How to Fix “Unexpected Store Exception” Error in Windows

Are you experiencing system crashes due to a mysterious “Unexpected Store Exception” error? It is a blue screen error caused by internal corruptions in the Windows kernel memory. Currently, there is one main approach to fix the “Unexpected Store Exception” error in Windows 10 and 11, as acknowledged by Microsoft. This tutorial discusses it at length and offers a few troubleshooting tips.

Note: “Unexpected Store Exception” is not related to the Microsoft Store.

Tip: does your Windows system crash when you try to process massive amounts of data? Get past that problem by using one of these tools to view large files.

What Is the “Unexpected Store Exception” Error in Windows?

The “Unexpected Store Exception” error is caused by various hardware and file integrity issues associated with the kernel memory module. The bug is also known as UNEXPECTED_STORE_EXCEPTION and has a value of 0x00000154, which refers to a “stop code,” a special category of blue screen errors.

This kernel memory module manages the RAM used by some core components in Windows as well as device drivers. The Windows operating system uses it to talk to device hardware.

You can view your device kernel memory in the Task Manager under the Memory tab. Compared to physical RAM, kernel memory is only a few hundred MB in size. It is further classified according to paged and non-paged pools.

Anyway, here’s how to start tackling the “Unexpected Store Exception” error in Windows.

1. Debug With WinDbg

To debug the “Unexpected Store Exception” error, we are using a Microsoft debugging program called WinDbg. While it involves a little bit of coding, it is very easy to learn.

WinDbg Download and Installation

WinDbg, the official Windows debugger, can be downloaded from this link as part of Windows Software Development Kit (SDK). For installation, choose the “Install SDK” file based on your operating system and latest version number. Windows 11 users have it relatively easy. If you’re a Windows 10 user, it’s better to update your system first, then install the latest SDK.

1. After downloading the executable file, install it on your system by specifying a location or choose the automatic install path. Follow the on-screen instructions.

2. This step is very important. For debugging your Windows software, you don’t need all the features of the Windows SDK. You only need to check “Debugging Tools for Windows” and deselect everything else.

3. Wait a few minutes for the installation to complete, as Windows SDK acquires debug tools for Windows.

4. You will see a final welcome message once Windows SDK is installed on your device.

5. Locate the installation directories depending on whether you have an x64 [“C:Program Files (x86)Windows Kits10Debuggersx64”] or x86 [“C:Program Files (x86)Windows Kits10Debuggersx86”] system. You can check your CPU configuration in “About your PC” from the Windows search menu.

6. Go inside the installation directory and locate the WinDbg executable file as shown below for the x64 folder.

7. Double-click to launch the WinDbg executable. From the “File -> Open Executable” menu, you can view any executable file on your PC.

8. Locate the “Notepad.exe” file on your system; it is usually based in the System32 folder. Open this executable using WinDbg.

9. To test this debugger, enter .sympath srv* in the WinDbg command line at the bottom.

10. The output will be shown in the Notepad window. Below is a symbol search path that tells WinDbg where to look for symbol (PDB) files.

Symbol search path is: srv*
Expanded Symbol search path is: cache*;SRV

Tip: learn how to add “Open with Notepad” to the context menu in Windows.

Option 1: Create a User Mode Dump File

After downloading and installing WinDbg, use “Crash mode” analysis to solve the Exception error. This involves causing a fake crash and noticing the Dump file as shown below.

1. Open Settings on your PC.
2. On the right side, scroll down and select “About.”

3. Select “Advanced System Settings.”

4. This will open a “System Properties” window.
5. Select the Advanced tab at the top and press “Settings” under “Startup and Recovery.”

6. A new “Startup and Recovery” window will open.
7. Take note of the location of the “Dump file.” It can be easily overwritten without any issues.

8. Go back to the WinDbg command line and enter the following to create a user mode dump file.

.dump [options] FileName
.dump /?

You can also operate it as a kernel mode dump, but the procedure is different and unnecessary.

9. Instead of “?,” you’ll have to enter mf or ma, which refer to a variety of dump files. Also, replace “FileName” with the Dump file path used earlier.
10. Your exception analysis has begun. If there are any exception errors on your system, they will be highlighted here. The problematic files will be mentioned in the log, and you can take corrective action from there.

11. Apart from WinDbg, another method to create a fake crash is “NotMyFault” by SysInternals. Download the zipped file and extract it.
12. Click on the NotMyFault application to launch a new window to emulate a crash. Close all of the other applications so that corrupted memory is not written to the disk after Restart.

Option 2: Using the !Analyze Extension Command

To find the root cause of a “Store Exception” error, you can use another WinDbg command: “!Analyze” extension.

1. Go back to the WinDbg command line and copy-paste the following:

!analyze [-v] [-f | -hang] [-D BucketID]
!analyze -c [-load KnownIssuesFile | -unload | -help ]

2. The exception analysis will start. If there are any problem files on your PC, they will be recorded in the log.
3. Remove those files or uninstall any programs associated with the “Store Exception” error. If there aren’t any issues, you won’t see any results.

4. The “Bucket ID” refers to the exact event ID connected to the “Store Exception” error.
5. As soon as you notice a blue screen on your laptop display, you can see the “Bucket ID” highlighted. If you miss recording it, you can find the same “Bucket ID” from “Event Viewer” in Windows.

While WinDbg is the best method to debug the “Unexpected Store Exception” problem, if you don’t want to learn the programming, Microsoft recommends a few other options.

2. Perform System Restore Based on Update History

If any blue screen errors are caused by some recent events, you can perform a simple System Restore to take your Windows device to an earlier configuration.

1. From the Windows search menu, open “View your Update history.”

2. Look for a recent event from a few days before you noticed the “Store Exception” error. Its date will be used to send the system to an earlier point of time.

3. Open “Create a restore point” from a Start menu search. Go to its “System Protection” tab and click “System Restore.”

4. Check the “Show more restore points” option at the bottom and select the event date you want to return to.

5. Confirm your restore point, and the device will restart to return to the older configuration.

3. Use Windows Memory Diagnostic

You can use the Windows Memory Diagnostic app to take care of bad memory sectors behind the “Unexpected Store Exception” crash.

1. Launch Windows Memory Diagnostic from the Windows search menu.

2. As soon the app is launched, you will be asked to restart the device and check for memory problems.
3. You can either restart your PC straightaway or schedule the diagnostics for any other time.

4. Look for Exclamation Point in Device Manager Hardware

If hardware issues are causing the blue screen problem, you may need to replace the older or outdated hardware. Trace glitchy hardware using the steps below.

1. Open Device Manager from Start menu search or devmgmt.msc from the “Run” command.

2. Under each hardware device, look for exclamation points (!). If you have any faulty external webcams, SD cards, pen drives, or external drives, remove them first. A worn-out battery should be replaced quickly, as it can lead to major issues.

5. Perform System File Checker Scan and ChkDsk

The best way to restore the integrity of your Windows system is to use the System File Checker (SFC) tool. It helps repair missing or corrupted system files.

1. Open Command Prompt from the Windows search menu and run it as administrator.
2. Run a basic SFC scan using sfc /scannow.
3. If any system repair restart is pending, go ahead with it and run SFC again.

4. You can also use the ChkDsk utility to repair any problems in the hard disk.

chkdsk /f /c:

6. Remove Temporary Files

Sometimes the cure for a store exception error is to delete the temporary files that may be clogging up your computer.

1. Type Disk Cleanup in the search bar.
2. Open Disk Cleanup.

3. Use the drop-down arrow to select the drive you want to clean. This will usually be C:.

4. Click OK.
5. Wait for the list of files to appear.
6. Scroll down to find “Temporary files” and check the box next to it. You may also want to check “Temporary Internet files.”
7. Click “OK” and confirm you want to delete the files.

7. Disable Fast Startup

Fast startup is enabled by default on your device to start your device more quickly by using a particular hibernation option. Using fast startup can cause the store exception error, so try disabling it to see if that solves the problem.

1. Type “Control Panel” in the Search box.
2. Open Control Panel.

3. Click “Change what the power buttons do” under “System and Security -> Power Options.”

4. Click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable.”
5. Untick the box next to “Turn on fast startup.”
6. Click “Save changes.”

Tip: learn how Fast Startup differs from other Windows power settings.

8. Update Your Display Drivers

Another option that may solve the store exception error is updating your display drivers. First enter Safe mode so that your current display doesn’t become blank during the update process.

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to the “Recovery” menu under “System.”
3. Click “Restart Now” next to “Advanced Startup” to restart your Windows 10 or 11 PC in Safe mode.
4. After your PC restarts and displays the “Choose an option” screen, select “Troubleshoot -> Advanced options -> Startup Settings -> Restart.” It may ask you for your BitLocker recovery key, which is found in your Microsoft account online.

5. After your PC restarts, you’ll see a list of options. You’ll most likely need to use the Internet, so select 5 or press F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

After you have entered Safe mode:

1. Open Device manager by typing devmgr in the search box.
2. In the list of devices that appear, locate “Display adapters” and double-click it.
3. Right-click the available display adapter and click “Update driver.” Restart your computer for the new driver effects to be updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Image credit: Pixabay. All screenshots by Sayak Boral.

Sayak Boral

Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.