The FAT FILE SYSTEM error is one of many blue screen of death problems that appears in full screen mode and causes the system to restart immediately to avoid serious damage to your computer. This failure requires timely correction, as it is critical.
The FAT FILE SYSTEM message indicates a malfunction of the FAT file system – Allocation Table, which is designed for small disks and is designed for personal computers. The reasons, as in many similar cases, can be a driver conflict, damaged system files, or malware infection. Therefore, several options are proposed below, for each individual case.
Solution 1: Updating Drivers
To find out what is causing the failure, you should perform all the steps sequentially. And you need to start by checking for driver updates, and also making sure that none of them are critically damaged.
- Press the Win + X key combination and select Device Manager.
- In the window that opens, expand the Video adapters section.
- Right-click on the installed driver and select Update.
- In the next window, click Search automatically for updated drivers.
- Wait until the end of the process, and then open each of the sections, and check if there are any corrupted files. Such drivers will be marked with a yellow exclamation point triangle. They should be updated or reinstalled.
- After completing all the steps, restart your computer.
Solution 2: Run the troubleshooting wizard
Use the built-in Windows troubleshooting tool.
- Right-click on the Windows icon and select Options.
- Go to the Updates & Security section.
- Click on the Troubleshoot option in the menu on the left.
- Then scroll down the page to the right to Blue Screen.
- Run the troubleshooter and follow the prompts from the system.
Solution 3. SFC system scan
SFC scan can check the system for the integrity of the registry files, and fix them as needed.
- Press Win + X and select Command Prompt (Admin).
- Enter the sfc / scannow command and press Enter.
- System diagnostics will start. The identified problems will be fixed automatically.
- After the process finishes, close Command Prompt and restart your computer.
Solution 4. Run DISM command
Instructions:
- Open Command Prompt again as administrator.
- Enter the following commands and press Enter after each one:
- dism / Online / Cleanup-Image / RestoreHealth
dism / online / cleanup-image / scanhealth
dism / online / cleanup-image / restorehealth
dism / Online / Cleanup-Image / RestoreHealth /source:WIM:X:SourcesInstall.wim:1 / LimitAccess; - Restart your system to see if the problem is resolved.
Solution 5. Scan your computer for viruses
One of the reasons for the BSOD screen, as mentioned at the beginning, may be viruses that make critical changes to the system. In this case, use the installed software or Windows Defender.
- Press Win + X and go to Control Panel.
- Select the Windows Defender section and run a full scan.
Solution 6: Remove folder protection and lock programs
If you are using software that can interfere with hard drives and cause file problems, a BSOD screen appears, so these applications need to be uninstalled.
Solution 7. System Restore
System restore, as the name implies, returns files by loading parameters to one of the previous states. To rollback, do the following:
- Go to the Control Panel by right-clicking on the Windows icon.
- Go to the Recovery section.
- Select Start System Restore.
- The next window will ask you to select the date to which you want to rollback.
- Check the box “Show other restore points” to see all available options and choose the best one.
- Click on the date and click Next.
It will take some time for the system to roll back, after which the computer will restart. It is also worth keeping in mind that applications installed after the restore point will be removed. They will need to be reinstalled.
Solution 8. Reset Windows to initial settings
The latter method is cardinal, and should be resorted to if other methods have not yielded results. After resetting Windows, the system will return to factory settings.
- Go to Settings by right-clicking on the Windows icon and go to the Update and Security section.
- In the menu on the left, open the Recovery tab, and click Get Started under “Reset this computer”.
- Select the reset option to keep your personal files.
- Start the factory reset process.