FIX: KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE on Windows 10/8/8.1 (2024)

The KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE blue screen error can occur on Windows 10 or 8 based computers, after a Windows or a driver update. Additionally, the error may appear at the end of the Windows 10 or 8 setup process (fresh Windows installation).

The symptoms of the blue screen problem "KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE", is that Windows crashes randomly or crashes during the boot process, making it impossible to enter at Windows environment. From my experience, I suppose that the above BSOD error is related to hardware or software incompatibility issues.

In this tutorial you 'll find detailed instructions to resolve the boot error "KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE" in Windows 10 or Windows 8/8.1 OS.

How to FIX BSOD ERROR: KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE.

Notes before troubleshooting the "KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE" issue, by following the methods below:

1. If you face the "KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE" problem, after upgrading your system (e.g. you have added more RAM or you have replaced the VGA adapter or another component), then probably this is the reason of the blue screen problem.
2. If you face the "KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE" error, after a Windows update, then Rollback Windows to previous version.
3. Make sure that your system is clean from viruses and malicious programs, by following this guide: Quick Malware Scan and Removal Guide for PC's.
4. Install all available Windows updates.
5. If you can login to Windows normally or in safe mode, follow the instructions in Part-1.
6. If you cannot login to Windows (Windows fails to boot), then read the instructions at Part-2.
7. To make your life easier, .

Part 1. Fix BSOD KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE using Windows Environment.

Method 1: Force Windows to Full Shutdown.

Perform a full shutdown of your system in order to re-initialize Windows at boot. To do that:

1. Click at the Power button and while holding down the SHIFT key on your keyboard, click Shutdown.

2. Power ON your computer again.
3. Check if the "BSOD KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE" problem has resolved. If it does, then disable the fast start-up feature permanently.

Method 2. Perform a Clean Boot.

The second method to resolve the "KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE" blue screen error, is to load Windows with the minimal set of drivers and programs in order to find out if a device driver or program cause your system to crash. To perform a clean boot:

1. Press Windows + “R” keys to load the Run dialog box.
2. Type msconfig and press Enter to open System Configuration utility.

3. At Services tab, check the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox and click the Disable all button.

4. Then select the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.

5. Select one by one all startup programs and click Disable.

6. Close Task Manager.
7. Press OK at System Configuration utility and restart your computer.
8. If after the restart, your computer is working without problems, then probably a device driver or a software that was running at Windows startup, caused the problem. At this case, run the System Configuration utility again and enable one-by-one the disabled programs and services (and restart), until you find out which one caused your system to crash.

Method 3. Rollback or Update the Driver for the Display Adapter (VGA).

Commonly the "KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE" error happens after updating the driver for your display adapter driver or because – at fresh Windows installations – the correct display driver is not installed. To resolve these problems:

1. Press Windows + “R” keys to load the Run dialog box.
2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.

3. In device manager, expand the Display Controllers.
4. Right click on the installed Display Adapter * and select Properties.

* Note: If you see here a "Standard Microsoft Display Controller", then download and install from the manufacturer's support website, the latest drivers for the display adapter.

5. Select the Driver tab and perform the following actions:

a. If the Roll Back Driver button is active, then press it to rollback to the previous version of the display driver.
b. If the Roll Back Driver button is inactive (like in screenshot below), then navigate to VGA manufacturer's support site to download and install an older driver version for your display adapter.

6. If any of above steps, doesn't resolve the KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE blue screen issue, then completely uninstall the display adapter from your system and reinstall. To do that:

a. Click the "Uninstall Device" button.
b. At the warning window, check first the 'Delete the driver software for this device' checkbox and click Uninstall.

7. Restart your computer.
8. After the restart, proceed and reinstall the necessary driver software for your VGA device.

Method 4. Scan & Repair Windows System files.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator. To do that:

a. In the Search box type: cmd (or command prompt).
b. Right click on the command prompt (result) and select Run as Administrator.

2. In the command prompt window, type the following command & press Enter:

• sfc /scannow

3. Wait until Windows scans and repairs the system files.
4. When the System file check and repair is completed, restart your computer and check if your computer works smoothly.

Method 5. Check and Repair File System with CHKDSK.

Then next step is to check the hard drive for problems by using the CHKDSK command. To do that:

1. Open an Command Prompt as Admin.
2. In the command prompt window, type the following command* and press Enter:

• chkdsk c: /r

3. When the CHKDSK command operation is completed, restart your system.

– if none of the above methods solved the problem, then navigate to Part-3.

Part 2. Fix BSOD KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE using Windows Recovery Environment.

If you cannot boot to Windows, then you have to start from a Windows installation media to resolve the blue screen problem. If you don't own a Windows Installation Media, then you can create one (corresponding to your Windows Edition and Version) directly from Microsoft.

• How to create a Windows 10 USB boot media.
• How to create a Windows 10 DVD boot media.

Method 1. Run Startup Repair.

1. Boot your computer from the Windows installation media (DVD or USB).
2. At Language options, press Next.
3. Select Repair your computer.
4. Then click Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options –> Start-up Repair.

5. When the Start-up repair is completed, restart your computer.

Method 2. Check Disk and File System for Errors.

The next method to resolve Windows startup problems is to check the disk and the file system for errors. To do that, boot from the Windows installation media.

1. At the Windows Setup screen press SHIFT + F10 to access the Command Prompt, or choose Next –> Repair your computer –> Troubleshoot –> Advanced Options –> Command Prompt.

2. In command prompt, type: bcdedit and press Enter.
3. Notice the drive letter of OS partition (e.g. "osdevice –> partition=D: ")

4. Then give this command* and press Enter:

• chkdsk D: /r /x

* Note: Replace the letter "D" according to your case.

5. When the CHKDSK process is completed, give this command: *

• sfc /scannow /offbootdir=<Windows_Drive_Letter>:\ /offwindir=<Windows_Drive_Letter>:\windows

* Replace the '<Windows_Drive_Letter>' with the drive letter where Windows are installed. In this example Windows are installed at drive D:. So the command is:

• sfc /SCANNOW /OFFBOOTDIR=D:\ /OFFWINDIR=D:\windows

6. After SFC scan, type exit to close command prompt window and reboot your computer.

Part 3. Other Methods to resolve the KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE on Windows 10.

Method A. Perform a System Restore.

1. Boot your computer from the Windows installation media (DVD or USB).
2. At Language options, press Next.
3. Select Repair your computer.
4. Then click Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options –> System Restore.

6. Select an earlier working state* and click Next.

* Note: Check the Show more restore points checkbox, to view all available restore points.

7. Finally, review your selection and if you agree, press Finish and then Yes.
8. Now wait until the restore process is completed. During the restore process, your computer will restart several times and when it's done, you should enter in Windows without problems.

Method B. Modify SATA Mode in BIOS Settings.

1. Power On your computer and press the appropriate key (DEL or F1 or F2 or F10) to enter BIOS settings. *

* Note: The way to enter into BIOS Settings depends on the computer manufacturer. To Enter into your BIOS Settings, pay attention at the first screen as your computer starts and try to find a message like this:

"DEL to enter setup"
"Press ESC to Enter Setup"
"BIOS Configuration: F2"
"F10 to Enter Setup"

2. Load Default Settings (Load Optimal Defaults)

3. Then look at all BIOS screens to locate theSATA Configuration setting.*

* Note: This setting is usually found under the Advanced section and can be named (depending on manufacturer) as: "SATA Mode" or "SATA Controller Mode" or "SATA Operation" or "Configure SATA as".

4. Make sure that the SATA Mode (Type) is set to AHCI or IDE and NOT in RAID.*

* Notes:
1. Caution: If you have configured two or more Hard Drives in RAID mode, then leave this setting as is, exit from BIOS setup without saving and continue to the next solution.
2. If the SATA Mode is set to AHCI then change it to IDE. If the SATA Mode is set to IDE then change it to AHCI.

5. Save Changes and Exit BIOS Settings and try to boot on Windows.

6. If your computer doesn't boot again, then revert the SATA setting back to what it was and proceed to the next method.

Method C: Disable Driver Signature Enforcement.

Method D. Test and diagnose the HDD for Hardware problems.

That's it! Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.

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