What causes PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA?
Short answer: The nonpaged pool is a region of RAM (random-access memory) reserved for kernel operations that must always be in physical memory and can never be swapped to the drive. PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA fires when Windows tries to access a page (a block of memory) in this region and finds it missing — meaning a driver wrote bad data, RAM has a fault, the SSD has bad sectors, or an external USB device has a buggy driver that corrupted the pool. Unlike pure software BSODs, this one can have hardware or software roots.
How to fix PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
Step 1 — Note the filename on the blue screen
Look at the bottom of the blue screen — below the stop code, Windows often shows a filename in the format something.sys. This is the driver that caused the fault. Common culprits: ntfs.sys (the NTFS file system driver — points to drive or RAM issues), nvlddmkm.sys (NVIDIA GPU driver — update or rollback the graphics driver), aswsp.sys (Avast antivirus driver), klif.sys (Kaspersky driver). Photograph the screen before rebooting. In Device Manager, find the device associated with that driver and choose Roll Back Driver. If rollback is unavailable, uninstall the driver and reinstall the latest version from the manufacturer's website.
Step 2 — Disconnect all USB devices and test
A surprising share of PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA crashes in India trace back to USB devices — external hard drives, USB hubs, older webcams, and even some USB keyboards with embedded firmware. Disconnect everything connected via USB and restart normally. If the BSOD stops, reconnect devices one at a time to identify the trigger. For the offending device, update its driver from the manufacturer's website or use a different USB port. This is especially relevant for external drives connected without a UPS — power fluctuations during USB activity can corrupt the driver's memory allocation.
Step 3 — Run memtest86 and check drive health
If no driver filename appeared and disconnecting USB did not help, test hardware. Download memtest86 and run two passes to test RAM. Separately, open CrystalDiskInfo (a free drive-health utility) and check whether your SSD shows any reallocated sectors or pending sector errors — bad sectors in the area where the page file or Windows system files live cause PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA errors. Run chkdsk C: /f /r in an admin Command Prompt to scan and repair drive errors (it runs on next boot). See our BSOD diagnosis guide for the full RAM and drive testing sequence, and our MEMORY_MANAGEMENT fix guide for related RAM-fault BSODs.
Step 4 — The India angle: antivirus kernel drivers
Indian laptops commonly run Quick Heal, K7 Antivirus, or eScan — products with aggressive kernel-mode drivers (software that runs at the deepest level of Windows, alongside the operating system itself). These drivers intercept memory operations to scan for threats, and an outdated or buggy version can accidentally corrupt the nonpaged pool. Updating your antivirus to its latest version resolves this class of PAGE_FAULT errors without uninstalling it. If an update is not available, try temporarily disabling the antivirus's kernel-level real-time protection and testing whether the BSOD recurs. Also see our guide on Quick Heal and Windows Defender conflicts for exclusion configuration.
When to call a laptop repair service
When DIY ends
Call a technician if: memtest86 reports RAM errors; CrystalDiskInfo shows bad sectors and chkdsk cannot repair them; or the BSOD persists after driver rollback, USB disconnect, and antivirus update. These point to hardware faults needing physical diagnosis. Visit our RAM upgrade service or SSD replacement page for next steps.
Typical repair cost in India
Driver fix (rollback or reinstall): ₹500–₹1,200. RAM replacement (DDR4 or DDR5): ₹1,500–₹4,000. SSD replacement with data migration: ₹2,500–₹8,000.
A note from the LRW Engineer Team
PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA looks intimidating but it is one of the most diagnostic BSODs Windows produces. The filename it shows on screen is a genuine lead — always photograph it before rebooting. Nine times out of ten, that filename cuts our diagnosis time by more than half.