Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors have been plaguing Windows 10 users for a long time. Unfortunately, they don't seem to be stopping anytime soon. They indicate serious system errors, either caused by a software crash or hardware failure. Recently, users have encountered two specific types of BSODs, each with the error messages listed below: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (iaStorA.sys) Or SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION (iaStorA.sys)These two errors point to a driver file related to Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST), which helps improve the performance and reliability of your SATA-equipped device. We provide a helpful guide that teaches you how to fix iaStorA.sys Blue Screen of Death errors on Windows 10.
Ways to fix iaStorA.sys Blue Screen of Death errors on Windows 10.
The Windows 10 blue screen error code is usually caused by:
- IRST driver problems
- Unwanted processes running in the background
- Conflicting third-party applications
- Corrupted Windows operating system files
Method 1: Close all background services and update Windows
Background services running unnecessarily can also cause this issue. Follow the steps below to disable them:
1. Press the keys Windows + R At the same time to start running Dialog box.
2. Write msconfig And click "OK" To start a window System configuration.
3. Go to the tab Services Check the box labeled Hide all Microsoft services
4. Now, click on the button Disable all Then click “Apply” > “OK” لSaving changes.
5. Next, press the . key Windows And type Windows Update Settings , then tap open.
6. Click the Check for updates button.
7a. Click on Installation Now to download the available updates. Then Restart your computer.
7b. If no update is available, you will see an updated message.
Method 2: Update IRST drivers
If Windows is unable to find the correct driver files, you will encounter iaStorA.sys Blue Screen of Death errors. In this case, update the drivers by downloading the required files from the manufacturer's official website, as described below:
1. Open Intel IRST Web Page on your web browser.
2. Here, choose the latest version from the drop-down list.
3. Then select the first driver item in the list and click the “Download” button that shows setuprst.exe.
4. Click the I accept the terms in the License Agreement button to start the download process.
5. Once the download is complete, click on the setuprst.exe file to start the installation wizard.
6. Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions to finish installing the latest set of IRST drivers.
7. Finally, restart your computer.
Method 3: Reinstall IRST drivers
Before installing the latest version of IRST drivers, it's important to remove the existing ones to avoid any conflicts that may arise between the two different versions. It's possible that your current drivers are corrupted, thus causing the Blue Screen of Death error on your computer. This can be caused by a variety of factors, such as:
- Presence of malware and viruses
- Incorrect installation of the latest Windows update
- Errors in the latest version of Windows, etc.
Hence, to reinstall the IRST drivers on your computer, follow these steps to fix the iaStorA.sys Blue Screen of Death error:
1. Press Windows + Q keys together and type Device Manager. Then click Open.
2. Double-click IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers to expand the list, as shown.
3. Right-click the device driver (such as Standard SATA AHCI Controller) and choose Uninstall device from the context menu, as shown below.
4. Uncheck the Delete the driver software for this device option and click the Uninstall button.
5. If there are multiple devices listed under the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers category, repeat the same thing for all of them.
6. Finally, restart your Windows 10 computer.
7. Go to Device Manager and click on Scan for Hardware Changes icon, as shown below.
Note: Make sure your internet connection is working properly as Windows will automatically search for and install drivers on the next boot.
Method 4: Remove the old Windows folder
When you update Windows, a folder is automatically created containing old operating system files. Therefore, if there are any errors in these files, it will cause the iastora.sys BSOD error in Windows 10. Follow the steps below to delete old operating system files:
1. Press the Windows key, type command prompt and click Run as administrator.
2. Execute the following commands to delete the windows.old folder and press Enter after each one:
attrib -r -a -s -h C:Windows.old /S /D RD /S /Q %SystemDrive%windows.old
3. After deleting the folder, restart your computer and try again.
Method 5: Remove conflicting third-party applications
Sometimes, recently installed third-party applications may cause the iaStorA.sys Windows 10 blue screen error code to appear. Hence, first, boot into safe mode by following our guide on How to boot into Safe Mode in Windows 10.Then follow the specified steps:
1. Press Windows + I keys together to launch Settings.
2. Select apps from the selected boxes.
3. Under “Apps & features” in the left pane, choose the conflicting third-party app and click the “Uninstall” button to remove it.
Note: We have shown CCleaner as an example below.
4. Once you have uninstalled all problematic applications, restart your computer.
Method 6: Restore a Windows 10 PC
If the problem persists after this, try restoring your Windows 10 PC to a problem-free state. Use backup image files to restore system files to their previous state to fix the iaStorA.sys Blue Screen of Death error, as shown below:
Note: This only applies if you have previously created a system restore point.
1. Press the keys Windows + Q Together, write. System Restore Point , and press the . key Enter.
2. Go to the tab System Protection and click the . button System Restore… , as shown.
3. Click the button Next> In the System Restore window.
4. Choose restore point And click check up For affected programs to detect corrupted files in Windows.
5. Then click the button Next>.
6. Finally, tap "ending" To restore.
7. After the restore, restart your computer.
Method 7: Reset a Windows PC
The fixes above should have resolved the iaStorA.sys Blue Screen of Death issue. If this doesn't happen, your only option is to reset Windows or perform a clean installation. A reset is bound to resolve most Windows issues because it restores all settings, system files, applications, drivers, etc. to their default state.
Note: It is recommended to backup all data because resetting files will delete system files and folders.
1. Press the keys Windows + I At the same time toOpen Windows Settings.
2. Next, click on the box. Update and security.
3. Go to the menu recovery in the right pane.
4. Finally, click the button. start located at the bottom of the section Reset this PC.
5. Choose one of the two options: keep my files Or remove everything , preferably the first option.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to reset your PC and permanently resolve the error.
Read our article about How to Fix Blue Screen Error in Windows 10 Read other common solutions to fix such issues.
I hope this article helps you fix the iaStorA.sys Blue Screen of Death errors on Windows 10. Let us know which method worked best for you. Also, if you have any queries/suggestions regarding this article, feel free to leave them in the comments section.
