# Troubleshooting "Instrument Shell has Stopped Working" on the NovaSeq 6000

The "Instrument Shell has Stopped Working" error on the NovaSeq 6000 is a Windows error that generally indicates transient communications issues or hardware problems. This error will manifest as the Control Software crashing, and the pop-up shown below appearing on the screen.

**Instrument Shell has stopped working. A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Please close the program.**

* **Close the program**
* **Debug the program**

  ![](https://761066130-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FGM9W2DuBTgEXv1ClCm8H%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-7e327800e6f3d51b43a8a527e7aa4046c29b660c%2Fimage1.jpg?alt=media\&token=29347d77-e6e6-4cc4-89e6-ab571372af2b)

**To Troubleshoot:**

* Power cycle the instrument. For further information, search for Knowledge Base article **How to Power cycle the NovaSeq 6000 System**.
* Collect the following files:
  * NovaSeq Control Software logs folder: C:\ProgramData\\\*\Illumina\NovaSeq\NovaSeq Control Software\Logs (zipped)
  * Windows logs\
    \- After collecting the logs, contact Illumina Technical Support (<techsupport@illumina.com>) to determine the next steps.

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| *For any feedback or questions regarding this article (Illumina Knowledge Article #6676), contact Illumina Technical Support* [*techsupport@illumina.com*](mailto:techsupport@illumina.com?subject=Question%2FFeedback%20Regarding%20Illumina%20Knowledge%20Article%20#000006676%20-%20Instrumentation%20\&body=Dear%20Illumina%20Technical%20Support,%0D%0A%0D%0A)*.* |


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