When your computer boots up or when it just woke up from sleep but it suddenly encounters a Blue Screen of Death error, saying, “HAL INITIALIZATION FAILED error with STOP CODE 0x0000005C”, then read on as this post will give you some fixes that might help in resolving the problem. You will see the following error message on your computer’s screen when this error pops up:
“Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We’re just collecting some error info, and then we’ll restart for you. If you’d like to know more, you can search online later for this error: HAL_INITIALIZATION_FAILED
HAL INITIALIZATION FAILED 0x0000005C”
This kind of Blue Screen error indicates that there is a hardware or device driver problem in your PC. Aside from that, it also signifies that the initialization of the Hardware Abstraction Layer or HAL has failed. This happens only during the relatively short period that the Windows operating system is being initialized, specifically during phase 4 of Windows startup. What’s worse about this kind of Stop error is that it does not just go away after a computer reboot.
You may have to boot your computer into Safe mode with Networking using the Advanced startup options which you can access by tapping the F2 or F8 key. Once you’ve accessed the Advanced startup options, follow the fixes prepared below.
Option 1 – Run CHKDSK command to repair hard disk errors
Running the Chkdsk utility could help you resolve the HAL INITIALIZATION FAILED error with STOP CODE 0x0000005C. If your hard drive has issues with integrity, the update will really fail as the system will think that it’s not healthy and that’s where the Chkdsk utility comes in. The Chkdsk utility repairs hard drive errors that might be causing the problem.
- After you access the Advanced Startup options, select Command Prompt by using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
- After opening Command Prompt, execute the following command and hit Enter:
chkdsk /f /r
- The command you entered will scan the hard disk for any errors and will automatically fix it if it finds some issues. Wait for the process to be completed and then restart your computer.
Option 2 – Run the DISM tool
If the first option didn’t work, then running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management tool can help you resolve the HAL INITIALIZATION FAILED error as it will repair the Windows System Image as well as the Windows Component Store in Windows 10.
- After you access the Advanced Startup options, select Command Prompt by using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
- Next, type in this command: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.
Option 3 – Update the Device drivers
- Tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
- Type in msc into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
- After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. Look for the device driver you and then select either “Update driver” or “Uninstall device”. And if you find any “Unknown device”, you need to update it as well.
- Select the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option and then follow the instructions to complete the process.
- If you have chosen to uninstall the driver, follow the screen options to complete the process and then restart your PC.
- Connect the device and Scan for hardware changes – you can see this option under Device Manager > Action.
Option 4 – Try removing any external hardware
You might also want to remove any connected devices and external hardware in your computer as it might help in fixing the BSOD error.
Option 5 – Disable Fast Start-up
If you want your computer to boot faster, then you might have enabled Fast Start-up. This feature is ideal for computers that are using a hard disk drive. However, turning on this feature also means that when the computer boots, it might lag some drivers that are loaded when it initially boots up. Thus, it might be the potential cause of the UNEXPECTED STORE EXCEPTION BSOD error. Thus, you need to disable Fast Start-up. To do that, follow these steps:
- Boot your PC into Safe Mode.
- Then tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- Next, type in “control” to open Control Panel.
- After that, select Hardware and Sound and click on Power Options.
- Select “Choose what the power buttons do” from the left side menu pane and click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
- Afterward, uncheck the “Turn on fast startup (Recommended)” entry and click on Save Changes.
- Now restart your PC for the changes to take effect and then check if the problem’s fixed afterward.
Option 6 – Disable your antivirus program
There are times when the antivirus program installed in your computer blocks file access and even disk access. Thus, disabling the antivirus program or any security software installed in your computer is always a good idea you can try when the Windows Update process does not go smoothly. So before you try updating your computer again, make sure to disable the antivirus or security program and once the Windows Update is done, don’t forget to enable the antivirus program back again.
Option 7 – Perform a Clean Boot
There are some instances that some conflicting programs installed in your computer might be the one that’s causing the HAL INITIALIZATION FAILED error. To identify which program is causing the problem, you need to put your computer in a Clean Boot State. To do so, follow the steps below.
- Log onto your PC as an administrator.
- Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
- From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
- Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
- Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
- Click Disable all.
- Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
- From there, start to isolate the problem by checking which one of the programs you installed recently is the root cause of the problem.