Bad Pool Caller Bsod

Tech & Gaming
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Had a machine that kept throwing BAD_POOL_CALLER blue screens randomly. Took a while to track down but I eventually sorted it. Posting everything here because this one has a few different causes and it helps to know which to check first.

BAD_POOL_CALLER means a kernel-mode process made an invalid memory pool request. In practice it almost always means a driver or recently installed software is misbehaving at a low level.

Start Here: Read the Minidump File

This saved me hours. Windows saves a crash dump file after every BSOD at C:\Windows\Minidump.

Download WhoCrashed (free). It reads the dump and gives you a plain-English explanation of what caused the crash, including the specific driver or module responsible. Do this before anything else — it often tells you exactly what to fix.

For deeper analysis, WinDbg Preview is free from the Microsoft Store.

Roll Back or Update Drivers

If the minidump points to a specific driver, go straight there.

Crashes started after a driver update:
Device Manager > right-click device > Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver

No clear trigger:
Update drivers starting with the GPU and network adapter. Download from the manufacturer’s website directly.

Software that installs kernel-level components is also worth investigating:

  • Antivirus
  • VPN clients
  • Backup utilities
  • Game anti-cheat software

Uninstall temporarily to see if crashes stop.

Check Your RAM

Run Windows Memory Diagnostic (search the Start menu) — it tests RAM on the next restart. For more thorough testing, MemTest86 (free, bootable USB) is more reliable. Run multiple passes overnight if you can. If errors come up, reseat your sticks first, then test individually to find the bad module.

Scan for Corrupted System Files

From an elevated command prompt:

sfc /scannow

Then:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Restart after both finish.

Test in Safe Mode

Hold Shift while clicking Restart > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Safe Mode

  • Crashes stop in Safe Mode — software or driver is responsible, narrow down from there
  • Crashes continue in Safe Mode — more likely a hardware issue

Hardware (If Nothing Else Works)

  • Run a drive diagnostic with your manufacturer’s tool or Crystal Disk Info
  • Reseat your GPU and any expansion cards
  • Check that everything is properly seated, especially if the machine was recently moved
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WhoCrashed is genuinely the most useful tip here. had a machine crashing randomly for weeks — ran it and it pointed straight to a network driver in about 30 seconds.