The CID_HANDLE_DELETION BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) error may appear during the initialization process for Windows Vista, XP, and 2000, and Windows 7 and 8. It means that the operating system has detected a problem with a device driver, and the automatic shutdown of the computer is executed to prevent damage and possible loss of data from unsaved work.

This error is usually due to a newly installed device or a device driver that is incompatible with the operating system.

This BSOD error is also known as CID_HANDLE_DELETION and “STOP 0x00000017“. Some users of Windows have reported this error, which normally appears on the screen during the initialization of the system.

You have to restart the computer when this error appears, since rebooting the system may resolve this error. If the CID_HANDLE_DELETION BSOD error persists after rebooting, you have to resolve issues between a newly installed device or device driver and the operating system. You can do this by installing the latest software updates, by updating the device driver, or by installing a version of the driver that is appropriate for the operating system.

To install software updates manually, open the Internet Explorer (IE), click on Safety and 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, and then Windows Update. You should install both critical and non-critical software updates.

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 drivers quickly an easily.