Windows system32 ntkrnlpa exe

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The ntkrnlpa.exe process is one of the integral processes that run in the background on a Windows PC. It ensures the smooth running of many apps and the operating system itself.

However, as important as this process is, some users complain that it sometimes causes the dreaded BSOD. If you also face problems with it, this guide will show you quick and effective ways to fix it.

What is ntkrnlpa.exe?

The ntkrnlpa.exe is a kernel image designed for systems using the Microsoft Windows NT OS. These PCs run on systems that have Physical Address Extension support.

It is in charge of the Kernel and Executive layers of the Windows NT kernel space. Also, it provides a series of services like process and memory management and hardware virtualization.

So, this process is pretty important to the operation of your PC. If you are now encountering issues with this process, it is not the end of the world, as it can be easily fixed with the solutions in the next section.

How can I fix ntkrnlpa.exe if it is causing BSOD?

1. Perform startup repair

1. Power on your PC and press and hold the power button to force it to shut down. Repeat this thrice to launch the Advanced startup options. From here, proceed to Step 4.
2. If you can’t boot into the Advanced startup options, insert a bootable media creation tool into your PC, enter your language and other info, and click Next.
   

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3. Now, click the Repair your computer option in the bottom left corner.
   

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4. Select the Troubleshoot option.
   

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5. Now, choose Advanced options.
6. Finally, select the Startup Repair option.
   

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If the ntkrnlpa.exe Blue Screen of Death issue prevents you from booting into your PC, you need to repair your startup files. You can do this using the Startup Repair tool.

2. Update the driver

1. Boot into safe mode on your PC.
2. Press the Windows key, type cmd, and select Run as administrator under Command Prompt.
   

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3. Now, type the command below and hit Enter: verifier /query
4. Note the driver that is being loaded when your PC crashes.
5. Next, press the Windows key + X and select the Device Manager option.
6. Double-click the section you want to update the driver for and right-click the device under it.
7. Now, select the Update driver option.
   

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8. Finally, choose Search automatically for drivers and install any available updates.
   

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One of the prominent causes of BSOD errors is an outdated driver, and the ntkrnlpa.exe is no different. So, you need to update your driver to solve the problem.

If the Windows driver updater can not find the latest driver, you can go to the manufacturer’s website to download the latest driver.

3. Run CHKDSK

1. Repeat steps 1 to 5 in solution 1.
2. Select Command Prompt.
   

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3. Type the command below and press Enter to run it: chkdsk c: /f /r
   

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4. Finally, wait for the command to finish running and restart your PC.

In some cases, the ntkrnlpa.exe BSOD can be caused by bad disk sectors. Running the CHKDSK command should fix this.

4. Repair system files

1. Repeat steps 1 to 5 in solution 1 and select Command Prompt.
   

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2. Type the command below and hit Enter to run it: DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
   

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3. Wait for the command to finish running. Now, run the command below: sfc /scannow
   

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4. Finally, wait for the command to finish running and restart your PC

Most BSODs like ntkrnlpa.exe errors are due to issues with your system files. You can fix this by running the DISM and SFC scans.

5. Scan for malware

1. Boot your PC into safe mode.
2. Press the Windows key + S, type virus, and choose Virus & threat protection.
   

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3. Click the Scan options link on the next page.
   

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4. Finally, select your preferred scan option and click the Scan now button.
   

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Viruses can sometimes cause the ntkrnlpa.exe blue screen. The solution to this is to perform a full system scan.

6. Perform a system restore

1. Repeat steps 1 to 5 in solution 1 and select System Restore.
   

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2. Now, choose your ideal restore point and click the Next button.
   

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3. Finally, click Finish and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
   

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If you can’t still fix this ntkrnlpa.exe blue screen issue, you might need to perform a system restore. This will help you restore your PC to a point where everything works well.

There you have everything you need to fix the ntkrnlpa.exe Blue Screen of Death error. With the information in this guide, you should now be able to fix the issue for good.

In the same vein, if you are experiencing a similar issue in navagio.sys BSOD error, check our detailed guide to fix it.

Feel free to let us know the solution that helped you solve this problem in the comments below.

A Computer Engineering graduate, he has spent most of his life reading and writing about computers.

He finds joy in simplifying complex topics into simple solutions for PC users. The quality of his work and providing step-wise tested and proven solutions to PC issues are all that matter to him.

Away from computers, he is either reading or watching football!

The genuine ntkrnlpa.exe file is a software component of Microsoft Windows by .
Windows is an operating system. Windows NT Kernel & System has complete access to the system resources and hardware of a computer, and runs code in a protected memory area. Ntkrnlpa.exe is the file associated with the Windows NT Kernel & System, and does not cause any issues with your PC.

Windows NT Kernel & System is a type of Windows architecture that controls access to scheduling, memory management, thread prioritization, and the interaction with the hardware. It is designed to prevent user mode applications and services from accessing critical areas of the Windows operating system, and runs code in a protected memory area. Windows NT Kernel & System consists of kernel drivers, executive services and a Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL).

The Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology giant that is globally renowned for a wide range of innovative products including the Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers, Surface range of tablets and Windows series of operating systems. Microsoft created three billionaires and approximately 12000 millionaires from its IPO, and has made several noteworthy corporate acquisitions since it was conceived, including Forethought on June 29, 1987 that is today known as Microsoft PowerPoint and Hotmail.com for $500 million in 1997.

NTKrnlPA stands for New Technology Kernel Process Allocator

The .exe extension on a filename indicates an executable file. Executable files may, in some cases, harm your computer. Therefore, please read below to decide for yourself whether the ntkrnlpa.exe on your computer is a Trojan that you should remove, or whether it is a file belonging to the Windows operating system or to a trusted application.

Click to Run a Free Scan for ntkrnlpa.exe related errors

Ntkrnlpa.exe file information

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The process known as NT Kernel & System belongs to software Microsoft Windows Operating System by Microsoft (www.microsoft.com).

Description: The original ntkrnlpa.exe is an important part of Windows and rarely causes problems. Ntkrnlpa.exe is located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
Known file sizes on Windows 10/11/7 are 4,014,312 bytes (28% of all occurrences), 4,055,784 bytes and 4 more variants.  

The ntkrnlpa.exe file is a Windows core system file. The program is not visible. The file has a digital signature. The file is a trustworthy file from Microsoft.
ntkrnlpa.exe appears to be a compressed file.
Therefore the technical security rating is 1% dangerous.

Recommended: Identify ntkrnlpa.exe related errors

If ntkrnlpa.exe is located in a subfolder of the user’s profile folder, the security rating is 0% dangerous. The file size is 3,966,848 bytes.
The program has a visible window. This process is launched automatically by the Windows Task Scheduler. User opinion: not dangerous The ntkrnlpa.exe file is digitally signed. The file is not a Windows core file. Ntkrnlpa.exe is a trustworthy file from Microsoft.
ntkrnlpa.exe appears to be a compressed file.

If ntkrnlpa.exe is located in a subfolder of C:\Windows, the security rating is 72% dangerous. The file size is 338,432 bytes.
The program has no visible window. There is no file information. Ntkrnlpa.exe is not a Windows core file. It is located in the Windows folder, but it is not a Windows core file.
Ntkrnlpa.exe is able to monitor applications.

Important: Some malware disguises itself as ntkrnlpa.exe, particularly when not located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. Therefore, you should check the ntkrnlpa.exe process on your PC to see if it is a threat. We recommend Security Task Manager for verifying your computer’s security. This was one of the Top Download Picks of The Washington Post and PC World.

Best practices for resolving ntkrnlpa issues

A clean and tidy computer is the key requirement for avoiding problems with ntkrnlpa. This means running a scan for malware, cleaning your hard drive using 1cleanmgr and 2sfc /scannow, 3uninstalling programs that you no longer need, checking for Autostart programs (using 4msconfig) and enabling Windows’ 5Automatic Update. Always remember to perform periodic backups, or at least to set restore points.

Should you experience an actual problem, try to recall the last thing you did, or the last thing you installed before the problem appeared for the first time. Use the 6resmon command to identify the processes that are causing your problem. Even for serious problems, rather than reinstalling Windows, you are better off repairing of your installation or, for Windows 8 and later versions, executing the 7DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth command. This allows you to repair the operating system without losing data.

To help you analyze the ntkrnlpa.exe process on your computer, the following programs have proven to be helpful: ASecurity Task Manager displays all running Windows tasks, including embedded hidden processes, such as keyboard and browser monitoring or Autostart entries. A unique security risk rating indicates the likelihood of the process being potential spyware, malware or a Trojan. BMalwarebytes Anti-Malware detects and removes sleeping spyware, adware, Trojans, keyloggers, malware and trackers from your hard drive.

Other processes

nheqminer.exe upstray.exe icloud.exe ntkrnlpa.exe icue launcher.exe aswhwid.sys smb_driver_intel.sys hpstatusalerts.exe acsecuritylayer.exe dsweballow.dll backupnoweztray.exe [all]

The Windows operating system is made up of a large assortment of files and programs. Some of these run all the time, while others are called by the operating system only occasionally.

Nearly all of the core Windows operating system files are stored in the folders C:\Windows\System and C:\Windows\System32 (on your computer, the drive letter could be different). The Windows folder itself also holds a number of essential files.

All of the programs that are installed on your computer typically have executable and related files stored in C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86).

In general, you never want to modify, delete, or move any of the Windows system files that are located in any of these directories. However, there are a few files that are core to the function of the operating system. If these files get deleted or otherwise corrupted, you’ll need to restore your Windows operating system.

Ntoskrnl.exe

This executable is the kernel image. This means it’s essentially the core code (the executive) that makes the operating system work properly. 

This code handles management of hardware, system processes, and memory management. It’s also the code that schedules what applications have access to the system processor and how much memory (and memory addresses) they’re allocated to use.

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This executable shows up in Task Manager with the name System and Registry. It is a heavily protected file, so it’s difficult for any application like malware to corrupt or delete the file.

In older versions of Windows, if you opened up a large number of applications, Ntoskrnl.exe would start consuming a large amount of memory. Starting with Windows 10, the Ntoskrnl.exe now compresses unused pages rather than storing them to memory. This reduces memory consumption, but can increase CPU usage if you run a lot of applications at once.

Ntkrnlpa.exe

This process is a core software component of the Microsoft Windows kernel and system code. The name stands for New Technology Kernel Process Allocator. Alongside Ntoskrnl.exe, it controls scheduling and memory management.

It also prevents non-core applications and services from accessing the core areas of the operating system, which keeps the OS safely running in a protected area of system memory.

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Since Ntkrnlpa.exe is responsible for blocking applications from accessing protected system memory, many users often think it’s Ntkrnlpa.exe that’s causing a Windows system failure. This is because Ntkrnlpa.exe is the process that returns the error.

Usually the cause of this is actually some form of malware attempting to cause protected system memory, kicking off the Ntkrnlpa.exe errors.

Hal.dll

Another core file related to the system kernel and core system is Hal.dll. The name of this DLL file stands for Hardware Abstraction Layer.

This file contains core code that allows applications to interact with computer hardware using simple program functions rather than complicated machine code. 

Aptly named, it removes the abstraction from communicating with and controlling computer hardware.

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This executable runs inside RAM memory and is located in the System32 directory.

Hal.dll typically doesn’t cause any issues with the computer, however some malware applications attempt to cloak their executables by giving them the same name. However, you can identify it as a counterfeit application when it’s located in a different folder than System32.

Never stop the Hal.dll task as this will make your system non-functional and could force you to have to restore the Windows operating system.

Win32k.sys

This file is what’s known as the Multi-User Win32 driver file, originally released as part of the Windows XP operating system. It’s been upgraded through each new Windows release, including Windows 10.

It’s a graphics driver interface that manages sending graphics to monitors and other output devices. The code is executed by gdi32.dll on Windows 10. 

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Unfortunately, because Win32k.sys has been such a long-time core piece of the Windows operating system, and because it resides in a folder (Program Files) that isn’t usually as well protected as the System32 folder, malware often targets this file for corruption.

Additionally, it’s also a common name chosen by malware for its own files, so that users don’t suspect the file as part of a computer infection.

Ntdll.dll

This file is located in the System and System32 system directories. The description of the file is NT Layer DLL. It’s essentially a DLL file that contains core NT kernel functions.

This means it contains the machine code that allows the core operating system to function properly. The core kernel program accesses functions contained by Ntdll.dll, and this file processes those machine level functions.

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If you see any error messages coming from the Ntdll.dll process, this is usually caused by either a corrupt Ntdll.dll file, or hardware problems on your computer that are causing the process to crash.

Usually, reinstalling the hardware driver causing the error usually resolves the error. If the issue is a corrupt Ntdll.dll file, antivirus software is capable of repairing the issue. If it can’t, a Windows restore may be required.

Kernel32.dll

This DLL file is another found as part of the Windows operating system kernel. It manages memory, including memory interrupts. It also manages all input and output operations.

Kernel32.dll is another file that gets loaded into protected memory space where regular user applications can’t operate.

If you ever see an error related to Kernel32.dll, it’s usually due to either malware or corrupt hardware drivers (or faulty hardware) attempting to write to the protected memory where Kernel32.dll resides. Usually reinstalling hardware drivers or new hardware resolves these errors.

Advapi32.dll

This DLL file is another core component of the Windows operating system. Its name stands for Advanced Application Programming Interface, or Advanced API. It handles system security calls and calls against the system registry.

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This DLL manages starting and shutting down Windows, manages the Windows registry, handling user accounts and account security, and the management of Windows services.

While this file isn’t required for Windows to boot properly, it is required for the proper operation of most applications and hardware. If this Windows system file is deleted or corrupted, any application API calls to access the system registry or security will fail and you’ll see a number of error messages.

User32.dll

Another core DLL, this Windows system file contains most of the core Windows API for user applications to communicate with the operating system. It handles most of the native windows and controls that are displayed by Windows applications.

Any application that has a graphical user interface typically uses components offered by the User32.dll file. 

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However, in most cases, Windows applications utilize libraries built into the Windows .NET framework, which in turn manages communication with the User32.dll. 

In either case, the User32.dll translates common, easy-to-understand application code into the machine level commands that are required by the Windows operating system.

Gdi32.dll

Much like User32.dll, Gdi32.dll contains functions that allow applications to create graphical user interfaces on the monitor.

Gdi32.dll contains functions that let applications create 2-dimensional objects on the screen. It accepts code either from a Windows application or service and executes the required machine code to display the visual objects on the monitor.

While a Windows operating system may boot even when this DLL is corrupt or deleted, the operating system display won’t work properly.

Other Important Windows System Files

While those are the core Windows system files and executables required for the proper functioning of the Windows operating system, there are a few additional files required for non-critical functions of the computer system to work properly.

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• Pagefile.sys: Helps the operating system manage RAM memory space and improve system performance.
• Swapfile.sys: This is a newer system file that helps with moving modern Windows apps to the hard drive when they’re in a hibernation state.
• Crss.exe: This is a client server runtime process that handles console windows and the Windows shutdown process.
• Shell32.dll: Contains Windows shell API functions that allow web browsers and other applications to display elements of the operating system like the taskbar, desktop, and Start menu properly.
• Smss.exe: The session manager subsystem handles user sessions, including Windows logon and user system settings.
• Sxs.dll: This is an important component of the Windows operating system that handles manifest files. These are files that tell Windows how to handle a software application when it’s launched.

While there are many more less critical system files as part of the Windows operating system, those listed above are some of the most common. Because of this they often are targeted by malware to trick users into thinking malware files are legitimate.

Most antivirus applications are capable of identifying a counterfeit Windows system file and will typically clean those from your system before you ever know they exist.