Event Viewer full of scary-looking errors

Should You Worry About Event Viewer Errors?

Event Viewer is Windows' detailed log of everything happening on your computer. If you open it, you'll probably see dozens or even hundreds of yellow warnings and red errors. Here's the truth: most of them are completely harmless. Windows logs things that sound scary but are actually normal, like "Distributed COM error" or "Application Error."

The real question is whether these errors are causing actual problems you're experiencing, or if they're just noise. Let's figure out which errors matter and fix the ones that do.

Understanding Event Viewer

What the Colors Mean

• Information (no color/blue): Normal events, nothing wrong
• Warning (yellow): Something minor happened, usually auto-corrected
• Error (red): Something failed, but many are non-critical
• Critical (dark red): Serious issues like crashes or boot failures

Which Errors to Ignore

These common errors sound scary but are usually harmless:

• DistributedCOM errors (DCOM 10016): Permission issues that don't affect anything
• Service Control Manager warnings: If the service eventually starts, ignore it
• DNS Client Events (1014): Normal network timeouts, not a problem
• Schannel errors (36888/36887): Outdated SSL/TLS on websites you visit, not your fault
• Windows Update Client errors (one or two): Updates retry automatically, only worry if many accumulate

Detailed Fix Steps

Method 1: Filter for Real Problems

To find errors that actually matter, create a custom view:

1. Open Event Viewer (Windows + X > Event Viewer)
2. Click Create Custom View on the right side
3. Select "Last 7 days" for timeframe
4. Check only Error and Critical
5. Under Event logs, expand Windows Logs and check System and Application
6. Click OK and give it a name like "Important Errors"
7. Now you're only seeing the most serious events

Look for patterns - the same error repeating frequently is worth investigating. One-off errors are usually fine.

Method 2: Match Errors to Your Problems

Event Viewer is most useful when something specific is broken. Here's how to find relevant errors:

1. Note the exact time when your problem occurred (like a crash or freeze)
2. Open Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System
3. Look at errors that happened within 1 minute of your problem
4. Double-click each error to see details
5. Look at the Source and Event ID - these tell you what component failed
6. Search online for that Event ID plus your Windows version for specific fixes

Method 3: Fix Common Critical Errors

Kernel-Power Event 41 (System rebooted without cleanly shutting down first):

• This means sudden power loss or crash
• If it happens during use, check for overheating or power supply issues
• If it happens when idle, disable Fast Startup: Settings > System > Power > Additional power settings > Choose what the power buttons do > Change settings currently unavailable > uncheck "Turn on fast startup"

Application crashes (Event 1000):

• Note the "Faulting module" in the error details
• If it's a .dll file, search for that filename to find which program it belongs to
• Update or reinstall that program

Disk errors (Event 7 or 11):

• These indicate hard drive problems
• Run chkdsk C: /f /r from Command Prompt as admin
• If errors persist, back up your data - your drive may be failing

Method 4: Clear the Logs (After Fixing)

Once you've addressed the important errors, you can clear the logs for a fresh start:

1. Open Event Viewer
2. Right-click Windows Logs > System
3. Select Clear Log
4. Choose to save the log first if you want a backup, or just clear
5. Repeat for Application and other logs
6. Use your computer normally for a few days
7. Check Event Viewer again to see if serious errors return

If the same critical errors come back, you need to fix the underlying problem. If only minor warnings appear, you're good.

Method 5: Fix Permission Errors (DCOM 10016)

If DCOM 10016 errors bother you (they're harmless but fill up logs), here's how to fix them:

1. Open Event Viewer and find a DCOM 10016 error
2. Note the APPID in the error details (looks like {D63B10C5-BB46-4990-A94F-E40B9D520160})
3. Press Windows + R, type dcomcnfg, and press Enter
4. Expand Component Services > Computers > My Computer > DCOM Config
5. Find the component matching the APPID (or search)
6. Right-click it > Properties > Security tab
7. Click Edit under Launch and Activation Permissions
8. Add your user account and grant all permissions
9. Click OK

This stops the error from appearing, but again, it doesn't affect functionality.

If That Didn't Work

If you're seeing persistent critical errors that match real problems you're experiencing:

• Run System File Checker: sfc /scannow in Command Prompt as admin
• Update all drivers, especially chipset and storage drivers
• Check for Windows updates - many errors are fixed in patches
• Run Windows Memory Diagnostic if you see memory-related errors
• Check hard drive health with CrystalDiskInfo if you see disk errors