A Bad System Config Info error mostly occurs due to a critical system file either being corrupted or duplicated, and the system does not understand how to react, hence throwing a BSoD to protect the device. In some cases, users see a stop code 0x00000074 when they see a blue screen stating Bad System Config Info. This error occurs when your device has a corrupted system registry or when something is wrong with the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file. The BCD file contains important boot-related data that is critical for the system to initiate successfully. If you have experienced such an error, do not worry. Follow the guide provided to fix the problem without having to perform a fresh OS installation.
Fix Bad System Config Info BSoD
Repair BCD files
As we mentioned, BCD files are important for the system to run smoothly. You can repair these by following the guide given below. To do so, create a bootable USB drive or mount an ISO image to your computer and boot from it using the boot menu at startup. From there, click Repair your computer. Now, click on Troubleshoot and then Command Prompt. You will now see the command-line interface on your screen. Paste the following commands one after the other to repair the BCD files. Now type in exit to leave the Command Prompt and then reboot the computer. Check if the issue has been resolved. If not, continue down to perform the rest of the fixes.
Edit BCD file
Another issue with a BCD file is that it could store the wrong amount of RAM than there is, the wrong number of processor cores, or any other information than the actual number. Such an error with a BCD file can cause a “Bad System Config Info” BSoD. This can be corrected by entering the following commands in Command Prompt through a bootable image, as done in the step above. Create a bootable USB drive or mount an ISO image to your computer and boot from it using the boot menu at startup. From there, click Repair your computer. Then, click Troubleshoot and then Command Prompt. In cmd, type in the following commands one after the other to fix the BCD file: You can now exit the Command Prompt and reboot the computer. Check if the issue has been resolved.
Update faulty driver
Faulty drivers are often found guilty of causing a BSoD, especially after you have just changed a piece of hardware. In such a scenario, we recommend that you update any faulty driver(s) on your system if any. To update a malfunctioning driver, open the Device Manager by typing in devmgmt.msc in Run. Now, look for the faulty driver with an exclamation mark next to its icon and right-click it. From the context menu, click Update Driver. In the pop-up window, click Search automatically for drivers. The wizard will now search online for any updated drivers available. Once installed, restart the computer. However, if the driver update fails, we suggest that you go to the manufacturer’s website and manually download and install the driver package. Perform the same steps for any drivers that have an exclamation mark next to them. Once done, your issue should be resolved. We recommend that you do not stop here and perform the remaining steps discussed below as a precaution.
Run memory diagnostics
You can also perform a memory test to ensure that there aren’t any bad sectors on there, which are often found to be the cause of a BSoD. Windows 10 comes with a built-in tool for the task, however, it does involve a system reboot. To invoke a memory test, type in mdsched.exe in Run and hit Enter. In the pop-up window, click Restart now and check for problems. Your computer will now reboot and then automatically go into scanning mode. It will then scan your memory to look for any bad sectors. If found, we recommend that you replace your memory modules on priority so you do not encounter another BSoD because of it. You can view the results in System Tray once the computer restarts.
Repair bad disk sectors
It is possible that the error occurred due to a faulty hard drive, or a single bad sector within it. This can be checked by performing a deep scan without using any third-party tools. To perform the test in Windows 10, launch the Command Prompt with administrative privileges, and type in the following: You will then be asked whether you want to perform the test the next time the computer boots up. Enter Y for yes. Now reboot your computer and it will automatically perform a scan on your storage drive. Note that the scan can take some time to complete, in some cases, hours. Please allow the scan ample time to complete.
Scan for corrupted system files
Windows 10 comes with a built-in tool to fix system files that may have been corrupted. This tool is the System File Checker (SFC) which automatically repairs corrupted system files that may be redundantly available on your PC, or have just gone missing. What it does is replace any damaged or missing files. Perform the following to run the tool: Once done, recheck if the issue persists.
Closing words
If you have experienced a “Bad System Config Info” blue screen, we suggest that you start troubleshooting the error immediately and do not wait for another BSoD. Several blog posts on the internet suggest that you repair the System Registry by renaming the old files in your system drive and replacing them with fresh files using a bootable OS image. Let us inform you that this technique is no longer valid as the system registries are no longer backed up in the RegBack folder. You can read more about this on Microsoft’s support page. Having said that; we recommend that you try all of the above methods to mitigate the BSoD. However, if you still fail to rectify the issue, it would mean that the problem lies within the system registries. For that, you will either have to restore your PC to a previous point or perform a clean OS install. Also see:
How to Fix “System Thread Exception Not Handled” BSoD on Windows 10How to Fix APC Index Mismatch BSoD in Windows 10How to Fix IRQL Not Less or Equal BSoD Error in Windows 10How To Fix “DPC Watchdog Violation” BSoD In Windows 11/10How To Fix Windows Error 0xC000021A (Blue Screen of Death Stop Code)
