The CACHE_INITIALIZATION_FAILED BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) error may appear during the initialization process for Windows Vista, XP, and 2000, and Windows 7 and 8. It occurs when the operating system has detected an error in the device driver or when incompatibility issues are detected for both a driver and an installed device. The error results in the automatic shutdown of the computer to prevent damage and possible loss of data from unsaved work.

This BSOD error is also known as “CACHE_INITIALIZATION_FAILED” and “STOP 0x00000066“. Some users of Windows have reported this error, which normally appears on the screen during the initialization of the system.

You can resolve the CACHE_INITIALIZATION_FAILED BSOD error by addressing incompatibility issues with a newly installed driver or a device. You can manually install critical and non-critical software updates by using the Internet Explorer (IE). For IE 8 and later versions, click on Safety, Windows Update, and then follow the prompts and instructions that appear on the screen. When using IE 7 or its older versions, open the browser, click Tools, Windows Update, and then follow on-screen prompts and instructions.

If an updated or a different version of a device driver is required to resolve the BSOD error, you can get these from the official download site of the manufacturer. For video and chipset drivers, you can download appropriate and updated versions from the download sites for AMD, ATI, Intel, and Nvidia.

Alternatively you can use Driver Reviver to update your computer drivers. If an out of date driver is the cause of the problem then this will fix the problem.

You can also resolve this BSOD error by restoring Windows back to an earlier point in time. System Restore allows you to return the computer back to a restore point, and will remove recently installed applications and drivers that cause the BSOD error. To perform System Restore, you have to start the computer and log in as the administrator. Click the Start button, and then successively choose from the menu All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then System Restore. From the new window that opens, choose the option Restore my computer to an earlier time, and then click next. Follow the prompts and instructions that appear on the screen, allow the restoration to finish, and then restart the computer.