Here are all the solutions that you can use to troubleshoot or fix the DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (BSOD) error in Windows 11.
There are a variety of types of the Blue Screen of Death errors that are commonly referred to as BSOD errors that may occur within Windows 11. One of the such Blue Screen errors is the DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE error which can happen for a number of reasons such as incompatible drivers, damaged system files, incorrect power settings, faulty hardware, malware, amongst other reasons.
If you are confronted with an Blue Screen error in Windows 11 Don’t be alarmed. The blue screen error appear similar and give the same message “Your PC encountered an issue and requires a restart. We’re collecting the information about the error and we’ll start it again to your satisfaction.” However, each error comes with a unique code to help you determine the type of error that is it. If you see the Stop error code – DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE and/or 0x0000009F, it means this is Driver Power State Failure Blue screen error.
The Driver Power State Failure issue typically occurs when there is an incompatible or corrupted driver for your device installed on your system or due to improper power settings. The BSOD typically appears when you start the system from sleep or Hibernation mode , or during the process of booting up your system.
The majority of the time, a simple restart can fix the issue, but you may still apply the suggestions below to avoid this error from occurring at some point in the near future. Let’s look at what is causing this error in the power state of the driver on Windows 11 and what are solutions to fix it.
Table of Contents
Causes for Driver Power State Failure Error
Windows gives the ‘Driver power status failure’ warning when sends a signal to wake up the driver (when it is required) but it does not wake up in any way or the driver is slow to respond.
The error usually occurs when the system is starting up or restart, wake up from hibernation or sleep, shutdown, and when the driver is in sleep mode even though the device is still active and does not respond. Understanding the common causes for the power state failure error will help you identify the specific issue and determine which approach to use to resolve it.
Here are a few most common reasons to the issue:
- Incorrect, outdated or incompatible drivers that are out of date, faulty, or incompatible
- Upgrade the Windows using the older drivers
- The driver’s performance is downgraded
- Unfavorable Power settings
- Hardware failures
- Power state changes that occur suddenly (like shutting down, or moving into and out of sleep, or hibernation)
- Multiple driver installations for a single device
- Incompatible hardware
- Driver enters sleep mode when the device is being used
- Third-party software , antivirus or
- Drivers for devices with insufficient digital signatures
Restart Your PC to Fix Driver Power State Failure Error
The majority of times when this error occurs it is fixable it by simply restarting your computer. If a device driver is asleep even though you’re making use of the gadget, this will result with the error Driver Power State Failure. Restarting your computer will clear the memory and restarts all devices that are connected with your PC.
Do Startup Repair from Advanced Options
There are times when you might encounter Driver power State Failure or the Blue Screen error when Windows begins to boot, which means that Windows will not start properly or you might not be able to sign into your computer. If this occurs, you’re left with no other choice but to resolve the issue with startup repair or by using to the secure mode.
To use for Startup Repair from the Advanced Options You will have to boot your computer using an Windows Installation media (USB or DVD). If you’re not sure how to make Windows 11 bootable media, read this article to find out how you can accomplish that.
The first step is to boot your computer using your Windows 11 bootable media. If you do this you will be presented with your Windows Setup screen where you will be presented with two options: Install and Repair the computer’. Computer’. Then, select the ‘Repair your Computer’ option at the lower left right-hand corner in the Window.
It will display to the Choose the option page (Windows Recovery Environment) Here, you can select the option ‘Troubleshoot’.
On the next screen, select the Advanced options option.
Then, choose the option ‘Startup Repair’ as in the screenshot below.
Method 2:
If you’re not sure if you have the bootable Windows Installation media, there’s another method you can utilize to gain access to Windows Recovery Environment. Windows Recovery Environment. Here’s how to accomplish that:
Start by restarting or starting your computer. As you get to your loading screens, press your power key for five seconds to turn off the computer. Repeat the process 3 to 4 times until you are in into the Windows Recovery Environment window.
Click the button ‘Advanced Options.
Select the option ‘Startup Repair.
After this, Windows will restart automatically and scan for any errors and fix the issues.
Method 3:
Alternately, you can use the Advanced options through Windows Settings. Here’s how to do this:
Go to the Start menu, and search for “Recovery options’. Select the most appropriate result. Open Settings and choose the option ‘Recovery’ on the System tab.
On the Recovery settings page, select the option ‘Restart now’ next to Advanced start.
The computer will then reboot and display your Windows Recovery Environment, from there you can go to the option ‘Startup Repair’ like we did in the previous method.
Enter Safe Mode
If your computer starts to boot up and displays the blue screen or driver power state failure, you may restart your PC with Safe Mode and then troubleshoot the issue by using one of the following solutions. There are several methods to enter Safe mode. If you aren’t sure how to get into the boot mode then take these actions:
Safe mode is an diagnostic mode that allows users to boot their PC in a minimal state using only the most essential drivers programs, files, and drivers. It won’t start any of the programs and drivers (like Audio driver, Graphics driver driver, etc.)) which is what causes Driver Power State errors. This is why enabling the safe mode will allow you to pinpoint the root of the problem and help you resolve the issue.
Method 1:
Start by booting your system using your Windows 11 bootable media or using the Advanced Startup. Follow the steps as in the previous method to access Advanced Options in Windows Recovery Environment. Windows Recovery Environment. After that, choose the option ‘Startup Settings.
The next window will appear, select Restart to alter your Windows options.
Then, your system will reboot and display the next screen. In this screen, press the four or F4 keys to start into the secure mode.
After the system has been in Safe Mode You can then try to solve the issue that is leading to this BSOD error. Additionally, Safe Mode is the most efficient method to remove new drivers.
Method 2:
You can also switch to boot mode by selecting boot options within the System Configuration tool.
Start your Run option by holding Win+R, typing msconfig and then enter. You can also type “System Configuration within the Windows search engine and then launch it.
Within the System Configuration tool, click the tab ‘Boot’ and select the option ‘Safe boot’ in the section Boot options. Select the option ‘Minimal’ under it, and then click “OK”.
Then, click the button ‘Restart’ to restart the computer and then enter safe mode.
Update Your System Drivers
As we have mentioned previously that one of the most common reasons for the Driver Power State Failure errors is outdated or incompatible drivers. Therefore, we suggest updating the drivers for devices most likely to trigger the issue such as graphic drivers for display, drivers for graphics, external device drivers, etc. There are three ways to update drivers within Windows 11 – Device Manager, Windows update, and the manual download and installation.
Update Drivers with Device Manager
Device Manager tool is able to check for changes to the driver and install the latest versions of the drivers. To launch Device Manager, right-click on the Start menu and select Device manager or go to the Run command box and enter devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
The program will launch the Device Manager that will display all drivers that are installed on your system, categorized according to hardware. Find the driver that is causing the issue and make sure to update it. Some malfunctioning drivers may have the yellow triangle symbol (a warning signal) Make sure that you update the drivers. Drivers for video or graphics are typically found in the category Display adaptors.
In the event that graphics drivers are the one that is causing the issue, open your Display adaptor, right-click the driver that is installed and choose the option to update driver.
This will bring up the dialog box ‘Update drivers’. In this box. Select the “Search automatically for drivers” option.
Then, Windows will automatically search for the driver and install it to your system. If you are prompted to restart your computer to finish the installation.
Update Windows Update
Another method to install or update the drivers you require is via Windows updates. The process of updating Windows does not just update or installs device drivers , but could also resolve other issues on your computer.
Select the Start menu, and choose ‘Settings’, or press Win+I.
Within the Windows Settings, select the Windows Update tab in the left side and then select the “Check for updates” button.
Then, Window will search, install and download the drivers that are not present or are out of date on your PC. In some cases, Windows Update find and show available drivers, and you must click Download’ and then the ‘Install’ button to install them.
If you aren’t able to find any drivers available You can look up optional updates. To check this, simply select the Advanced options in the Windows update settings page.
Then, select the option ‘Optional updates’ in”Additional options. If there are any driver updates available They will be displayed in this section. Download and install the required drivers.
Download and install Drivers on the Manufacturer’s Website
If you are unable to update drivers with the two above methods then you can download the appropriate drivers from the website of the manufacturer or from a reliable source.
Visit the website of the manufacturer and download the driver to the right device. Drivers can be located on the ‘Drivers and Support’ page on the website of the manufacturer.
Make sure you download the most recent version and Windows 11 edition of the driver.
If you are unable to locate the website of the manufacturer or website, you can look up the driver on a the search engine (Google) using the “Device name” followed by Windows 11 and then the word ‘driver download’. If you own laptops, you can look up the laptop’s brand and name as well as the model. In the results of your search you can visit a reputable website to connect and download the drivers.
After you have updated the drivers, verify if the power state failure error has been corrected within Windows 11.
It is possible to update drivers with third-party tools for updating drivers like Driver Booster, Driver Talent, Driver Easy and many more.
Uninstall Device Drivers
If updating the driver does not solve the issue, or if the issue caused by installing a new driver for your device, attempt to remove the driver that is causing the problem from your system. In certain cases the driver that was installed recently could have bugs that cause the issue. Here’s how to fix this:
The first step is to start Device Manager by clicking the Start menu and choosing the option ‘Device Manager’. Once Device Manager launches, find the driver responsible for the BSOD error in the list. If you’re not sure then check the BSOD dump logs to find more details. After that, right-click on the device and choose “Uninstall device”.
In the confirmation window Click the Uninstall button.
After you have removed the driver, restart the system to allow it to automatically install the driver. You can get and install the most recent version of driver that is compatible with Windows 11 from the manufacturer’s website.
Rollback to Previous Versions of the Newly Installed Drivers
If you began to encounter the BSOD error only after you installed a new driver for your device, it could be because the driver isn’t working properly which could cause the problem. If that’s the case you could return to previous versions of the installed driver that was more compatible on the device. Here’s how to reverse the driver in order to resolve the issue.
Start the Device Manager and locate the driver that you have installed that you believe is the cause of this BSOD error. After that, right-click the driver and choose ‘Properties’..
In the window for driver properties go to the ‘Driver tab, then select the ‘Roll Back Driver’ button.
The confirmation box, choose one of the suitable choices, and then select ‘Yes’ to go back to the previous driver.
Check to see if this has fixed the issue, if not then try the next step.
Change Power Settings
Another way to handle Driver Power State Failure error is to alter the power settings since the problem could be due to some active settings within the Power Options. Therefore, you must disable hibernate, sleep, and speedy startup settings in Windows 11. Here’s how to accomplish that:
Go to the Start menu, and enter Control Panel Select the most appropriate match.
The control panel will launch when the control panel is launched, select the System and Security’ settings if the view is category. If the view is restricted to small or larger icons, select the ‘Power Options’.
After that, select Power Options option from the menu of settings.
On the left side Click the ‘Choose what is the function of power buttons from the left panel. Click the ‘Choose what the power button does.
Then, click on Change settings not currently available’ in order to modify the settings. Be aware that you’ll require administrative rights to edit the settings.
Uncheck ‘Turn off fast startup Sleep and Hibernate’ options and then click “Save” and restart the computer.
Change the Power Plan and Power Plan Settings
If the device you are using is running the Power Saver plan Make sure you change the plan to Balanced or “High Performance’. After that, you can change the Wireless adapter’s power saving mode to Maximum performance..
Navigate to the Power Options settings within the Control panel. Make sure the Balanced (recommended) or High Performance option is chosen. After that, click “Change plan settings” next to the plan you want to change.
Then, change the ‘Plug your computer in sleep’ option on both the ‘On Battery’ as well as Plugged in’ to ‘Never’, and then choose ‘Save changes’
Then, click on the ‘Change advanced settings for power Under it, click the ‘Change advanced power settings’ link.
This will bring up this Power Options dialog box where you can alter the settings for the power of your PC. Find the Wireless Adapter Settings option and then expand it. Expand the “Power Saving Mode below it and set both the On battery and the Plugged in settings to Maximum Performance..
After that, click “Apply” and then click OK to apply the modifications you made.
Then, restart your computer to check whether you can confirm that the Driver Power State Failure error is resolved. If not then try the following solution.
Adjust Energy-Saving Mode Of Graphics Card (Nvidia Control Panel)
If you own the Nvidia graphics card The BSOD issue could be due to power setting of the Nvidia graphic driver. It is possible to fix this issue by making some changes within the Nvidia Control Panel which is a central interface that allows you to customize different functions that are part of Nvidia’s driver. Nvidia driver.
Then, right-click on the Nvidia icon on the corner of the taskbar (system tray) and select ‘Nvidia Control Panel’. You can also look it up (Nvidia Control Panel) in the Windows search engine and then launch it.
Within the Nvidia Control Panel, click the button ‘Manage 3D settings’ button in the pane to your left.
In the left pane on the right, switch the “Preferred graphics processor” to the specific graphic card (High-Performance Nvidia processor).
In the settings list below, locate the Power Management mode setting, and then set it to “Prefer maximum performance” from the menu dropdown.
Then, click “Apply” to save the modifications then close the panel.
Change Device’s Power Settings
If the method above isn’t working, you can temporarily disable the power saver feature on the devices that could be the cause of the issue. Follow these steps to accomplish this:
Open Device Manager by typing devmgmt.msc and clicking “OK”. After that, right-click the device and choose Properties in the contextual menu.
Then, go to the Power Management tab in the properties window and remove the ‘Allow computer to shut off this device in order to conserve the power option’.
After that, click OK for the change to be saved. Then, restart your computer and verify that the error 0x0000009F is resolved.
Run SFC Scan (System File Checker)
System File Checker (SFC) is a built-in command utility which is used to check the system files for damaged or corrupt system files and then replace the damaged or corrupted files. If you encounter an Blue Death on the screen, you are able to conduct the SFC scan to correct the issue. The procedure to conduct an SFC scan:
Find Command Prompt within the Windows search engine and select the option to run as administrator from the results of your search to launch the terminal using administrator rights.
If the Command prompt window is displayed, type the following command and then press Enter:
sfc /scannowThe SFC scan may require some time before it is finish So make sure that you do not close your Command Prompt until it does.
If the scan finds damaged or corrupted filesystems, the system will repair or replace the damaged or corrupted files. After the scan is completed restart your system and verify whether you can confirm that the driver Power State Failure error is removed. If not, you can try using the DisM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) commands below.
Run DISM Commands
DisM (Deployment Imaging Servicing and Management) is a different command tool that can be used to repair damaged or lost files on your system. It is more efficient than the System File Checker. It is also able to correct Driver Power State Failure errors.
Open Command prompt, with administrative rights and type in these commands, one following another:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /scanhealthDISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /RestorehealthThe first command examines the computer for problems. The second command is to repair or replace the damaged or deleted files. Then restart your computer.
Disable Third-Party Antivirus Program and Windows Defender
Sometimes, your antivirus program may interfere with vital Windows driver or file files, causing an error message called Driver Power State Failure error to show up. Therefore, disabling the third-party antivirus software or Windows Defender or Windows Defender could solve the problem.
Start your Antivirus program and disable your real-time security. To turn off Windows Defender, use the below steps:
Start Windows Security and click on the ‘Virus and threat protection section’ on the left side.
Click on the link ‘Manage settings’ under the Virus and Threat security settings.
Turn off the switch under “Real-time protection” to disable the antivirus for a short period of time.
This will disable your antivirus security temporarily, and could help you fix the Driver Power State Failure.
Update the BIOS
The BIOS, also known as UEFI is a fundamental firmware that allows the operating system of your computer to talk with your device’s hardware. The process of updating the BIOS (or UEFI) will help you solve a variety of computer-related issues, but it’s a risky process and could go wrong and even damage your computer. Be cautious in applying (or flashing) updates to the BIOS.
The majority of BIOS upgrades for the latest PCs can be installed using an easy installer on Windows. However, for certain PCs you must flash or install BIOS from the BIOS menu.
Visit your motherboard or PC manufacturer’s site and download the most recent BIOS update or BIOS EZ flash software.
However, before doing that make sure you make sure you check the current BIOS version and date. If you are running the most recent BIOS version, there’s no need to upgrade or install BIOS. If you’re using the older version, and there’s a updated version of BIOS available on the site it is possible to download the latest version and then install it.
To verify the BIOS version, enter “System Information” within the Windows search box and then open the program.
Within the System Information window, locate the item ‘BIOS Version/Date’ and take note of its version and date.
In the event that you are able to find the BIOS upgrade is made available via an installer on the website of the manufacturer, then download and install it.
If the BIOS is available as a flash-based file, download the file and extract the compressed file, then copy it into a folder on the format of a USB drive. Follow the steps below to set it up:
Connect your USB drive to your computer and restart it. Once the computer is booted up, press the F2 or F10, F12, and Del on the keyboards to open your BIOS UEFI menu. Every computer has its own shortcut key that opens the BIOS menu, however the majority of PCs use these shortcut keys.
In the BIOS utility, select the Advanced or Advanced Mode’ option.
On the Advanced tab, search for the option ‘Flash “EZ flash” or another options for firmware updates and choose it.
The next screen will appear go towards the USB drive and choose the latest firmware image that you have saved to that drive. The process should take a bit of time, but be sure to not disrupt the process or turn off your computer, or you may damage your system. If you’re using a laptop, make sure that you plug it into the power source prior to beginning the process.
Uninstall the Recently Installed Softwares
If you started to experience the Driver_Power_State_Failure error only after installing certain software or program, then uninstall that software. Certain programs aren’t compatible with the system driver or configurations, which could cause an error message that displays blue.
To remove the program To uninstall the software, launch your Settings app, select “Apps” on the left side, then choose ‘Apps and Features to the right.
From the list of applications choose the one you wish to remove Click the vertical (three dots) or ellipsis (three dots) button, and then click “Uninstall”.
Remove External Devices
If you have several external peripherals that are connected with your PC (like Web camera, speaker scanner, printer etc. ) Try disconnecting the devices to see whether that solves the issue.
The first step is to turn off the system. Then, then disconnect all devices, then start your system. If your computer is running without issue or error following that, plug devices back into the computer one at a time and check them every time to determine which is causing the issue.
Use System Restore to Rollback Drivers or Undo System Changes
Certain drivers do not have a the option to roll back drivers in the properties of the driver In that situation, you may make use of Restore System Restore to restore drivers. System Restore can also undo the changes made recently or any the system’s corruption which could cause the error.
Go to the Start menu, and type in ‘System restore” within the Windows search results and then select the ‘Create a restoration points’ option from the results.
If you see you are on the System Properties control panel, select the System Restore button.
Within the System Restore tool, select the ‘Choose another restore point’ option , then select Next.
In the next screen there will be the list of restore points for your system, select the one that is appropriate and click ‘Next’. If you find the driver that is not working, select the restore point prior to it and select Next.
Run The Driver Verifier To Check Your Drivers
Driver Verifier is an inbuilt utility that helps to identify and resolve many issues with drivers. If you suspect that the Driver Power State Problem is due to malfunctioning drivers, the Driver verifier will help determine which driver is responsible for the issue. Let’s see how you can check drivers:
Then, type in ‘Command Prompt’ on the Windows search engine and then click “Run as Administrator” under the results.
At the prompt for command, type in your command Verifier and hit Enter to run it.
The driver Verifier Manager will open. Select the option to create standard settings and then click Next..
To verify all drivers that are installed on your computer,select the ‘Automatically select all drivers that are installed on this computer’ and then click “Finish”.
For scanning only the particular drivers choose “Select the driver names from a list’ option , then select “Finish”.
Select the driver you wish to scan and then click “Finish”.
In the prompt box, click OK, and then restart your computer to scan drivers.
When you restart your computer, after restarting it, the Driver Verifier will be running in the background to identify the drivers. To determine the driver that failed or caused the issue, you need to open the Device Verifier Manager, select and select the ‘Display information regarding the currently verified drivers’ option, and then click ‘Next’.
After you have scanned your drivers and removed the problematic driver, you must end or deactivate this Driver Verifier Manager process, or else it could cause system overload and cause the system to fail. Driver Verifier Manager runs in the background every time you beginning and will continue until you end it.
For stopping the driver verification manager, start the program again, choose the “Delete existing settings” option, then click the ‘Finish’ option.
After that, reboot the computer.
Reset Your PC (Last Resort)
If none of the methods above did the trick, you may restart the settings on your Windows PC to fix the Driver Power State Blue screen error. Resetting Windows will allow you to install Windows 11 OS Windows 11 OS using the cloud or backup image. If you are reinstalling Windows you have the option to save your personal data and remove all applications and settings.
This process will eliminate all third-party applications drivers, settings, and other third-party apps. The system will be restored to its default state after you have installed the operating system. Follow these steps for resetting the settings on your Windows 11 PC:
Start Windows 11 Settings. Open the Windows 11 Settings app by pressing Win+I. Within the Settings app, select the tab ‘System’ then on the right side you can scroll down to click the option ‘Recovery’.
In the section for Recovery options Click the Reset PC Reset PC’ button.
The Reset this PC dialog box in which you can select whether you wish to keep your files’ , but delete applications and settings, or ‘Remove everything’, including personal files from the libraries. Choose one of both.
Then, select how you like to install Windows either with an image of your local backup on your device or via Cloud download and then reinstall Windows. If you select the cloud download option, the system will install and install the most recent version of Windows 11 but it will require internet access as well as 4GB of storage. If you select the option of ‘Local Reinstall’ it will install the exact version of the OS using the backup image on the device.
In the next window you will see a ‘Next’ button.
Then, click the button ‘Reset’ to begin the process of resetting.
The process can take a while to complete and then reboot the system to a new OS.
We hope that this article will help you eliminate this driver state failure error on your device.