14 DAY TRIAL // The first service pack for Windows 7 will fix an issue which causes the operating system to crash with a blue screen of death (BSOD) during start-up, Microsoft confirmed. The problem impacts customers running the RTM Build of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, according to the software giant.
But it appears that all that users need to do is upgrade to Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 in order to resolve "STOP: 0x0000006B" BSOD crashes during boot.
“The computer crashes during the startup process before you are prompted for user credentials. Additionally, you receive a Stop error message that resembles the following: STOP: 0x0000006B (Parameter1, Parameter2, Parameter3, Parameter4) PROCESS1_INITIALIZATION_FAILED,” Microsoft said.
“The four parameters in the Stop error message may vary, depending on the configuration of the computer.”
Microsoft has already identified the source of the problem, and revealed that the Bootcat.cache file is at fault.
There are two scenarios in which Windows 7 can crash during startup, one involving a corrupted Bootcat.cache file, and the other related to the size of the file having been modified in comparison to what it was when users last booted their computer successfully.
Since there’s no update and no hotfix designed to fix the "STOP: 0x0000006B" BSOD boot crashes, SP1 is the only way to actually implement a resolve from Microsoft.
There is a workaround however, which the software giant detailed in KB981833:
“To work around this issue, start the computer from the disc drive or from the USB drive by using the Windows installation media. Delete the Bootcat.cache file, and then restart the computer.”
Users will be able to find the Bootcat.cache in %SystemRoot%\system32\codeintegrity, according to the software giant.
Still, personally I’d advise those affected by this issue to upgrade to Windows 7 SP1 instead of deploying the workaround.
Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) RTM Build 7601.17514.101119-1850 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) RTM are available for download here.
Windows 7 RTM Enterprise 90-Day Evaluation is available for download here.