How to Fix “Page Fault in Non Paged Area” Error in Windows 10

The Page Fault in Non paged area is a fatal error and can lead to Blue Screen of Death(BSOD). If the system lands on BSOD it becomes very difficult to troubleshoot and fix the error. This error occurs when Windows fails to find a file that is important for the Windows OS to continue executing the process it was running. As we know BSOD is a fatal system error and this error must be fixed as soon as possible. So in this article, we will see about the page_fault_in_nonpaged_area and the possible solutions to fix this error.

But before we jump on to the solutions there is a concept that you must know to understand and apply the solutions better. Also, we will see the causes for this error. So, Stay Tuned!!!

What is Page File and Non paged area?

Let us look at an example to understand what is a file.

We know that there are different types of memory on a computer i.e. Main Memory(RAM), Hard drive(ROM), Cache memory, etc. We will focus on Ram and Rom for our example.

Ram is a volatile memory that means it temporarily stores data onto its memory and erases it as soon as the system is shut whereas ROM is a non-volatile memory i.e. it permanently stores data onto its memory.  So, when we run a process(for eg an application) stored in our hard drive, only those data that are necessary to run the process are loaded in the Main Memory. But if the data exceeds the size of the Ram then the exceeded data that is not actively used are stored in a “Page file”. The page file is a location on the hard drive that acts as an additional Ram for the system. When the process requires any data from the page file then the data in Ram is swapped with the data in the Page file. In this way, large processes are executed in a computer with low Ram.

The Non-paged area is a part of memory that contains data that is essential for the system to run. As this data is critical for running the system and it is always required, the data is kept constantly in the Ram in the non-page area rather than swapping it back and forth from the page file.

The page fault in non-paged area error occurs when the Windows operating system cannot find the data that must be stored in the Non-paged area.

What are the causes for the Page fault in Nonpaged area?

Mostly, bad Main memory(RAM) is the reason behind the error page fault in nonpaged area in Windows 10. But sometimes there are other factors responsible for the error. Let us see a few of them

Drivers: A faulty or a bad driver can also be the reason for the page_fault_in_nonpaged_area error. So, you must keep your drivers updated to the latest version.

Corrupted Hardware: A corrupted hardware component like the hard drive can cause the system to throw page fault in nonpaged area error.

Antivirus: The third-party antivirus installed on the system can also be the main culprit behind this error.

Now, that we know the causes let us see the solutions that we can apply to fix this error.

Related: What is pagefile.sys & Is it safe to remove it from system

How to fix the page fault in non paged area in Windows 10:

There are two scenarios with this error. In the first scenario, the error causes BSOD, and Windows cannot start. In such a case, you must boot the system into safe mode or use the Automatic Repair/Advanced  Startup Screen. If the system is not booting into safe mode then you must use a bootable USB/DVD for Windows installation. As the system has crashed and will need a new Windows OS

In the second scenario, the page fault in non paged area error causes BSOD but between the crashes, the system can start Windows. In that case here are few solutions to troubleshoot the page fault in non paged area error.

• Check for Driver updates
• Check disk for errors
• Adjust the paging file
• Check system files
• Remove the newly installed software
• Run the Windows Memory Diagnostics tool

Let us see each of the solutions in detail

#1 Check for Driver updates:

As we know that faulty drivers can cause the system to throw the page fault in non paged area error and crash. So to fix it we must update the drivers installed on the system. If the error displays which driver is causing the error then you just update that driver. If you can’t find the exact driver responsible for the error then you must update all the drivers. It will not take much time. Also, here are the steps to update the faulty drivers:

1. Press Windows + R and type “devmgmt.msc” and hit enter. It will open the device manager window
2. Here, you will find all the hardware components of the system.
3. Click on the drop-down arrow in front of the components. It will display all the drivers related to that hardware component.
4. Right-click on each driver and select the option update driver to update them.
5. Repeat the steps for each hardware component and restart the computer.

#2 Check disk for errors:

A corrupted NTFS volume can also trigger the page_fault_in _nonpaged area error in Windows 10. So, here are the methods to fix it

1. Go to search and open the command prompt, as Administrator.
2. In the command prompt window type the command “chkdsk /f /r” and hit enter.
3. Wait for the scan to complete.
4. If there is an error in the disk it will detect and repair it automatically.

#3 Adjust the paging file:

The system would throw an error if the size of the paging file is less than the requirement. So, you must keep “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives”. If you have disabled the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives then you must keep the page file size according to the requirement. Here are the steps to do it:

1. Right-click on This PC and click on the properties option.
2. In that, click on the Advanced system settings option from the left navigation pane. It will open the system properties window
3. Here, click on the settings button in the performance section under the Advanced tab
4. In the performance options window click on the Advanced tab and then click on the change button under the Virtual Memory
5. Here, select the checkbox that says Automatically manage paging file size for all drives and restart your computer.
6. If the error is not resolved then you can disable the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” option manually set the page size. Note that the size of the page must be more than the recommended.

#4 Check system files:

If the above must do not help you fix the error then you must check for corrupted system files. A corrupted system file can also be responsible for the page fault in non paged area error.  Windows has an in-built system file checker that scans and restores the corrupted Windows system files. Follow the below steps to scan the system files.

1. Firstly, open the command prompt as administrator
2. Next, type the commands “sfc/scannow” and hit enter
3. Wait for the system to complete the scanning process.
4. Lastly, restart your computer and check if the error is resolved

#5 Remove the newly installed software:

If you started facing the page_fault_in_nonpaged_area error after installing a particular software then you must uninstall it immediately. Because it can be the real culprit behind the error.

You can uninstall it through the control panel. Just open the control panel >>click on uninstall a program >>locate the software and right-click on it>>Click on the uninstall button

The third-party antiviruses installed on your system can also be the reason for the page_fault_in_nonpaged_area error in your Windows 10 computer. So, if you have installed any third-party application that is not so trustworthy you must remove it from the system.

#6 Run the Windows Memory Diagnostics tool:

You can also use the Windows memory diagnostic tool to detect the cause for the error page_fault_in_nonpaged_area in Windows 10. Here are the steps to run the tool:

1. Firstly open the control panel.
2. Next, in the search box type “memory”
3. Click on the “Diagnose your computer’s memory problems”
4. Lastly, tap on the Restart now and check for problems.’
5. The system will scan for the errors and restart.
6. You can use the Event Viewer under the System log to see the scan results.

Wrapping up:

If all the above methods do not help you fix the page_fault_in_nonpaged_area then you must check the RAM. Maybe it is the cause for the error.

So in this article, we have covered all the points related to the error page fault in non paged area in Windows 10. We discussed the causes and the possible solutions to fix this error. Hope, the above methods helped you fix this error on your system.