The “ASSIGN DRIVE LETTERS FAILED” BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) error appears on the screen during the initialization process for Windows and is caused by the failure of the system to assign a drive letter. The process of assigning the drive letter is implemented in Windows to identify partitions and logical disk drives in the root file system. This BSOD error is usually associated with a faulty device driver for a recently installed device.

This BSOD error is also known as “ASSIGN_DRIVE_LETTERS_FAILED” and “Windows STOP 0x00000072“. It displays an error message that informs the user that the shutdown is implemented to prevent damage to the system.

If you have just installed a new device when the shutdown occurred, you can fix the “ASSIGN DRIVE LETTERS FAILED” BSOD error by removing the hardware and then rebooting the system. Perform a verification of the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List to assess if the newly installed device and the driver are compatible with the operating system.

If the BSOD error has occurred when no recent device or software installation has been done, the error may have occurred due to a corrupted device driver. You can resolve this error by restoring the system to the Last Known Good Configuration. To access the restore point, you have to restart the computer and then select F8 from the menu that displays the choices for the operating system before the Windows logo appears. If more than one operating system is installed, use the arrow key to highlight the desired operating system.

Open the Advanced Options menu and use the cursor to highlight the Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER. You have to restart the computer in the Safe Mode to remove the latest changes in the system, such as the installation of new devices, device drivers, and system updates.

The BSOD error “ASSIGN DRIVE LETTERS FAILED” may be prevented by installing the latest Windows system updates, including non-critical processes. Since this error is usually caused by a faulty device driver, check official download sites for device drivers, particularly for chipsets and video devices, and update or install a new version as necessary.

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