How to Fix a Thread Stuck in Device Driver BSOD in Windows 10
From the most common method to the least
The “Thread stuck in device driver” BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) error in Windows 10 is caused whenever a specific driver gets stuck in an endless loop waiting for its hardware to go into an idle state.
This is usually related to the driver hardware itself. Why would driver software start doing this? There can be multiple reasons. A few common ones include a driver bug that was fixed in a recent update that you don’t have yet. It could be a Windows bug that, again, was fixed in an update you don’t have.
In a few cases, it could also be caused by a corrupt system file that’s causing issues with the device driver.
The following troubleshooting tips will walk you through the most common fixes for the “thread stuck in device driver” BSOD error, and will end with the least common ones.
How to “Fix Thread Stuck in Device Driver” BSOD Error
The best way to work through this guide is from top to bottom. The more common fixes that come first should resolve the issue earlier. Hopefully, you never have to make it to the end of this article!
The easiest way to update your specific device driver is by using Device Manager. If the error provided the device that’s having the issue, make a note of this before opening Device Manager. If not, you should be able to find the error inside the Device Manager itself.
Keep in mind that even if the Device Driver doesn’t find the latest version for your driver, there may still be a newer version out there. If you know which device is having the issue, visit the manufacturer website and check the latest version. Compare this to your current driver version.
To see the version of your device driver, open Device Manager, right click on the device and selectProperties. Select theDrivertab to see what your currentDriver Versionis.
If the manufacturer has a later version than what you have installed, download and install the new device driver.
Note: If you recently updated your driver right before the error started, you may want to considerrolling back the driverto see if it resolves your issue.
If you didn’t see any drivers with an error, or updating the device you’re having an issue with didn’t resolve the problem, make sure your graphics or audio drivers are updated.
This is because most applications need to interface with both the graphics and audio cards in your PC. If those drivers are out of date, it could lead to device driver errors.
To update your graphics driver, open Device Driver again and expandDisplay adapters.
SelectUpdate driverand go through the same process as above to update the graphics driver.
Do the same thing for your audio drivers. Expand theAudio inputs and outputssection in Device Manager.
Right click the audio devices you use and selectUpdate driverfor each of them.
Once you’ve updated your graphics and audio drivers, restart your computer and confirm that this has resolved the “Thread stuck in Device Driver” error.
If you’ve gotten to this point and nothing fixed the error, start with some deeper troubleshooting.
The first thing to check is whether there are any corrupt system files that could be causing conflicts with the device driver.
To do this:
The scanning process can take some time. It’ll update the process as a percentage on the screen.
If the SFC process finds any corrupt or missing system files, it’ll automatically repair the file by replacing it with the correct system file (from backup).
Once the scan is finished, restart your computer to check if the error is gone.
If nothing has fixed the error at this point, the last resort may be to restore Windows 10 to a previous restore point.
You can restore individual files, orrestore your entire system to a previous restore point.
If you haven’t made any previous restore points for Windows, then unfortunately you’ll have no choice torestore Windows 10 to its original factory settings.
While this isn’t the idea solution, hopefully you haven’t had to get this far in this article. If you did, then remember that you can alwaysback up your important folders and filesbefore restoring Windows. This way you don’t have to put any of your important information and data at risk.
Ryan has been writing how-to and other technology-based articles online since 2007. He has a BSc degree in Electrical Engineering and he’s worked 13 years in automation engineering, 5 years in IT, and now is an Apps Engineer.Read Ryan’s Full Bio
Welcome to Help Desk Geek- a blog full of tech tips from trusted tech experts. We have thousands of articles and guides to help you troubleshoot any issue. Our articles have been read over 150 million times since we launched in 2008.
HomeAbout UsEditorial StandardsContact UsTerms of Use
Copyright © 2008-2024 Help Desk Geek.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
