Windows 10 computer fails to start and displays a blue screen error code: NMI_HARDWARE_FAILURE. This error NMI or Non-Maskable Interrupt Hardware Failure usually occurs after recent hardware or driver changes. Again blue screen of death errors on Windows 10 can cause due to many reasons, third-party problematic software, incompatible device drivers or faulty hardware are common. To prevent future damage, system crashes and restart your PC with different blue screen errors. Here in this post, We circled out all the possible causes behind this blue screen error along with the fixes that you can apply to Fix this NMI Hardware Failure error on Windows 10.
What does NMI hardware failure mean?
NMI stands for Non-Maskable Interrupt, a type of hardware interrupt (or signal to the processor) that prioritizes a certain thread or process. NMI Hardware Failure usually occurs when the system encounters a hardware problem that it cannot recover from using normal error handling mechanisms. This error is often accompanied by a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) and may display error codes such as “STOP 0x00000080” or “STOP 0x0000002E.” Faulty hardware, Driver issues or overheating are some of the common reasons behind this error.
- Hardware Issues: Common hardware culprits include faulty RAM, failing hard drives, malfunctioning power supplies, overheating components, or incompatible hardware.
- Driver Problems: Outdated or incompatible device drivers can trigger NMI Hardware Failures.
- Overclocking: Overclocking components beyond their recommended limits can lead to instability and hardware failures.
- BIOS/UEFI Settings: Incorrect settings in the system BIOS or UEFI firmware can cause hardware conflicts and trigger NMI errors.
Remove External Devices
This problem mostly occurs due to faulty hardware, or incompatibility of Hardware Devices. Let’s first remove the hardware you’ve installed recently like a sound card, graphics card or external hard drive. In addition remove the printer, scanner or USB flash drive if connected to your device and restart your computer to see if it works.
Sometimes, a simple reseating of components like RAM modules or graphics cards can resolve intermittent connection problems that lead to hardware errors.
If you installed a new hardware piece, try removing or reattaching it.
Recent driver installations may also cause the NMI hardware failure blue screen error. The new hardware and driver installed on your computer, may not be compatible. Open Device Manager to uninstall the driver. Next, visit the official website of the hardware manufacturer, and download and install the latest driver on your computer.
If due to this blue Screen error windows frequently restart and don’t allow to start windows normally we recommend booting into safe mode with networking. Which starts Windows with minimum system configuration and allows to perform troubleshooting steps.
Install the latest Windows updates
When you start Windows in safe mode with networking first make sure Windows has installed the latest security patch and it’s up to date. Microsoft Regularly releases security updates and patches that aim to fix and avoid BSOD errors.
- Press the Windows key + X and select settings
- Go to Update & Security then Windows update
- Now click on check for updates button to get the latest Windows updates downloaded and install on your computer
Update device drivers
Sometimes NMI Hardware Failure error is related to hardware on your PC, the device drivers could be the reason behind this issue. Outdated or incompatible drivers can contribute to hardware failures. Update your graphics card, network adapter, and other drivers to the latest versions help resolve such errors.
You can update the device driver through the Device Manager or by visiting the manufacturer’s website.
- Press the Windows key + X and select settings on the context menu,
- This will display all devices and Peripheral connected to your computer,
- Expand all of them and look if any driver listed there with a yellow exclamation mark
- If found any right click on it and try to update the driver or uninstall and reinstall the driver.
In addition, we recommend check and update the essential drivers including the Display, Network adapter and Audio driver.
Or you can visit the device manufacturer, to download and install the latest driver software for Windows PC. You should no longer encounter that blue screen of death.
Uninstall Recently Installed applications
Incompatible or poorly coded software can sometimes conflict with system components, leading to hardware errors like NMI failures. It happens more often when users install cracked, pirated applications. Uninstalling recently installed applications removes potential sources of conflict, helping to isolate the cause of the error.
- Press the Windows key + S, type “Control Panel,” and select the corresponding option.
- Click on “Programs” > “Programs and Features.”
- Look for any recently installed programs in the list of installed applications.
- Right-click on the application and select “Uninstall.” Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation process.
If the error stops occurring after uninstallation, it indicates that the removed application was likely the culprit.
Check for Memory Issues
Memory-related issues, such as faulty RAM modules or improper memory configurations, can trigger NMI errors. The Windows Memory Diagnostic tool performs a thorough scan of your system’s memory, identifying any potential problems. Addressing memory issues early can prevent further system instability and crashes.
- Press Windows key + R, type mdsched.exe, and click ok to open Memory Diagnostic Tool
- Click Restart now and check for problems (recommended)
Your computer will restart and start checking memory problems, you cannot use your mouse in the Memory Diagnostic Tool
Windows Memory Diagnostic will run a series of tests on your system’s memory. Allow the scan to complete, which may take some time depending on the size of your RAM.
After the scan finishes, Windows will restart, and you’ll see the results of the memory test. If any issues are detected, follow the on-screen instructions to address them.
Check Corrupted system files
Corrupted system files can cause various system errors, including NMI HARDWARE FAILURE. If the above solutions didn’t help we recommend scan and repair system files using the SFC and DISM tools. By restoring the integrity of system files, this step can resolve issues related to file corruption that may be triggering the NMI error.
Corrupted or missing system files can also cause the system to show the NMI HARDWARE FAILURE BSOD screen.
- Press Windows key + s and type cmd, right-click on the command prompt select run as administrator,
- Type the command sfc /scannow and press the enter key
- The SFC tool will scan your system for corrupted files and attempt to repair them automatically.
This will start scanning for missing, damaged system files on your Windows PC. If found any the utility will automatically restore them from a compressed folder located on %WinDir%\System32\dllcache. Wait until 100% complete the scanning process after that Restart Windows.
If the SFC scan results Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them That causes you need to run The DISM tool which repairs the system image and allows SFC to Do its job. After that Restart your Computer And let start Windows normally. I am sure you didn’t get any blue screen on your PC and Windows runs smoothly for you.
Check for Overheating
Overheating can cause hardware components to malfunction, leading to system errors and instability, including NMI failures. Monitoring system temperatures helps identify if overheating is a contributing factor to the error. By addressing overheating issues through better cooling solutions or cleaning out dust and debris from system components, you can prevent hardware failures and improve system stability.
You can use a hardware monitoring tool such as HWMonitor or SpeedFan to observe the temperatures of your CPU, GPU, and motherboard components.
If temperatures are excessively high, consider cleaning dust from your system components, improving airflow within your case, or upgrading cooling solutions such as CPU coolers or case fans.
Run Clean Boot and Disable Third-party Software
For some users, This blue screen error occurs for some third-party programs like antivirus or firewalls. In this case, You can disable your antivirus and firewall to see if it fixes the problem.
- Additionally, You can perform the clean boot. It will help you to understand if any third-party programs or services are causing the problem or not.
- It is possible that malware entities have infected your PC, Perform A full system scan with a good antivirus with the latest updates installed.
- Run third-party system optimizer like Ccleaner to clean up junk, temp, System error, and Memory dump files. And registry cleaner to fix different registry errors that may cause NMI_HARDWARE_FAILURE BSOD error.
Updating BIOS/UEFI Firmware
Outdated BIOS or UEFI firmware can cause compatibility issues with hardware components, leading to system errors like NMI failures. Updating the firmware ensures compatibility with the latest hardware and software standards, addressing potential issues that may arise from outdated firmware.
Go to the website of your motherboard manufacturer and navigate to the support or downloads section.
Locate the latest BIOS/UEFI firmware update for your motherboard model and download it to your computer.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for updating the BIOS/UEFI firmware. This typically involves running a utility from within your current BIOS/UEFI environment or using a USB flash drive to perform the update.
Note: It’s essential to follow manufacturer guidelines when updating firmware to avoid causing further problems.
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