This article is part of a continuing series on Blue Screen of Death errors. A Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) is the error screen you see when Windows has a major issue. It halts the PC and displays some very important information.

Depending on the error message you get, the steps you need to take are different.

Error Name: BAD_POOL_HEADER

This one may appear under another error name, but with a code of 0x19.

This BSOD has to do with incompatible drivers or apps.

How to Fix This BSoD

BAD_POOL_HEADER was very rare before Windows 8, but has cropped up a bunch since people have begun installing this new operating system. It appears most frequently when using antivirus applications, like Avira Anti-Vir and Avast!, that are not yet 100% compatible with Windows. It also happens when running Windows 8 on an Intel Macintosh as a dual-boot or Parallels option, as Mac drivers are not yet 100% compatible with Windows either.

However, this error can appear with any driver or application that doesn’t work right with Windows.

There are several steps you can take to prevent this error from happening again.

Boot in Safe Mode first

In order to try any of the below steps, you may need to start your PC in Safe Mode. That’s to prevent the error from happening again while you’re trying to fix it.

Use a Different Antivirus

While third-party antivirus applications can sometimes find errors that Windows can’t, until the publishers catch up to Windows 8 fully, you’re better off sticking with Microsoft Security Essentials for now. It’s built in to Windows 7 and Windows 8. You can always download Microsoft Security Essentials as well.

When Using a Mac, Stick with Windows 7 For Now

New Windows operating systems are notorious for not working right on Intel Macs at first. Wait until the drivers catch up from both the Windows and Macintosh side of things before you attempt to use Windows 8 in a Mac environment.

Make Sure All Your Drivers are Updated

Manufacturers are releasing updates for Windows 8 all the time. In order to ensure you have the latest drivers for all your hardware, you need Driver Reviver. It will find drivers that Windows Update just doesn’t catch.

Driver Reviver finds crucial Windows 8 drivers.

More Information from Microsoft

Here’s a page on Microsoft’s website about this specific BSoD error. It’s pretty technical, but worth checking out if the above solutions don’t work.

Good luck!

Steve Horton