Windows BSOD Error 0x00000042 — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

BSOD 0x00000042 (ATDISK_DRIVER_INTERNAL) means the ATA disk driver — which manages communication between Windows and IDE/ATA hard drives — encountered an internal fatal error. This usually points to a failing hard drive, a bad ATA or SATA cable, or a corrupted storage driver. Because it involves your hard drive, take this error seriously and back up your files immediately.

Affected Models

Windows 10
Windows 11
Windows 8.1
Windows 7

Common Causes

A failing or damaged hard drive is returning errors that the ATA driver cannot recover from
A loose, faulty, or low-quality SATA or IDE data cable is causing intermittent communication failures
The ATA storage controller driver is outdated or corrupted
The hard drive firmware has a bug that causes incorrect responses to driver commands
Physical damage to the hard drive's read/write heads or platter causes sectors to fail, triggering driver-level errors

How to Fix It

Back up your important files immediately. This BSOD involves your hard drive, which means your data could be at risk. Copy important documents, photos, and files to an external drive or cloud storage before doing anything else.

Even if your drive turns out to be fine, backing up is always the right first step when any drive-related BSOD appears. Better safe than sorry.
Check your hard drive health. Download CrystalDiskInfo (free from crystalmark.info). Open it and check the health status for your drives. Pay close attention to Reallocated Sector Count, Pending Sector Count, and Uncorrectable Sector Count in the SMART data table.

Any value above 0 in those three SMART attributes means your drive has bad sectors — a clear sign of hardware damage. A 'Good' status means the problem is more likely a driver or cable issue.
Replace or reseat SATA cables on desktop PCs. Power off and unplug your PC. Open the case and disconnect both ends of the SATA data cable — at the drive and at the motherboard port. Reconnect firmly. If the cable looks frayed, kinked, or damaged, replace it.

SATA data cables cost about $5 and are a very common cause of ATA driver errors. Try using a different SATA port on the motherboard as well — some ports go bad over time.
Update your storage controller drivers. Open Device Manager (right-click Start > Device Manager) and expand 'Storage controllers.' Right-click each controller and choose 'Update driver.' For Intel systems, also install Intel RST drivers from intel.com/content/www/us/en/support.

Generic Windows storage drivers sometimes have compatibility issues with specific drive models. Manufacturer-supplied drivers are usually more stable for that hardware combination.
Run CHKDSK to repair file system errors. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and type: chkdsk C: /f /r /b — then press Enter. Type Y when asked to schedule it on next restart, then restart. This scans for and marks bad sectors so Windows will not use them.

The /b flag re-evaluates all bad sectors, including ones that were previously marked. CHKDSK on a large or damaged drive can take several hours — do not interrupt it.

When to Call a Professional

If drive health tests show failing sectors, pending sectors, or a 'Caution' or 'Bad' health status, stop using the drive and take your PC to a data recovery professional immediately. Data recovery is expensive but becomes impossible once a drive completely fails. Do not keep writing to a failing drive — each write can make recovery harder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ATA the same as SATA?

They are closely related. ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) is the older standard used in older computers. SATA (Serial ATA) is the modern version — slimmer cables, faster speeds, same basic concept. Both use similar drivers in Windows. This BSOD can appear with both traditional hard drives and SSDs that use SATA connections. NVMe SSDs (the newer type that plugs directly into the motherboard) use a different driver.

My drive health shows 'Good' but I still get this BSOD. Why?

SMART health data is not perfect — it can miss some types of drive failures, especially early-stage problems. If drive health looks good, the problem is more likely a cable issue, driver issue, or controller problem. Try a different SATA cable and a different SATA port on the motherboard. Also try running a more thorough scan using the drive manufacturer's own diagnostic tool (SeaTools for Seagate, WD Diagnostics for Western Digital, etc.).

Can I move my data if the drive is failing?

Yes, but act fast. If Windows can still boot, copy files normally to external storage. If Windows is too unstable, boot from a Linux live USB (Ubuntu can be run from a USB stick without installing) — it can often read the drive and let you copy files even when Windows cannot start. For severe failures, professional data recovery services can often retrieve data from drives that no software can read, but it can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars.