For Windows 10 and 11

Why did my PC crash?

CrashWhy reads what Windows already logged and answers in plain English — then warns you if it starts happening again.

Download free for Windows What Pro adds — $19 once

Version 0.4.1 · 2026-10-16 · Windows 10 & 11 (64-bit) · 15.1 MB

Runs on your PC. No account. Made by oddlab.

CrashWhy — last 14 days

Tuesday 02:14 · Unexpected shutdown

Your PC lost power — no blue screen was recorded.

Likely cause: Power loss or power supply (PSU), not Windows itself.
Evidence: Kernel-Power Event 41, bug check 0, no dump file.
Next step: Check the power cable, wall socket and PSU; note if it happens under load.

Friday 21:40 · Blue screen

Windows stopped with a blue screen during a game.

Likely cause: Graphics driver — the same code appeared twice this week.
Evidence: BugCheck Event 1001, code 0x116 (VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE).
Next step: Reinstall or roll back the GPU driver; check GPU temperature.

Sunday 03:01 · Planned restart

Windows Update restarted your PC overnight.

Evidence: Event 1074 by TrustedInstaller, update installed just before.
Next step: Nothing is broken. Change active hours if the timing bothers you.

Example result. The real app screenshot will appear here with the first public release.

Reads what Windows loggedEvent 41, 6008, 1001, 1074, WHEA, Windows Update
Stays on your PCNo account, no upload of crash or event data
Checkable downloadsSHA-256 published for every release
Free, Pro once$19 one-time, 30-day refund

One answer instead of ten log entries

Event Viewer and Reliability Monitor show you that something happened. CrashWhy tells you what kind of event it was, what it points to, and what to do next.

Blue screens

Reads the bug check code Windows recorded (Event 1001) and, when Microsoft's debugger is installed, the driver named in the dump.

Shutdowns with no blue screen

Kernel-Power Event 41 and Event 6008 explain sudden power-offs that leave no dump file — the case dump viewers can't see.

Restarts you didn't ask for

Event 1074 shows which program or update restarted the PC, and Windows Update history shows what was installed.

Hardware warnings

WHEA errors (memory, CPU, PCIe) and live kernel dumps from GPU driver resets are counted, so a pattern stands out.

"Is it happening again?"

CrashWhy keeps a history and flags repeats — three crashes in a day is a different problem from one crash a month.

What got installed behind your back

Shows Microsoft Defender status (including potentially unwanted app blocking) and the programs set to start with Windows.

How it works

Install CrashWhy. On first run it checks the crashes, shutdowns and restarts Windows has already logged — including ones from before you installed it. Then it runs quietly in the system tray.
It reads the event logs Windows already keeps — nothing is uploaded.
Open it after a crash or restart and read the answer: what happened, the evidence, and the next step.

At a glance

Works on	Windows 10 and Windows 11 (64-bit)
Price	Free · Pro $19 one-time (3 PCs)
Reads	Event 41, 6008, 1001 (BugCheck), 1074, WHEA, Windows Update, live kernel dumps, Defender status
Sends over the internet	No crash or event data. Only the Pro license check, the update check and an optional crash report (off by default).
Account	None

Common questions

Why did my PC crash randomly? · Why did my computer restart overnight? · PC randomly restarts with no blue screen · What is Kernel-Power Event 41? · Does CrashWhy send my data?

Already using another tool? See the BlueScreenView alternative and WhoCrashed alternative comparisons.