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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/tech-kernel-mode-driver-crash

On Windows, what happens if a kernel-mode driver crashes?

The whole operating system crashes, unlike a crashing app.

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  1. Only that device stops
  2. The whole operating system crashes ✔
  3. Windows restarts the driver quietly

Why: User-mode apps each get a private address space, so one crash stays contained. All kernel-mode code shares one address space with the OS itself. A bad kernel driver can take down everything, which is why buggy drivers cause blue screens.

Huh, didn't know that: Windows runs most apps in user mode and core OS parts and many drivers in kernel mode.

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Why did the driver turn the whole screen blue? It forgot to stay in its lane.
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References

Answer: The whole operating system crashes. User-mode apps each get a private address space, so one crash stays contained. All kernel-mode code shares one address space with the OS itself. A bad kernel driver can take down everything, which is why buggy drivers cause blue screens.

  1. Microsoft Learn: User mode and kernel mode learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/gettingstarted/user-mode-and-kernel-mode
    If a kernel-mode driver crashes, it causes the entire operating system to crash.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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