Can overheating cause Bluescreen?

[Cloudchase]

Unless I'm missing something, I don't see a section for Windows 2003, so I don't know where I should put this.

The server at my workplace, which we've had since it was installed new 3.5 years ago, runs Windows 2003. Sunday morning, it bluescreened (I wasn't here when it happened). First time that's ever happened. The boss is convinced that the server overheated, thus causing it to bluescreen.

I've never heard of a device bluescreening because it got too hot. Hardware damage or automatic shutdown, yes, but not a bluescreen. So my question is can overheating cause a bluescreen? Because if not, then the bluescreen must have been caused by something else.

[Capt.Jack]

Yes overheat can cause BSOD. When processor causes overheat it interrupts the work load which may lead to Bluescreen. If you like to know if something else is causing then on your server go to C:\Windows\Minidump copy the files upload it to skydrive and post us the link. I'll be happy to analysis it.

[Cloudchase]

Yes overheat can cause BSOD. When processor causes overheat it interrupts the work load which may lead to Bluescreen. If you like to know if something else is causing then on your server go to C:\Windows\Minidump copy the files upload it to skydrive and post us the link. I'll be happy to analysis it.

Thanx for your reply! I'd do that, but I'm not authorized to access that info.

Now I wonder if an overheat was caused by dust buildup. It's been on almost constantly for 3.5 years and only gets shut down if the power goes out (it's on an APC, so it's a proper shutdown)

[DustinH]

Could be dust, or a bad fan. Heat can definitely cause a BSOD. There are other reasons, too. But, if it's dust or a fan, it's easy to find out by visual inspection.

[Jake1]

on my laptop overheating did cause BSOD before but never on my desktop...BSOD can also be caused by hardware failure or software crash when the software works with system's deep internals, e.g.: firewall, antivirus..