If your computer is affected by the ‘Reference by pointer’ error, then check out the following article. Find out how you can treat this error on your Windows 11 PC effectively!
Reference_By_Pointer error is one of the many BSoD type errors that occur due to incompatibility issues on a computer. This error is known to plague a lot of computers with Windows 10 OS. Recent user reports suggest that the error has been bothering users with Windows 11 too. While there are many potential reasons for this error, corrupted files and software/hardware-drivers incompatibility are at the top of the list.
When compared to other BSoD errors, the Reference by pointer error is a slightly difficult one to tackle. Hence, use the methods given in our article to get rid of the Reference by pointer error for good.
Fixes for Reference by pointer error on Windows 11:
1) Delete the temporary files on your PC:
The temporary files section on your computer is a collection of different files that get are saved to make browsing easier. It helps in loading thumbnails and other details a lot faster. But these files are not at all necessary to keep. A lot of times, these files get corrupted causing Reference by pointer error on your device. So it’s better to just get rid of them.
Open the search box on your taskbar, type ‘Run’, and open the Run application as an administrator. In the Run dialog box, type in, %temp%. Select all the files that are in front of you and press the delete button on your keyboard. Confirm the action to delete all the temporary files.
2) CHKDSK scan:
To perform the chkdsk scan, you will have to first boot your computer in recovery mode. To do that, simply hard reset your PC three times. A hard reset is when you press and hold the power button for 10 seconds. When the recovery mode is activated, follow these steps- Advanced options > Troubleshoot > Command prompt. In the command prompt, type in the following command: “chkdsk /r /v C:”
Wait for the command to complete executing itself. Then reboot your PC and the Reference by pointer error should not trouble you anymore.
Related: Blue screen error on Windows 11: How to fix it
3) SFC and DISM scan:
Put your PC into recovery mode again. Go to the command prompt to type in the commands for the SFC and DISM scan. Add the following commands one after the other. Make sure you press the Enter key after each command and let it run completely before moving forward with the next command.
SFC scan – sfc /scannow
DISM scan – DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Once, the scans are completed, restart your PC and everything should go back to normal. If you still face the Reference by pointer error, try the next method.
4) Update Drivers:
To check if any of your hardware drivers are pending updates, go to Device manager. Just type ‘device manager’ in the search box on the taskbar and click on the first search result. On the left side of the screen, you will be able to see a list of all the hardware devices that are a part of your system. Make sure that none of them have a yellow exclamation mark. A yellow exclamation mark means that your driver has an available update. So if you find any yellow exclamation marks, click on that driver and update it to its latest version. This fix has the highest possibility of solving the Reference by pointer error on your Windows 11 computer.
5) Third-party programs:
If you have recently installed any third-party apps or software on your device, you might need to disable it or uninstall it. If it is an antivirus firewall, give your device the permissions it needs to run without any interruptions. Check whether your antivirus isn’t preventing certain actions on your device.
6) Motherboard driver:
You should try updating the driver for your motherboard. Many users tend to neglect their PC’s motherboard status for a long time. So it is highly advised that you update its drivers. Simply, visit the website of your motherboard manufacturer and download the file for the latest version of the driver. Launch the file and follow the on-screen prompts to install it. Make sure you download the correct driver for your motherboard, according to its manufacturer. Restart your PC and check if the Reference by pointer error is gone.
If none of these work, you can try clean installing Windows 11. This may be a havoc task but it will surely help you get rid of the Reference by pointer BSoD error;
