How we fixed Kernel Security Check Failure in 2019

By: Marian Cularea

▪ December 14, 2018 ▪

9 minute read

windows 10, Windows Kernel

Home » Fix » How we fixed Kernel Security Check Failure in 2019

10 quick solutions to fix Kernel Security Check Failure

Enable legacy advanced boot menu
Use System File Checker and Memory Diagnostic
Check the memory slot
Check your hard drive
Update your PC
Scan your PC
Check your disk for errors
Kernel Security Check Failure after overclock
Run System Restore
Run Safe Mode

If you are reading this article, it means that you have gotten the Kernel Security Check Failure Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error.

Many other users who upgraded their operating system to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 have experienced this issue.

Fortunately for you, by reading the lines below you will get a clue as why you have this issue and what you need to do to fix the “Kernel Security Check failure” BSOD on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.

The ‘Kernel Security Check Failure’ PC error can occur for various reasons like memory issues, virus infections, and more.

However, the most common reason is that the drivers you were using for the previous Windows version are not compatible with the new Windows version.

As a result, the OS gives you the ‘Kernel Security Check Failure’ error message followed by the 0x000000139 error code.

How to remove Kernel Security Check failure

In this article, we’ll explain why this issue occurs and how you can fix it.

There are two possibilities to this issue, either you can get into your Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 PC and from time to time you get the “Kernel Security Check failure” Blue Screen of Death, or you simply cannot log in to your operating system and your device gives you this error message every time you power it up.

If you cannot log in at all into Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 then follow the steps below:

The annoying Kernel Security Check Failure error also occurs in the following situations:

Kernel Security Check Failure after sleep — this error may occur after waking your PC from sleep.

I have an HP Envy laptop and sometimes when it wakes up from sleep I get a blue screen saying that a problem has occured, its collecting necessary information and gives me the error KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE. After it reaches 100% on collecting the info it seems to get stuck doing nothing and I am forced to hold the power button in order to turn the laptop off, then turn it on again.

Kernel Security Check Failure after RAM upgrade — users report that this error message sometimes occurs after they insert a new RAM memory card.

have just tried to upgrade the RAM on my laptop from 2x 2gb to 2x4gb.
when I install the RAM and boot start the computer I get the “KERNEL SECURITY CHECK FAILURE” message.
I have gone into the bios and it seems to recognize the new ram as it shows the computer as having 8gb of RAM but when booting up the failure screen comes up just after the windows logo fist appears. I have replaced the old RAM back in and it seems to start up fine. any ideas of what I could do to fix this issue?

Kernel Security Check Failure when playing games — if there is one thing that gamers hate, that is getting interrupted when playing their favorite games. If you’re a gamer, you probably already encountered this error quite a few times.

It had been working before, but recently, every time I try to run The Witcher 3 (just that game) I get the BSOD and informed of a KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE error.

Kernel Security Check Failure when using particular apps and programs — it seems that particular apps and programs trigger the kernel security error more frequently than others.

We’ve written extensively about Kernel security issues before. Bookmark this page in case you need it later.

Steps to fix Kernel Security Check errors

Solution 1— Enable legacy advanced boot menu

Restart your computer and insert a Windows 10 bootable media into the optical media drive. For more information on how to create a Windows 10 bootable media, check out this article.
On the displayed Windows Setup box, click Next
On the next page, click Repair your computer
On the ‘Choose an option’ screen, click Troubleshoot
Click ‘Advanced options’
Now select Command Prompt
On the newly opened Command Prompt window, type C: and hit Enter.
On C: prompt, type the following command and press Enter to enable legacy advanced boot menu:
- BCDEDIT /SET {DEFAULT} BOOTMENUPOLICY LEGACY
Once the command executes successfully, type EXIT to close the Command Prompt window.
Go back to the ‘Choose an option’ screen, click Continue and start your computer normally.

If this didn’t help, use the solution below.

Solution 2 — Use System File Checker and Memory Diagnostic

If your Windows 10 fails to start correctly, go to Settings , select Advabced Startup open the ‘See advanced repair options’ menu
In the new window, left click or tap on Troubleshoot
Go to Advanced Options and click or tap on Startup Settings.
Left click the Restart button located in the lower right side of the screen.
Your operating system should boot with the minimum system requirements.
When your PC has booted, move the mouse over to the upper right side of the window.
Left click the Search feature located in the menu.
In the search box, type cmd.
Launch Command Prompt as a Administrator.
Type the following command: sfc /scannow and hit Enter.
Wait until the scanning process completes. Type ‘Exit’ to close the Command Prompt window and hit Enter.
Move the mouse cursor again over to the upper right side of the screen.
Go to the Search feature.
In the search box, type memory and select Windows Memory Diagnostic
Run as administrator and select ‘Restart now and check for problems’
After reboot, the OS will automatically check your RAM memory and display the possible reasons as to why you get the Blue Screen of Death error.
Reboot your PC normally.
Check to see if the Kernel Security Check Failure BSOD error persists.

Learn everything about System File Checker and your nightmare with Windows errors will end!

Solution 3 — Check the memory slot

Don’t forget to check the memory slot to make sure it’s properly placed into the socket and functioning correctly.

Note: It is always a safe bet to try and replace the memory slot or change the slot in which it is plugged into the motherboard. Reboot your PC to see if the issue persists.

Solution 4 — Check your hard drive

Make sure that your hard drive functions correctly. More specifically, make sure that it is plugged in correctly into your device. If you have a spare hard drive, try changing it to see if it starts correctly.

Now, if your operating system starts and only gives you this Kernel Security Check Failure error occasionally, continue with the following steps below.

Solution 5 — Update your PC

Make sure that you’re running the latest Windows OS updates on your machine. As a quick reminder, Microsoft constantly rolls out Windows updates in order to improve the system’s stability and fix various issues.

To access the Windows Update section, you can simply type “update” in the search box. This method works on all Windows versions. Then go to Windows Update, check for updates and install the available updates.

Solution 6 — Scan your PC

Run a full system scan to detect and remove any virus or malware that potentially sneaked into your PC. Malware may cause various issues on your computer, including the Kernel Security Check Failure error.

Perform a full system scan in order to detect any malware running on your computer. You can use Windows’ built-in antivirus, Windows Defender, or third-party antivirus solutions.

We recommend Bitdefender – rated as Nr. 1 world’s best Antivirus it will find all the malware on your PC and completely eliminate the threats.

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Here’s how to run a full system scan on Windows 10 Creators Update:

Go to Start > type ‘defender’ > double click Windows Defender to launch the tool
In the left hand pane, select the shield icon
In the new window, click the Advanced scan option
Check the full scan option to launch a full system malware scan.

Note: If the antivirus cannot remove the malware it detected, first you should try installing a different antivirus to see if it works.

If it does not, then you will most likely have to restore your operating system to a point where you did not had this issue or completely reinstall the operating system.

Solution 7 — Check your disk for errors

On Windows 10, you can run a disk check using Command Prompt.

Start Command Prompt as administrator and type the chkdsk C: /f command followed by Enter. Replace C with the letter of your hard drive partition.

As a quick reminder, if you do not use the /f parameter, chkdsk displays a message that the file needs to be fixed, but it does not fix any errors. The chkdsk D: /f command detects and repairs logical issues affecting your drive.

To repair physical issues, run the /r parameter as well.

Note: This process can be time consuming. Depending on the hard drive’s memory, it can go between half an hour and two hours before it is done.

This guide will help you become an expert on repairing hard drive errors!

Solution 8 — Kernel Security Check Failure after overclock

If you overclocked your PC, this may explain why you’re experiencing Kernel Security Check Failure errors. Revert your PC to its default configuration and uninstall any overclocking software running on it.

Then restart your device to see if the error persists.

Solution 9 — Run System Restore

If the problem started recently, run System Restore. If this issue occurred after you installed new software on your computer, this tool helps you to remove recently added apps and programs.

The System Restore option allows you to restore the previous well-performing system configuration without losing any files, except for a few customizable features and settings.

Windows 10 offers a series of advanced recovery option that allows users to clean install the OS. You can also use ‘Reset this PC’ recovery option.

1. Go to Settings > Update & Security > click on Recovery under the left pane.
2. Click on Get Started under Reset this PC > choose to Keep your files.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reset.

System Restore fails to extract the original copy? Learn how to solve the issue with this guide!

Solution 10 — Run Safe Mode

If you don’t want to reset your computer, you can try to boot your computer in Safe Mode in order to identify if there are any apps or software that are causing this problem.

For a step-by-step guide on how to enable Safe Mode, go to Microsoft’s support page.

If the problem doesn’t occur in Safe Mode, this indicates the problem is indeed triggered by an app or software.

Enable your programs one by one in order to identify the culprit. Once you’ve done that, you can uninstall the problematic software.

The steps above showed you how to fix the “Kernel Security Check failure” error message on your Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 PC.

However, if there is a hardware failure of the HDD or the RAM memory in your device, you will most likely have to replace it with a new one.

Save your computer with one of these hardware diagnostic tools for Windows 10!

If you have any additional questions regarding this subject, please don’t hesitate to write us in the comments section below and we will help you further as soon as possible.

Here are some other similar problems that we’ve talked about in the past and you might be interested in:

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October, 2017 and has been since completely revamped and updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness. Thus, this article contains up-to date information to reflect solutions available in 2019 to fix one of the most annoying BSODs in Windows 10.