While Windows 10 is a surprisingly stable operating system compared to older releases (Windows Me, anyone?), It is in no way buggy. Any computer system can crash or crash from time to time, and Windows is no exception. For most Windows users, this is often combined with a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).
BSOD errors often have names that are difficult to decipher, and the unexpected store exception error is one example of this. Unfortunately, there is no single or obvious reason for this kind of BSOD. That said, if you’re trying to fix the unexpected storage exclusion error in Windows 10, here are some common fixes you can try.
What causes an unexpected Store exception error in Windows 10?
Trying to determine what caused the BSOD error is not the easiest process, but unexpected storage exclusion errors are most often caused by hardware failures, such as a faulty hard drive or video card, or other critical hardware components in your PC, such as system memory.
Users on support forums, Reddit and elsewhere have mentioned hard drive failures as one of the main causes of these kinds of errors. However, hardware failures are not always the cause of this error, as other users assume that major system or driver updates are the cause in many cases.
Whether it’s a hardware glitch or a software conflict, there are several common fixes that you can try before thinking about replacing your computer. We’ve compiled these fixes below for you to try.
Check Your System Hardware
An unexpected BSOD store exception may not have an obvious cause, but as we mentioned, hardware failures are one of the main causes on the internet. This is why it is important to check your system hardware first if you see errors like this one.
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You should check your hard drive for errors to see if this is the cause. If so, quickly back up your files, because in the event of a system disk failure, you will have to try to extract files from the dead disk, which is not an easy process and will likely fail.
Be sure to test other components of your system as well. Graphics cards and system memory can also cause this BSOD error to appear, so check for bad memory with tools like memtest, or use software like FurMark to test your graphics card.
Search for Corrupted System Files
If you have checked your hardware and are sure there are no glitches or problems, an unexpected storage exclusion error could point to another likely scenario: corrupted system files.
You can quickly check this by using the Windows built-in System File Checker (sfc) command from an elevated PowerShell terminal or from the command line. The instructions below are for using PowerShell to do this, but will work for cmd as well.
- Open a PowerShell window by right-clicking the Start menu and choosing PowerShell (Admin). After PowerShell opens, type sfc / scannow and press Enter to start scanning.
- Windows will scan your computer after a while. The sfc tool should automatically fix any issues it finds, but you may need to press Y to accept any requests before the process completes.
Run Disk Checkup
Another useful tool to try, especially if the sfc command is showing no problems, is to run the chkdsk utility. Like the System File Checker tool, chkdsk allows you to scan your system drive for errors.
If you suspect minor bugs on your hard drive are causing BSODs like this, then chkdsk is a good startup tool as it can often help fix your filesystem, bypass bad sectors, and more. Like sfc, you can run chkdsk from PowerShell or a Command Prompt window with administrator rights.
- To do this, right-click the Start menu and select PowerShell (Admin) to launch it. In the PowerShell window, enter chkdsk / r to schedule a scan, then press Y to confirm.
The chkdsk tool works like a scan at boot, which means you need to restart your computer and let it scan the drive before Windows boots to avoid conflicts. If any problems are found, chkdsk should fix them and then automatically boot into Windows as soon as the process is complete.
Check for Windows and Driver Updates
System conflicts causing BSODs can also be the result of outdated drivers or software. If you see unexpected store code exception errors on your computer, you can check for Windows updates as well as look for any available driver updates for your hardware.
Windows software and driver updates often contain important fixes and improvements for your computer that can prevent such BSOD errors from occurring. You can check for Windows and driver updates from the Windows Settings menu.
- To open this menu, right-click the start menu icon and select the Settings option. From here, click Update & Security> Download (or Download and Install) to begin downloading and installing all updates listed as available.
You may also need to check manufacturers websites for the latest updates, especially if you are using NVIDIA graphics cards (or similar brands) for which driver updates are more common.
Reset or reinstall Windows 10
If you’ve tried everything else, a last-minute attempt to reset or reinstall Windows can sometimes fix underlying issues with your system’s configuration that you couldn’t previously diagnose.
Unlike older versions of Windows, you can now quickly reset Windows to default settings without having to go through a full disk cleanup and reinstall (although this option remains available).
- If you want to reset Windows, open Windows Settings by right-clicking the Start menu and choosing Settings. From the Settings menu, choose Update & Security> Recovery> Get Started.
- You can keep your files (click “Keep my files” to do this) or clear your hard drive and start over (click “Delete all” instead).
Once you make your choice, Windows will begin the reset process. You may need to accept or confirm further steps, but after completing the process, you will find that many of the most common problems need to be resolved.
Fix common Windows 10 BSOD errors
Don’t panic when an unexpected store exception error appears on your computer. By using the steps above, you can (in most cases) get Windows back up and running. Similar steps can fix other BSODs as well, such as Windows Stop Code Memory Management BSOD error caused by memory issues.
If you are struggling to fix the BSOD error problem, you may need to locate and analyze the BSOD dump files first. However, sometimes there are no easy fixes, and only resetting Windows 10 can fix the problem (other than replacing the hardware). A fresh install may take a while, but if you have no options, this might be the best way to fix your PC.
If you have any fixes of your own that you would like to share, please leave them in the comments section below.
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