Event Viewer isn’t a list of things you “must fix.”; it’s a log of conversations Windows is having with itself—and sometimes arguing about.
When performance problems happen, Windows usually tells you what failed, when, and why. The trick is understanding which errors matter and what a fix actually changes, so you’re not randomly running commands.
This guide breaks down the most common Windows 11 Event Viewer errors, what they really mean in plain English, and what your fix will actually do to your system.
Before You Start: Open Event Viewer the Right Way
- Press Windows + X
- Click Event Viewer
- Expand Windows Logs
- Click System and Application
👉 We’re focusing on Errors and Critical entries. Warnings can wait.
If you want a full walkthrough on how to identify performance-related issues first, see:
👉 [ How to Find Out Why Windows 11 Is Slow Using Event Viewer (Before You Try to Fix Anything) ]
(This article is meant to follow that one.)
1. Disk Errors (Event ID 7, 51, 153)
What does the error mean
These errors come from Windows’ storage stack. They indicate that Windows tried to read or write data and failed, then had to retry.
- Event ID 7 → Windows found a bad sector
- Event ID 51 → A write was delayed or retried
- Event ID 153 → The storage device didn’t respond in time
What’s happening in the background
When Windows can’t read data immediately, it:
- Pauses the requesting app
- Retries the operation
- Logs the delay
Multiply that across thousands of reads and your system feels “slow” even if CPU and RAM look fine.
How to fix and how to fix and why the fix works
Running:
chkdsk /f /rdoes three things:
- Scans for corrupted file system entries
- Marks bad sectors so Windows stops using them
- Forces Windows to rebuild disk metadata
Updating storage drivers ensures Windows is communicating with the drive correctly, not retrying due to driver bugs.
What improves
✔ App loading
✔ File access
✔ Overall responsiveness
⚠ If errors keep returning, performance won’t fully recover—this points to hardware degradation.
2. Service Control Manager Errors (Event ID 7000, 7001, 7023)
What does the error mean
Windows tried to start a background service and failed.
- 7000 → Service failed to start
- 7001 → Dependency service failed
- 7023 → Service exited with an error
What’s happening in the background
Services are started:
- At boot
- When needed by other components
- Repeatedly if Windows thinks they’re required
When a service fails, Windows doesn’t give up—it keeps trying. That wastes:
- CPU cycles
- Disk access
- Boot time
How to fix and why the fix works
- Disabling unused or orphaned services stops Windows from retrying endlessly
sfc /scannowrepairs the system files that those services depend on
You’re not “optimizing”—you’re removing a failure loop.
What improves
✔ Boot speed
✔ Background CPU usage
✔ System stability
⚠ Disabling the wrong service can break features, which is why identification matters.
3. Application Hang Errors (Event ID 1002)
What does the error mean?
Windows detected an application:
- Stopped responding to input
- Failed to complete a task within a time threshold
What’s happening in the background
The app is stuck waiting for:
- Disk access
- Network response
- A blocked thread
Windows keeps it alive in case it recovers, which means resources remain allocated.
How to fix and why the fix works
- Updating or reinstalling the app removes corrupted files
- Disabling startup overlays and helpers reduces resource contention
- Reducing startup load ensures the app gets resources when it launches
You’re eliminating the conditions that cause the app to stall.
What improves
✔ Multitasking
✔ Memory availability
✔ App reliability
4. DistributedCOM Errors (Event ID 10016)
What does the error mean
A Windows component attempted to launch another component without the required permission.
What’s happening in the background
Windows uses strict permission models. Sometimes:
- A component requests access
- Windows denies it
- Windows logs it
- Windows continues anyway
No retries. No slowdown loop.
Why most fixes don’t help
Registry permission edits don’t:
- Improve performance
- Stop retries (because there aren’t any)
- Fix instability
Microsoft intentionally allows these to log without consequence.
What improves
✔ Nothing performance-related
✔ Your peace of mind if you stop touching it 😄
5. Kernel-Power Errors (Event ID 41)
What does the error mean
Windows was not informed of a proper shutdown.
It does not mean:
- Windows caused the crash
- A power button was pressed (necessarily)
What’s happening in the background
Something cut power or forced a reset:
- Driver crash
- Power delivery issue
- Thermal shutdown
- Sleep/hibernate failure
How to fix and why the fix works
- Disabling Fast Startup prevents corrupted hibernation states
- Updating chipset/GPU drivers removes low-level instability
- Checking thermals ensures hardware isn’t self-protecting
You’re stabilizing the system at the lowest level, not “speeding it up.”
What improves
✔ Stability
✔ Data integrity
✔ Long-term reliability
6. Driver Load Failures (Event ID 219)
What does the error mean
A driver failed to initialize during startup or device connection.
What’s happening in the background
Windows:
- Tries to load the driver
- Fails
- Falls back to generic handling
- Logs the failure
This can happen every boot.
How to fix and why the fix works
- Installing correct OEM drivers ensures proper initialization
- Removing unused devices stops Windows from attempting to load broken drivers
- Updating firmware fixes device-side handshake failures
You’re stopping Windows from retrying the same failure every session.
What improves
✔ Boot consistency
✔ Device reliability
✔ Background overhead
The Core Rule: Fix Loops, Not Logs
A single error is just information.
A repeating error is wasted work.
If Windows keeps retrying something that will never succeed, performance suffers—not because your PC is weak, but because it’s busy failing.
Event Viewer helps you break those loops.
QUICK DECISION TABLE
| Error Type | Repeating? | Slowness? | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disk / I/O | Yes | Yes | Fix immediately |
| Service failures | Yes | Yes | Fix |
| Driver load | Yes | Sometimes | Fix |
| App hang | Yes | App-specific | Fix app |
| Kernel-Power | Yes | Crashes | Investigate |
| DistributedCOM | Yes | No | Ignore |
| One-time errors | No | No | Ignore |
