died” error. Before each fix, the situation to apply the fix will be described. Try each fix that applies to your situation. The last 2 fixes are generic – apply them if the first 2 do not work for you.
Solution 1: Roll Back Windows Update
If you received “critical process died” error on Windows 10 after a Windows update, use this method to roll back the update.
Use the steps below to roll back a recently installed update that may have triggered the blue screen error:
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- Press and hold the power button on your computer to power off the computer. When the computer starts displaying the circles like the one shown in the screenshot below, press and hold the power button until the computer goes off.
- Press the power button again to start the computer. Then, wait for the circles to display – press and hold the button to power off the computer.
- Finally, press the power button for the third time – your computer will display “Preparing Automatic Repair” like the screenshot shown below.
- Then, it will display Choose an option screen – select Troubleshoot.
- On the Troubleshoot screen, click Advanced options.
- Then, on the Advanced options screen, click Uninstall Updates.
- Finally, to fix “critical process died” error on Windows 10, on the Uninstall Updates screen, select an option.
Since you may not know the type of update you installed, I recommend selecting an option, compete the uninstall. Then, repeat steps 1-7 and select the select option.
Solution 2: Check for and Install Windows 10
In some instances, “critical process died” error on Windows 10 may be caused by installing an update. However, this error may also be fixed by checking for and installing latest Windows 10 updates. If you received this error suddenly, try the steps below to fix it…
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- Use the steps in this Itechguide to – boot Windows 10 to safe mode with networking.
- When you get to the Startup Settings (shown in the screenshot below), press F5 key on your keyboard.
Your computer should boot to login. Login with your normal username a password. Then, follow the steps in 3 below to check for and install any available Windows update. However, if the computer fails with “critical process died” error, try fix 3 (next fix).
- If your PC boots to safe mode with networking, follow the steps in – How to Check for Windows Updates on Windows 10 – to install latest updates on Windows 10.
Solution 3: Update Intel Storage Drivers
Outdated Intel Storage drivers are also know to cause “critical process died” error on Windows 10. Updating the driver may fix the blue screen error. Here are the steps to boot to safe mode and update the storage driver:
- Boot Windows 10 to safe mode with networking.
- Then, when your computer displays the Startup Settings screen, press key 5 on your keyboard.
- When your computer starts in safe mode with networking, download the latest Intel storage driver.
- Then, use the steps in – Update the Downloaded Driver Manually – to update the Intel Storage driver.
To update Intel Storage driver, on Device Manager, expand either IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers or Storage controllers.
Solution 4: Run DISM and SFC Commands
Sometimes, corrupt Windows files may cause “critical process died” error on Windows 10. You can use the DISM and SFC commands in this section to repair Windows.
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- Use the steps in this guide to Boot to safe mode with networking.
- Then, when you get to the Startup Settings (shown in the screenshot below), press F5 key on your keyboard.
- Login to your computer with your usual user name and password. Then, run cmd as administrator.
- On command prompt, type the command below and press enter.
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- Wait for the DISM command to complete. Then, on the same command prompt, enter the SFC command below and press enter.
SFC /ScanNow
- When the commands finish, restart your computer normally and see if “critical process died” error on Windows 10 is still displayed. If you receive the error, try the last fix below.
If Everything Else Fails…
Use the steps in How to Remove Malware from Windows 10 to check for and remove malware in your PC.
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To try this method, you need to boot to safe mode first.
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You can use one of the methods covered in this Itechguide to fix “critical process died” error on Windows 10!
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Finally, for more Windows 10 Itechguides, visit our WINDOWS 10 FIXES page. You may also find our Work from Home page very helpful.
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I cant get to my settings. I cant do anything in this. Blue screen. Wants to restart but nothing works to fix the problem. Wont let me do anything like something is blocking anything I try to do. RESTORE, restart. everything.