How to Fix BSOD BAD_POOL_CALLER (0x000000C2)

By ErrorFix · Updated October 27, 2026 · 8 min read

What error 0x000000C2 means

Windows manages kernel memory in pools: blocks of memory that drivers allocate when they need working space and free when they are done. Every allocation is tracked, and the pool headers record which driver owns each block, how large it is, and what type of pool it belongs to. BAD_POOL_CALLER, stop code 0x000000C2, fires when the current thread makes a pool request that breaks those rules — freeing a block twice, freeing a block that was never allocated, freeing a block at the wrong interrupt level, or asking for a pool type that does not match how the memory will be used.

The reason Windows halts instead of carrying on is that a corrupted pool is contagious. If one driver frees memory that another driver still owns, the second driver will later write into memory that now belongs to something else, and the damage spreads silently until files are corrupted or the system becomes unstable in ways that are far harder to diagnose. The blue screen is therefore a protective stop: it freezes the system at the exact moment the bad request is detected, before the corruption can spread. That also means the fix is rarely about the pool itself. The pool is the victim, and the real job is finding the driver, the faulty RAM stick, or the filter program that issued the bad request in the first place.

Common causes

• A buggy or outdated driver: a graphics, network, storage, or chipset driver with a pool-handling bug — the most common cause, especially right after a driver update.
• Faulty RAM: a bad memory stick corrupts pool headers as they are written and read, producing crashes that look exactly like a driver bug.
• Antivirus or VPN filter drivers: filter drivers from security, VPN, firewall, or disk tools sit in the memory path and can issue invalid pool requests when outdated.
• Corrupted system files or driver store: damaged Windows files or a corrupted driver installation can make an otherwise good driver misbehave.
• Drive or file system damage: bad sectors and file system errors corrupt driver files and pool data as they are read from disk.

How to fix error 0x000000C2 — step by step

Work through these fixes in order, from least invasive to most. Step 1 gets you into a state where everything else can run safely, steps 2–4 resolve the large majority of cases, and steps 5–6 cover the stubborn ones.

1. Boot into Safe Mode and note what changed. BAD_POOL_CALLER usually appears right after a driver update, a new program install, or a hardware change, so think back to the last change before the first blue screen. From the login screen, hold Shift while clicking Power > Restart, then go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart and press 4 for Safe Mode. If Windows only reaches the blue screen, force the recovery screen by interrupting the boot three times in a row, powering off while the Windows logo shows. Safe Mode loads only essential drivers, so if the crashes stop there, a third-party driver is the prime suspect.
2. Update, roll back, or reinstall the suspect driver. Open Device Manager with Win + X > Device Manager, and look first at Display adapters, Network adapters, and any device with a yellow warning icon. Right-click the suspect device, choose Update driver, then Search automatically for drivers. If the crashes started right after an update, right-click the same device, choose Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver instead. A clean reinstall helps too: choose Uninstall device, restart the PC, and let Windows install a fresh copy of the driver.
3. Test your RAM with Windows Memory Diagnostic. Search the Start menu for Windows Memory Diagnostic, choose Restart now and check for problems, and let it complete at least one full pass. BAD_POOL_CALLER is a memory-management bug check, so a bad RAM stick is a strong suspect: corrupted pool headers in memory look exactly like a driver freeing the wrong block. If the tool reports hardware errors, test your sticks one at a time and replace the faulty one before chasing drivers any further.
4. Repair system files with DISM and SFC. In an elevated Command Prompt, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth first, then run sfc /scannow. On Windows 10 and Windows 11, DISM must run first because SFC pulls its repair sources from the component store that DISM fixes. Corrupted system files and a damaged driver store can make even a good driver behave badly, so this step rules out the operating system itself as the source of the bad pool request.
5. Check the drive with chkdsk. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run chkdsk C: /f /r, then restart to let the scan complete. A damaged file system can corrupt driver files and pool data as they are read from disk, producing a BAD_POOL_CALLER crash that looks like a driver bug. The /f flag fixes file system errors and /r finds bad sectors and recovers readable data. If chkdsk reports unrecoverable bad sectors, back up your data and replace the drive.
6. Remove the culprit program and roll back with System Restore. If the crashes started after installing a new antivirus, VPN, disk tool, or driver utility, uninstall it from Settings > Apps > Installed apps and see if the crashes stop. You can also clean-boot to confirm: search for msconfig, go to the Services tab, check Hide all Microsoft services, click Disable all, then open the Startup tab in Task Manager and disable all startup items. If nothing else helps, boot into recovery, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore, and pick a restore point dated before the first blue screen. As a last resort, go to Settings > System > Recovery and use Reset this PC, choosing Keep my files.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• PC boots into Safe Mode, and crashes stop there or a suspect driver is identified
• Suspect driver updated, rolled back, or cleanly reinstalled
• Windows Memory Diagnostic passed; DISM and SFC completed clean
• Culprit program uninstalled or System Restore point applied

If the blue screens continue after all six steps, check the minidump files for the faulting driver name: the crash dump usually names the driver that issued the bad pool request, and that name points straight at the vendor to update or remove. Overclocked RAM or an aggressive memory profile in the BIOS can also corrupt pool headers, so if you overclock, return memory timings to stock and test again. Crashes that survive repaired files, tested RAM, and rolled-back drivers point at hardware that is actively failing, so keep your backups current.