A windows stop code is also called a bug checker or bug check code. It is code that uniquely identifies the stop errors like BSOD (Bluescreen of death).
Whenever the computer encounters a problem it will try to find out the safest thing it stops all the processes and restarts the system and when this process is going on the computer display a stop code.
You can use this code to diagnose the specific issue causing your Blue Screen of Death. It is most likely caused by a problem with your computer's driver or RAM, but other codes may indicate an issue with another component.
How Does a Stop Code Look Like
Usually, a stop code is displayed on BSOD whenever the system crash. The windows stop code is following 0x and is displayed in a hexadecimal format.
The Blue Screen of Death will display a bug check code of 0x0000007B if the hard drive controller is malfunctioning, for example.
A shorthand stop code is also possible by removing all the zeros after the x. The way to represent a Stop code 0x0000007B is STOP 0x7B.
Is a Bug Check Code Useful?
Error codes are hopefully helping you to indicate the cause of the problem, like other error codes.
For example, 0x0000005C this error code indicates that there is an issue in the hardware component or driver.
Ways to Find Stop Code
When you saw the BSOD, did you not copy down the bug check code quickly enough? After a BSOD, most computers will automatically restart, so this occurs frequently.
Let's assume, After the BSOD your computer is startup normally, you have a few things to do:
You can run a free tool to check the BOSD error. It scans your computer for those minidump files that windows created after the crash, and then it will display the bug check code in the program.
The Event Viewer, which can be found in Administrative Tools in Windows versions 98 through XP, can also be used. If your computer crashed around the same time as an error occurred, check there. There may be a STOP code stored there.
You may notice that your computer may show you the STOP/bug check code that you missed when it restarts after a crash. This code is called BCCode and will appear on that screen after your computer restarts.
You can restart your computer again if your windows never start normally and try to find out the stop code again.