Fix: Unexpected Store Exception Error In Windows 10 & 11

Encountering Windows errors, especially ones you’ve never previously dealt with, can be an intimidating experience.

However, there’s no such thing as a bug-free operating system, so running into an issue while using your computer is nothing out of the ordinary.

The Unexpected Store Exception Windows error is one of the slightly more talked-about issues among users, and in this guide, we’ll help you solve it for good.

Recently encountered this error and unsure what to do about it? Keep on reading to learn more.

Let’s get into it.

The Problem Explained

Unlike other, more common Windows problems, the Unexpected_Store_Exception error belongs in the so-called “BSOD” errors category. The acronym stands for “Blue Screen of Death,” a community-given name for the blue screen shown when your computer crashes due to an error of this type.

BSOD Errors come with a unique code pointing out a specific cause or a group of potential problems that may be causing the crash. You can scan the QR code shown during the Blue Screen of Death (not always available) to get direct information from Microsoft’s database about the error.

The Unexpected Store Exception error can happen unexpectedly while the user engages in any activity on their computer, including gaming, watching a video, or installing software.

Though we cannot say this error doesn’t potentially point out a more worrying issue, it’s still relatively easy to solve and shouldn’t cause panic.

Here’s how you can fix it.

Fix 1: Reconfigure & Test Hardware Components In Your PC

One of the main reasons for blue screen crashes is hardware-related. 

It might be unsuitable hardware, faulty hardware, or wrongly installed hardware. Additionally, making changes to certain hardware parts that exceed your computer’s capabilities (like pushing overclocking to an unacceptable level) can cause crashes.

Based on some user reports regarding the Store_Exception_Error, this problem may be related to your hard drive.

To troubleshoot, we recommend doing the following:

1. Turn off your PC and the power supply.
2. Unplug all connected hard drives or SSDs except the one where you have the operating system installed.
3. Power on your PC and let it idle for a while. If nothing happens, try replicating the same activity before encountering the last crash.
4. If nothing happens still, plug in a hard drive or an SSD and repeat the steps.
5. Do this until you experience a crash with one of the drives you plugged in last.

If you no longer experience the error after these steps, even after plugging all drives in, it could be that one wasn’t correctly connected, and you’ve now fixed it by re-plugging.

If you experience the error even with only one hard drive connected to your PC, it could be a failing hard drive, which is the most common cause of this problem.

To further prove this, detach that drive and use it in another computer if you have one available. If that computer crashes with it, it’s likely the hard drive causing the problem. If it doesn’t, or you’re sure it’s not a failing drive issue, we recommend testing your RAM next.

Improperly seated RAM or sticks that aren’t compatible with each other (such as different brands, timings, etc.) can cause blue screen of death crashes.

To ensure it’s not the RAM, do the following:

1. Shut down your PC and turn off the power supply.
2. Detach all RAM sticks except one. Make sure the one left is seated in the second or fourth RAM slot on your motherboard.
3. Power up your PC and let it idle for some time. If nothing happens, use it as you did previously before encountering the error.

If the PC doesn’t crash after some time, it could be that the RAM sticks you had installed aren’t compatible with each other. To further bolster this claim, install one more RAM stick and repeat the test.

Change the positions of the sticks until you test all potential arrangements. It is suggested that you turn off your RAM’s XMP profile to prevent the occurrence of a BSOD error if you are using incompatible brands.

If nothing works and you still encounter the error after these tests, the good news is that you’ve ruled out your RAM as a possible cause, and you can now move on to the other fixes.

Important: When installing RAM sticks, they have to be seated with one slot gap in-between. For example, in a motherboard with four slots, you should install two RAM sticks in the 2nd and 4th slots.  

Fix 2: Scan Your Drive For Corrupted System Files

The issue probably pertains to your computer’s hard disk, not its physical components.

One of the primary causes of this problem is a corrupted hard drive that you must fix to overcome the Store Exception Error issue.

You can do this using the built-in Windows System File Checker. Here’s how:

1. Simultaneously press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Windows Run utility.
2. In it, type in cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter on your keyboard to run an elevated version of Command Prompt.
   
3. In the Command Prompt panel, type in sfc /scannow and press Enter on your keyboard to initialize the command.
   
   

Wait until the process finishes. It could take a while based on how fast your PC is, but usually, it’s not more than a few minutes.

Once the verification is complete, we recommend restarting your PC.

Hopefully, the problem will now no longer occur.

Fix 3: Update Your BIOS

Some users reported fixing this problem by updating their BIOS. Although this is not the most beginner-friendly task, you can still try it, but we cannot provide the exact steps as every BIOS is different, and the interface could greatly vary.

The usual procedure, though, looks something like this:

1. Find an empty USB flash drive or one you don’t use for storing valuable files, as you’ll need to format it before the BIOS flash.
2. Plug the USB, locate it within the Windows File Explorer, then Right-click it and choose Format. Select FAT32 and click Start.
3. Now, press Windows + R to open the Run window, type in msinfo32, and press Enter. Here, you’ll be able to see your motherboard model.
4. Use Google to find the latest available BIOS version for the motherboard model, then download it and save the files on the currently-plugged USB flash drive. Make sure you download the files strictly from the official website of your motherboard manufacturer.
5. Now, reboot your computer and enter the BIOS.
6. Navigate to the BIOS flash section and select the USB flash drive containing the new BIOS version update files.
7. Once the USB is selected and the BIOS “sees” the files, press Start and wait for the process to complete. Do not restart or power off your computer during this process.

Once the BIOS is updated, your PC will restart. Then, you can continue using it as usual.

Hopefully, this fixes the problem right away, as it’s a method that helped many users solve the Store Exception Blue Screen Error on Windows 10.

Fix 4: Update Windows To The Latest Version

Some Windows updates are known to cause various errors, but rarely something serious as a Blue Screen of Death crash.

However, some users reported that after trying all possible methods to fix this problem, they only solved it by downloading the latest stable Windows version.

It doesn’t hurt trying, as these updates often include performance optimization changes and security improvements anyway, so give it a shot and see if that solves the Unexpected Store Exception error.

We have a guide covering multiple fixes for possible issues that could occur during a Windows update, so feel free to look at it, as you might find it helpful if the Windows update doesn’t work.  

Fix 5: Enter Safe Mode And Uninstall Recently-Added Software

Recently-installed software, especially programs that serve as overclocking tools or modify the system’s registry in any way, can often cause BSOD crashes.

If you’ve noticed that the Unexpected Store Exception Windows error occurred after a recent software install, you should revert that change as it could immediately fix the issue.

We recommend booting into Safe Mode to uninstall the program, then restarting the PC to see if the problem persists.

Here’s how to boot Windows 10 into Safe Mode:

1. Press Windows + I to open the Windows Settings panel.
2. Select Update & Security, then Recovery.
   
3. Under the Advanced Start-Up section, choose Restart Now.
   
4. Choose Troubleshoot.
   
5. Choose Advanced Options.
   
6. Choose Startup Settings.
   
7. Click Restart.
   
8. Press the number 4 button on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode.

Now your PC will restart in Safe Mode.

Note: You can also let your PC idle in Safe Mode for a while before uninstalling anything. If it crashes again during Safe Mode, the problem is likely hardware-related. If it doesn’t, though, it could be what you primarily booted into Safe Mode for, a recently-installed program causing more harm than good.

Proceed to uninstall anything you installed recently, such as overclocking software or anything that could modify your computer’s registry. Incompatible or faulty drivers should also be on your watchlist.

When done, reboot your PC and see if the crash still occurs.

Hopefully, this will resolve the issue.

Fix 6: Reset Windows 10 Using The Built-In Utility

If nothing else helps, this should be your final resort as it takes the longest and could potentially lead to losing some files on your PC.

Corrupt registry, broken files, and misconfigured system settings can all lead to frequent blue screen of death crashes.

When you’re no longer sure where to start looking for the root of the problem, we recommend resetting your operating system to the default settings. Choose to either reset the settings only and keep your files or perform a complete format. Only do the latter if the problem is otherwise unsolvable.

To begin resetting your Windows 10 PC, follow the steps below:

1. Press Windows + S on your keyboard to open the Windows Search Box.
2. Type in Reset This PC and press Enter on your keyboard.
3. Click Get Started and follow the setup.

This method has the highest chance of fixing the problem, but it’s most time-consuming and could potentially mean losing your files unless you have a reliable backup plan. Only resort to it if nothing else helps.

Conclusion

With that said, now you know much more about the notorious Windows Store Exception Error causing a BSOD crash and practically making your PC unusable.

Blue Screen crashes are difficult to troubleshoot, especially if you’re a PC user without much experience. Hopefully, the methods listed in this guide provide all the know-how to fix this problem permanently so you can keep using your PC without further issues.