System Thread Exception Not Handled - Multiple errors/Blue screen technical issue

Question

Hi,

My Lenovo ideapad (Windows 10) laptop has restarted approximately 5 times today completely out of nowhere and kept showing a blue screen with the following message:

Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart. We're just collecting some error info, and then we'll restart for you.

Stop code: SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED

The messages have then differed each time it has restarted, where the 'what failed' section has either been:

• mfehidk.sys
• wdiwifi.sys or
• no 'what failed' message provided

I haven't done any updates recently and everything has been working as normal up until today so I'm not sure what has changed to cause this to happen.

I've been panicking quite a bit about this as a number of important documents are on my laptop and I use it for work, so this is obviously a huge inconvenience and I could do with it being fixed straight away. However, I've tried looking up the solution and there are so many different articles and videos saying different things on how to fix the problem that I'm feeling rather overwhelmed (I'm not the best at technology!) and I'm very cautious about trying to fix it a certain way and then making matters even worse or accidentally deleting any files from my hardrive.

Please could you let me know the following:

• What the 'mfehidk.sys' and 'wdiwifi.sys' codes mean? I'm assuming these are drives that I need to update or uninstall?
• How to stop the rebooting/blue screen appearing and get my laptop working back to normal - are there basic step-by-step instructions on how to resolve this issue?

I was also having problems with my Downloads folder this morning - it was unresponsive and kept crashing whenever I tried opening it (which is strange as there were hardly any files in that folder). I'm not sure if this is related to the 'system thread exception/blue screen' problem or just completely coincidental and just another issue I'll need to fix?

Any advice would be very much appreciated as I'm quite stressed by this and eager to get back to my laptop, carry on with my work and back up all my important files!

Many thanks for your help,

Annabel

Answer 1

If your PC can support Windows 11 I think it's better that you upgrade. your personal files, apps, and settings are not going to be removed.

Answer 2

Hi Paul,

Please don't apologise, I really appreciate all your help with this!

a)

Thanks, I will probably stick to Windows Defender and just hope I can get a refund on my McAfee package!

b)

Thank you - it's strange because my laptop has been functioning fine now since I posted my previous message this morning. It immediately rebooted with 'wdiwifi.sys' almost immediately after I'd restarted my laptop after uninstalling McAfee but since then has been fine, so I'm just wondering if it was a blip related to the McAfee stuff, as now it all seems to be functioning and has been for a number of hours?

If, however, the error occurs again with the 'wdiwifi.sys' code, at least I now know what to do so thank you - I'm assuming the four points you've mentioned are four different options to try rather than four steps to all do?

I haven't updated my laptop to Windows 11 yet, do you think this would help and would you recommend? I'm always cautious about any system updates/changes as I don't want to risk losing any files or changing my current settings.

Sorry if these are all silly questions - as I'd mentioned in my original post, technology isn't my strong suit!

Thanks again for all your help,

Annabel

Answer 3

Sorry for the late reply.

A. 3rd-party Antivirus is one of the most common causes of BSOD error. I suggest that you rely on the built-in Antivirus which is Windows Defender.

B. The file "wdiwifi.sys" is related to the WIFI.

I suggest that you try the following.

1. Install the latest Windows updates.
2. Update or Rollback the WIFI driver in the Device Manager.

Open Device Manager >> click Network Adapters >> right- click your WIFI driver >> click Update Driver.

If the system says that you have the latest driver installed. Try to Roll back the driver. Right-click your WIFI driver >> click Properties >> click Driver tab >> click Roll back driver.

3. Uninstall the currently installed WIFI driver then download and install the available driver from the PC manufacturer's website.
4. Run Windows troubleshooter.

Open Settings >> Update and Security >. Troubleshoot >> click Network Adapter >> click Run the troubleshooter.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and keep me posted.

Answer 4

Hi Paul,

Thanks again for your help.

I re-downloaded McAfee yesterday evening in the hope that it would be a more up-to-date version of the software and so wouldn't crash. This seemed absolutely fine and I used my laptop for three hours last night without a problem at all.

However, when I logged back onto my laptop this morning the blue screen of death appeared again after just 10 minutes with the same 'mfehidk.sys' error code. I then deleted McAfee again and restarted my laptop but quickly after I'd restarted my laptop it came up with another BSOD with the 'wdiwifi.sys' error code this time, which I'm confused by as I'd hoped that getting rid of McAfee again would solve the problem.

Please could you advise on:

• a) Will I ever be able to use McAfee software again? I paid quite a bit for my subscription and feel uncomfortable using my laptop without it being protected from viruses etc. Do you know if there's a solution for this i.e. do I need to update Windows or something on my laptop, or is it a matter I'll have to contact McAfee about?
• b) Do you know why the BSOD occured after I uninstalled McAfee again, and what the 'wdiwifi.sys' error code means?

Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it.

Annabel