Solved: Driver power state failure [Windows 10, Nvidia, SSD]

Note: After you find the driver that is causing you this blue screen you should check on the manufacturer’s website for an updated version of it that is compatible with your Windows operating system in order to prevent the error Driver Power State Failure from appearing again.

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3. Perform an SFC scan

1. Press Windows Key + X to open Win + X menu and choose Command Prompt (Admin) from the list. If Command Prompt isn’t available, select PowerShell (Admin) instead.
   
2. When Command Prompt opens, enter sfc /scannow and press Enter to run it.
3. The scanning process will now start. Keep in mind that SFC scan can take about 10 minutes, so don’t interrupt it.

If you can’t run SFC scan, or if the scan can’t fix the problem, users are recommending to use DISM scan instead. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run the following commands:
   DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /scanhealth
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
3. After running both commands, check if the problem is resolved.

If you were unable to run SFC scan before, be sure to run it after the DISM scan is completed. Once you run both scans, the problem should be completely resolved and the error message will stop appearing.

If you’re getting Driver Power State Failure message, you might be able to solve it by following the instructions mentioned above.

4. Change your Power settings

1. Press Windows Key + S and enter control panel. Select Control Panel from the list.
   
2. When Control Panel opens, locate and click on Power Options.
   
3. Click on Choose what the power button does.
   
4. Now click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
   
5. Disable Turn off fast startup (recommended), Sleep and Hibernate options. Click on Save changes button.
   

Sometimes Driver Power State Failure can appear on Dell devices due to your power settings.

According to users, you might be able to fix this problem simply by disabling certain power settings like we showed you above.

5. Change your Power Plan Settings

1. Navigate to Power options. Locate your currently selected plan and click on Change plan settings.
   
2. Click on Change advanced power settings.
   
3. Now you’ll see a list of settings. Open the Sleep section and make sure that Sleep and Hibernation are set to Never. In Power buttons and lid section make sure that everything is set to Do nothing. Now click on Apply and OK to save changes.
   
4. Optional: Set Graphics settings or PCI Express and Lnk State Power Management to Maximum Performance. Do the same for Wireless Adapter Settings.

If you’re using a laptop, users are recommending to remove its battery and to connecting it to the power outlet.

After making these changes, Sleep and Hibernate features will be completely disabled and the problem should be resolved.

If you use these features frequently, you should try a different solution.

6. Disable or remove your antivirus software

Antivirus software is rather important but sometimes your antivirus can interfere with Windows and cause Driver Power State Failure error to appear.

To fix this problem, we advise you to temporarily disable your antivirus software and check if that solves the issue. If not, you might have to uninstall your antivirus software completely.

Many antivirus companies offer removal tools for their software, so be sure to download one for your antivirus.

After you completely remove your antivirus, check if the issue still persists. If not, install the latest version of your antivirus software or switch to a different antivirus solution.

Many users reported problems with Avast antivirus, but other antivirus software can also cause this problem to appear.

In order to remove your antivirus software and all files associated with it, it’s recommended to use a dedicated removal tool, such as IOBit Uninstaller.

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7. Revert your graphics card drivers to the older version

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Navigate to Display adapters section and double click your graphics card.
   
3. When Properties window opens, go to the Driver tab and click on Roll Back Driver button.
   
4. Wait for the process to finish.

If Roll Back option isn’t available, you’ll need to uninstall your graphics card driver from Device Manager. Alternatively, you can use Display Driver Uninstaller to completely remove all files associated with your graphics card.

After you remove the driver, visit your graphics card manufacturer’s website and download the older version of the driver. After installing the driver, check if the problem is resolved.

This issue usually affects Nvidia graphics cards, but feel free to try this solution with other graphics cards as well.

Sometimes Stop code Driver Power State failure error can appear due to your graphics card drivers.

To fix this issue, it’s recommended to roll back to the older driver like we showed you before.

8. Change Power settings in Nvidia Control Panel

1. Open Nvidia Control Panel.
2. In the left pane, select Manage 3D settings.
3. In the right pane, select your dedicated graphics card as Preferred graphics processor. Locate Power management mode in the list of settings and select Prefer maximum performance.
4. Save changes and check if that solves your problem.

According to users, switching to maximum performance fixed this problem for them, so be sure to try it out.

This mode will use more battery power, so keep that in mind if you’re using a laptop. If you’re using AMD graphics, you can find similar settings in Catalyst Control Center.

According to users, Driver Power State Failure error can appear due to your power settings. This problem appears often while using Nvidia graphics, but you can fix it by following the steps above.

9. Change your device’s power options

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Locate your network adapter and double click it to open its properties.
   
3. Navigate to Power Management tab and uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. Click on OK to save changes.
   

After doing that, the problem should be completely resolved. Keep in mind that your PC has multiple devices that support this feature, so you need to disable it for all problematic devices.

Sometimes Windows Driver Power State Failure error can occur due to your power settings. Many devices can be turned off in order to save power, but sometimes this option can cause this problem to appear.

This is it, folks, after doing the steps above you should be able to log in to your Windows 10 normally.

Please write us below if you have any other additional questions on this article and we will make sure that you fix your issue in the shortest time possible.

FAQ: Read more about driver errors

• How do I fix driver state power failure?

Here are a few solutions for this problem: update drivers, disconnect external hardware, run a System File Checker. Check our step-by-step guide for more solutions to fix driver state power failure.

• What is driver_power_state_failure?

Driver power state failure is a Blue Screen of Death error caused by the incompatible drivers installed. It usually happens when you boot your computer. The error also indicates that the driver is in an inconsistent or invalid power state.

• How do I update all my drivers?

Open device manager. Look for the driver you want to update and choose Update driver. Choose Search automatically for updated driver software.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in October 2017 and was revamped and updated in February 2021 for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.