PC freezing, black screening and then restarting with error codes VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (116) & DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (133)

thehashmash

thehashmash

Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2025
Posts
14
This started 1 week ago for no reason. I was playing a game with my friends and then suddenly my PC froze but I could still hear their voices. Then the sounds become this distorted loud buzzing in different tones and then the PC black screened and restarted. Since then I have been having this happen every single day, usually after the first boot of the day. Today though it happened for the first time when I was just browsing Chrome. PC froze and then after a few minutes restarted with the WatchDog error. Then upon rebooting it had the same thing happen 10 minutes later with the Video TDR error.

As for troubleshooting I have updated windows and performed a fresh, uninstall and reinstall of my graphics drivers via DDU. I really need help understanding what the issue is because this is really worrying.

My PC specs are;
CPU - AMD Ryzen 5900x
GPU - NVIDIA 3080 12GB LHR
RAM - 2 x 16GB Corsair Vengeance 3600Mhz CL18 DDR4
SSD - 1 & 2TB Samsung 980 Pros
MOBO - ASUS B550-F Wifi
AIO - NZXT Kraken Z63
PSU - Cooler Master V750 SFX

Running Windows 11, self-built in April 2022


I have attached the minidump files of the last few days, ones named 'post driver update' are ones from today.
Mini Dump files - Google Drive
 
Hello, and welcome to the forum!

It would help us a lot if you followed the BSOD Posting Instructions, that way we get all the necessary troubleshooting data.

All of the dumps are graphics related, mostly with the VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (0x116) bugcheck. I don't know whether you know what the TDR is? When a graphics hang is detected the Windows Timeout Detection and Recovery feature (TDR) attempts recovery by resetting both the graphics driver and the graphics adapter. If successful this reset typically causes a crash to desktop but not a crash of the whole PC. However, if the reset of the card and driver do not resolve the issue then you get the 0x116 BSOD.

You did the right thing in reinstalling the graphics driver with DDU, but clearly this hasn't fixed the problem. This does increase the probability that it's the card that's at fault. That you notice it more on the first boot of the day, when the graphics card is cold, also points us more towards it being the card.

BUT, and it's a big but, in every single dump I can see the vgk.sys driver unloading just before the BSOD. This driver is the Riot Vanguard anti-cheat driver for Valorant and it's a well-known cause of BSODs - all the anti-cheat tools cause BSODs on many systems on occasions. The FIRST thing I'd like you to try is to (temporarily) disable and uninstall Vanguard using these instructions: Uninstalling and Disabling Riot Vanguard. Be sure to reboot after the uninstall. I realise you won't be able to play Valorant, and possibly other Riot games(?), but you should then attempt to make the PC BSOD without Vanguard installed.

If it does still BSOD without Vanguard installed then that would point even more strongly at the graphics card being the source of these problems. All you can really do then is to download the three previous graphics driver versions to the one you have (from the Nvidia website and nowhere else) and then, using DDU in between each one, install each of those previous driver versions and see whether the problem remains with each version.

If the BSODs happen on the current and the previous three driver versions then the problem is much more likely to be the card. In that case I would suggest removing the card and the power connector. Ensure the card pins and the board slot is clean - but DO NOT blow on them with your mouth! - and then reinsert the card card firmly and ensure the power connector is fully home - and at the PSU end.

If it continues to BSOD then look to see whether you have any other graphics related software or drivers installed that might be causing these issues and (temporarily) uninstall these and see whether the problem remains.
 
Last edited:
ubuysa said:
Hello, and welcome to the forum!

It would help us a lot if you followed the BSOD Posting Instructions, that way we get all the necessary troubleshooting data.

All of the dumps are graphics related, mostly with the VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (0x116) bugcheck. I don't know whether you know what the TDR is? When a graphics hang is detected the Windows Timeout Detection and Recovery feature (TDR) attempts recovery by resetting both the graphics driver and the graphics adapter. If successful this reset typically causes a crash to desktop but not a crash of the whole PC. However, if the reset of the card and driver do not resolve the issue then you get the 0x116 BSOD.

You did the right thing in reinstalling the graphics driver with DDU, but clearly this hasn't fixed the problem. This does increase the probability that it's the card that's at fault. That you notice it more on the first boot of the day, when the graphics card is cold, also points us more towards it being the card.

BUT, and it's a big but, in every single dump I can see the vgk.sys driver unloading just before the BSOD. This driver is the Riot Vanguard anti-cheat driver for Valorant and it's a well-known cause of BSODs - all the anti-cheat tools cause BSODs on many systems on occasions. The FIRST thing I'd like you to try is to (temporarily) disable and uninstall Vanguard using these instructions: Uninstalling and Disabling Riot Vanguard. Be sure to reboot after the uninstall. I realise you won't be able to play Valorant, and possibly other Riot games(?), but you should then attempt to make the PC BSOD without Vanguard installed.

If it does still BSOD without Vanguard installed then that would point even more strongly at the graphics card being the source of these problems. All you can really do then is to download the three previous graphics driver versions to the one you have (from the Nvidia website and nowhere else) and then, using DDU in between each one, install each of those previous driver versions and see whether the problem remains with each version.

If the BSODs happen on the current and the previous three driver versions then the problem is much more likely to be the card. In that case I would suggest removing the card and the power connector. Ensure the card pins and the board slot is clean - but DO NOT blow on them with your mouth! - and then reinsert the card card firmly and ensure the power connector is fully home - and at the PSU end.

If it continues to BSOD then look to see whether you have any other graphics related software or drivers installed that might be causing these issues and (temporarily) uninstall these and see whether the problem remains.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the reply! I really do apologise for not following the posting instructions I was using another post as reference but should've taken my time, I have attached the Sysnative file now.

I will 100% try uninstalling the Valorant stuff (I stopped playing ages ago so it's of no use). One thing I've noticed for the last few years is my PC (usually a little after startup) would do what I'd say is like a mini version of what's been happening where it lags and audio goes all funny for a second or two then corrects. I'll try Vanguard and will need to test it likely tomorrow morning (night time for me in Australia so will need it to be cold) and see if it crashes. I really only have one chance before a long pause because of the fact it's only on cold boots. It would highly suprise me if that is the cause though because the crashes only started on the 17th and I've had it for ages.

Anyways, again much appreciated, I will get back to you as soon as I have been able to fix it the Vanguard and see if it still crashes.
 

Attachments

ET_Explorer said:
System Information > Problem Device(s):

Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) USB\VID_0000&PID_0002\6&C1A2E2F&0&4 Error Code 43

Your processor supports ram speeds upto 3200 MHz, you have 3600 MHz of ram

Your motherboard doesn't support your ram > Motherboard QVL Memory Support
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. That's weird this has only started now though and has been fine the last 3+ years
 
Did this start after you updated the video driver or did you update the video driver because of the BSOD's?

nvlddmkm.sys Wed May 14 15:20:18 2025 (6824ECF2)
nVidia Video drivers Download The Latest Official NVIDIA Drivers

I agree it seems a bit strange that the memory would have run ok for a period of time without issues however as things age or operation temperatures rise things that once worked no longer do, updates can also effect this.
1750532769121.webp
There is also a bios update for your motherboard for stability issues it would be a good idea to update it.

PRIME Z790-P WIFI｜Motherboards｜ASUS USA
 
thehashmash said:
Also just wanted to quickly add I have now also turned off Fast Startup.
Click to expand...
Please don't make any changes that the advisor did not suggest. It may or may not be the right decision, and it causes confusion in the process.

That being said, thanks for letting us know the changes you made.

Thanks!
 
Wrench97 said:
Did this start after you updated the video driver or did you update the video driver because of the BSOD's?

nvlddmkm.sys Wed May 14 15:20:18 2025 (6824ECF2)
nVidia Video drivers Download The Latest Official NVIDIA Drivers

I agree it seems a bit strange that the memory would have run ok for a period of time without issues however as things age or operation temperatures rise things that once worked no longer do, updates can also effect this.
View attachment 122574
There is also a bios update for your motherboard for stability issues it would be a good idea to update it.

PRIME Z790-P WIFI｜Motherboards｜ASUS USA
Click to expand...
I updated the NVIDIA drivers as a result of the BSODs. I had been using the same driver without issue for at least 4-5 months.
 
ubuysa said:
Hello, and welcome to the forum!

It would help us a lot if you followed the BSOD Posting Instructions, that way we get all the necessary troubleshooting data.

All of the dumps are graphics related, mostly with the VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (0x116) bugcheck. I don't know whether you know what the TDR is? When a graphics hang is detected the Windows Timeout Detection and Recovery feature (TDR) attempts recovery by resetting both the graphics driver and the graphics adapter. If successful this reset typically causes a crash to desktop but not a crash of the whole PC. However, if the reset of the card and driver do not resolve the issue then you get the 0x116 BSOD.

You did the right thing in reinstalling the graphics driver with DDU, but clearly this hasn't fixed the problem. This does increase the probability that it's the card that's at fault. That you notice it more on the first boot of the day, when the graphics card is cold, also points us more towards it being the card.

BUT, and it's a big but, in every single dump I can see the vgk.sys driver unloading just before the BSOD. This driver is the Riot Vanguard anti-cheat driver for Valorant and it's a well-known cause of BSODs - all the anti-cheat tools cause BSODs on many systems on occasions. The FIRST thing I'd like you to try is to (temporarily) disable and uninstall Vanguard using these instructions: Uninstalling and Disabling Riot Vanguard. Be sure to reboot after the uninstall. I realise you won't be able to play Valorant, and possibly other Riot games(?), but you should then attempt to make the PC BSOD without Vanguard installed.

If it does still BSOD without Vanguard installed then that would point even more strongly at the graphics card being the source of these problems. All you can really do then is to download the three previous graphics driver versions to the one you have (from the Nvidia website and nowhere else) and then, using DDU in between each one, install each of those previous driver versions and see whether the problem remains with each version.

If the BSODs happen on the current and the previous three driver versions then the problem is much more likely to be the card. In that case I would suggest removing the card and the power connector. Ensure the card pins and the board slot is clean - but DO NOT blow on them with your mouth! - and then reinsert the card card firmly and ensure the power connector is fully home - and at the PSU end.

If it continues to BSOD then look to see whether you have any other graphics related software or drivers installed that might be causing these issues and (temporarily) uninstall these and see whether the problem remains.
Click to expand...
So I have done one test today and while I didn’t play games I was browsing chrome on Discord and didn’t get any crashes. The only thing that occurred was when a crash would normally happen I got that sort of glitch thing I described (for a few seconds freezing/lagging and audio distorted) before it fixed. Will further test and update.
 

Attachments

What temps are you seeing on the video card?

Do you have access to another video card to test with?

Code: 
Debug session time: Fri Jun 27 08:29:23.598 2025 (UTC - 4:00)
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\Owner\SysnativeBSODApps\062725-13203-01.dmp]
System Uptime: 0 days 0:21:29.251
BugCheck Info: [url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/bug-check-0x133-dpc-watchdog-violation]DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (133)[/url]
Bugcheck code 00000133
Arguments: 
Arg1: 0000000000000001, The system cumulatively spent an extended period of time at
    DISPATCH_LEVEL or above. The offending component can usually be
    identified with a stack trace.
Arg2: 0000000000001e00, The watchdog period.
Arg3: fffff802d15c43b0, cast to nt!DPC_WATCHDOG_GLOBAL_TRIAGE_BLOCK, which contains
    additional information regarding the cumulative timeout
Arg4: 0000000000000000
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for nvlddmkm.sys
PROCESS_NAME:  System
Probably caused by: memory_corruption
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  MEMORY_CORRUPTION_LARGE
BiosVersion = 2603
BiosReleaseDate = 02/09/2022
SystemManufacturer = ASUS
BaseBoardManufacturer = ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
SystemProductName = System Product Name
BaseBoardProduct = ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (WI-FI)
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
Debug session time: Tue Jun 24 03:50:05.847 2025 (UTC - 4:00)
Loading Dump File [C:\Users\Owner\SysnativeBSODApps\062425-12921-01.dmp]
System Uptime: 0 days 1:37:31.501
BugCheck Info: [url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/bug-check-0x133-dpc-watchdog-violation]DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (133)[/url]
Bugcheck code 00000133
Arguments: 
Arg1: 0000000000000001, The system cumulatively spent an extended period of time at
    DISPATCH_LEVEL or above. The offending component can usually be
    identified with a stack trace.
Arg2: 0000000000001e00, The watchdog period.
Arg3: fffff801f27c43b0, cast to nt!DPC_WATCHDOG_GLOBAL_TRIAGE_BLOCK, which contains
    additional information regarding the cumulative timeout
Arg4: 0000000000000000
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for nvlddmkm.sys
PROCESS_NAME:  System
Probably caused by: memory_corruption
FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  MEMORY_CORRUPTION_LARGE
BiosVersion = 2603
BiosReleaseDate = 02/09/2022
SystemManufacturer = ASUS
BaseBoardManufacturer = ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
SystemProductName = System Product Name
BaseBoardProduct = ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (WI-FI)
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
 
Unfortunately do not have another GPU. Temps are normal, around 60-70 in games, nothing abnormal.

It also is only when gaming on cold boots, after a restart no issues persist no matter how long I play.

I’m curious what the Memory Corruption Large means or if that’s GPU related
 
Usually just that that system received data back from memory that was not correct, ie corrupt It is usually a memory issue but can also be a video card memory issue if the data passed between the two.
I would still up date your motherboard bios version as there are several memory issue fixes in the updates.
 
Have now updated motherboard bios to the latest version for my B550-F.

Upon playing GTA V, 2 and a half minutes in it crashed. The screen was frozen for a good 3-4 minutes and then restarted. Temps were normal and didn’t appear to have anything wrong with them. The PC had been used for browsing for around 2 hours prior so it’s not like it was completely cold (was first game boot though). Will reply back with SysnativeFileCollectionApp file
 
fffff803`0a7abf10 00000000`00000000 : fffff803`18977d30 00000000`00000001 fffff803`17976dfe 00000000`00000003 : nvlddmkm+0x10d7d38


CHKIMG_EXTENSION: !chkimg -lo 50 -d !nt
!chkimg -lo 50 -d !nt
fffff80376d01353-fffff80376d01355 3 bytes - nt!HalpCmciSetProcessorMiscConfigAMD+bf
[ f9 d3 1a:29 14 6b ]
3 errors : !nt (fffff80376d01353-fffff80376d01355)

MODULE_NAME: memory_corruption

IMAGE_NAME: memory_corruption

MEMORY_CORRUPTOR: LARGE
Click to expand...
It's still the Nvida drive involved in memory corruption.
At this point I would recommend you remove the current Nvidia driver and use the driver the card came with to see if that clears it up.
 
Wrench97 said:
It's still the Nvida drive involved in memory corruption.
At this point I would recommend you remove the current Nvidia driver and use the driver the card came with to see if that clears it up.
Click to expand...
So I ended up taking pc off power and reseating GPU and reapplying thermal paste. Along with this I cleaned the GPU with a cloth and the slot too (in which I noticed a small bit of debris in there), I also reinstalled the RAM.

As of now this seems to have fixed it oddly enough, 2 straight days on launch I’ve ran GTA V for 30+ minutes without issue at all when I’d get crashes in less than 3. Will keep updated
 
I apologise for the long delay in replying, I've been dealing with some health issues.

Can you please upload the full kernel dump to a cloud service with a link to it here? The full kernel dump is the file C:\Windows\Memory.dmp and it will be large.
 

Has Sysnative Forums helped you? Please consider donating to help us support the site!

Back
Top