BSOD: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

IRQL BLUE SCREEN on Windows is frequently misdiagnosed because Windows uses different underlying error codes than Linux, and cross-platform tools do not always translate them accurately. A developer used to POSIX errors may misinterpret the Windows equivalent. Key differences: Linux's EACCES (permission denied) corresponds to Windows ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED (5). Linux's ENOENT (file not found) corresponds to ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (2) or ERROR_PATH_NOT_FOUND (3). Linux's EPERM (operation not permitted) corresponds to ERROR_PRIVILEGE_NOT_HELD (1314). Node.js and Python normalize these to POSIX names, but the underlying cause on Windows may differ. For example, EACCES on Windows often indicates a file lock (another process has the file open) rather than a permission issue — the fix is to close the locking process, not to change permissions. Use Sysinternals Process Monitor (procmon.exe) to capture the exact Windows error code and which process was accessing the file when IRQL BLUE SCREEN occurred. This tool shows every file system, registry, and network operation in real time and is indispensable for diagnosing Windows-specific IRQL BLUE SCREEN.