Fix 'DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION' Blue Screen (BSOD) on Windows 10/11

Updated: 11/29/2025

Your mouse freezes, the audio buzzes, and suddenly your PC crashes to a blue screen with a sad face: 'Your PC ran into a problem... Stop Code: DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION'. This sounds scary, but DPC stands for 'Deferred Procedure Call'. It simply means the CPU told a hardware driver (usually your SSD or WiFi card) to do something, and the driver took too long to respond, so Windows shut down to prevent damage.

Method 1: Update SATA AHCI Controller (The #1 Cause)

The standard Microsoft SATA driver often conflicts with modern SSDs.

Step 1: Device Manager

Right-click Start > Device Manager.

Step 2: IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers

Expand this section. Right-click 'Standard SATA AHCI Controller' > Properties > Driver > Update Driver.

Step 3: Browse My Computer

Select 'Let me pick from a list'. Choose the driver listing 'Standard SATA AHCI Controller' and click Next. Restart your PC.

Method 2: Check SSD Firmware

If you have an older SSD (Samsung, Kingston, Crucial), it might have a firmware bug causing it to hang.

Download the official manager software for your drive (e.g., Samsung Magician or Kingston SSD Manager). Run it and check for 'Firmware Updates'. Updating this can stop the disk from freezing up.

Method 3: Run Check Disk (CHKDSK)

If your system files are physically corrupted on the drive, the Watchdog will timeout trying to read them.

Run this command in Administrator CMD. Press Y to schedule it, then restart your PC. It will take an hour to scan and repair bad sectors.