Should I Worry About Windows Event Errors?

Should I Worry About Windows Event Errors?

You opened Event Viewer—maybe a tech support person told you to check it, or maybe you were just curious—and you're shocked to see hundreds or even thousands of errors and warnings. Red X's and yellow exclamation points fill the screen. Your computer must be a mess, right?

Take a deep breath. What you're seeing is almost certainly not a crisis. Event Viewer is one of the most misunderstood tools in Windows, and it's a favorite trick of tech support scammers specifically because it looks scary to people who don't know what they're seeing.

Quick Answer: Probably Don't Worry

Here's the truth you need to know right now:

If you haven't noticed anything wrong with your computer, you shouldn't worry. You will always find errors in Event Viewer. A classic ploy that scammers use is to point the user to Event Viewer to trick them into thinking something is wrong with their computer.

Most errors and warnings are routine. It is normal to have errors to a certain degree. Most are common and Windows will routinely handle those errors without your intervention.

Only Critical errors matter. The only ones you need to worry about in there are Critical warnings; everything else can be ignored unless you're experiencing actual problems with your PC.

Understanding Event Viewer

Event Viewer is Windows' logging system. It records everything that happens on your computer—every program that starts, every driver that loads, every system event, and yes, every error and warning.

The Three Types of Events

Errors (red X): Something didn't work as expected. This doesn't necessarily mean catastrophic failure—it could be as simple as a program trying to access a file that doesn't exist or a service timing out briefly before succeeding on retry.

Warnings (yellow exclamation mark): Something potentially concerning happened, but it wasn't serious enough to cause problems. Think of these as notifications, not alarms.

Critical (red circle with X): These indicate serious problems that could affect system stability, like unexpected shutdowns or major driver failures. These are the only events you should actively concern yourself with.

Real-World Event Viewer Examples

To put this in perspective, real users report these numbers from perfectly functional systems:

One user with Windows 10 installed several years ago has 30,908 Errors in the 'System' log. Another with Windows 11 only a week old already has 1,770 entries in 'System'. Both of these systems are running just fine.

Think about that—a brand new Windows 11 installation generated over 1,700 logged events in just one week, and the computer works perfectly.

When Errors Actually Matter

So if most errors don't matter, when should you pay attention?

Only Investigate Errors If:

• You're experiencing actual problems (crashes, blue screens, programs failing, hardware not working)
• Event Viewer shows Critical errors
• The same error appears repeatedly in rapid succession (dozens of times per hour)
• An error appears at exactly the time you experienced a problem

In other words: let your computer's actual behavior guide you, not the raw number of errors in Event Viewer.

Useful Troubleshooting Scenarios

Event Viewer becomes useful when you're trying to diagnose a specific problem:

Blue screens: Check Event Viewer right after a crash to find the error code and failing component.

Random shutdowns: Look for Critical errors around the time of shutdown.

Programs crashing: Application logs might reveal why a specific program keeps failing.

Hardware not working: System logs can show driver errors for malfunctioning devices.

In these cases, you'd look for errors that coincide with the problem you're experiencing, not just browse through all errors.

2026-Specific Known Issues

Some events you might see in early 2026 are known issues that Microsoft is aware of:

After installing the January 2026 Windows security update (KB5074109), some users experienced credential prompt failures in remote connection applications and unresponsive applications when opening or saving files to cloud-backed storage. These issues have been addressed with out-of-band updates.

If you see errors related to these specific issues, check for Windows updates—the fixes are already available.

Common Harmless Errors

Here are some errors that frequently alarm users but are actually benign:

Event ID 1014 (DNS Client Events)

This appears when your computer can't reach a DNS server. It usually happens when you wake your computer from sleep before your network connection has fully reestablished. Harmless.

Event ID 10016 (DistributedCOM)

This is a permissions error that's been present in Windows for years. It doesn't affect anything and can be safely ignored.

Event ID 7000/7001 (Service Control Manager)

Services that are set to start automatically but don't exist or can't start will generate these. Often these are remnants of uninstalled programs. Usually harmless unless you're actually missing functionality.

Event ID 1530 (User Profile Service)

Temporary profile loading warnings. Usually resolves itself on next login.

The list goes on. Most errors sound scarier than they are.

What to Do About Event Viewer Errors

If Your Computer Is Working Fine

1. Close Event Viewer
2. Go about your day
3. Don't worry about it

Seriously. If you're not experiencing problems, browsing Event Viewer just creates anxiety over issues that don't affect you.

If You're Experiencing Actual Problems

1. Note the exact time your problem occurred
2. Open Event Viewer (search for it in the Start menu)
3. Look in Windows Logs > System and Windows Logs > Application
4. Look for errors or critical events around the time of your problem
5. Note the Event ID and source
6. Google that specific Event ID and source along with your problem description

This targeted approach is much more useful than just staring at a wall of red X's.

Using Event Viewer Effectively

To filter Event Viewer to show only what matters:

1. Open Event Viewer
2. Right-click 'Windows Logs > System'
3. Select 'Filter Current Log'
4. Under 'Event level,' check only 'Critical' and 'Error'
5. Set a time range (like 'Last 7 days' instead of all time)
6. Click OK

This gives you a more manageable list of potentially relevant events.

Scammer Tactics You Should Know

Be aware that pointing victims to Event Viewer is a classic tech support scam move. Here's how it works:

1. Scammer calls claiming to be from Microsoft or another tech company
2. They claim your computer has viruses or problems
3. They tell you to open Event Viewer
4. They point to all the errors as 'proof' your computer is infected
5. They offer to 'fix' the problems for a fee (or by installing actual malware)

Remember: errors in Event Viewer are normal. Any legitimate tech support person knows this. Anyone trying to scare you by showing you Event Viewer errors is either a scammer or doesn't know what they're talking about.

When to Seek Professional Help

You should consider getting expert help if:

• You're experiencing frequent crashes or blue screens
• Event Viewer shows many Critical errors
• The same error appears hundreds of times and coincides with problems you're experiencing
• You've googled specific errors and the recommended fixes are too technical for you to attempt
• Your computer shows driver-related errors and hardware isn't working properly

In these cases, a professional can interpret the Event Viewer logs and address the underlying issues.

The Bottom Line

Don't worry about errors in Event Viewer unless your computer is actually experiencing problems. Focus only on Critical errors if your system is functioning normally.

Windows logs everything, including minor hiccups and routine events that look like errors but aren't. The presence of errors in Event Viewer is not, by itself, evidence of problems.

Trust your actual experience with your computer. If it's working well, it's working well—regardless of what Event Viewer shows.