A system error code is an error number, sometimes followed by a short error message, that a program in Windows can display in response to a specific problem.

Just as a doctor uses a specific word to describe a list of symptoms to a patient, the Windows operating system issues an error code to describe a problem with a software program. This makes it easier for a software developer to understand what has happened and thus how to fix the problem.

A system error code is not the same as a Device Manager error code, a STOP code, a POST code, or an HTTP status code (also called a browser error code or an Internet error code).

Some system error codes have the same code numbers as these other types of error codes, but they are completely different errors with different messages and meanings.