How to Fix PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA in Windows 11

•
Ankit Kumar
Windows 11BSODTroubleshootingFix

The Problem

Your PC crashes to a blue screen showing PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA (technical code 0x00000050). Windows asked for data that should always be resident in memory and it was not there — so the kernel stops rather than run on bad data.

The usual causes, in order of likelihood: failing RAM, a bad driver writing to memory it does not own, corrupted system files, and antivirus or disk filter drivers. Sometimes the blue screen names the guilty file (for example ntfs.sys, nvlddmkm.sys, or Netwtw10.sys) — write that down, it shortcuts most of this guide.

Different stop code each restart? Random codes point at hardware. Start with the general blue screen troubleshooting guide. Crashing before you can log in? Boot Safe Mode first.

Symptoms

  • Blue screen reading PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA, sometimes with a filename underneath.
  • Crashes cluster around heavy RAM use — gaming, video export, many browser tabs.
  • Event Viewer logs Kernel-Power event 41 after each unexpected reboot.

Step 1: Note the Failing File

  1. Photograph the blue screen, or open Event Viewer → Windows Logs → System and look for BugCheck entries.
  2. If a .sys file is named, search it: nvlddmkm.sys is NVIDIA graphics, Netwtw*.sys is Intel Wi-Fi, ntfs.sys points at the disk, atikmdag.sys is AMD graphics.
  3. That file tells you which driver to attack in Step 3 instead of updating everything.

Step 2: Test Your RAM

Bad memory is the single most common cause of this stop code.

  1. Press Win + R, type mdsched.exe, and press Enter.
  2. Choose Restart now and check for problems and let both passes finish.
  3. Results appear as a notification, or in Event Viewer → Windows Logs → System under MemoryDiagnostics-Results.
  4. Any error means a bad stick. With two or more sticks, test one at a time in the same slot to find it.

For a stricter test, run MemTest86 from a USB drive overnight — it catches faults the Windows tool misses. If you recently enabled XMP or EXPO in BIOS, disable it and retest before you buy anything.

Step 3: Roll Back or Reinstall the Driver

  1. Right-click Start → Device Manager.
  2. Find the device from Step 1. Right-click → Properties → Driver tab.
  3. If Roll Back Driver is available and the crashes started after an update, use it.
  4. Otherwise download the current driver straight from NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, or your laptop maker — not Windows Update. See how to update outdated drivers.
  5. For graphics drivers specifically, remove the old one cleanly first: clean install GPU drivers with DDU.

Step 4: Repair Corrupted System Files

  1. Right-click Start → Terminal (Admin).
  2. Run: 
    sfc /scannow
  3. Then run: 
    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  4. Restart. Full walkthrough: repair Windows 11 with SFC and DISM.

Step 5: Turn Off Fast Startup

Fast Startup keeps a hibernated kernel image on disk. If that image is stale or the drive is flaky, you get this exact stop code on every boot.

  1. Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do.
  2. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
  3. Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) → Save changes.
  4. Restart and see whether the crashes stop.

Step 6: Check the Drive and Page File

  1. In Terminal (Admin), run: 
    chkdsk C: /f /r
    Accept the prompt to schedule it for the next restart, then reboot.
  2. Confirm the drive is healthy: check SSD and hard drive health.
  3. Reset virtual memory: Settings → System → About → Advanced system settings → Performance Settings → Advanced → Virtual memory Change → tick Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.

Step 7: Remove Third-Party Antivirus Temporarily

Security suites install filter drivers that sit between Windows and memory. A broken one produces this crash.

  1. Uninstall the third-party suite (use the vendor's own removal tool — a plain uninstall often leaves the driver behind).
  2. Reboot and run on Microsoft Defender for a day.
  3. If the crashes stop, reinstall the suite fresh or stay on Defender. See fix Windows Defender not working if Defender does not switch itself back on.

What Not to Do

  • Don't disable the page file. It does not prevent this crash and it breaks crash dumps you may need later.
  • Don't run registry "optimizers". They cannot fix a memory fault and routinely cause new ones.
  • Don't replace RAM before testing it. Half of these cases are a driver, not a stick.

Still Not Working?

If memory tests pass, drivers are current, and the crash persists, the fault is likely the storage controller or a deeper OS problem. Back up first, then try reinstalling Windows without losing data.

Related stop codes: MEMORY_MANAGEMENT, IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, and SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION.

Related guides