DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (0x9F)
What is this error?
A driver is in an inconsistent or invalid power state. Usually occurs during sleep/wake or shutdown.
Common causes
- GPU driver failing sleep/wake
- USB device preventing sleep
- network adapter power management
- outdated chipset drivers
How to fix it
- Update GPU and chipset drivers
- disable USB selective suspend
- check power management settings
Too many steps? Crashless can diagnose this automatically — checks your drivers, temps, VRAM, and 400+ known error patterns.
Get free AI diagnosis Detailed analysis
Bug check 0x0000009F (DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE) happens when a driver can't handle a power state change — usually going to sleep, waking up, or when the GPU enters a low-power state during gaming.
Gamers often see this when their PC tries to sleep while a game is running, or when waking from sleep to play.
How to fix it:
- Update GPU driver with DDU clean install — GPU drivers are the #1 cause of power state failures
- Disable Fast Startup: Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what power buttons do > uncheck 'Turn on fast startup'
- Update chipset drivers from motherboard manufacturer
- Disable USB Selective Suspend: Power Options > Advanced > USB Settings > USB selective suspend > Disabled
- Disable PCI Express Link State Power Management: Power Options > Advanced > PCI Express > Link State Power Management > Off
- In NVIDIA Control Panel, set Power Management to 'Prefer Maximum Performance'
- Check the minidump for the specific driver in the wrong power state — it tells you exactly which driver to update
- Disable network adapter power management: Device Manager > Network Adapter > Properties > Power Management > uncheck everything
When to seek help
If this error keeps happening after trying the fixes above, it may point to a deeper hardware or system issue. Consider professional help if:
- The crash occurs across multiple games or applications
- You see the same error after a clean Windows install
- Your PC is less than a year old (could be a warranty issue)
- You smell burning or hear unusual sounds from your PC
Or let Crashless do the deep analysis for you -- our AI checks drivers, temps, event logs, and 400+ known patterns automatically.
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