Step 1: Repair Registry Entries Associated with Error 0xB4

Manually editing the Windows registry to remove invalid VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE keys is not recommended unless you are PC service professional. Incorrectly editing your registry can stop your PC from functioning and create irreversible damage to your operating system. In fact, one misplaced comma can prevent your PC from booting entirely!

Because of this risk, we recommend using a registry cleaner to assist with this process. Using a registry cleaner automates the process of finding invalid registry entries, missing file references (like the one causing your VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE error), and broken links within the registry. A backup is automatically created before each scan, with the ability to undo any changes in a single click, protecting you against the possibility of PC damage.

As a Microsoft Silver Partner, we provide software that can assist you in removing these issues:

To manually repair your Windows registry, first you need to create a backup by exporting a portion of the registry related to VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE (eg. Windows Operating System):

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type 'command' in the search box... DO NOT hit ENTER yet!
3. While holding CTRL-Shift on your keyboard, hit ENTER.
4. You will be prompted with a permission dialog box.
5. Click Yes.
6. A black box will open with a blinking cursor.
7. Type 'regedit' and hit ENTER.
8. In the Registry Editor, select the Error 0xB4-related key (eg. Windows Operating System) you want to back up.
9. From the File menu, choose Export.
10. In the Save In list, select the folder where you want to save the Windows Operating System backup key.
11. In the File Name box, type a name for your backup file, such as 'Windows Operating System Backup'.
12. In the Export Range box, be sure that 'Selected branch' is selected.
13. Click Save.
14. The file is then saved with a .reg file extension.
15. You now have a backup of your VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE-related registry entry.

The next steps in manually editing your registry will not be discussed in this article due to the high risk of damaging your system. If you would like to learn more about manual registry editing, please see the links below.

Windows XP
http://www.theeldergeek.com/windows_xp_registry.htm

Windows 7
http://www.theeldergeek.com/windows_7/registry_edits_for_win7.htm

Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2688326 - LetMeFixItMyselfAlways

Step 2: Conduct a Full Malware Scan of Your PC

There is a chance that your VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE error could be related to a malware infection on your PC. These malicious intruders can damage, corrupt, or even delete Blue Screen Errors-related files. Furthermore, there's a possibility that the 0xB4 error you are experiencing is related to a component of the malicious program itself.

Step 3: Clean Out Your System Junk (Temporary Files and Folders) With Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr)

Over time, your computer accumulates junk files from normal web surfing and computer use. If this junk isn't occasionally cleaned out, it can cause Windows Operating System to respond slowly or provides an VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE error, possibly due to file conflicts or an overloaded hard drive. Cleaning up these temporary files with Disk Cleanup might not only solve your 0xB4 error, but can also dramatically speed up the performance of your PC.

Because of the shortcomings of the Windows Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr) tool, we highly recommend using a specialized hard drive cleanup / privacy protection software to clean up your entire computer.

As a Microsoft Silver Partner, we provide software that can assist you in cleaning up your temporary files:

How to run Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr) (Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10):

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type 'command' in the search box... DO NOT hit ENTER yet!
3. While holding CTRL-Shift on your keyboard, hit ENTER.
4. You will be prompted with a permission dialog box.
5. Click Yes.
6. A black box will open with a blinking cursor.
7. Type 'cleanmgr' and hit ENTER.
8. Disk Cleanup will begin calculating how much occupied disk space you can reclaim.
9. The Disk Cleanup dialog box will appear with series of checkboxes you can select. In most cases, the 'Temporary Files' category will occupy the most disk space.
10. Check the boxes of the categories you want to clean and click OK.

Step 4: Update Your PC Device Drivers

VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE errors can be related to corrupt or outdated device drivers. Drivers can work one day, and suddenly stop working the next day, for a variety of reasons. The good news is that you can often update the device driver to fix the Error 0xB4 problem.

Finding the exact driver for your Error 0xB4-related hardware device can be extremely difficult, even directly on the Microsoft Corporation or related manufacturer's website. Even if you are experienced at finding, downloading, and manually updating drivers, the process can still be very time consuming and extremely irritating. Installing the wrong driver, or simply an incompatible version of the right driver, can make your problems even worse.

Because of the time and complexity involved in updating drivers, we highly recommend using a driver update software. A driver update tool ensures that you have correct driver versions for your hardware, and also creates a backup of your current drivers before making any changes. Maintaining a driver backup provides you with the security of knowing that you can rollback any driver to a previous version (if necessary).

As a Microsoft Silver Partner, we provide software that can assist you in updating these drivers:

Step 5: Utilize Windows System Restore to 'Undo' Recent System Changes

Windows System Restore allows you to 'go back in time' with your PC to help fix your Error 0xB4 problems. System Restore can return your PC's system files and programs back to a time when everything was working fine. This can potentially help you avoid hours of troubleshooting headaches associated with VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE errors.

To use System Restore (Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10):

1. Click the Start button.
2. In the search box, type 'System Restore' and hit ENTER.
3. In the results, click System Restore.
4. Enter any administrator passwords (if prompted).
5. Follow the steps in the Wizard to choose a restore point.
6. Restore your computer.

Step 6: Uninstall and Reinstall the Windows Operating System Program Associated with VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE

If your VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE error is related to a specific program, reinstalling Windows Operating System-related software could be the answer.

Instructions for Windows 7 and Windows Vista:

1. Open Programs and Features by clicking the Start button.
2. Click Control Panel on the right side menu.
3. Click Programs.
4. Click Programs and Features.
5. Locate VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE-associated program (eg. Windows Operating System) under the Name column.
6. Click on the Windows Operating System-associated entry.
7. Click the Uninstall button on the top menu ribbon.
8. Follow the on-screen directions to complete the uninstallation of your Error 0xB4-associated program.

Instructions for Windows XP:

1. Open Programs and Features by clicking the Start button.
2. Click Control Panel.
3. Click Add or Remove Programs.
4. Locate VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE-associated program (eg. Windows Operating System) under the list of Currently Installed Programs.
5. Click on the Windows Operating System-associated entry.
6. Click the Remove button on the right side.
7. Follow the on-screen directions to complete the uninstallation of your Error 0xB4-associated program.

Instructions for Windows 8:

1. Hover the cursor in the bottom left of the screen to produce the Start Menu image.
2. Right-Click to bring up the Start Context Menu.
3. Click Programs and Features.
4. Locate VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE-associated program (eg. Windows Operating System) under the Name column.
5. Click on the Windows Operating System-associated entry.
6. Click the Uninstall/Change on the top menu ribbon.
7. Follow the on-screen directions to complete the uninstallation of your Error 0xB4-associated program.

After you have successfully uninstalled your VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE-associated program (eg. Windows Operating System), reinstall the program according to the Microsoft Corporation instructions.

Step 7: Run Windows System File Checker ('sfc /scannow')

System File Checker is a handy tool included with Windows that allows you scan for and restore corruptions in Windows system files (including those related to VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE).

To run System File Checker (Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10):

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type 'command' in the search box... DO NOT hit ENTER yet!
3. While holding CTRL-Shift on your keyboard, hit ENTER.
4. You will be prompted with a permission dialog box.
5. Click Yes.
6. A black box will open with a blinking cursor.
7. Type 'sfc /scannow' and hit ENTER.
8. System File Checker will begin scanning for Error 0xB4 and other system file problems (be patient - the system scan may take a while).
9. Follow the on-screen commands.

Step 8: Install All Available Windows Updates

Microsoft is constantly updating and improving Windows system files that could be associated with VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE. Sometimes resolving your Blue Screen Errors problems may be as simple as updating Windows with the latest Service Pack or other patch that Microsoft releases on an ongoing basis.

To check for Windows Updates (Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10):

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type 'update' into the search box and hit ENTER.
3. The Windows Update dialog box will appear.
4. If updates are available, click the Install Updates button.

Step 9: Check for Hard Drive Corruption ('chkdsk /f')

While most storage-related, 0xB4 blue screen errors are caused by problems with your hard disk drivers or storage controllers, in some cases these BSODs can be attributed to hard drive corruption.

Over time, your PC can develop errors on the hard disk drive due to repeated, unintended misuse. Improper shut downs, “hard closing” programs, corrupt or incomplete installation of software (eg. Windows Operating System), Microsoft Corporation hardware failure, and power outages can corrupt your file system and stored data. As a result, you may experience blue screen errors associated with VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE.

Microsoft has included a convenient utility called “chkdsk” (“Check Disk”) to scan and repair hard disk corruption. If the previous troubleshooting steps did not resolve your 0xB4 STOP error, running “chkdsk” may uncover and repair the cause of your BSOD.

How to run “chkdsk” (Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10):

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type 'command' in the search box... DO NOT hit ENTER yet!
3. While holding CTRL-Shift on your keyboard, hit ENTER.
4. You will be prompted with a permission dialog box.
5. Click Yes.
6. A black box will open with a blinking cursor.
7. Type 'chkdsk /f' and hit ENTER.
8. 'chkdsk' will begin scanning for hard disk corruption that could be causing 0xB4 STOP errors.
9. Follow the on-screen commands.

Step 10: Test Your Memory (RAM) for Corruption

Sometimes hardware-related VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE blue screen errors can be due to memory (RAM) corruption. If you are experiencing random computer reboots, receiving “beep” codes on startup, or other computer crashes (in addition to 0xB4 BSOD errors), it is likely that your memory could be corrupt. In fact, nearly 10% of application crashes in Windows are due to memory corruption.

If you have just added new memory to the computer, we recommend temporarily removing it to make sure it is not the cause of your VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE error. If this action resolves your BSOD, this will be the source of your problem, and therefore your new memory is either incompatible or bad. If that is the case, you will then need to replace your new memory modules.

If you haven’t added any new memory, the next step is to perform a diagnostic test on your computer’s existing memory. A memory test will scan for hard memory failures and intermittent errors, either of which could be causing your 0xB4 blue screen of death.

Although later versions of Windows include the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool, I highly recommend using Memtest86 instead. Memtest86 is a BIOS-based memory testing software, unlike other testing programs that must run within Windows. The benefit is that it allows you to test ALL of your memory for VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE errors, while other programs cannot test the section of memory occupied by the software itself, the operating system, and any other running programs.

How to run Memtest86 to scan for memory corruption causing 0xB4 STOP errors:

1. Grab an unused USB flash drive and connect it to your PC.
2. Download the Windows MemTest86 USB image.
3. Right click on the image file, and select the 'Extract to Here' option. Extract the file folder anywhere you can get to easily (eg. your Desktop).
4. Inside the extracted folder, run the included imageUSB tool, and choose your plugged in USB drive to turn into a bootable drive. CAUTION: this action will erase all data on the USB drive.
5. Memtest86 will now be installed on your USB and you are ready to test for the possible source of VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE errors.
6. Restart your PC with the USB drive installed.
7. Memtest86 will begin testing for memory corruption.
8. Follow the on-screen commands.

If all of the above steps were unsuccessful, and Memtest86 finds memory corruption, it highly likely that your VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE blue screen error is due to bad memory. If this is the case, you will need to replace the bad memory to resolve your 0xB4 BSODs.

For additional help, Corsair has a great video tutorial on how to run Memtest86:

http://www2.corsair.com/training/how_to_memtest/6

Step 11: Perform a Clean Installation of Windows

This step is your final option in trying to resolve your VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE issue. Reinstalling Windows will erase everything from your hard drive, allowing you to start again with a fresh system. Furthermore, a clean install of Windows will also quickly clean out any and all 'junk' that has accumulated over the normal usage of your computer.