How to fix CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT blue screen errors (0x00000101). Fixing the error CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT Error code clock watchdog timeout what to do

Before explaining what this error means and how to fix it, I am going to give you some background information. First of all, you are now faced with one of the many infamous “Blue Screen of Death” errors.

You may have encountered them before. Depending on the version of Windows you're using, you'll either see something that looks something like this:

Blue screen of the past



Watchdog clock in Windows 8

What is causing my problem?

Simply put, it's your processor. Or, as you often hear it called, your processor.

Video cards - or GPUs- determine the visual elements that you see on the screen, while memory - or RAM - determines how much you can do at once. Hard drives serve as storage for your files and folders, and your processor is the brute force behind everything done on the computer.

The CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT error means that your processor is having trouble cooperating with its cores and threads. Task threads are accepted by cores, and some cores can accept different threads at the same time. The problem here is that a thread is waiting for an adequate response from another thread - or a kernel is waiting for a response from another kernel - and those responses don't come. So you are getting this BSOD error.

While this is a processor issue, it can be caused by two things: driver errors, which is very likely if you're running Windows 8, or the OS itself isn't playing well with the processor. First question: how long have you been a computer? Hasn't it been working perfectly so far?

How to fix it?

If so, just use system restore function to return to the point where you worked in the system. Be careful using any new devices that may be causing the problem.

If you are able to boot into safe mode when you start your computer, run Driver Reviver to update all drivers to their latest version. There's a good chance this one will clear up the problem.

You should also use windows update and if you're not already using the latest device driver, install that fine.

Drivers are what are used to allow your devices, such as keyboards, to interact with your computer, and while some misconfigured drivers can lead to bad performance, bad drivers will overwhelmingly lead to BSODs like CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT.

Windows Update will usually resolve these issues, but installing new drivers is always advised if you don't already have the latest version. You must also update the BIOS, which you can find on your manufacturer's website. motherboard, and install from there.

If, however, you cannot boot your computer at all or this error is still occurring, you will have to get personal assistance from Microsoft or the manufacturer.

Do you have another blue screen of death? Check out complete guide BSoD and find your predicament!

Steve Horton

Before I explain what this error means and how to fix it, I will give you a little background information. First, you've encountered one of the many infamous "Blue Screen of Death" errors.

You may have encountered them before. Depending on which Windows version you use, you either see something similar to this:

Blue screen of the past



Watchdog timeout in Windows 8

What is causing my problem?

Simply put, it's your processor. Or, as you often hear, this is your .

Graphics cards - or GPUs - determine the visual elements of what you see on the screen, while memory - or - determines how much you can do at once. Hard drives are used to store your files and folders, and your processor is the raw power behind everything that is done on your computer.

The CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT error means that your processor is having trouble cooperating with its cores and threads. Threads are tasks performed by cores, and some cores can take on many threads at the same time. The problem here is that a thread is waiting for a correct response from another thread - or a kernel is waiting for a response from another core - and those responses don't come. That is why you are getting this BSoD error.

While this is a processor issue, it can be caused by two things: a driver bug, which is very likely if you're running Windows 8, or the OS itself isn't playing well with the processor. First question: how long have you had this computer? So far it has been working fine?

How to fix it?

If so, just use to return to the point at which the system was running. Be careful using any new devices that may cause the problem.

If you can boot into when your computer starts, run to update all your drivers to their latest version. This is a good chance that this will fix the problem.

You must also use Windows Update, and if you are not already using latest driver device, install it as well.

Drivers are what are used to make your devices like your keyboard communicate with your computer and while some misconfigured drivers can lead to bad performance, bad drivers mostly lead to BSoDs like CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT.

Before I explain what this error means and how to fix it, I will give you a little background information. First, you've encountered one of the many infamous "Blue Screen of Death" errors.

You may have encountered them before. Depending on which version of Windows you're using, you'll either see something that looks like this:

Blue screen of the past



Watchdog timeout in Windows 8

What is causing my problem?

Simply put, it's your processor. Or, as you often hear, this is your .

Graphics cards - or GPUs - determine the visual elements of what you see on the screen, while memory - or - determines how much you can do at once. Hard drives are used to store your files and folders, and your processor is the raw power behind everything that is done on your computer.

The CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT error means that your processor is having trouble cooperating with its cores and threads. Threads are tasks performed by cores, and some cores can take on many threads at the same time. The problem here is that a thread is waiting for a correct response from another thread - or a kernel is waiting for a response from another core - and those responses don't come. That is why you are getting this BSoD error.

While this is a processor issue, it can be caused by two things: a driver bug, which is very likely if you're running Windows 8, or the OS itself isn't playing well with the processor. First question: how long have you had this computer? So far it has been working fine?

How to fix it?

If so, just use to return to the point at which the system was running. Be careful using any new devices that may cause the problem.

If you can boot into when your computer starts, run to update all your drivers to their latest version. This is a good chance that this will fix the problem.

You should also use Windows Update, and if you are not already on the latest device driver, install it as well.

Drivers are what are used to make your devices like your keyboard communicate with your computer and while some misconfigured drivers can lead to bad performance, bad drivers mostly lead to BSoDs like CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT.

11/14/2017 windows

One of the most difficult to determine the causes and fix errors in Windows 10 is the blue screen “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to be restarted” and the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT error code, which can appear both at random times and when performing certain actions (launching a specific program , device connection, etc.). The error itself says that the interrupt expected by the system was not received from one of the processor cores in the expected time, which, as a rule, says little about what to do next.

This guide is about the most common causes of the error and how to fix the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT blue screen in Windows 10, if possible (in some cases, the problem may be hardware).

Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT and AMD Ryzen Processors

I decided to put information about the error in relation to the owners of computers on Ryzen in a separate section, since for them, in addition to the reasons described below, there are also specific ones.

So, if you have a Ryzen CPU installed on board, and you encounter the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT error in Windows 10, I recommend that you consider the following points.

  1. Do not install earlier builds of Windows 10 (versions 1511, 1607) as they may conflict when running on the specified processors, resulting in errors. Later they were eliminated.
  2. Update the BIOS of your motherboard from the official website of its manufacturer.

On the second point: a number of forums report that, on the contrary, the error appears after updating the BIOS, in this case, a rollback to the previous version is triggered.

Problems with BIOS (UEFI) and overclocking

If you have recently changed BIOS settings or overclocked the processor, this may be the cause of the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT error. Try the following steps:

Add to notes to look at later?
  1. Disable CPU overclocking (if performed).
  2. Reset BIOS to default settings, you can - optimized settings (Load Optimized Defaults), more details - How to reset BIOS settings.
  3. If the problem appeared after assembling the computer or replacing the motherboard, check if there is a BIOS update for it on the official website of the manufacturer: perhaps the problem was solved in the update.

Problems with peripheral equipment and drivers

The next most common cause is hardware or driver malfunction. If you recently connected new hardware or just reinstalled (upgraded) Windows 10, pay attention to the following methods:

  1. Install the original device drivers from the official website of the manufacturer of your laptop or motherboard (if it is a PC), especially the chipset, USB, power management, network adapters. Do not use driver packs (programs for automatic drivers), also do not take seriously "The driver does not need to be updated" in the device manager - this message does not mean that there really are no new drivers (they are not only in the center Windows updates). For a laptop, you should also install auxiliary system software, also from the official site (namely, system software, various application programs that may also be present there are not required).
  2. If in the controller Windows devices there are devices with errors, try disabling them (right-click - disable), if these are new devices, you can disable them physically) and restart the computer (rebooting, not shutting down and then turning it on, in Windows 10 this can be important ) and then see if the problem reappears.

Another point regarding the hardware - in some cases (we are talking about PCs, not laptops), the problem can manifest itself when there are two video cards on the computer (an integrated chip and a discrete video card). In the BIOS on a PC, there is usually an item to disable the integrated video (usually in the Integrated Peripherals section), try disabling it.

Software and Malware

Among other things, the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT BSoD may have been triggered recently installed programs, especially those that work with Windows 10 at a low level or add their own system services:

  1. Antiviruses.
  2. Programs that add virtual devices (can be viewed in Device Manager), such as Daemon Tools.
  3. Utilities for working with BIOS settings from the system, for example, ASUS AI Suite, overclocking programs.
  4. In some cases, software for working with virtual machines, such as VMWare or VirtualBox. With regard to them, sometimes an error occurs as a result of incorrect operation virtual network or when using specific systems in virtual machines.

Also, such software can include viruses and other malware I recommend checking your computer for them. See Best Malware Removal Tools.

CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT error due to hardware issues

And finally, hardware and related problems can be the cause of the error in question. Some of them are quite easy to fix, these include:

  1. overheating, dust system block. You should clean the computer from dust (even if there are no signs of overheating, this will not be superfluous), if the processor overheats, it is also possible to change the thermal paste. See how to find out the temperature of the processor.
  2. Incorrect operation of the power supply, voltages different from those required (can be tracked in the BIOS of some motherboards).
  3. RAM errors. See How to Check RAM computer or laptop.
  4. Work problems hard drive, see How to check HDD for mistakes.

More serious problems of this nature are malfunctions of the motherboard or processor.

Additional Information

If none of the above has worked so far, the following points may be helpful:

  • If the problem occurred recently and the system has not been reinstalled, try using Windows 10 restore points.
  • Perform an integrity check system files Windows 10.
  • Often the problem is caused by the operation of network adapters or their drivers. Sometimes it is not possible to determine exactly what is wrong with them (updating drivers does not help, etc.), but, when disconnecting the computer from the Internet, turning off WiFi adapter or removing the cable from network card the problem disappears. This does not necessarily indicate the problems of the network card itself (it may also be to blame system components not working properly with the network), but may help diagnose the problem.
  • If the error appears when starting a particular program, it is possible that the problem is caused precisely by its incorrect operation (perhaps specifically in this software environment and on this equipment).

I hope one of the methods will help solve the problem and in your case the error is not caused by hardware problems. For laptops or all-in-ones with the original OS from the manufacturer, you can also try performing a factory reset.

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