Flash-by error message

[Hugger1]

Hi all----->

For the lst day and a half I've been getting an error message, white letters on a black background, that basically says my PC has encountered an error and needs to restart.  Sometimes the error message doesn't appear for a few hours or it could appear a few miutes after a previous error message appeaed.  The PC restarts right away, so I don't get a chance to see what the error messages is.  The problem is that the message appears and disappears in a flash, less than 2 seconds from the time it first appears until it disappears.  Now I'd like to try and fix whatever is that is causing this message to appear.  So my question is----> Is there any error log or whatever I can go to to see what is going on with my PC  And if so how do I find it?

My PC is a HP Laptop 15-dy2048ca (2L7J7UA).  All the updates and drivers are up to date.

[Pallipurath]

Hi @Hugger1 

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query.

I understand how frustrating unexpected restarts can be. The good news is that Windows usually records these events, even if the blue/black error screen disappears too quickly to read.

Please follow the steps below to identify the cause

Check Event Viewer

• Press Windows + X and select Event Viewer.
• Expand Windows Logs and click System.
• In the right pane, select Filter Current Log.
• Check Critical and Error, then click OK.
• Look for events around the time the computer restarted, especially:
• Kernel-Power (Event ID 41) – indicates the system restarted unexpectedly.
• BugCheck (Event ID 1001) – often includes the stop code (BSOD error) that caused the restart.

Disable Automatic Restart (to capture the error)

By default, Windows restarts immediately after a system crash, making it difficult to read the error message.

• Press Windows + R, type sysdm.cpl, and press Enter.
• Open the Advanced tab.
• Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
• Uncheck Automatically restart under System failure.
• Click OK and restart the PC.

If the issue occurs again, the error screen will remain displayed so you can note the Stop Code and any driver or file name mentioned.

Run HP Hardware Diagnostics

To check out a hardware issue:

• Turn off the notebook.
• Power it on and immediately tap Esc repeatedly.
• Press F2 to open HP PC Hardware Diagnostics.
• Run the System Tests, especially the Memory Test and Hard Drive Test.

Share the Results

Please let us know:

• What is the Stop Code shown on the error screen (after disabling automatic restart)?
• Are there any BugCheck (Event ID 1001) entries in Event Viewer?
• Did the HP Memory and Hard Drive tests pass or report any failures?

With that information, I can help determine whether the issue is related to a driver, Windows, or a hardware component and guide you through the appropriate resolution.

Take care and have an amazing day!