Fixing System Service Exception Error on Windows 10/11

If you’re experiencing a blue screen with the message “SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION”, your computer may shut down unexpectedly. This can cause a lot of inconvenience, especially if you rely on your computer for work. Fortunately, solving this problem is relatively simple and doesn’t require a lot of technical knowledge about Windows 10/11 or your computer.

What causes System Service exception error?

The System Service exception error is a blue screen of death situation in Windows 10/11 that can be caused by a number of things. It could be that your PC’s drivers are out of date, your files are infected, your software programs are corrupt or incompatible with each other or with your version of Windows OS. Thus, to resolve the system service exception error, one must troubleshoot all of the above issues separately.

How to fix system service exception error

Because the System Service Exception error on Windows 10/11 is most likely stemming from any number of issues, it is recommended to first do a full system scan before trying any other solution. There are various PC repair tools available that can perform a full system scan. They aim to identify underlying issues such as missing registry entries, corrupted software, and misconfigured drivers. For example, you may consider using Outbyte PC Repair.

1. Updating your drivers

If you don’t want to go the PC repair way, then you can do some of the work of a PC repair tool, such as manually updating your drivers. Incompatible or faulty drivers are often to blame for the System Service exception error on Windows 10/11, and a driver that is out of sync with your latest version of Windows could make it hard for your OS to perform some of its duties, thus leading to the error. To manually update your drivers on Windows 10/11, take the following steps:

1. Click the Windows Menu button.
2. Open Settings.
3. Click on Update and Security.
4. Choose Check for Updates.

NB: This process works only if the hardware manufacturer uses the Windows Update service.

The other way of manually updating the drivers on your computer is to use the device manager. To update drivers this way, take the following steps:

1. On the Search box, type “Device Manager”.
2. From the list of the devices on your computer, click to expand the ones you want to update.
3. Right-click the device and select Update Driver. The driver will be automatically updated.
4. Do this for all devices, just to make sure that they are all up to date.

To check whether the drivers have been updated properly, follow the steps below:

1. On the search box, type “Device Manager”.
2. Expand the category of the hardware that you have just updated.
3. Right-click on the device of your choice and choose Properties.
4. Click on the Driver tab and then on Driver Date and Driver Version. Check to see if you are having the latest driver software.

If all your drivers are up to date but you still get the System Service exception error, then try the other solutions noted below.

2. Run System File Checker

Faulty or corrupt system files can also be a cause of the System Service Exception error. To troubleshoot faulty system files, you can use the System File Checker, which will identify and repair any corrupt system files. To run it:

1. On the Windows search box, type “cmd”.
2. Right-click on the result and select Run as administrator.
3. Type “chkdsk /f /r”, then press Enter on your keyboard.
4. Press Y on the keyboard.
5. Restart your PC and wait for the scan to finish.
6. See if your problem has been resolved.

3. Remove third-party anti-virus programs

Anti-virus programs are generally meant to protect your PC, but they can also cause problems, especially compatibility problems, with newer versions of software or other updates. To make sure that it is not your antivirus program that’s causing the blue screen System Service exception error on Windows 10/11, just remove any third-party antimalware programs and see what happens.

4. System Restore

The Windows system restore option allows you to return your computer to an earlier working state by rolling back any changes that you have done. It could be that the System Service exception error on Windows 10/11 is being caused by the software that you have just installed, the new anti-virus program or perhaps by a system update. If this is the case, then you need to do a system restore. The following are the steps to take:

1. On the Windows 10/11 Search box, type “Create a restore point”.
2. Click the System Restore button.
3. Click the Next button.
4. Select the restore point that you want to return your computer to.
5. Click “Scan for affected programs”. This will allow you to see the programs that will no longer be available because they were installed after the restore point.
6. Confirm your restore point and click “Next”.
7. Click “Finish”.

NB: The System restore option works on your PC only if there is a restore point referring to the time you want to restore your computer to.

If the system restore option, as described above, doesn’t work, then you can start Windows in safe mode. This barebones version of Windows will run only the essential parts of the OS and disable all programs, updates, and problematic apps that may prevent the restore process from working as it is supposed to. Here is how you go about starting Windows in safe mode:

1. Go to Start> Settings > Update and Security> Recovery.
2. Click Restart now below Advanced Start-up.
3. From the Options menu that Windows presents, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > System restore.
4. Follow the System restore steps described earlier.

5. Reset Your PC

If all of the above fails to do away with the service exception error on Windows 10/11, then it is time you considered the nuclear option of resetting your PC. Resetting your PC will restore Windows to a factory-fresh state by removing all the apps that you have installed, and although your documents are not going to be erased, it is still recommended that you save them somewhere else before you do the reset. Here is how you reset your PC to a factory-fresh state:

1. Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and click Get Started below the Reset this PC option.
2. A prompt will appear telling you how the reset process is going to work; choose Keep my files.
3. Click Reset.

If the mentioned solutions don’t resolve the issue, consulting a professional or considering using PC repair tool might be a next step.