What is DPC Watchdog Violation?
The
DPC Watchdog Violation blue screen of death bug check has a value of
0x00000133.
[1]
DPC stands for Deferred Procedure Call.
Watchdog refers to the bug checker, which usually monitors or track your Windows programs and your PC performance.
When you see the
Violation message, your PC watchdog (aka bug checker) is overwhelmed. Probably because a DPC is running too long a time, or your system is stuck at an interrupt request level (IRQL) of DISPATCH_LEVEL or above.
[1]
Why would I have the DPC Watchdog Violation error?
In most cases, you will see this error when your device driver(s) is outdated or installed wrongly. For example, if you haven’t installed the video card driver for your new operating system,
DPC Watchdog Violation could easily happen when you try to watch a video online.
In some cases, incompatible hardware with your operating system can be the cause as well. For example, if your external hard driver is not longer supported by Windows 10, or that you have recently installed a new hardware device on your older computer, you will see
DPC Watchdog Violation error as well.
Sometimes, this error could be caused by software conflict, although not as common as the two causes above.
Fix 1: Change SATA ACHI controller driver
This is the most effective method according to a wide range of Windows users. So you might want to try it first:
1) On your keyboard, press the
Windows logo key and
X at the same time, then click
Device Manager.
2) Expand
IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers.
3) Right-click
SATA ACHI controller and click
Properties.
To verify that you’ve chosen the correct controller: go to the
Driver tab, click
Driver Details.
Make sure the
iaStorA.sys is listed as a driver. Click
OK to exit.
If you’re seeing
storachi.sys listed here, move on to
Fix 2 for more help.
5) Click
Driver and then
Update Driver….
6) Click
Browse my computer for driver software.
7) Click
Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.
8) Click
Standard SATA AHCI Controller, then click
Next. Finish the rest of the procedure as instructed.
9)
Restart your computer after for the change to take effect.
Note: You may need to repeat the same procedure again every time after your Windows update. This is a normal situation. So there is no need for you to worry about it.
Fix 2: Update available drivers
If you’re seeing
storachi.sys listed in the properties of SATA ACHI controller driver, you should update your driver in this way.
In addition, one reason for
DPC Watchdog Violation is outdated drivers for your hardware devices. You should verify that all your devices have the right and latest drivers, and update those that don’t.
Manual driver update – You can update your drivers manually by going to the manufacturer’s website and searching for the most recent correct driver. If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your drivers manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with
Driver Easy.
Automatic driver update –
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.
You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the
Pro version it takes just 2 clicks (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):
1)
Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the
Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click the
Update button next to all flagged devices to automatically download and install the correct version of their driver (you can do this with the FREE version).
Or click
Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (this requires the
Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click
Update All).
Reference