How can I fix REFERENCE BY POINTER BSOD on Windows 10?

• Blue screen of death errors should not be taken lightly as they are often caused by a hardware issue. The REFERENCE_BY_POINTER BSOD error can be a nuisance in Windows 10, but luckily, there are few ways to solve this problem.
• Your antivirus can interfere with Windows and cause this error to appear. To fix the problem, disable your antivirus and check if that solves the problem. If the problem persists, your next step would be to remove the antivirus software. Uninstalling the antivirus is not always enough, so try using a dedicated uninstaller tool to completely remove it.
• If you run into a BSoD error, don’t panic. Take a deep breath and go to the BDoD troubleshooting center because you will definitely find a solution there.
• Windows 10 errors happen quite frequently and we are no strangers to these annoying problems. Find all of our guides and solutions in our Windows 10 error center.

Blue screen of death errors should not be taken lightly as they are often caused by a hardware issue. The REFERENCE_BY_POINTER BSOD error can be a nuisance in Windows 10, but luckily, there are few ways to solve this problem.

Contents index

• How can I fix REFERENCE BY POINTER BSOD on Windows 10?
  • Solution 1 – Check your antivirus
  • Solution 2: remove your graphics card driver and install the minimal version of the driver

How can I fix REFERENCE BY POINTER BSOD on Windows 10?

The Reference_by_pointer error can be troublesome because it will crash your PC every time it appears. Speaking of this bug, users reported the following issues:

• Reference by pointer Windows 7 64 bit, Windows 8 64 bit – Many users reported this error on both Windows 7 and Windows 8. Even if you don’t use Windows 10, feel free to try all of our solutions as they work with both Windows 7 too and Windows 8.
• Reference_by_pointer wdf01000 sys, ntoskrnl.exe, atikmdag.sys, tcpip.sys, ntkrnlpa.exe, win32k.sys – Sometimes this error is followed by the name of the file that caused it. If this happens, you should do some research before finding the application or driver responsible for this error.
• Reference_by_pointer BSOD – This is a blue screen error, and just like any other error, it will forcibly restart your PC to prevent damage to your system. However, you may be able to fix the problem using some of our solutions.
• Pointer Overclocking Reference – Several users reported this issue after overclocking their PC. If any of your hardware components are overclocked, make sure to remove the overclock settings and check if that solves the problem.
• Blue Screen of Death, Crash Pointer Reference – This is a blue screen of death error and as such it will cause your PC to crash every time it appears. To fix the problem, make sure third-party applications are not interfering with your Windows installation.

Solution 1 – Check your antivirus

Your antivirus is quite important, but sometimes it can interfere with Windows and cause the REFERENCE_BY_POINTER error to appear. To fix the problem, it is recommended to disable your antivirus and check if that solves the problem.

If the problem persists, your next step would be to remove the antivirus software. Uninstalling your antivirus isn’t always enough, so it’s a good idea to use a dedicated uninstall tool to completely remove it. Most antivirus companies offer dedicated uninstallers for their software, so be sure to download one for your antivirus.

After removing your antivirus, check if the problem is solved. If the problem was caused by your antivirus, it is recommended to switch to a different antivirus solution. There are many antivirus tools on the market, and if you are looking for a new antivirus, we advise you to try Bitdefender ,  BullGuard , and Panda Antivirus .

All of these tools offer great protection and are fully compatible with Windows 10 so they won’t cause any problems.

Solution 2: remove your graphics card driver and install the minimal version of the driver

AMD owners reported that after installing the minimal version of the graphics card driver, the REFERENCE_BY_POINTER error was fixed. Apparently this solution works for some AMD owners, but even if you don’t own an AMD graphics card, you can still try this solution.

First of all, you need to remove your graphics card driver, and you can do that by following these steps:

1. Download Display Driver Uninstaller.
2. After downloading the program, run it.
3. Once the DDU starts, follow the instructions on the screen to remove the driver for your graphics card.

After the driver has been completely removed, you need to download the latest minimal version of the graphics card driver. The minimal version comes with main drivers and without any additional software.

To download the minimum version of the graphics card driver, you must visit your graphics card manufacturer’s website, locate your graphics card, and download the latest drivers.

Editor’s Note: This article continues on the next page with additional solutions to correct the reference through pointer errors. Check out our dedicated Windows 10 bug fix center in case you need to fix other issues later.