Windows BSOD Error 0x000000BE — ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY Fix

What Does This Error Mean?

The 0x000000BE blue screen means a driver tried to write data to a section of memory that is marked read-only. This is called ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY. Windows marks certain memory regions as read-only to protect critical system code. When a driver ignores this protection and tries to write there anyway, Windows crashes immediately. This is almost always caused by a buggy or outdated driver.

Affected Models

Windows 10
Windows 11
Windows 8.1
Windows Server

Common Causes

A device driver has a bug that causes it to write to protected memory regions
A recently updated or installed driver is incompatible with your current Windows version
An older driver was not updated to comply with modern Windows memory protection rules
A third-party security tool, antivirus, or system utility is using a poorly written driver
Malware or a rootkit is attempting to modify protected system memory through a driver

How to Fix It

Look at the blue screen carefully before it disappears. Windows sometimes displays the name of the offending driver file, such as 'example.sys'. Write it down.

If the screen disappears too fast, go to Settings > System > About > Advanced System Settings > Startup and Recovery > Settings and uncheck 'Automatically restart.' This keeps the screen visible.
Uninstall any recently installed or updated drivers. Go to Device Manager, right-click a device, choose 'Properties,' then 'Driver,' and click 'Roll Back Driver' if available.

If a driver update caused the crash, rolling back to the previous version usually stops the blue screens immediately.
Update all remaining drivers to the latest versions. Visit your PC manufacturer's website (Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.) and download the newest drivers for your specific model.

Using the manufacturer's site is more reliable than using Windows Update for drivers, especially for graphics and chipset drivers.
Run Driver Verifier to identify problem drivers. Type 'verifier' in the Start menu search and run it. Choose 'Create standard settings' and 'Automatically select all drivers installed on this computer.'

Driver Verifier intentionally stresses drivers. When a bad driver is found, Windows crashes with information pointing to the culprit. Only use this for diagnostics — disable it afterward.
Scan for malware using Windows Defender. Open Windows Security, go to 'Virus and threat protection,' and run a Full Scan.

Some malware injects itself into drivers to avoid detection. A full scan checks for rootkits and driver-level threats.

When to Call a Professional

If you cannot identify which driver is causing the crash, a technician can use kernel debugging tools to analyze the crash dump file. Crash dump files are stored in C:\Windows\Minidump and contain detailed information about what failed. A professional can read these files to name the exact driver at fault.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Windows have read-only memory regions?

Windows marks certain memory areas as read-only to protect critical system code from being accidentally or maliciously changed. If a driver could overwrite that code, it could crash the entire system or open security holes. The read-only protection is a safety barrier. When a driver tries to break through it, Windows shuts down immediately rather than risk corruption.

What is a minidump file and how do I find it?

A minidump is a small snapshot file Windows creates each time it crashes. It records what was happening at the moment of the blue screen. You can find these files in C:\Windows\Minidump. A free tool called WhoCrashed or WinDbg can read them and tell you which driver caused the crash.

Can a new driver really cause this error?

Yes, it is the most common cause. Even official drivers from major hardware companies occasionally ship with bugs. If the crashes started right after a driver update, that update is almost certainly the cause. Rolling back to the previous driver version is the quickest fix.