Fixing BSOD Error atikmdag.sys on Windows 10

 “There is a powerful driving force inside every human being that,

once unleashed, can make any vision, dream, or desire a reality.”

— Anthony Robbins

The blue screen of death (BSOD) is one of the most feared computer errors. When users encounter this error, they have nightmares and try to solve it as fast as possible. BSOD is one of the most persistent computer errors especially in Windows operating systems. Users encountered it in Windows 7, 8 and 10. Microsoft has tried to solve this problem by providing regular updates, but the problem still persists. Don’t worry, we are here to help you solve this error. We will use a systematic approach to find the root of the problem.

There are several reasons for the BSOD error. In this article, we are going to be talking about one of the causes of the blue screen of death (Error atikmdag.sys on Windows 10). Before we begin talking about this error, we will define what atkmdag.sys is.  This is a Timeout, Detection, and Recovery components of Windows. It is there to help stop BSODs by resetting the GPU and/or driver when there is an issue of long delay. If problems occur too many times in a row, a blue screen of death occurs. It is often triggered by a faulty, incompatible or corrupt graphic driver. Users who have encountered this problem reported that it occurred after they upgraded their system or after the drivers were updated.

Luckily, the BSOD shows us the faulty or corrupt file. This helps us narrow our search and gives us a hint on the corrupt file or program. There are several methods to fix this:

1. Run automatic repair of Windows.
2. Update Display card and chipset drivers.
3. Replace atikmpag.sys or atikmdag.sys file.

Method 1. Run automatic repair of windows.

This method will fix booting up, BSOD, drivers, windows update, and corrupt windows files issues. There are two ways to this:

1. The desktop method.
2. Right-click on the Start or Home button and select Settings.
3. In the Settings panel, select Update and Security.
4. In the next window, select Recovery.
5. Under Advanced start-up option, click on Restart now.
6. When the PC has restarted, it will display the Choose an option screen.
7. On this screen, select Troubleshoot.
8. On the next screen, click on Advanced options.
9. In the Advanced options screen, select Start-up Repair.
10. Windows will now begin the repair process.

You can also repeat the steps above but on the Troubleshoot screen, select Reset this PC. With this option, you need to have an installation disk or USB. This will reset your PC to its original state. You should be careful when using this option because you may lose important files and programs on your computer.

Method 2. Update your drivers. Especially the graphics driver.

You need to first uninstall the currently installed drivers. After you log in, press

windows key + R. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter adapters in the left pane.

1. Double-click on Display adapters.
2. Right-click on your video adapter and click Uninstall.
3. This will uninstall the driver completely from your system.
4. Repeat the process if you have more than two display adapters installed.

Now, download and installAuslogics driver updater. This will automatically find and download the latest drivers for your computer. You could also update your drivers by using the following steps:

1. Click on the Start or Home button. In the search box, type Device Manager.
2. Click on Device Manager on the Start menu to open its window. Or you could right-click on the My Computer icon on the Desktop and select properties. In the next window select Device Manager.
3. Now, right-click on the problematic driver and select Properties.
4. Go to the Driver tab to check for the driver version. With this information, go to the manufacturer website of the device and download and install the latest version of the driver.

If you have AMD Catalyst™ Control Center installed on your PC, you will have to uninstall it too. Press

Windows key + R. In the run dialog type appwiz.cpl and hit Enter.

In the list of programs, find AMD Catalyst™ Control Center. Right-click onAMD Catalyst™ Control Center and click

Uninstall. Follow the on-screen instructions to remove it.

To get the latest Intel Integrated drivers for your computer, you can use automated tools to check for latest driver updates for your system. Download the tool fromhere. Then run it.

Follow the instructions to install the tool. After the installation is done, click on the Launch button to start the tool.

After scanning, the tool will show you all the outdated or absent drivers. It will download and install them.

After the installation, a restart maybe required.

Method 3. Replace ATIKMPAG.SYS

If the above methods fail, try to replace the file “atikmpag.sys or atikmdag.sys”, the error code displayed in the blue screen of death, with a new one.

1. Find and download the latest version of ATI/AMD graphics card driver. You can do so with Auslogics Driver Updater.
2. Go to “C:\Windows\System32\drivers” and find the atikmdag.sys (or atikmpag.sys) file. Rename it as atikmdag.sys.old (or atikmpag.sys.old)

Copy the file to the desktop.

3. Go to ATI directory in C:\ATI and find the file atikmdag.sy_ or atikmpag.sy_.

If it is not in this folder, type the name of the file into the search box in the Start menu.

1. ClickStart or Home. Type cmd and click Command Prompt.
2. In the command prompt window, type chdir desktop and hit Enter to move the directory to your Desktop.
3. Type expand.exe atikmdag.sy_ atikmdag.sys and hit Enter on the keyboard.

Or type expand -r atikmdag.sy_ atikmdag.sys and hit Enter.

1. When the expansion is done, copy the new atikmdag.sys file from your Desktop to C:\Windows\System32\Drivers folder.
2. Restart your computer and check if the issue is resolved.

I hope that you were able to find a solution to your atikmdag.sys blue screen in windows 10. Share this article with others who encounter similar problems.

Do you have any ideas or questions regarding this issue?

We are looking forward to your comments!