Windows 10 Watchdog Error Fix

Windows 10 Watchdog Error Fix Rating: 4,9/5 7580 votes

Fix Clock Watchdog Timeout Error on Windows 10: While playing a video game, your PC might suddenly restart and you may face Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) with error message CLOCKWATCHDOGTIMEOUT. You can also face this error when trying to run a clean installation of Windows 10. Jan 26, 2019  Fix Clock Watchdog Timeout Error on Windows 10: While playing a video game, your PC might suddenly restart and you may face Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) with error message CLOCKWATCHDOGTIMEOUT. You can also face this error when trying to run a clean installation of Windows 10. The watchdog.sys error is rare but will certainly result in BSOD. You can fix it by reinstalling graphics drivers, checking for overheating, resetting BIOS.

  1. DPC Watchdog Violation: Of the errors that you may have encountered while using a Windows PC, the one we are here to deal with right now has to be among the most frustrating. If you have indeed encountered this glitch, you must have been extremely confused about what is causing it, as none of it is immediately clear.
  2. Windows 7 will take you straight to Safe Mode after you choose the Safe Mode option but for Windows 8 and 10, after the Preparing Automatic Repair message, it should take you to Advanced Options from there choose Troubleshoot - Advanced Options - Startup Settings - (wait for the system to reboot),after the reboot choose Option 4 by pressing 4 on the keyboard to start into Safe Mode.
  3. I would suggest you try to scan your system files to find any corruption files by using above methods. If you are unable to access your Windows PC via normal mode, try access it through Safe Mode.
Watchdog

Encountering DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION Error in Windows 10 can be really annoying as most users do not know what this really means and how to fix this issue. Read below the steps to fix DPC Watchdog Violation Error in Windows 10.

What is DPC Watchdog Violation Error

According to Microsoft, DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION Error indicates that a DPC watchdog bug test was triggered on your computer either due to a single long-running deferred procedure call (DPC), or because the system spent a prolonged time at an interrupt request level (IRQL) of DISPATCH_LEVEL or above.

Basically, this explanation from Microsoft is trying to say that your computer has stopped working as it was unable to get a response from one of its hardware components.

While the most common hardware component involved in this issue appears to be the Hard disk drive, the problem can be triggered due to other device drivers becoming incompatible and other issues.

Fix DPC Watchdog Violation Error in Windows 10

In case you are facing DPC Watchdog Violation Error following a Windows Update or after installing a new software program, the logical solution is to Uninstall the Update or remove the new Software Program.

This solution works only if you can get access to your desktop. In case you are unable to access the desktop, you will have to think in terms of Restoring or Resetting your device.

In general, DPC Watchdog Violation Error in Windows 10 can be fixed by any one of the following methods.

  1. Uninstall Recent Software Updates
  2. Troubleshoot or Reset computer
  3. Run Windows Troubleshooter
  4. Check For Windows Updates
  5. Replace Hard Disk Driver

1. Uninstall Recent Software Updates

In case you are seeing DPC Watchdog Violation Error after installing recent software updates, you can Uninstall the most recent software update on your computer and see if this fixes the problem.

If you can access your desktop, open Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > Installed Updates > Right-click on the Update and click on Uninstall.

2. Troubleshoot or Reset Computer

If you cannot get access to the desktop, your PC will restart multiple times and ultimately start Automatic repair. In case Windows 10 is unable to fix the problem it will take you to Choose an option screen.

1. On the next screen, click on Troubleshoot option.

2. On the Troubleshoot screen, select Advanced options.

3. On the Advanced Options screen, you will see various options to Troubleshoot your computer.

In case you had created a System Restore Point or System Image on your computer, you can click on System Restore or System Image Recovery and follow the next set of instructions to Restore or Recover Windows 10.

In case you do not have a System Image or System Restore Point on your computer, you can try other options to find and fix problems on your computer or go back to the previous screen and click on Reset this PC option.

On the next screen, click on Keep my Files option and follow the next set of instructions to Reset your PC.

3. Run Windows Troubleshooter

In case you can get access to the desktop, the easiest way to find and fix problems in Windows 10 is to use the built-in Windows Troubleshooter on your computer.

1. Click on the Start button > Settings icon

2. On the Settings screen, click on Updates & Security.

3. On the Update & Security Screen, click on Troubleshoot in the left pane and then click on Blue Screen option in the right pane.

4. Follow the instructions to troubleshoot and fix problems causing your computer to stop or unexpectedly restart.

On the same screen, you can scroll down and click on Program Compatibility Troubleshooter to see if an older version of a program or app on your computer is causing the problem.

4. Check for Updates

It is possible that your computer is not installing Windows Updates and this is causing the problem on your computer.

1. Click on the Start button > Settings icon

2. On the Settings screen, click on Updates & Security.

3. On the next screen, click on Check For Updates.

5. Update Hard Disk Driver

In general, Windows 10 update should also update the device drivers on your computer. However, sometimes this may not happen and cause the DPC Watchdog Violation Error in Windows 10.

1. Right-click on Windows Start button and then click on Device Manager in the menu that appears.

2. On the Device Manager screen, expand the entry for IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. Next, right-click on the Controller having SATA AHCI in its name and click on Update Driver.

3. On the next screen, click on Search Automatically for Updated driver Software.

4. Follow the next set of instructions to Update Driver for the Hard Disk on your computer.

5. Restart your computer and see if the problem is fixed.

Note: This fix is not applicable in case you have a SSD drive on your computer.

DPC watchdog violation errors used to be very common in Windows 10. They seem to happen less now but still occur. The cause can be incompatible drivers, incompatible hardware or file corruption within Windows itself, usually around drivers. If you’re seeing DPC watchdog violation errors in Windows 10, I’ll show you how to fix it.

Also see our article How To Speed Up Windows 10 – The Ultimate Guide

Dpc Watchdog Error Windows 10 Fix

DPC stands for Deferred Procedure Call. It’s a system within Windows that allows high priority tasks to interrupt the task queue. Essentially, it allows something Windows regards as important to skip to the front of the queue, holding lower priority tasks until that process has been completed. Watchdog is a software tool that looks for bugs and errors within Windows.

A violation error means the Watchdog had to wait longer than it found acceptable for a response from the operating system. To protect the system, Watchdog forces a blue screen error and shuts down Windows.

Fixing DPC watchdog violation errors in Windows 10

If you’re seeing DPC watchdog violation errors, you first need to figure out what has changed recently. Have you added any new hardware? Updated any drivers? Added any programs like file cleaners or driver agents? Updated Windows? If you made changes just before the errors began, this is where we begin.

DPC errors cause a blue screen. Reboot your computer into Windows and try the below. Your computer should load normally, even if just for a minute or two.

If you added new hardware:

Remove the hardware if possible and retest. If it’s a replacement component, put the old component back if you still have it. If the error goes away, check hardware compatibility with Windows 10 or remove the driver fully for the old component before adding the new one.

Sift heads world act 6 games. If you updated drivers:

Identify which drivers you updated and roll them back. Start with minor components like audio, printers, mouse, keyboard and work up to graphics and motherboard drivers. Roll back one driver and retest. Repeat until Windows works again. The last driver you removed is likely the candidate.

To roll back a driver, do this:

  1. Right click the Windows Start button and select Device Manager.
  2. Select the device you updated, right click and select Properties.
  3. Select the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver.

If you performed a Windows Update:

  1. Right click the Windows Start button and select Settings.
  2. Select Update & Security and View Update History.
  3. Look at what Windows updates were installed around the time the errors began.
  4. Select the update to be taken to the Windows website that describes it.
  5. Select Uninstall updates to remove one or more of them.

SSD drives and DPC watchdog violation errors

One common cause of DPC watchdog violation errors in Windows 10 are SSD drives. If you recently added a new drive, it may not have the right driver installed. This issue was largely addressed shortly after Windows 10 was released but rears its head occasionally still.

  1. Right click the Windows Start button and select Device Manager.
  2. Select the SSD you installed and right click.
  3. Select Update Driver Software and Browse.
  4. Select Let me pick from a list of devices.
  5. Select ‘Standard SATA AHCI Controller’ from the list and install.

If none of those steps worked, there may be a file corruption or damage within the Windows operating system. We need to check that out.

First we should try a drive check to make sure it isn’t a drive error causing DPC to bug out.

  1. Type ‘cmd’ into the Search Windows box, right click Command Prompt and select Open as Administrator.
  2. Type ‘CHKDSK C: /F /R and hit Enter.
  3. Let the process complete.

CHKDSK is a disk checking app built into Windows that will scan your C: drive for errors. If you have multiple drives, repeat this for all of them, replacing C: with D:, E: etc. It will take a while but is a useful tool for checking drive health anyway.

Windows 10 errors causing DPC watchdog violation errors

Dpc_watchdog_violation Error Windows 10 Fix

This is rare but it does happen. It’s easy to find out as Windows has tools built in to check file integrity.

Fixing Watchdog Error For Windows 10

  1. Type ‘cmd’ into the Search Windows box, right click Command Prompt and select Open as Administrator.
  2. Type ‘sfc /scannow’ and hit Enter.
  3. Allow the process to complete.

Watchdog Violation Error

This process may take a little while to complete but there is a progress counter within the window. SFC, System File Checker will check and verify Windows 10 files and replace any that are damaged, missing or corrupted. If there are issues with your installation, this should fix it.