DPC Watchdog Violation Error

Question

This BSOD occurs since last year a few days after I got this laptop (MSI Katana 15 B12VGK) when launching specific games (Fortnite, League of Legends, etc.).
I believe it could have been caused by me updating some drivers the day I got it. The BSOD screen was a little too quick for me to take a screenshot of and I can't seem to recall whether there was any error code.

I tried downloading the recommended drivers at the manufacturer's website, but the issue still persists. Ultimately I downgraded to windows 10 which did reduce the frequency of said blue screen and the severity of it somehow (instead of freezing and BSOD, the game stops and a driver error popup appears then asks for a restart). I tried bringing it to the store that I bought it from to repair but to no avail, they are unable to replicate the error. Presently I still encounter the error every now and then.

I believe the Minidump folder might be able to show the cause of the error so I will leave the .dmp files here. https://1drv.ms/u/c/9d9e8a8c1903d708/EbWyHoRQ7KZDmIVnELdtKvYBV9d5T_1FZ3sFMWmexR5ShQ?e=Q3HGhN

Preferably I would like to upgrade back to Windows 11 given that the issue will not happen again.

Answer 1

Hi, Liew Yeu Sen

Thanks for your reply.

Generally, driver updates are unlikely to cause GPU driver crashes. Based on my personal experience, it might be related to hardware issues (for example, my 4070 laptop became much more stable after lowering the VRAM frequency by 200MHz, without losing much performance. You can give it a try).

Regarding Windows automatic driver updates, you can use a tool to hide the update if it detects it.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/2/2/F22D5FDB-59CD-4275-8C95-1BE17BF70B21/wushowhide.diagcab

If that doesn’t work, you can try using the registry to stop the update.

Solution to disable driver updates

To disable driver updates for Windows 11, you can modify the registry.

Here are the steps: Open the Run window, type “regedit” and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. Find the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

If there is no WindowsUpdate folder in this path, you must create one. Right-click on the “Windows” folder, select “New” > “Key” and name it “WindowsUpdate”. WindowsUpdate”. In the WindowsUpdate folder, right-click on an empty area, select New > DWORD (32-bit) value and name it ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate.

Double-click the ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate element and set the value to 1.

Restart the computer and the changes will take effect immediately.

Disclaimer: Modifying the registry or workgroups is usually geared towards advanced users, administrators, and IT professionals, and it can help fix some problems, however, improper registry modifications can cause serious problems. Therefore, please make sure to strictly follow the steps below. For further protection, make a backup of the registry before modifying it. For more information on how to backup and restore the registry ref:

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support

Best regards

Tommy Jin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Minidump.rar

There is a new BSOD that happened much recently with the same error, caused by ntoskrnl.exe. I was told that it was caused by Nvidia drivers so I have downgraded my driver to an older version recommended by the manufacturer MSI (528.92) and see how it goes.

However, windows auto update has been trying to update my nvidia driver to a later version (53X.XX not too sure which version) but not the latest version (560.94) and I was wondering if I should just let it update or pause the updates for now. I fear that by letting it update to a later version the issue might return.

Answer 3

Hi, Liew Yeu Sen

Thanks for your reply.

We have tried multiple network environments and waited for a while, but we still cannot access the files you shared. Could you please share the relevant files again, and also send us the most recent ones?

Best regards

Tommy Jin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 4

Oh my bad I should have used OneDrive, here is the link:
Minidump.rar

Answer 5

Hi, Liew Yeu Sen

Welcome to the Microsoft community.

It seems that the DUMP file you shared has been deleted, and we are unable to access it. Based on your description, these games are all competitive games, which often lead to blue screens due to anti-cheat software. You can try reinstalling the anti-cheat software and check if the memory integrity feature (in Windows Security) is enabled. If it is, try disabling it and see if the issue persists. Additionally, please reshare your DUMP file so we can analyze whether it is caused by some drivers.

Best regards

Tommy Jin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist