BAD_POOL_HEADER is a blue screen Error of Windows. It is similar other BSOD errors such as Driver_Power_State_Failure, Kernel Security Check Failure, page fault in non Paged Area etc. It may appear in any versions of windows. Specially, Windows 10 and windows 8.1 users may face this problem. This BSOD may appear temporarily. After restarting PC, Bad pool header may disappear. But sometimes it may become your nightmare.
BSOD happen whenever your computer is encountered with something it doesn’t know how to process, so it shuts itself down to prevent any damage. Sometimes BSOD just happen once and you don’t see them again when you restart, If this blue screen error occurs frequently, You should take steps to fix it. Before knowing the solution, you should know the reasons of bad pool header.

 Windows 10 and 8.1 users would get Blue Screen with much lesser text and a Sad Smiley.



In the case of bad_pool_Header, what has happened is that a thread in your processor has made a bad pool request. This means that it’s asking to use resources that are unavailable, nonexistent, or in use by another thread. It could also mean that the pool header is corrupted  regardless of the particular error, it, like most BSOD is caused by driver issues.

The BAD_POOL_HEADER error can Also occur in Windows when there is a problem with physical memory in the computer. Problems with a hard drive or RAM, relating to the inability for the computer to process some tasks that utilize the hard drive or RAM, can cause this error.

BAD_POOL_HEADER Error in  windows 10, 8.1 and 7 problems symptom can include program lock-ups, slow PC performance, system freezes, startup and shut down problems, installation errors, and hardware failure. It is essential to repair this problem as fast as possible.

Reasons Behind Bad_Pool_Header Error

1. Corrupt Device Drivers / New installed Device

2. Faulty/Corrupt Registry Entries.

3. Damaged Hard Disk.

4. Bad RAM : usually related to defective RAM, be it main memory, L2 RAM cache, or video RAM

5. Corrupt Windows System files.

6. Another common cause is the installation of a faulty system service.

7. Anti-virus or Anti-Malware Softwares.
How To Resove "BAD_POOL_HEADER Error" Blue Screen error Problem

Now that you know the Possible Reasons why you are seeing this error,  Here Are some possible ways to fix this Error. Start From Basic to Advance format.

Resolving a faulty hardware problem: 

If Any New hardware has been added to the system recently, remove it to see if the error recurs. If existing hardware has failed, remove or replace the faulty component.

Undo Recent Changes / Uninstall New install programs : 

As Mentioned Above you can get Bad_Pool_Header Error screen because of recent Changes on your PC. Uninstall any Recently Installed Software that you installed before you got this error.

Boot your system into Safe Mode.

Safe mode is your goto Option whenever you are not able to Boot your PC , So try to boot your PC in safe mode and see if that bypasses the Bad_Pool_Header Error message. and fallow the given Tips on Safe mode to fix the issue. first here how to boot into safe mode.
Boot Windows 7 in Safe mode:

Reboot your PC and press f8 key before the windows Logo Appears.
The next Screen you can see will be Advance Boot option.


Now Use arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight Safe Mode option.
Press Enter and login to your user account.

Boot Windows 10 and 8.1 in Safe Mode:

Reboot your Pc and Press Shift + f8 before windows Logo Appears. (Doesn't always work)
Alternatively Insert your Windows 8/8.1 CD or Flash drive and boot from it. (You might first need to change the boot Priority in BIOS Settings.)
Now you will be given 2 options, Install Now and Repair this PC.
Click on Repair this PC, now navigate too Troubleshoot > Advance Options > Startup Settings. Now Simply Enable Safe Mode. You will see a screen like below picture



Uncheck Fast Startup in Windows 10:

If you are Seeing this BSOD on after upgrading to Windows 10, Then first thing you need to do is Uncheck Fast Startup.

To do this open windows power option window from start and type power options or you can  Search and Open Control Panel Now in Control Panel, Search for "Power option". Now on left side Click on "Choose what the power buttons do"  and Click on "Change Settings that are Currently Unavailable" from the window that pops up.



Scroll down and Uncheck Turn on Fast Startup Under Shutdown Settings.

Now Reboot and see if you still get Bad_Pool_Header Blue screen on your Windows 10.
Fix Issue with disk drive

Checking & Repairing Hard Disk Corruption ( Check Hard disk for Errors)

Damaged or Corrupted hard disk problem may create this BAD_POOL_HEADER Error. To check damaged hard disc use chkdsk command.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Just press Windows Flag Key + X from your keyboard and choose Command (Admin). It is for windows 10 or 8. But for 7, Vista or XP right click on command prompt and choose Run as Administrator.
Now type type chkdsk c:  /f /r /x  and press Enter.


You may be ask for restart your PC. Then press Y and press Enter. when Pc restart this will scan your pc for Hard disk Errors and It will fix problems automatically.


REPAIR DAMAGED OR CORRUPTED RAM (Using Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool )

Although this issue is usually resolved by following the above steps, it is also possible that the error could be related to bad hardware (e.g. bad memory or bad hard drive).
Before assuming that either of these are bad, we suggest running a hard drive and RAM diagnostic test to check if either are bad.

If you haven’t added any, that means your old RAM is corrupted. You should run a diagnostic test on your computer’s existing memory. This test will find memory failures and intermittent errors, which could be causing BSOD error. You should use any Memory Diagnostic Tool to run this test.

Open Start Menu and type “memory diagnostic”. Now select Windows Memory Diagnostic app.


Now click on “Restart now and check for problems (recommended). Your PC will be restarted and check for your memory problems.


It may require a few minutes. If it detects any error, You should visit your computer manufacture website to find solutions or contact with support team.


Make sure your system having latest updates : 

Make sure your Windows system is packed with latest service packs and other updates. Necessary patches and service packs are regularly releases by Microsoft for their operating systems to fix bug and other type of issue. These updates and patches are also useful to solve BSOD issue.
Make sure that drivers of your hardware are updated: Sometime outdated or damaged system driver can generate Blue Screens of Death error. This error is directly related with hardware or driver so updating system drivers could fix the cause of the STOP error.



Get the latest hardware drivers

To check if the error is caused by a faulty drive, run an automatic driver update or manually update the drivers to the latest available versions.

Install the latest drivers for any newly installed hardware device. If no new hardware has been installed, make sure you have the latest drivers for the below devices.

Video card
Network card or router (if present)

Any removable or external disk drive

To manually update a driver, follow these steps:



Click Start
Type in devmgmt.msc in the search box
Click devmgmt from results list
Right-click on the driver
To update the driver, select Update Driver Software.
To disable the driver, select Disable. To uninstall the driver, select Uninstall.

Fix Issue between drivers/software and Microsoft's Indexing Service

Disable the Indexing Service, if running,To Fix this Error to do this by following the steps below.
Note: You must have administrator rights to follow the steps below.
Click Start, Run, and type services.msc and press enter.
Once in the Services window, scroll down to Indexing Service and double-click it.
In the windows search Properties window, change the startup type to either Disabled or Manual.


 Use Restore Point To Fix BAD_POOL_HEADER Error

One of the most Useful Feature in Windows is Restore Point. If you already have Created Restore Point earlier when your computer was working fine, Then its the right time to utilize that restore point. If you are familiar with this Feature then this method should not bother you much. If you do not have Restore point then Read Here How To Troubleshoot windows 10 , 8.1 and 7 using System Restore Point

For New Windows Users, You need to open Control Panel, and in top right search bar, Type "Recovery" now click on it and then you will see open System Restore option, Now click Next and choose your restore point.

click next this will restore your system when your system running fine.

This is One useful Feature, It helps you to take your PC back at the point where your PC was running absolutely fine. That is why one must always Create a Restore point on windows PC, it is of great help.

Refresh your PC (For Windows 10 and 8 Users only)

So all of the above Methods failed to fix Bad_Pool_Header issue for you? No problem we have few more fixes in the bank to try.

Windows 10 and 8.1 users have a Feature called Refresh. Which will Refresh your PC solving various Issues in your PC While your personal Data remains intact.

To Perform this step again you will need Windows Installation Disk or Flash drive. So first insert Windows Installation disk in your DVD Rom and boot your PC. Now as we did earlier, Click on Repair this PC, Then Click Troubleshoot and then Click on Refresh your PC. Now sit back and relax while your PC is Refreshed for you.


Once everything is finished you will be able to use your Computer without any error. Remember this feature is only for windows 10 and 8.1 users.


How To Avoid from This Error on feature :
You might get this error again even if you managed to fix this issue once. but there are few Precautions and Steps that you can take to avoid these errors again in Future.
Avoid Using Cracked/Nulled Softwares

Keep Your Computer's Registry Clean and organized with optimize Tools

Install good latest Antivirus / Anti malware and Avoid More than one Anti-virus/Anti-Malware programs if not needed.

Always Keep your Device Drivers Upto Date

Create Restore Points when your PC

Steps Performed to Fix "BAD_POOL_HEADER " Blue Screen error on Windows 10