Windows BSOD Error 0x00000035 — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

Windows BSOD 0x00000035 (NO_MORE_IRP_STACK_LOCATIONS) means a driver tried to pass a request down the driver chain but ran out of stack space to do it. Think of it like a relay race where there is no one left to pass the baton to. This is almost always caused by a driver bug or a conflict between two drivers stacked on top of each other.

Affected Models

Windows 10
Windows 11
Windows 8.1
Windows 7

Common Causes

A filter driver (such as antivirus or backup software) is not allocating enough IRP stack space
Multiple layered drivers (like security tools or encryption software) are competing for limited stack space
A recently installed device driver has a bug in how it handles I/O request packets
An outdated or incompatible network adapter or storage driver is not following stack allocation rules
A third-party disk encryption or security driver is conflicting with a Windows storage driver

How to Fix It

Think about what you installed recently before the crashes started. Check Programs & Features (Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features) and look for recently installed software — especially antivirus, backup tools, disk encryption, or VPN software. Try uninstalling the newest addition.

This BSOD is almost always triggered by a newly installed filter driver. Security software, backup programs, and VPNs commonly add driver layers. Removing the last-installed program often resolves the crashes immediately.
Analyze the crash dump to find the driver. Open Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System and look for critical errors around the crash time. You can also use WhoCrashed (free) to read files from C:\Windows\Minidump.

The crash report names the .sys driver file responsible. You can look up any .sys file online to find out what program or device it belongs to.
Update all your device drivers. Open Device Manager (right-click Start > Device Manager). Look for any devices with yellow warning icons. Right-click them and select Update Driver. Also update network, audio, and storage drivers manually.

Old drivers that were written before a major Windows update sometimes have IRP stack allocation bugs that the original author has since fixed in newer versions.
Disable or uninstall your third-party antivirus temporarily. Many antivirus programs install deep kernel-level drivers. Temporarily switching to Windows Defender only can confirm if your antivirus driver is the culprit.

If the BSODs stop after removing third-party antivirus, check the antivirus vendor's website for an updated version that addresses the compatibility issue.
Run System File Checker and DISM to repair Windows system files. Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Type: sfc /scannow and press Enter. Then type: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and let it complete.

Corrupted Windows system files can cause driver stack errors. These two commands repair system files without requiring a Windows reinstall.

When to Call a Professional

This is a developer-level BSOD that can be difficult to diagnose without technical tools. If you cannot identify the driver from crash dumps, take the PC to a technician with experience in Windows driver debugging. For enterprise environments, this error can be analyzed using WinDbg (Windows Debugging Tools).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an IRP stack?

IRP stands for I/O Request Packet — it is how Windows passes requests between drivers. When you save a file, for example, Windows creates an IRP and sends it through a chain of drivers (file system driver, storage driver, device driver). Each driver in the chain uses a 'stack location' — a reserved slot in the IRP. If a driver adds itself to the chain but does not reserve a stack location for itself, the IRP runs out of space and Windows crashes.

Is this error related to my RAM?

No. Despite having 'stack' in the name, this error is not about RAM or your computer's memory in the traditional sense. It is specifically about how device drivers communicate with each other. RAM errors cause different blue screen codes, such as 0x0000001A (MEMORY_MANAGEMENT) or 0x0000000A (IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL).

My PC only crashed once with this error. Should I be worried?

One crash with no recurrence may just be a one-time glitch — sometimes Windows recovers fine. However, if you see it more than once, you need to investigate the cause. Note what you were doing when each crash occurred. If the crashes happen after a specific program is open or a certain device is connected, that is your culprit.