Your computer crashes to a blue screen with the error DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (stop code 0x0000009F). This happens when a driver sends a power state request to a device — telling it to sleep, wake up, or change power levels — and the device does not respond correctly. The driver hangs waiting for a response that never comes, Windows detects the deadlock, and crashes to prevent data corruption. The most common causes are outdated or incompatible drivers (especially network adapters and graphics cards), aggressive power management settings, and USB devices that fail to wake from sleep.
What triggers this blue screen
The DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE crash most commonly happens at these moments:
Waking from sleep or hibernate: The computer tries to bring a device back from a low-power state, but the device's driver fails to complete the transition. This is the most common trigger
Going to sleep: A device refuses to enter a low-power state when the system requests it
During normal use: A driver enters an inconsistent power state on its own, usually because of a bug in the driver
After a driver update: A new driver version has a power management bug that the previous version did not
Identify the failing driver
The blue screen may briefly show a driver file name (like nvlddmkm.sys or e1d65x64.sys) before restarting. If you missed it, check the crash dump:
After the computer restarts, open Event Viewer (press Windows key, type Event Viewer)
Go to Windows Logs, System, and look for events with Source: BugCheck around the time of the crash
The event details may list the driver that caused the crash
Alternatively, install a free tool like BlueScreenView or WinDbg Preview from the Microsoft Store. These tools read the crash dump files in C:\Windows\Minidump and show you exactly which driver file was involved in the crash.
ntoskrnl.exe: Windows kernel — usually means the actual culprit is a third-party driver that corrupted kernel memory
Update or roll back the failing driver
Once you know which driver is causing the crash:
Update the driver
Open Device Manager (right-click Start, Device Manager)
Find the device whose driver was identified in the crash. Expand the category (Display adapters for graphics, Network adapters for network, etc.)
Right-click the device, select Update driver, then Search automatically for drivers
If Windows says the driver is up to date, go to the manufacturer's website and download the latest driver directly. Manufacturers release driver updates faster than Windows Update delivers them
Roll back the driver
If the crashes started after a recent driver update, the new driver is likely the problem:
In Device Manager, right-click the device, select Properties
Click the Driver tab, then Roll Back Driver
If Roll Back Driver is grayed out, no previous driver version is stored. Uninstall the current driver (check Delete the driver software if offered), restart, and install a known-stable older version from the manufacturer's website
Change power management settings
The most effective fix for recurring DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE crashes is preventing the problematic device from entering low-power states that it cannot recover from:
Disable device power management
Open Device Manager
Right-click the device that causes the crash (network adapter, USB hub, etc.), select Properties
Click the Power Management tab
Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power
Click OK. Repeat for all network adapters and USB Root Hubs if you are not sure which device is the problem
Switch to High Performance power plan
Open Control Panel, Power Options
Select High Performance. If it is not visible, click Show additional plans
High Performance disables most aggressive power-saving features that cause devices to enter and exit low-power states
Disable PCI Express power management
PCI Express Link State Power Management puts the PCIe bus (which connects your graphics card, NVMe SSD, and sometimes your network adapter) into a low-power state. If the device on the other end of the link has a driver bug, the link fails to wake properly:
In Power Options, click Change plan settings next to your active plan, then Change advanced power settings
Expand PCI Express, then Link State Power Management
Set both On battery and Plugged in to Off
Click OK
Disable USB selective suspend
In the same Advanced power settings window, expand USB settings
Expand USB selective suspend setting
Set both On battery and Plugged in to Disabled
Click OK
Disable fast startup
Windows fast startup saves a partial hibernation image when shutting down, then loads it on the next boot to speed up startup. But this means drivers are restored from a saved state rather than initializing fresh, and some drivers handle this restoration poorly — their power state is inconsistent from the moment the computer boots:
Open Control Panel, Power Options, Choose what the power buttons do
Click Change settings that are currently unavailable
Uncheck Turn on fast startup
Click Save changes
With fast startup disabled, the computer performs a full shutdown and a full fresh boot. Every driver initializes from scratch, eliminating power state inconsistencies from the hibernate image.
Run the System File Checker
Corrupted system files can cause driver power management to behave incorrectly:
Open Command Prompt as administrator
Run sfc /scannow and wait for it to complete
If SFC reports that it found and repaired corrupted files, restart and monitor for the crash
If SFC reports files it could not repair, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth first, then run sfc /scannow again
Check for hardware issues
If driver updates and power management changes have not stopped the crash, a hardware problem may be causing the driver to fail:
Failing power supply: An unstable power supply can cause voltage drops that make devices lose their power state unexpectedly. If the crash happens under load or correlates with other power-related symptoms (random restarts, peripherals disconnecting), the PSU may be degrading
Failing network adapter: Network adapters are the single most common hardware cause of this BSOD. If the crash always involves a network driver, try disabling the built-in network adapter in Device Manager and using a USB network adapter instead. If the crashes stop, the original adapter is faulty
RAM issues: Corrupted memory can cause any blue screen, including DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE. Run Windows Memory Diagnostic (press Windows key, type Memory Diagnostic) or the more thorough MemTest86 to test your RAM
Driver power state failure help in Marion
If your computer keeps crashing with DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE after trying these fixes, LuxuriousComputers Repair in Marion can analyze the crash dumps, identify the exact driver and device causing the failure, and resolve the underlying driver or hardware problem.