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- BSOD Loop Stop code: MEMORY MANAGEMENT What failed: win32k.s...

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08-12-2026 12:32 PM - edited 08-12-2026 12:34 PM
Hi,
I manage a fleet of devices for my organization and have had 2 devices enter a BSOD loop in the last week. In both cases, the user has found the laptop in the morning asking for its Bitlocker key. After they enter it, the device blue screens with:
Stop code: MEMORY_MANAGEMENT (0x1A)
What failed: win32k.sys
Attempts to boot into safe mode have resulted in the same error. Startup repair fails. BIOS hardware test passes. The issue persists when the RAM is replaced.
I can get to the command prompt, sfc /scannow returns that it found and repaired corrupted files, but does not resolve the issue. dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth returns error 87, cleanup-image option is unknown.
I'm replacing the two affected devices but I need to know how this can be resolved without a full OS reinstall or device replacement.
08-12-2026 04:43 PM - edited 08-12-2026 04:44 PM
Hi:
The only suggestion I can offer would be to run the Windows memory diagnostic to see if the physical memory has an issue.
Run Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool in Windows 10 | Tutorials
I've gotten memory management BSOD's on two entirely different PCs and in both instances I had to replace a defective memory chip.
If a memory chip has an issue, the test will report the problem after a few seconds of running the test and inform you to contact the PC manufacturer, which means it found a problem with the memory.
On one PC, simply replacing the memory chip resolved the problem.
On the other, I guess the failure occurred in a during a critical part of Windows running, because I had to reinstall the OS after replacing the memory chip because the PC would not fully boot into Windows.
Maybe I could have repaired the installation, but for me it was easier to just reinstall Windows.