How to Fix DPC Watchdog Violation 10/11/8: 7 Solutions

What Is DPC Watchdog Violation Error

What is DPC Watchdog Violation? It is a Windows blue screen error with the stop code DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (bug check 0x133). It appears when a driver task runs too long, and Windows stops to protect your data.

DPC is short for Deferred Procedure Call, a task that drivers postpone and run later. Watchdog is the timer that checks whether such tasks finish on time.

The error can appear on Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8, sometimes several times a day. If it hits often at work, it will hurt your efficiency, so the best move is to find out the cause and remove it.

If you don’t know why this error appears or how to fix it, read this complete guide to the DPC Watchdog Violation error.

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What Causes the DPC Watchdog Violation Error

DPC Watchdog Violation can be caused by outdated drivers, unsupported firmware, hardware and software incompatibility, and so on. Here are the typical causes for your reference.

1. Your device driver is outdated, damaged or installed wrongly.

One of the most common reasons for DPC_Watchdog_Violation Windows 10 error is that the device drivers are outdated or damaged. So you may need to update driver manually or update your drivers automatically with third-party software.

2. The newly installed hardware is not compatible with the operating system.

If you have recently installed a new hardware device on your older computer, you may encounter the DPC Watchdog Violation error due to compatibility issues.

3. There is software conflict between two programs.

If software you are installing in your device is not compatible with the software already installed on your computer. For example, if you have launched two antivirus programs on your computer, you may encounter the DPC watchdog violation error.

4. The firmware version of the SSD is outdated.

The firmware or drivers of a hardware you are connecting to your device may be not supported by your device. If you are using SSD on your computer, make sure the firmware version of the SSD is up to date.

5. The system files are corrupted.

If the system files are damaged or corrupted, you are unable to boot into Windows successfully.

What to Do If You Can’t Boot into Windows (Safe Mode)

Sometimes the PC cannot enter Windows, or it falls into a restart loop after the blue screen. In that case, apply the following solutions in Safe Mode.

• Windows 11/10: Press the Power button for at least 4 seconds to interrupt the boot process three times in a row. On the fourth start, Windows enters Automatic Repair. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, then press 4 or F4.
• Windows 8/8.1: On the sign-in screen, hold Shift and click Restart. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, then press 4 or F4.

Solution 1. Remove All External Devices on Your Computer

The DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION Windows 10 error can be caused by hardware conflicts. If there are newly installed external hard drives, external solid-state drive, printer, or scanner on your PC, you should remove or disconnect all these external devices. Then restart your computer.

To identify which one is the culprit, you can connect one device at a time to check. If the DPC Watch Dog Violation error occurs after connecting one of your devices, you can remove it to fix the problem. After that, you can connect other devices.

Solution 2. Change SATA AHCI Controller

You can change the SATA AHCI driver by yourself to solve the DPC watchdog violation error

Step 1. Open Device Manager.

1. Press Windows key and X key simultaneously.
2. Select Device Manager from the menu.

Step 2. Verify if you choose the correct controller.

1. Find and expand the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.

2. Choose the SATA AHCI controller and right-click it.

3. Select Properties from the pop-up window.

4. Go to the Driver tab and then click Driver Details.

5. Make sure the iaStorA.sys is listed as a driver. Then click OK.

Step 3. Update the driver for this device.

1. Choose Update Driver.

2. Choose Browse my computer for driver software.

3. Choose Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.

4. Choose Standard SATA AHCI Controller and click Next.

5. Restart your computer to take effect.

If the error remains, also update other key drivers, such as display and network drivers, through Device Manager or Windows Update.

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Solution 3. Update the SSD Firmware

Nowadays, many people use SSD on their computer for high performance and fast running speed. However, unsupported SSD firmware could lead to the DPC Watchdog Violation Windows 10 blue screen error.

If you are one of them who have encountered the DPC Watchdog Violation error, you can try updating the SSD firmware to fix it. You can download the latest SSD firmware version from the manufacturer’s website and update your SSD.

Step 1. Open Device Manager

Here are three methods to open Device Manager:

• Press Windows + R, type devmgmt.msc, and hit Enter.
• Press Windows + X and choose Device Manager from the menu.
• Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager.

Step 2. Find out the model and update the firmware.

1. Expand the Disk drives.

2. Note down the Model number of your SSD.

3. Go to manufacturer’s website and search for new version of firmware.

4. Download and install the firmware for your drive.

Solution 4. Check and Fix Disk Errors

You can perform a disk check to check hard drive healthy. Here are two methods for you to check and fix hard drive errors.

Check File System with MiniTool Partition Wizard

The first method is to use a free hard drive repair tool – MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition. Its Check File System feature can help you detect and repair logical issues affecting your drive.

Apart from that, it can also help you extend partition, resize partition, convert MBR to GPT without data loss, migrate OS to SSD/HDD, convert NTFS to FAT and so on. So it is also an all-in-one disk and partition manager for Windows users.

You can download one by clicking the following button. Install it on your computer and launch it to get the main interface.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Choose the target partition.

1. Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition.
2. Select the partition C.
3. Choose Check File System from the left action panel.

Step 2. Check and fix disk errors.

1. Choose Check & fix detected errors.

• Check only: The software will scan the drive for errors but will not fix it.
• Check & fix detected errors: The software will scan and fix any detected drive errors automatically.

2. Click Start button to check and fix disk errors immediately.

3. Click Yes to check file system next time the system restarts.

Run CHKDSK Utility in Windows 11/10/8

Another way to check disk errors is to run CHKDSK.

Step 1. Start Command Prompt as administrator.

1. Input cmd in the Windows search box.
2. Right-click the best match and choose Run as administrator.

Step 2. Check and fix disk errors.

1. Type the chkdsk c: /f command and hit Enter.
2. Type Y and hit Enter.

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Solution 5. Remove Newly Installed Software

If the DPC Watchdog Violation Windows 10 error happens after installing a new application or upgrading some programs on your computer, you can uninstall it to remove the error.

Some users reflect that they come across the error after installing two antivirus programs. After uninstalling one, you can fix the DPC Watchdog Violation error. If you have launched two antivirus programs, you can disable one and leave another to protect your computer from virus attack.

Solution 6. Scan and Fix System Files

Corrupted system files can trigger the DPC Watchdog Violation error. Use SFC to repair them, and run DISM if SFC fails.

Step 1. Run SFC.

Type cmd in the search box, right-click the best match, and choose Run as administrator.

Type sfc /scannow and hit Enter.

If SFC repairs the files or finds no problem, restart your PC. If it cannot fix some files, go to Step 2.

Step 2. Run DISM.

Connect to the internet, type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, and hit Enter. Wait until it reaches 100%.

Step 3. Run SFC again.

Restart your PC, open Command Prompt as administrator, and run sfc /scannow again to verify the repair.

Solution 7. Run Event Viewer

By running the Event Viewer, you may find the driver or device which causes the DPC_Watchdog_Violation Windows 10 blue screen error. Here are detailed steps to show you how to run Event Viewer.

Step 1. Run Event Viewer from desktop.

1. Press the Windows logo key and X at the same time.
2. Click Event Viewer.

Step 2. Check the details of the error.

1. On the left side of the panel, click Windows Logs.

2. Then click System.

3. In the middle part of the panel, you can see some events listed. Click the ones marked by Error or Warning to see details of the error’s occurrence within a specific time range.

This can help you find the culprit of DPC Watchdog Violation error.

After trying the above solutions, you should fix the DPC Watchdog Violation error successfully.

If the issue persists, perform a clean install with installation media (the Windows Media Creation Tool works for Windows 11/10), or use System Restore to return your PC to an earlier date.

After trying the fixes in this post, I successfully resolved the DPC Watchdog Violation Windows 10 error. People who encounter the same issue may have a try.Click to Tweet

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Conclusion

DPC_Watchdog_Violation is often caused by driver issues, hardware conflicts, outdated SSD firmware, or corrupted system files. Try the 7 fixes above to resolve this BSOD error in Windows 10/11. If it persists, roll back recent driver updates or perform a System Restore.

If you need any help when using MiniTool software, you can contact us via [email protected].

DPC Watchdog Violation FAQ