REFERENCE_BY_POINTER (0x18)
What is this error?
A reference count error was detected. An object's reference count went negative, indicating a driver released a reference it didn't own.
Common causes
- driver double-release bug
- race condition in driver
- corrupted object header
- memory corruption
How to fix it
- Check minidump for faulting driver
- update all drivers
- run memtest86
Too many steps? Crashless can diagnose this automatically — checks your drivers, temps, VRAM, and 400+ known error patterns.
Get free AI diagnosis Detailed analysis
Bug check 0x00000018 (REFERENCE_BY_POINTER) indicates an object's reference count is inconsistent with its current state. A driver released a reference to an object more times than it acquired one, causing the reference count to go negative. This is a serious driver bug (double-free pattern). Can also be caused by memory corruption (RAM error flipping the reference count). Fixes:
- Check the minidump for any driver in the call stack,
- Update all third-party drivers,
- Run memtest86 to rule out RAM corruption,
- If the faulting driver is an antivirus or security product: uninstall it,
- Run sfc /scannow,
- If persistent with memtest clean: enable Driver Verifier to catch the specific driver.
When to seek help
If this error keeps happening after trying the fixes above, it may point to a deeper hardware or system issue. Consider professional help if:
- The crash occurs across multiple games or applications
- You see the same error after a clean Windows install
- Your PC is less than a year old (could be a warranty issue)
- You smell burning or hear unusual sounds from your PC
Or let Crashless do the deep analysis for you -- our AI checks drivers, temps, event logs, and 400+ known patterns automatically.
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