For an operating system to function efficiently, it should be synchronized with the various units in the system. There are chances of experiencing a system crash, eventually with a data loss when any of the units fail to connect. “Kernel Panic” is one such system crash.

On the off chance, if an operating system encountered a fatal error internally and unable to recover from it, then the operating system implements a safety measure known as “kernel panic” to stop the system from running and eliminating huge data loss. Majority of the users have come across this situation when a normal working system restarts all of a sudden and the work done since you last saved will be lost.

 

 

Causes For Kernel Panic

 

Kernel Panic can be caused by a number of reasons. Few suspected reasons have been mentioned below

• An inappropriate attempt by OS to read or write memory
• Improper installation of RAM chips
• Defective microprocessor chip
• Malware or software bugs
• Data corruption
• Hard-disk damage

 

How To Detect If It’s A Kernel Panic?

The term “Kernel Panic” is primarily applied to MAC OS X and UNIX based systems. In Windows, it is known as “general protection fault’, “blue screen of death” etc. Let’s explore how to detect a Kernel Panic in each of the operating systems.

 

Mac

On OS X 10.7 version and it’s earlier versions, the screen produces an alarm and fades to black containing a message to restart. In OS X 10.8 version and it’s later versions, the system simply restarts without any warning, followed by a message explaining the issue briefly.

 

Linux

On Linux systems,  the operating system can deal with the serious error and continues to run known as Kernel Oops. Eventually, instability occurs and lead to Kernel panic displaying a black screen full of code.

 

Windows

On Windows you will find the whole screen turned blue, displaying a message to restart the computer.

 

Kernel Panic Troubleshooting

A log will be created containing the information of what occurred at each occurrence of a kernel panic. Even though the information is incomprehensive to the normal users, the technicians can effectively diagnose and resolve the issues considering then the information in the log.

Let’s explore how to troubleshoot a few common causes

 

Software Issues

In order to diagnose the software issues, you need to boot into Safe mode to load the core elements of an operating system. Linux doesn’t have a safe mode but a recovery partition. In Windows, you could boot into safe mode by holding F8 when restarting, whereas, in Mac, you need to hold the shift key after the occurrence of a startup chime.

Let’s have a look on how to troubleshoot the software issues

 

Keep Your System and Software Updated

Always keep an eye on the updates announced frequently. Make sure that your operating system including the drivers has updated to the latest version and also the software. Check for the programs that are launching on boot and disable the ones which you have installed shortly before the occurrence of kernel panic and then re-enable.

 

Make Use Of System Restore

The unsaved changes made to the system will be lost on the occurrence of Kernel panic. Hence it is vital to use Time Machine or System Restore to roll back to the state before Kernel panic occurred.

 

Hardware Issues

A key to effectively identify the exact cause of kernel panic is to identify the recent changes to your system, undoing the changes and then try re-enabling one by one.

 

Look For Disk Errors

To ensure disk errors are not causing a Kernel panic, you need to run the disk repair software built into your computer’s OS. As soon as your computer boots, if it crashes you have to boot into the recovery partition. To do this press Command + R on Mac and F10 on Windows. You can carry out booting from a disk or USB.

 

Inspect RAM

If you have upgraded the RAM on your system recently, check if is placed properly. Try removing the RAM if the problem still continues and if the issues are resolved, you should understand that the RAM is faulty and you have to contact the retailer.

 

Inspect Peripherals

Often we believe that large add-ons alone cause issues. But Kernel panic can happen even if there is a fault in your USB. You can re-connect the peripherals confirming if there is no fault.

Kernel panics are common and you will be experiencing it time to time. If you experience them on a regular basis, then it is obvious that the recent changes done to the system has caused it. However it’s not a wider problem and as long as you’re prepared to deal with it, it is easy to diagnose and resolve.