STOP CODE · 0xEA
THREAD_
A driver got stuck in an endless loop, most likely waiting for its hardware to become ready. Microsoft says this is frequently a bad video card or a bad display driver.
WHAT MICROSOFT SAYS
Microsoft's reference says this bug check "indicates that a thread in a device driver is endlessly spinning", and gives the cause: "A device driver is spinning in an infinite loop, most likely waiting for hardware to become idle. This usually indicates problem with the hardware itself, or with the device driver programming the hardware incorrectly. Frequently, this is the result of a bad video card or a bad display driver."
From Microsoft's documentation, linked under Sources. Microsoft wrote its page for this code for programmers; the steps below are the ones it gives everyone else.
TECHNICAL SUMMARY
| Stop code | THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER |
|---|---|
| Value | 0x000000EA (0xEA) |
| Where you see it | At the bottom of the stop screen, and in the System event log after the restart |
| In Tweaky Driver | Stop codes are not read; driver versions are checked |
What causes THREAD_
- The hardware itself has a problem and never becomes ready.
- The device driver is programming the hardware incorrectly.
- Frequently, per Microsoft, a bad video card or a bad display driver.
How to fix THREAD_
The steps come from Microsoft's guidance, with the reversible ones first. Each one says how to put back what it changed. If Windows cannot start normally, Microsoft's basic steps say to start in safe mode and continue from there.
Write down the stop code and the file the screen names
Microsoft Support says the stop code appears at the bottom of the screen and, when Windows knows it, so does the name of the module that was running. If the screen went by too fast, the command under Check it yourself lists the stop codes Windows recorded, and Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System shows the errors logged around the restart.
To undo: Nothing to undo: this only reads information.
Before you change anything: note the driver and make a restore point
Open the device's Properties > Driver tab and write down the driver provider, date and version. Then select Start, type Create a restore point, open it, and on the System Protection tab choose Create. Microsoft notes that System Protection is not turned on by default; if Create is greyed out, choose Configure and turn it on for the system drive first.
To undo: A restore point changes nothing by itself. To go back later, run System Restore and pick it: Microsoft says it reverts system files, the registry and installed programs, and leaves your personal files alone.
Install the current graphics driver
Microsoft names the display driver as a frequent cause. Get the driver for your exact graphics card from its maker, or from the PC maker's support page for a laptop, and install it.
To undo: Open the display adapter's Properties > Driver tab in Device Manager and choose Roll Back Driver, or apply the restore point.
If it started after a driver update, roll the driver back
In Device Manager, right-click the device, choose Properties, open the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver, then give a reason and confirm. Microsoft notes that you need administrator rights, and that going back to the previous driver often fixes a problem that appeared after an update. The button is greyed out when Windows kept no earlier driver for the device.
To undo: Rolling back is the undo for the update. To return to the newer driver, install it again with Update driver or from the manufacturer's package.
Rule out heat, power and overclocking
Microsoft lists hardware reasons a graphics card stops answering in time: overclocked components, wrong memory configuration and timings, insufficient cooling, insufficient power and defective parts. Set any overclock back to stock, check that the card's fans spin and its power cables are seated, and test again.
To undo: Apply your previous clock and fan settings again if they made no difference.
Install the latest Windows updates
Select Start > Settings > Windows Update and choose Check for updates. It is one of Microsoft's basic steps for a stop code that keeps returning, and it is how new versions of Windows' own drivers arrive.
To undo: If the crashes get worse after an update, apply the restore point from the earlier step.
Check it yourself
List the stop codes Windows recorded (PowerShell)
Each entry gives the date, the stop code as a hexadecimal number with its four parameters, and where the dump file was saved. On the test PC, Windows 11 build 26300, this ran without administrator rights. An error saying no events were found means Windows recorded none. This stop code appears there as 0x000000ea.
PowerShellGet-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{ LogName='System'; Id=1001; ProviderName='Microsoft-Windows-WER-SystemErrorReporting' } -MaxEvents 5 | Format-List TimeCreated, MessageList the driver packages installed on the PC
Shows every third-party driver package with its provider, class, version and date, so you can see what was installed around the first crash. Nothing is changed.
cmdpnputil /enum-drivers
What Tweaky Driver can and cannot do here
Driver version checkTweaky Driver does not read crash dumps or stop codes, so it cannot tell you which driver caused this screen. It helps with the step that comes after Windows names a driver: its scan lists every device with the installed driver version and shows whether Windows Update, the Microsoft Update Catalog or a manufacturer package it supports has a newer one, with the source and version in front of you before anything is installed. It cannot test whether the graphics card itself is failing. A newer driver is no promise that the blue screen stops: the same code can come from hardware or from Windows itself.
Tweaky Driver, the driver checker that shows its sources — free for Windows 10 and 11.
Common questions
What does THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER mean?
A thread in a device driver is spinning endlessly, most likely waiting for hardware to become idle.
Is THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER a graphics card problem?
Often. Microsoft says it usually indicates a problem with the hardware or with the driver programming it incorrectly, and that it is frequently the result of a bad video card or a bad display driver.
How do I tell the driver from the card?
Install the current driver, or roll back if the crashes began after an update, with everything at stock speed. If the code returns with a driver that used to work, Microsoft's description leaves the hardware itself.