How to Fix “DRIVER OVERRAN STACK BUFFER” BSOD Error on Windows 10 & 11?

Many users reported that their Windows 10 PC is frequently crashing with the blue screen error code DRIVER OVERRAN STACK BUFFER. The error specifies that the driver has overrun a stack-based buffer and the PC shut down and after that reboots automatically.

The error frequently appears with the value 0x000000F7 and force your system to restart for avoiding permanent damage to your PC. The presents itself with the error message “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart” we’re just collecting some error info and then we’ll restart for you, if you’d like to know more you can search online later for this error: DRIVER_OVERRAN_STACK_BUFFER and get stuck in the restart loop and make the device unusable.

After investigating we find out there are many different reasons responsible for the error, so before directly jumping to the fixes let’s find out the common culprit that triggers the driver overran stack buffer BSOD error.

What Causes DRIVER OVERRAN STACK BUFFER?

System Files Corruption – Sometimes the Windows system file gets corrupted and affects the stability of the system, which cause various issues, as well as the BSOD error like the one DRIVER, OVERRAN STACK BUFFER. Repairing the corrupted Windows system files works for you to fix the error.

• Outdated System driver – The incompatible or outdated system drivers cause improper synchronization between the driver and Windows OS, which might show the blue screen error. Installing the latest driver or updating the old one works for you.
• Third-party software – If you are seeing the BSOD error after installing the 3^rd party software then this is the culprit that interferes with the system files and starts showing errors. Uninstalling the 3^rd party software may work for you to solve the problem.
• Overclocked PC – Many users overclocked their system hardware and CPU to operate fast but overclocking causes overheating which consequently causes the BSOD error. You can disable or delete the overclock settings to fix the error.
• RAM or other hardware components – Another possible reason responsible for the BSOD crash error is the recently installed hardware or the RAM. So, if you have installed any latest hardware components then remove or replace them.

So, these are the common culprits that trigger the BSOD error, now follow the working solutions that worked for many users to troubleshoot the error completely.

How Do I Fix DRIVER OVERRAN STACK BUFFER BSOD error?

Before starting with the solutions if you are unable to boot your system normally and see the error on your screen then boot your Windows computer in safe mode. And start following the troubleshooting steps:

Run Inbuilt BSOD troubleshooter

Try running the inbuilt BSOD troubleshooter, this inbuilt tool scans your Windows system and fix the problem that causes the blue screen error. Try running the troubleshooter and fix the issue.

Follow the given instructions to do so:

1. Press Windows + I key to open the Settings option and open the Update & Security

   

2. Now choose the Troubleshoot.
3. From their scroll to choose the BSOD and then click Run the troubleshooter option

   

4. Now follow the onscreen instructions to finish the troubleshooting.

And once it is finished, reboot your PC to check if the error is fixed or still persists.

Install Latest Windows 10 Updates

Updating Windows to the latest version is always recommended as this makes the PC more stable, secure and fix various errors also. Generally, Windows check for the latest update and download it automatically.

Here follow the steps to do so:

1. Press Windows key + I for opening Windows Settings then click on the Update & Security option.
2. Then in the Windows Update section, you need to click on the option Check for updates.

   

3. And once the updates available are checked, the Windows will automatically start installing them.
4. As the Windows finish the installation process > reboot your system.

Once the PC restarts check if the blue screen error is solved or head to the next solution.

Update the Drivers

Many times the outdated or corrupted drivers start causing issues with the Windows files and start showing errors like the one DRIVER OVERRAN STACK BUFFER BSOD. Thus, it is advised to check for the latest drivers updates and install them. So, check for the latest driver update available and update drivers on Windows 10 OS.

Here follow the instructions to do so:

1. Press Windows key + R and in the RUN box that appears type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter
2. Then in the device manager window, locate the outdated graphics driver

   

3. And right-click on it and then click on Update driver

   

4. Then choose the option Search automatically for updated driver software.

Now the Windows will start checking for the updated driver version and after that download and install the proper version. Also, check for other outdated drivers and update them in the same way.

Hope this works for you to fix the DRIVER OVERRAN STACK BUFFER BSOD error in Windows 10, but if still the error persists then head to the next potential fix.

Repair Corrupted Windows System Files

Many times, the corrupted Windows system files cause various errors like the one blue screen error. So, repairing the corrupted system files works for you to fix the error. You can run the built-in System File Checker tool, as this allows you to scan, repair and restore the corrupted system files.

The SFC tool scans and looks for the changes, in the protected system files. And if any corrupted or damaged files are spotted, it will replace those files with the stored fresh files.

Here follow the instructions to run the SFC scan:

1. Click on the Windows Start button on the search box type CMD then launch the Command Prompt right-click on it and choose the Run as administrator
2. Now in the Command Prompt type the command sfc/scannow and hit Enter

   

3. Wait till the scanning process is completed (approximately 15 minutes)
4. And as the process is completed, exit Command Prompt.

Reboot your PC and check if your system boots without an error but if you still see the error then follow the next potential solution.

Run DISM tool

If in case the SFC tool fails to fix Windows system files then running the DISM command might work for you to fix the Windows corrupted files and errors. This command will scan your system and download the corrupted files from the Windows update servers and after that replaces the corrupted files with the correct one.

Follow the given steps to run the command:

1. Launch Command Prompt and run it as admin. (as shown in the above steps)
2. Then in the Command Prompt type, the command given and hit Enter key
   • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

     

3. Here you need to wait for scanning to complete (approximately 30 min)
4. Once it is finished, exit Command prompt and then reboot your PC

Hope this works for you to solve the error.

Uninstall the recently Installed Software

Sometimes, installing the 3^rd party programs start interrupting the Windows system files or blocks them.  And as a result, you face various problems and, in some cases, you end up seeing blue screen errors.

So, check, if you have installed any application or antivirus program recently then uninstalling the particular program works for you.

1. Click the Start button in the search box type Control Panel and hit Enter
2. Open the Control Panel from the list that appeared and then click on the Programs option
3. Then click on the Programs and Features option

   

4. You will see the entire listed programs now scroll and locate the recently installed application and right-click on it and select Uninstall option

   

Once the program is uninstalled completely, delete the temp files present in the temporary folder and reboot your system.

Disable the 3^rd Party Security Program

Another possible reason that causes the BSOD error is the antivirus program or the firewall. Many users reported the Avast antivirus program causes issues after installing, the system start crashing and end up showing a stop error.

So, disable the antivirus program and firewalls temporarily, and check if this solves the problem for you. These programs many times interfere with the system functions directly. If disabling the antivirus and firewalls won’t work for you then these are not the culprits that trigger the error you should enable them.

Consider performing a deep scan with the antivirus program to check and remove the virus or the malware present on your system.

Perform System Restore

If the above solution won’t work for you to get past the BSOD error then perform a system restore and restore the system to the last restored point, stored before seeing the error. But before performing this, make sure to save the entire work properly and backup the necessary data.

Please Note: All the changes to the system settings will be removed once you restore your system.

Here follow the steps to do sp:

1. Press Windows key + R to launch the Run box. And in the box type rstrui and hit Enter key for opening the System Restore window
2. And as you are System Restore window then, click on the Next button.

   

3. Here choose a restore point before you start seeing the particular BSOD error, once you select the correct restore point click Next.

   

4. Now click on the Finish key to begin the restore process.
5. And once the process is finished, your PC will reboot automatically

If during the next system startup you see the same error then, move down to the next possible fix.

Diagnose the Hard Drive

Another problem that causes the error is the bad sectors present on your hard drive and corrupting the (MBR) Master Boot Record or the file system. There is a possibility that there are some inconsistencies that cause Windows to crash every time it tries accessing the information stored in those sectors. Here we run the hard drive diagnostics and see if this helps you to solve the error.

1. Press Windows + S to launch the search bar, here type command prompt, right-click on the application and choose Run as administrator.
2. And in the command prompt type, the command is given and hit Enter
   • chkdsk /r

     

3. Now the Windows will start checking the hard drive for errors and fix them automatically.

Please Note: If you see a window like this (given in the screenshot), this means that your hard drive is currently in use (apparently, you are using the computer). Type “Y” and hit Enter. Now reboot your computer and upon the restart, the hard drive will be checked.

And if running the CHKDSK command won’t work for you to solve the error and try the steps given below.

1. Reboot your computer by pressing the Shift key to launch into the Advanced Startup.
2. Now select Troubleshoot and choose the Advanced option.

   

3. As you get into the interface select Command Prompt.
4. And in the Command Prompt, type the below-given commands and hit Enter key after each one:

• bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd
• bootrec.exe /fixmbr
• bootrec.exe /fixboot

And wait for the scanning process to finish, then exit the command prompt, reboot your PC.

Hope to repair the hard drive fix the Stop Code driver overran stack buffer error but if not then try the next solution.

Run Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool

The blue screen error many times appears due to the hardware and RAM issues. And if the above-listed solutions won’t work for you then the issue might be related to the hardware as it is not compatible with the motherboard and the system start crashing.

So, check if you have installed any recent hardware then try removing and replacing it. And look for the error if it is resolved.

Additionally, the corrupted memory module will also cause the blue screen errors, so check for the problem using the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool.

Here follow the instructions to do so:

1. Press Windows key + R for opening the Run dialogue box and here type mdsched.exe then hit Enter
2. Here you will see 2 options in the Windows Memory Diagnostic popup window.
3. Select the option Restart now and check for problems (recommended).

   

4. And your operating system will reboot and start searching for the memory module errors, wait will the process is finished.

Turn off the Overclock Settings

Check if you have overclocked your CPU and GPU then this may cause the overheating issue which later on results in showing errors. So, look for the overclock settings and disable them to solve the error.

Here follow the instructions for disabling the overclock settings:

1. Press Windows + I key for opening the Settings window
2. Then click on the Update and Security option and then click on Recovery

   

3. Click on the Advanced startup option and then click Restart Now
4. Now as the computer boots click on Advanced startup, click on Troubleshoot then the Advanced Options, then on the UEFI Firmware Settings option.

   

5. Click Restart and as the PC boots launch BIOS and click on the Advanced option
6. Go to the Performance option and locate Overclocking and then click Disable
7. Now hit the F10 key for saving BIOS changes and then reboot your PC

This worked for many users to solve the overheating problem and fix the error in their Windows PC.

Reset Windows OS

If none of the above-listed solutions works for you, then reset the Windows 10 system. Doing this will delete entire files from the system partition, so first, create a backup of the files to avoid further issues.

Follow the steps to reset Windows 10:

1. Reboot the computer pressing the Shift key
2. And as you get the interface to choose Troubleshoot option and then click on Reset this PC now click on the Remove Everything option.

   

3. After that choose the drive where Windows is installed and click on Just remove my files and click the Reset button.
4. Next, follow the instructions that appear for resetting Windows

So, that’s all about the DRIVER OVERRAN STACK BUFFER BSOD error. Try the fixes given accordingly and fix the error completely.