The Windows Critical Structure Corruption can stop your work in its tracks. Learn how to get rid of this error for good.

A Critical Structure Corruption is a type of Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error that can be encountered anytime while you're using your Windows computer. You might be surfing the internet, booting up your PC, or launching a program, and out of the blue, this error will pop up on your screen.

As the Critical Structure Corruption is only a slight variation of other BSOD errors, a slew of solutions for fixing it tends to overlap with the fixes for BSOD error. Let's learn how to fix this tricky error for good.

The Critical Structure Corruption error takes place when important operating system processes stop working. Typically, the error occurs in processes that are required for the seamless functionality of your Windows computer.

Usually, a Windows 10 Critical Structure Corruption arises either because of a driver problem connected to your PC's kernel or due to failure of critical hardware on your computer. This hardware failure could have been caused by sneaky malware, or sometimes, even an abrupt shutdown.

Related: Best Windows Repair Tools to Fix Any Problem

Whatever may be the cause of Critical Structure Corruption on your machine, there are effective ways to get around this dreadful error. Let's take a look at the best ways to fix Critical Structure Corruption from your PC.

Windows' safe mode is a free, in-built utility that disables any unnecessary drivers and programs that may cause issues for Windows. When you suspect that a driver or program is causing your PC to crash, booting it into safe mode is a great way to test your suspicions. If your PC crashes when booted normally but stays stable in safe mode, it's likely a software or driver issue.

If you're unsure how to boot your PC into safe mode, you can check out our detailed guide on booting Windows 10 into safe mode. Once done, all that extra stuff in Windows will take a back seat, allowing you to focus on troubleshooting the cause of your Critical Structure Corruption BSOD.

A clean boot lets you boot your PC with the minimum set of drivers and software. By keeping the number of startup programs as low as possible, you can easily single out the programs that might be responsible for the Critical Structure Corruption BSOD.

Follow these steps to perform a clean boot on your PC:

When you restart your PC, it will boot up in a clean boot environment. If you're still facing trouble on your PC, then the issue is probably something else, and you should try the next method. However, if running the clean boot resolves the problem, then you need to open System Configuration again.

Now, you have to enable the apps one by one to see which of these apps was the real culprit behind Critical Structure Corruption in your copy of Windows 10. After enabling each app, you'll have to restart your PC and then check if the problem comes back.

We understand this can be a bit cumbersome, but a clean boot has been known to fix many Windows problems, so it can end up being worth the effort.

SFC and DISM are free tools from Microsoft that help you fix one or some other error related to your Windows computer. They can also help you fix the Critical Structure Error on your Windows computer.

SFC, short for System File Checker, is a free Windows utility that identifies and, when possible, fixes your operating system's corrupt or damaged system files. To run an SFC scan, follow the steps below:

The System File checker will scan your Windows for the damaged files and replace them with a healthy alternate version.

However, note that as handy as System File Checker is, it sometimes fails to live up to its name. In cases like that, the CHKDSK tool can and should be utilized to resolve whatever issues you have at hand.

The CHKDSK command, as the name suggests, is used to check and repair a specified disk on a Windows computer. Apart from that, it can also be deployed to find and fix bad sectors on your PC.

You can run the CHKDSK command with the help of Command Prompt. To do this, navigate to the Start menu search bar, type in 'cmd', and run the Command Prompt as Administrator.

On the Command Prompt, type chkdsk and space, and follow it with /f and the drive that you want to repair. For instance, to scan and repair your C drive, type chkdsk C: /f and hit Enter. As the C: drive is currently in use and can't be checked, Windows will schedule your scan for the next startup. Press Y and hit Enter.

To scan for bad sectors as well as errors, type chkdsk C: /r. The CHKDSK command is a relatively good tool that fixes the drive issues that it finds. So, let the scan complete and see if this fixes the Critical Structure Corruption on your PC.

Related: Difference Between CHKDSK, SFC and DISM in Windows 10

Issues with drivers are not uncommon to cause BSOD errors, especially if you've been using your machine for a while. You can scan for issues with the help of Memory Diagnostic Tool.

Another in-built Windows utility, Memory Diagnostics works by inspecting the problems with your PC's RAM, motherboard, and other hardware components.

In most cases, when the problem is severe, the tool will automatically alarm you about them as they happen. However, you can also run the tool manually to double-check that it hasn't missed something that has gone wrong.

When your computer boots up again, the Memory Diagnostics Tool will run a complete check on your PC. If you aren't encountering any issues here, you can rest assured that the hardware is fine and the culprit lies somewhere else.

The Event Viewer is a free Windows tool that records all the "events" that occur in your operating system. An event in programming-speak is any action or occurrence that the program can detect.

It encapsulates everything from user actions, such as a mouse click or keyboard input to random errors, successfully completing tasks, or other system-related prompts.

Using Event Viewer, you can get additional information on the Critical Structure Corruption. To get started with Event Viewer, follow the steps below:

Now identify the events that were triggered just before you encountered the Critical Structure Corruption. By identifying the application that was working before the system crashed, you'll get an idea about the cause of this error. When you find the application, remove it and see if this solves the problem.

Device drivers that haven't been updated for a long time might be responsible for causing the Critical Structure Corruption on your PC. You can resolve this by easily updating your device drivers through Windows updates. Here's how:

If new updates for any of your device drivers are available, select them and click on Download and install. New updates will be downloaded and installed automatically on your PC.

Just make sure you reboot your PC after everything—this is to ensure all updates are implemented successfully on your PC. If drivers were behind the Critical Structure Corruption error, this will fix the issue.

The Critical Structure Corruption is one type of BSOD error which is dreaded by majority of Windows users. Although it's best to be avoided, if you do cross paths with this tricky error, some solutions that we've laid down will resolve this problem for good.

As prevention is better than cure, we highly recommend you to read up all you can about the Blue screen of death errors that plague the Windows 10 computers. Not only will this help you learn the best practices for steering clear of errors like these, but you'll also learn the right steps to approach these errors when encountered.

Shaant is a Staff Writer at MUO. A graduate in Computer Applications, he uses his passion for writing to explain complex stuff in plain English. When not researching or writing, he can be found enjoying a good book, running, or hanging out with friends.

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