INVALID SOFTWARE INTERRUPT BSoD error on Windows 10/11 [Fix]

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Key notes

  • This Blue Screen of Death error called INVALID SOFTWARE INTERRUPT is caused by corrupt drivers or hardware.
  • Quickly get rid of the invalid software issue by installing and running a third-party system restoration program.
  • You could also run the System Troubleshooter, and perform SFC and DISM scans t let the OS solve the issue.
  • It is also recommended to update your Windows 10 and all of your drivers using a specialized third-party app.
fix for invalid software interrupt bsod

Computer errors are relatively common, and while certain errors are harmless, some errors, such as INVALID_SOFTWARE_INTERRUPT can cause major problems.

This error will crash Windows 10 and restart your PC, therefore it’s important that you know how to fix it. Thankfully, we included some great solutions in this article.

How do I fix INVALID SOFTWARE INTERRUPT BSoD error?

  1. Use a third-party BSoD fixer
  2. Run the BSOD Troubleshooter
  3. Download the latest Windows updates and update your drivers
  4. Run the SFC scan
  5. Run DISM
  6. Check the hard drive
  7. Remove your antivirus
  8. Perform clean boot and remove the problematic applications
  9. Reset Windows 10 and check your hardware

1. Use a third-party BSoD fixer

If you’re having trouble with your system files, and you keep getting BSoD errors that ruin your workflow, you can easily solve them by downloading a third-party BSoD fixer.

You won’t have to worry about diagnosing your PC and pinpointing the problem yourself. The software will scan your computer for you and make all the necessary changes to your files to restore them.

2. Run the BSOD Troubleshooter 

  1. Open the Settings app and go to the Update & Security section.
  2. Go to Troubleshoot.
  3. Select BSOD from the right pane and click Run the troubleshooter.INVALID SOFTWARE INTERRUPT Windows 10 error
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

The next thing we’re going to try is running Windows 10‘s built-in troubleshooter.

This tool can be used for addressing all kinds of different problems, including BSOD issues. So, it could also resolve the INVALID_SOFTWARE_INTERRUPT error.

3. Download the latest Windows updates and update your drivers

  1. Press the Windows Key + S.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Next, click on the Update & Security section.
  4. Choose Windows Update, then Check for updates.
  5. Now windows will automatically install any updates it finds.
  6. Let it run its course and follow any extra instructions.

Windows 10 has a few minor bugs and certain issues with some hardware and software, and sometimes these issues can cause Blue Screen of Death errors to appear.

To prevent errors such as INVALID_SOFTWARE_INTERRUPT from appearing, it’s recommended that you download the latest Windows 10 updates.

Windows updates offer new features, security improvements and various bug fixes, therefore it’s important that you download these updates if you want your PC to be safe, stable, and error-free.

In addition to downloading Windows updates, it’s just as important that you keep your drivers up to date. Outdated or buggy drivers cannot be used properly by your operating system.

In such cases you can encounter a BSoD error. To fix this problem, it’s highly recommended that you update your drivers.

Usually only one driver is causing this error, and with little research, you find the problematic driver and update it.

3.1 Update drivers automatically

Searching for drivers on your own can be time-consuming. So, we advise you to use a tool that will do this for you automatically. Using an automatic driver updater will certainly save you from the hassle of searching for drivers manually.

The software will always keep your system up to date with the latest drivers, so you won’t have to worry about driver-related problems or incompatibility issues.

⇒ Get Outbyte Driver Updater

4. Run the SFC scan

  1. Right-click on the Start Menu button, and open Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. Enter the following line and press Enter: sfc/scannowINVALID SOFTWARE INTERRUPT Windows 10 error
  3. Wait until the process is done (it may take a while).
  4. If the solution is found, it will automatically be applied.
  5. Now, close the Command Prompt and restart your computer.

The next troubleshooting tool we’re going to try is the SFC scan. This tool scans your computer through the Command Prompt for potential problems. If the solution is possible, the SFC scan will automatically resolve it.

5. Run DISM

  1. Right-click Start and open Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. Paste the following command and press Enter: DISM/Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealthINVALID SOFTWARE INTERRUPT Windows 10 error
  3. Wait until the scan is finished.
  4. Restart your computer and try updating again.

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool is another command-line troubleshooter.

But unlike the previous two, this one completely re-deploys the system image, which can lead to resolving various problems. Including the INVALID_SOFTWARE_INTERRUPT error (hopefully).

We walked you through both standard procedure above, and we’ll walk you though the procedure that utilizes the installation media below.

With the Windows installation media

  1. Insert your Windows installation media.
  2. Right-click the Start menu and, from the menu, choose the Command Prompt (Admin).
  3. In the command line, type the following commands and press Enter after each: dism/online/cleanup-image/scanhealth dism/online/cleanup-image/restorehealth
  4. Now, type the following command and press Enter: DISM/Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth/source:WIM:X:SourcesInstall.wim:1/LimitAccess
  5. Make sure to change an X value with the letter of the mounted drive with Windows 10 installation.
  6. After the procedure is finished, restart your computer.

6. Check the hard drive

  1. Enter the Advanced Startup (Restart your computer while holding the Shift key).
  2. Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options.
  3. Select Command Prompt from the list of options.
  4. When Command Prompt appears, enter the following lines and press Enter after each line in order to run it: bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd bootrec.exe/fixmbr bootrec.exe /fixbootINVALID SOFTWARE INTERRUPT Windows 10 error
  5. Some users are also suggesting that you need to run additional chkdsk commands as well.
    • To perform these commands, you need to know drive letters for all your hard drive partitions.
    • In Command Prompt you should enter the following (but remember to use the letters that match your hard drive partitions on your PC): chkdsk/r c: chkdsk/r d:INVALID SOFTWARE INTERRUPT Windows 10 error
    • This is just our example, so keep in mind that you have to perform chkdsk command for every hard drive partition that you have.
  6. Restart your computer afterward.

BSOD issues are quite common when there’s something wrong with your hard drive. So, we’re going to check your hard drive for potential problems.

To do that, you need to run the chkdsk command, which will scan all your partitions, and resolve potential problems, if possible.

7. Remove your antivirus

Although antivirus and firewall are important for your computer’s safety, sometimes antivirus programs can cause INVALID_SOFTWARE_INTERRUPT and other Blue Screen of Death errors to appear.

To fix this problem, it’s advised that you remove your currently installed antivirus program and check if that fixes the error.

Users reported that Avira antivirus was causing this error, but bear in mind that almost any antivirus program can cause this issue to appear, therefore we advise you to remove all third-party antivirus programs from your PC.

We have to mention that uninstalling your antivirus program might not fix this issue, therefore it’s recommended to use a dedicated removal tool.

Many antivirus programs tend to leave certain files and registry entries after you uninstall them, therefore it’s important to use a dedicated removal tool to remove all those files.

If you’re interesting in upgrading your current antivirus software, we suggest taking a look at our useful article containing the best choices on the market.

⇒ Get IObit Uninstaller

8. Perform a clean boot and remove the problematic applications

  1. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard.
  2. Enter msconfig and press Enter.
    invalid-software-interrupt-msconfig
    • The System Configuration window will now open.
  3. Choose Selective startup and uncheck Load startup items.
    invalid-software-interrupt-windows-configuration
  4. Now go to the Services tab, check the Hide all Microsoft services and click the Disable all button.
    invalid-software-interrupt-services
  5. Click Apply and OK to save changes.
  6. Now open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
  7. When Task Manager opens go to Startup tab, right-click each entry on the list and choose Disable from the menu.
    invalid-software-interrupt-Task-manager-disable
  8. After disabling all startup applications restart your PC.

Third-party applications can cause Blue Screen of Death errors to appear, and in order to fix this issue, it’s recommended that you find and remove the problematic applications.

Users reported that Folder Lock was causing this error, and after removing it, the issue was completely fixed.

Bear in mind that almost any third-party application can cause this error, and in order to find the problematic application, we advise that you perform clean boot by following these steps:

After your PC restarts, check if the error appears again. If there are no BSoD errors, it means that one of disabled services or applications was causing this error.

Now you need to repeat the same steps, but this time be sure to enable services and applications one by one until you find the one that is causing this error.

9. Reset Windows 10 and check your hardware

  1. Restart your computer a few times during the boot sequence to start Automatic Repair.
  2. Choose Troubleshoot > Reset this PC > Remove everything.
    • You might get asked to insert Windows 10 installation media, so be prepared to do so.
  3. Select Only the drive where Windows is installed > Just remove my files and click the Reset button.
  4. Follow the instructions to complete the reset.

If you can’t find the software that is causing this issue, you might want to perform Windows 10 reset.

It’s worth mentioning that this procedure will delete all files from your C partition, therefore we strongly suggest that you back up your important files.

In addition to backing up your files, you might also want to create a bootable USB flash drive with Media Creation Tool in order to perform Windows 10 reset.

After the reset process is completed, test your PC for a while. Don’t install any applications or drivers, just wait and see if the error appears without any third-party software installed.

If the error appears again, it means that your hardware is most likely faulty, therefore we suggest that you perform a detailed inspection of your hardware.

The INVALID_SOFTWARE_INTERRUPT error is usually caused by third-party applications, and you can easily fix it by finding and removing the problematic application.

Make sure you try all these solutions out and tell us which one worked for you in the comment section below.

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