What does BSOD 0x97 (BOUND_IMAGE_UNSUPPORTED) mean?

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: Windows encountered an unsupported bound-image condition while loading code.

Could be also:
Constant	Type	OS
ERROR_INVALID_EVENT_COUNT	Win32 error	Windows
ESTALE	errno	Solaris

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INVALID_WORK_QUEUE_ITEM	END_OF_NT_EVALUATION_PERIOD

BOUND_IMAGE_UNSUPPORTED

Unsupported bound image during load for BOUND_IMAGE_UNSUPPORTED

BOUND_IMAGE_UNSUPPORTED is bug check code 0x00000097.

Bound images store precomputed import binding information. This bug check indicates the loader found a bound-image state that was not acceptable for the current kernel load path.

How to read it in a dump

Identify which image was being loaded and whether it is a boot-start driver or kernel component.
Image signing, timestamp, import binding, and architecture mismatch are relevant evidence.
Do not treat it as a simple missing DLL without confirming loader status.

What to check

Verify driver version, architecture, signature, and recent updates.
Check for stale or patched kernel drivers.
Rebuild or replace the suspect driver instead of editing binding data manually.

References

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