Fix: Windows Vista x64 Gets Blue Screen of Death After Windows Updates

A recent Windows Update (KB973879) has been causing a “blue screen of death” (stop error) in many computers running Windows Vista 64-bit edition. The problem occurs shortly after starting the computer.

The specific error is:

A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.
…
Technical information:

*** STOP: 0×0000007E (0xFFFFFFFFC0000005, 0xFFFFF800020393AA, 0xFFFFFA60021EE7D8, 0xFFFFFA60021EE1b0)

 

Step 1: Restart your computer and continuously tap the F8 key while it is restarting.  You will eventually see the ‘Advanced Boot Options’ screen, where you need to select the Safe Mode option.

Step 2: Click the Start Menu and type Programs and Features in the search box.  Press enter or click on Programs and Features when the option is selected.

Step 3: Select View installed updates in the top left of the window.

Step 4: Locate Update for Microsoft Windows (KB973879) in the list of updates.  You can sort by name for easier searching by clicking the Name column.  Click Uninstall at the top of the list.

Step 5: Click Restart Now.  Your computer should perform a rebuild process now function properly.

Need to give credit where credit is due. Text and images were snagged from here on August 28, 2009.