What commonly causes the "Blue Screen of Death" in Windows systems?

The "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD) is primarily a result of serious system errors that occur in the Windows operating system. These errors typically arise from hardware failures, such as malfunctioning components like RAM, hard drives, or graphics cards, or they can be related to driver issues, where incompatible or faulty drivers conflict with the operating system.

When a critical error occurs that the system cannot recover from, Windows displays the BSOD to prevent further damage and to allow for troubleshooting. The BSOD helps users or technicians identify the underlying cause, often providing them with stop codes that can be researched for more detailed analysis and resolution.

While software updates can occasionally introduce bugs that may lead to a BSOD, it is less common compared to the systemic failures related to hardware or drivers. Network connectivity issues and power outages can lead to system instability, but they do not typically trigger a BSOD directly. In contrast, serious system errors due to hardware or driver malfunctions are the hallmark of the conditions that lead to this critical blue screen error.