How to Fix 0xA0000001 BSOD on Windows 10

The 0xa0000001 BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) error code appears sporadically when a Windows 10 computer boots up or restarts. Other users are seeing this error while attempting to render a video using Windows Live Movie Maker.

As it turns out, there are several different causes that might contribute to the apparition of this 0xa0000001 BSOD:

Method 1: Installing every Pending Windows Update

Considering the fact that Windows 10 has a weird bug that might produce this sort of BSOD with certain GPU models, you should start this troubleshooting guide by installing every pending Windows update.

Some affected users have confirmed that the issue was resolved entirely after they went ahead and forced the installation of every pending Windows 10 update.

If your scenario is similar and you do have pending Windows updates, follow the instructions below to install every pending update until you bring your Windows version up to date:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ‘ms-settings:windowsupdate’ inside the text box and press Enter to open up the Windows Update tab of the Settings app.

   

2. Once you’re inside the Windows Update screen, move over to the right section of the screen and click on the Check for updates button to initiate the scan.

   

3. Once the initial scan is complete, follow the on-screen instructions to install every pending update until you bring your computer up to date.

   

   Note: If you have a lot of different pending updates, you might be prompted to restart before you get the chance to install every pending update. If this happens, restart as instructed, but make sure to return to the same screen and continue with the installation of the remaining updates.

4. After you manage to install every pending update, monitor the situation, and see if you’re still seeing the random 0xa0000001 BSOD.

In case the problem is persisting, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 2: Removing the 3rd party Antivirus Software

As it turns out, one of the most common causes that might end up causing the 0xa0000001 error code is an overprotective AV suite that ends up interfering with a critical kernel process. In most cases, AVG, Kaspersky, and Comodo AV are reported to cause this problem.

If you’re actually using a 3rd party antivirus that you suspect might be responsible for these frequent BSODs with the 0xa0000001 error, you should start by uninstalling the current 3rd party suite that you currently have active and see if the problem is fixed.

In case you want to go this route, follow the instructions below to uninstall the 3rd party AV that you’re currently using:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ‘appwiz.cpl’ and press Enter to open up the Programs and Features menu.

   

2. Once you’re inside the Programs and Features menu, scroll all the way down through the list of installed applications and locate the 3rd party AV that you plan on uninstalling.
3. After you manage to locate the application, right-click on it, and choose Uninstall from the newly appeared context menu.

   

4. Inside the uninstallation screen, follow the on-screen prompts to complete the operation, then restart your computer.
5. Once your computer boots back up, you can take the extra mile and ensure that there aren’t any remnant files left behind by your AV.
6. After the installation is complete, Windows Defender should kick in automatically to ensure that your system is not left unprotected. Restart this computer to enforce the changes, then see if the problem is now fixed.

In case you are still dealing with frequent BSODs pointing towards 0xa0000001 BSOD, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 3: Clean Booting your PC

If you’re not using a 3rd party AV and the method above wasn’t applicable to you, it’s likely that you’re dealing with a different 3rd party interference that ends up triggering the 0xa0000001 BSOD. Since there are a lot of different potential culprits that might cause this problem, you should try to achieve a clean boot state and see if the problem is still occurring.

The steps of booting in a clean state are a little tedious, but well worth it in case you want to avoid doing a complete system wipe.

If the random BSODs stop appearing, you’ve just confirmed that the problem is indeed occurring due to some kind of 3rd party interference – In this case, it becomes a matter of discovering the culprit by systematically re-enabling the disabled 3rd party items.

If you already caused did a clean boot and you’re still encountering the same error message, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 4: Update GPU driver

As it turns out, a GPU driver incompatibility can also be responsible for these frequent BSODs (especially if you’re using an AMD drive). A lot of users that were dealing with the 0xa0000001 have confirmed that in their case, the problem was facilitated by an outdated or corrupted GPU driver or by a key dependency.

If this particular scenario seems like it could be applicable in your particular case, you might be able to fix this issue by updating your GPU drivers and the physics module that you’re currently using (this is important in case you’re only encountering the crashes while running a game or a demanding application).

If you’re not exactly sure on how to remove potentially corrupted drivers before reinstalling them, follow the instructions below for step by step instructions on updating the current GPU drivers via Device Manager or via the proprietary updating tools:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ‘devmgmt.msc’ and press Enter to open up Device Manager.

   

2. Once you’re inside Device Manager, scroll through the list of installed devices and expand the Display Adapters drop-down menu.
3. Inside the Display Adapters menu, right-click on your GPU driver that you plan on updating and choose Update driver from the newly appeared context menu.

   

   Note: If you’re encountering this issue with a configuration with 2 different GPUs (dedicated and integrated), you should attempt to update both.

4. At the first driver update screen, click on Search Automatically for updated driver software. Next, once the scan is complete, follow the on-screen set of instructions to install the latest GPU driver that the scan has identified.

   

5. If a new GPU driver version is found and successfully installed, reboot your machine and monitor the situation to see if the problem is fixed.
   
   Note: In case Device Manager didn’t allow you to find a new version of your driver or you updated it but the same BSOD is still occurring, you should proceed by using your GPU manufacturer proprietary software to update your GPU drivers to the latest version and ensure that you’re not dealing with a missing physics module. Here’s a list of proprietary software for all GPU manufacturers that will update your GPU version automatically:
   • GeForce Experience – Nvidia
   • Adrenalin – AMD
   • Intel Driver – Intel

If you already ensured that you’re using the latest GPU drivers available and you’re still dealing with the same problem, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 5: Reset BIOS / UEFI to the defaults

If none of the methods below have allowed you to fix the 0xa0000001 BSODs, you might want to focus your attention on a potential issue with your BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) or UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) settings.

In case the problem is somehow created by a BIOS / UEFI glitch, you will be able to fix the issue by resetting the BIOS / UEFI menu to the default values. Keep in mind that depending on the specification you’re using, the steps of doing this will be different.

But regardless of your specification types, we’ve created two different sub-guides that will show you how to reset your BIOS or UEFI settings:

A. Resetting the UEFI settings to Default

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ‘ms-settings:recovery’ and press Enter to open up the Recovery menu of the Settings app.

   

2. Once you’re inside the Recovery window, click on Restart now button (under Advanced Startup).

   

3. Wait until your computer boots back up – It will restart directly into the Advanced Options menu.
4. Once you’re inside the Advanced Options menu, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options and click on UEFI/BIOS Firmware Settings.

   

5. Once you’re inside the UEFI firmware settings menu, click on Restart to access the UEFI firmware settings menu. As soon as you do this and you confirm, your computer will restart directly into the UEFI / BIOS setup.

   

6. Once you’re computer boots back up and you’re inside the UEFI settings, look around through the menus and choose Restore Defaults – The exact location and name of this option will vary depending on your motherboard manufacturer.

   

7. Confirm the reset of your UEFI settings, then restart your computer conventionally in order to allow it to boot normally.

B. Resetting BIOS Settings to Default

1. Power up your machine (or restart if it’s already on) and press the Boot key (Setup key) repeatedly in order to interrupt the boot-up sequence. The boot key is typically shown in the bottom left corner of the screen.
   

   

   Note: If you don’t know the boot key, you can try to guess it by pressing the Esc key, the F keys (F1, F2, F4, F8, F12), or the Del key (Dell computers) repeatedly. If that doesn’t work, search online for the dedicated setup key.
2. Once you have finally accessed your BIOS settings, look for a menu named Setup Defaults (Reset to Default, Setup Default or Factory Default). Then use the Load Setup Defaults option.

   

   Note: With the majority of BIOS variations, you can load up the BIOS defaults just by pressing the F9 key.

3.  Save the changes you’ve just made, then exit the BIOS menu and wait for the next system startup to complete.

In case the same problem is still occurring, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 6: Reset every OS Component

In case none of the potential fixes above have allowed you to fix the issue, you might be dealing with a systemic issue that you won’t be able to resolve conventionally. In this case, the only thing that’s left to do is to reset every Windows component in order to fix any system file corruption that might trigger the 0xa0000001 BSOD.

When it comes to resetting your Windows version to the latest version available, you have two ways forward:

• Repair install – This is the recommended operation when it comes to clearing any type of corruption on Windows 10. You will need to use a compatible installation media, but the major advantage is that you will be able to keep games, applications, and personal media that you’re currently storing on the OS drive.
• Clean install – This is the easiest procedure out of the bunch since you are not required to use an installation media (you can initiate this procedure directly from the GUI menu). However, the major disadvantage is that unless you back up your C:\ drive in advance, you will lose every bit of personal media, games, applications, and user preferences.

In case the same problem is still occurring even after you clean installed or repair installed Windows, move down to the next method below.

Method 7: Return or Replace the GPU

If none of the potential fixes above worked for you, it’s abundantly clear that you are actually dealing with a hardware issue. Clean installing or repair installing should have resolved any software related issues, so the biggest culprit that you should be focusing on is your GPU.

There are a lot of user reports pointing towards a faulty AMD GPU that ends up causing the 0xa0000001 BSOD.

If this scenario is applicable, you should consider running a GPU diagnostic tool or send it for repairs if you’re still under warranty.