How to Fix STOP 0x00000078 Errors

A troubleshooting guide for the 0x78 blue screen of death

By
Tim Fisher
Photo of Tim Fisher, Lifewire GM and Writer
Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University

Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.

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Updated on January 18, 2023

STOP 0x00000078 errors are likely caused by hardware or device driver issues. The STOP 0x00000078 error will always appear on a STOP message, more commonly called a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).

Image of a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in Windows 10

Any of Microsoft's Windows NT based operating systems could experience the STOP 0x00000078 error, including Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, etc.

The STOP 0x00000078 Error

One of the errors below or a combination of both may display on the STOP message:

STOP: 0x00000078
PHASE0_EXCEPTION

The error may also be abbreviated as STOP 0x78, but the full STOP code will always be what's displayed on the blue screen STOP message.

If Windows is able to start after the error, you may be prompted with a Windows has recovered from an unexpected shutdown message that shows:

Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
BCCode: 78

If STOP 0x00000078 isn't the exact STOP code you're seeing or PHASE0_EXCEPTION isn't the exact message, check the List of Blue Screen Error Codes and reference the troubleshooting information for the message you're seeing.

Fixing STOP 0x00000078 Errors

This STOP code is rare, so there's little troubleshooting information available that's specific to it. However, since most STOP errors have similar causes, there are some basic troubleshooting steps to help fix these issues.

First, restart your computer if you haven't already done so. Restarting fixes many computer problems, possibly including this one. The blue screen error may not occur again after rebooting.

Otherwise, perform basic STOP error troubleshooting. These extensive troubleshooting steps—which include using System Restore, scanning for malware, and more—aren't specific to the STOP 0x78 error, but since most STOP errors are so similar, they should help resolve it.

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