What does BSOD 181 (BOOTLOG_LOADED) mean?

 
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VIDEO_DRIVER_INIT_FAILURE BOOTLOG_NOT_LOADED

BOOTLOG_LOADED

Boot log loaded-driver marker for BOOTLOG_LOADED

BOOTLOG_LOADED is bug check code 0x000000B5. This value is a boot-log marker, not a conventional failure root cause. It is useful when shown as part of boot logging because it identifies a driver that successfully loaded before a later failure.

How to read it in a dump

  • Use it as ordering evidence: what loaded before the crash or hang.
  • A loaded marker does not prove the driver is healthy; it only says the load step completed.
  • Pair it with BOOTLOG_NOT_LOADED entries to understand the boot set.

What to check

  • Compare ntbtlog entries around the failure.
  • Look at the next driver or service after the last loaded marker.
  • Do not create a remediation plan from this marker alone.

References

Dump evidence

Preserve the complete dump, the four bug-check parameters, the exact Windows build, loaded-module list, and the event timeline immediately before the stop. AllStat summarizes the condition as “Loaded driver”; that sentence identifies the failure class, while the parameters and stack determine which object, driver, processor, or subsystem instance was involved.

Analysis order

  • Run WinDbg !analyze -v, then inspect the documented meaning of each parameter instead of relying only on the probably-caused-by line.
  • find the earliest abnormal event: driver update, firmware change, device reset, storage error, verifier report, resource exhaustion, or application hang connected with bootlog / loaded.
  • keep third-party filter, security, storage, graphics, and virtualization drivers in the module inventory; removing evidence before dump analysis can obscure the responsible path.

Do not repeatedly reboot a machine affected by this result before collecting the dump and event logs. Recovery actions should follow the component identified by the stack and parameters, not merely the symbolic stop-code name.

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