How to Fix Driver Power State Failure on Windows

What Causes This?

Driver Power State Failure usually appears when a device driver does not handle a power-state change correctly. This often happens when Windows is going to sleep, waking up, shutting down, or switching between battery and plugged-in power. Outdated, corrupted, or incompatible drivers are the most common cause, especially for graphics, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and storage devices. In some cases, damaged system files or aggressive power-saving settings can also trigger the crash.

Common Symptoms

• A blue screen with the message Driver Power State Failure
• Crashes when the PC wakes from sleep or hibernation
• Freezing during shutdown or restart
• Problems after a recent driver, Windows, or hardware update
• Wi-Fi, graphics, or USB devices stopping working before the crash

How to Fix It Manually

1. Disconnect external devices and restart

   • Unplug non-essential USB devices like docks, external drives, printers, and adapters.
   • Restart your PC and check whether the error returns.
   • If the problem stops, reconnect devices one at a time to find the trigger.

2. Update or reinstall problem drivers

   • Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.
   • Look for devices with a yellow warning icon.
   • Expand common problem categories like Display adapters, Network adapters, Bluetooth, and Disk drives.
   • Right-click a device and choose Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
   • If the issue started after a recent update, right-click the device > Properties > Driver tab > Roll Back Driver if available.
   • If updating does not help, right-click the device and choose Uninstall device, then restart Windows to reinstall it.

3. Turn off Fast Startup

   • Press Windows + S, type Control Panel, and open it.
   • Go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do.
   • Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
   • Under Shutdown settings, uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended).
   • Click Save changes, then restart your PC.

4. Adjust power settings for network adapters

   • Open Device Manager again.
   • Expand Network adapters, right-click your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter, and select Properties.
   • Open the Power Management tab.
   • Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
   • Click OK and restart.

5. Repair system files

   • Press Windows + S, type cmd.
   • Right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
   • Run this command:

     sfc /scannow

   • After it finishes, run:

     DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

   • Restart your PC after both scans complete.

6. Boot into Safe Mode if Windows keeps crashing

   • Hold Shift and click Restart from the Start menu power options.
   • Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
   • Press 4 for Safe Mode.
   • In Safe Mode, remove recently installed drivers, Windows updates, or software that may have triggered the issue.

7. Install Windows updates

   • Press Windows + I to open Settings.
   • Go to Windows Update and click Check for updates.
   • Install all available updates, especially optional driver and hardware updates, then restart.

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