PC stuck booting and BSOD (SOLVED)

[lanttulaatikko]

Hello,

My PC is currently stuck booting up, where it loads for a long time (~15 to 30 min usually) and then crashes with BSOD error DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (once it gave a DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG). I can get into BIOS, but I am unable to get into WinRE. The PC will not boot in safe mode, as it will get stuck on 'preparing automatic repair' and then BSOD with the above messages.

I understand drivers may be the cause for this issue, but I cannot confirm which driver is causing this. This issue is quite sudden, as my PC worked fine before I left for a vacation, but was like this when I returned. A Windows update may have happened when I last shut my PC down, but I cannot remember for sure. I had installed drivers to use a PS4 controller some weeks before this happened, could those be the culprit?

I would appreciate suggestions on how to solve this problem.

My PC specs below:

Case	LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)	Intel® Core™ i7 16-Core Processor i7-13700F (Up to 5.2) 30MB Cache
Motherboard	ASUS® PRIME B760-PLUS D4 (LGA1700, PCIe5.0, USB 3.2)
Memory (RAM)	16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card	8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket	NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive	1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive	NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply	CORSAIR 650W CV SERIES™ CV-650 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable	1 x 1.5 Metre European Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling	PCS FrostFlow 100 ARGB V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste	STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card	ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card	ONBOARD LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card	WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options	MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System	Windows 11 Home 64 Bit
Operating System Language	United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media	Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software	FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus	NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser	Microsoft® Edge
Warranty	3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery	STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time	Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Welcome Book	PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland

 

[ubuysa]

Can you boot the Windows installation media?

BTW. Edit your spec above to remove the Windows key.

 

[lanttulaatikko]

Can you boot the Windows installation media?

BTW. Edit your spec above to remove the Windows key.

I have tried booting Windows 11 installation media from a USB created with Media creation tool, but I could not get it to boot. I could select the USB from the boot menu, but it would lead to the stuck loading screen.
(thanks for pointing the key out, I have removed it)

 

[ubuysa]

That sounds more like a hardware problem then. Remove all external devices except mouse, keyboard, and one monitor. If your mouse and/or keyboard are wireless then replace the batteries.

Now will it boot the installation media?

If not, open it up and reseat all PCIe cards.
Reseat the RAM cards.
Reseat the M.2 drive.
Check all cable connections - at both ends.

Now will it boot the installation media?

 

[lanttulaatikko]

That sounds more like a hardware problem then. Remove all external devices except mouse, keyboard, and one monitor. If your mouse and/or keyboard are wireless then replace the batteries.

Now will it boot the installation media?

If not, open it up and reseat all PCIe cards.
Reseat the RAM cards.
Reseat the M.2 drive.
Check all cable connections - at both ends.

Now will it boot the installation media?

I managed to get the USB to boot once after reseating the GPU, where I could restore Windows to a backup from 14th of December (when the PC was working). This did not fix the problem though, and I got the same DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION quickly after. I haven't been able to get the PC to boot from the USB again though, but it has currently been loading for an hour without BSOD so I'll try to see if it'll boot the Windows installer again.

EDIT: This did not work, as it seemed to be stuck loading forever. I tried to enter WinRE without the USB again, but this lead to a DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG BSOD.

Could the GPU be the problem here, as reseating the GPU seems to give the favorable results? I do not have a way of confirming this, as I have no compatible spare GPUs to test with.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I managed to get the USB to boot once after reseating the GPU, where I could restore Windows to a backup from 14th of December (when the PC was working). This did not fix the problem though, and I got the same DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION quickly after. I haven't been able to get the PC to boot from the USB again though, but it has currently been loading for an hour without BSOD so I'll try to see if it'll boot the Windows installer again.

EDIT: This did not work, as it seemed to be stuck loading forever. I tried to enter WinRE without the USB again, but this lead to a DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG BSOD.

Could the GPU be the problem here, as reseating the GPU seems to give the favorable results? I do not have a way of confirming this, as I have no compatible spare GPUs to test with.

Often this is just a problematic driver install, try cleaning the GPU driver with DDU and reinstalling the latest

Using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to fully remove graphics drivers

Hi all A very staple part of troubleshooting graphics issues is using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller). Graphics drivers are one of those annoying products that the in built uninstaller doesn't actually fully uninstall it, and so these wonderful developers created DDU which is an industry...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Oh, and which PS4 contoller drivers did you install, was it DS4 by any chance?

 

[lanttulaatikko]

Often this is just a problematic driver install, try cleaning the GPU driver with DDU and reinstalling the latest

Using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to fully remove graphics drivers

Hi all A very staple part of troubleshooting graphics issues is using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller). Graphics drivers are one of those annoying products that the in built uninstaller doesn't actually fully uninstall it, and so these wonderful developers created DDU which is an industry...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Oh, and which PS4 contoller drivers did you install, was it DS4 by any chance?

I am currently unable to boot into Windows, so I can't uninstall drivers at the moment. Is this possible to run from a bootable device with another OS (Ubuntu maybe), assuming the SSD with Windows 11 is visible? Or possibly from CMD if I am able to access WinRE again. I am willing to simply wipe the SSD and do a fresh install of Windows 11, if it seems to be the simplest solution at this point. I have no important files on the SSD anyhow, that I can't easily redownload.

It was a Dualshock4 controller yes, specifically with DS4Windows. I tried it to solve stuttering issues with the DS4 controller while playing Dark Souls 3 on steam (Sadly, did not work)

 

[SpyderTracks]

It was a Dualshock4 controller yes, specifically with DS4Windows. I tried it to solve stuttering issues with the DS4 controller while playing Dark Souls 3 on steam (Sadly, did not work)

Depending on where you sourced it, DS4 is heavily pirated and embedded with malware.

To be honest, I would just suggest a clean install at this point.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DS4Windows/comments/r1fjzj

The issues you're experiencing booting off the USB suggests either that USB is faulty, of the image boot creation has failed. I would try another USB if you have one with a fresh windows image

 

[lanttulaatikko]

Depending on where you sourced it, DS4 is heavily pirated and embedded with malware.

To be honest, I would just suggest a clean install at this point.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DS4Windows/comments/r1fjzj

The issues you're experiencing booting off the USB suggests either that USB is faulty, of the image boot creation has failed. I would try another USB if you have one with a fresh windows image

The illegitimate website may be the exact one I got it from, whoops. A fresh install seems like the superior solution then.

The USB I've been using is a SanDisk Ultra 32GB (that advertises SafeAccess crypting on the box, I deleted the related software the USB came with but maybe this is causing issues). I'll try another USB to do the fresh install then.

 

[SpyderTracks]

The illegitimate website may be the exact one I got it from, whoops. A fresh install seems like the superior solution then.

The USB I've been using is a SanDisk Ultra 32GB (that advertises SafeAccess crypting on the box, I deleted the related software the USB came with but maybe this is causing issues). I'll try another USB to do the fresh install then.

I used DS4 a while back and generally found it caused instability issues anyway, wouldn't recommend it.

Clean install would be a good idea I think.

 

[lanttulaatikko]

The illegitimate website may be the exact one I got it from, whoops. A fresh install seems like the superior solution then.

The USB I've been using is a SanDisk Ultra 32GB (that advertises SafeAccess crypting on the box, I deleted the related software the USB came with but maybe this is causing issues). I'll try another USB to do the fresh install then.

An update on this, I tried another USB but the result was a similar infinite loading screen as before. I did manage to boot into the USB Windows 11 installer for a moment, but it crashed with a DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION BSOD before I could attempt installation.

I will try calling PCSpecialist support tomorrow to see if the PC could be repaired/checked by them incase of hardware problems, as luckily the PC is quite new. I will keep trying to troubleshoot at home in the meanwhile.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I did manage to boot into the USB Windows 11 installer for a moment, but it crashed with a DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION BSOD before I could attempt installation.

Yeah, that's not booted into the USB, the USB doesn't use any drivers like that as it's running off the USB, so there's no such thing as a BSOD.

 

[lanttulaatikko]

Yeah, that's not booted into the USB, the USB doesn't use any drivers like that as it's running off the USB, so there's no such thing as a BSOD

I'll try disabling Windows Boot Manager (SSD) in boot settings entirely to stop it from booting from the SSD at all.

I've only been using the Windows Installation Media on the USBs from here , could a Windows 11 disk image ISO be worth a try?

 

[SpyderTracks]

I'll try disabling Windows Boot Manager (SSD) in boot settings entirely to stop it from booting from the SSD at all.

I've only been using the Windows Installation Media on the USBs from here , could a Windows 11 disk image ISO be worth a try?

No, windows version shouldn't make any difference.

I'll try disabling Windows Boot Manager (SSD) in boot settings entirely to stop it from booting from the SSD at all.

That's a good idea, that will tell you if it's actually booting the USB

 

[lanttulaatikko]

No, windows version shouldn't make any difference.


That's a good idea, that will tell you if it's actually booting the USB

I got my results, and I am not sure what it is booting into. After disabling Windows Boot Manager and choosing the USB from the boot menu, it gave me a Watchdog BSOD while on the screen with the loading icon and PCSpecialist logo. Can it still be booting into the SSD, even if it has been disabled in BIOS?

I'll try booting the installer with another USB one more time to see if that helps.
EDIT: I could try completely wiping the SSD from BIOS with Secure Erase to make sure it is not being loaded, as the fresh Windows installation will get rid of the files anyhow.

 

[ubuysa]

You won't get a BSOD from the installation media, so you're not booting it.

Did you download an ISO and burn your own USB drive or did you download the Media Creation Tool and use that to make a USB drive? I STRONGLY recommend the latter, and that you buy a new 8GB USB drive specifically for this purpose. You should not need to disable anything in the BIOS boot settings, just make sure that the USB drive is at the top of the list.

 

[lanttulaatikko]

You won't get a BSOD from the installation media, so you're not booting it.

Did you download an ISO and burn your own USB drive or did you download the Media Creation Tool and use that to make a USB drive? I STRONGLY recommend the latter, and that you buy a new 8GB USB drive specifically for this purpose. You should not need to disable anything in the BIOS boot settings, just make sure that the USB drive is at the top of the list.

I've been using the Media Creation Tool to create the USB drive yes. My current problem is that no matter the boot settings in BIOS it seems to boot from the SSD, judging by the BSOD that show up even when it is disabled or placed at the bottom of the boot order. Could there be something that overloads the boot order set in BIOS? The interface I have seems to be UEFI as it allows mouse interaction, could this have an effect on the boot order?

I am starting to suspect the long loading time when trying to boot from the USB is actually the PC attempting to boot Windows from the SSD instead. Should there be a loading time in booting from the USB? I have gotten to the Windows installer menu, so whats on the USB seems functional. Could it be booting both Windows and the installation media simultaneously, enabling the BSODs to happen when in the installer menu?

I will try with a brand new 16GB USB next week, as I will be able to get one while I'm away for the weekend. It seems 8GB USBs are rare in my area, even the cheapest USBs offer a minimum of 16GB.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I've been using the Media Creation Tool to create the USB drive yes. My current problem is that no matter the boot settings in BIOS it seems to boot from the SSD, judging by the BSOD that show up even when it is disabled or placed at the bottom of the boot order. Could there be something that overloads the boot order set in BIOS? The interface I have seems to be UEFI as it allows mouse interaction, could this have an effect on the boot order?

I am starting to suspect the long loading time when trying to boot from the USB is actually the PC attempting to boot Windows from the SSD instead. Should there be a loading time in booting from the USB? I have gotten to the Windows installer menu, so whats on the USB seems functional. Could it be booting both Windows and the installation media simultaneously, enabling the BSODs to happen when in the installer menu?

I will try with a brand new 16GB USB next week, as I will be able to get one while I'm away for the weekend. It seems 8GB USBs are rare in my area, even the cheapest USBs offer a minimum of 16GB.

It can only load one bootloader at a time, it goes through the boot priority list, if it can't boot it it skips to the next one.

The USB is failing to boot to it's proceeding to the SSD.

 

[ubuysa]

Remove all drives, then try booting the USB drive. You won't be able to install of course but it should boot. If it doesn't then it's a hardware problem and you'll need PCS.

 

[lanttulaatikko]

Remove all drives, then try booting the USB drive. You won't be able to install of course but it should boot. If it doesn't then it's a hardware problem and you'll need PCS.

I tried booting the USB drive on a laptop with Windows 10, and the USB Installation Media seems functional. I will try removing the SSD and booting from the USB without it entirely, and if it still won't boot I'll contact PCSpecialist.