How PCDecoder works
PCDecoder is automated end to end. Here is every step a page goes through, and what each step is there to prevent.
1. Choosing what to cover
New topics come from two places. Microsoft's Windows update history, release health and Insider feeds are read every day, so a new update or a newly confirmed problem gets a page. For the decoder, Microsoft's official list of blue screen stop codes and a list of the Event IDs, error codes and processes people search for most are checked for real search demand, and the ones people actually look up are written first.
2. Research
For each topic, the official Microsoft pages are fetched: the reference page for a stop code, the support article for an update, or the top Microsoft Learn results for an error code or process. These pages are the only facts the writer is allowed to use, and every page lists them under Sources.
Recent public Microsoft Q&A threads about the same identifier are counted, and their titles and links are shown on the page as "Is it just you?". They tell you how common the problem is; they are never used as facts.
3. Writing
An AI model writes the page from those sources in a fixed shape: the answer first, then what it means, common causes, fixes from safest to most involved, and the questions people ask. It is told never to recommend registry hacks, disabling security features, or "PC cleaner" and "driver updater" tools.
4. Checking
- The page must have the full structure, at least three fixes with concrete steps, and three to five questions.
- Every KB number, build number and error code on the page must appear in its sources. One that doesn't blocks publishing.
- The title must name the identifier, and the page must not talk about itself or its sources.
- Update articles are also scored for accuracy against their sources, and low scores are held back.
A page that fails any check is not published. It is retried later with fresh sources.
5. Publishing
Pages that pass are published automatically, without a person reviewing each one, and search engines are notified straight away.
6. Staying current
Report counts are refreshed every few days. Pages are rebuilt from fresh sources every couple of months, or sooner when Microsoft changes its pages; the date at the top of each page is the last rebuild. When enough readers answer "Did this fix it?", fixes that work move up and fixes that don't move down.
Found a mistake?
Automation gets things wrong sometimes. Tell us on the contact page and the page will be corrected. The rules behind all of this are in the editorial policy.