How to fix blue screen error code 133 (DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION) in Windows

Blue screen code 133, written 0x133 or 0x00000133, is the stop code DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION. Windows stopped because a driver kept a processor busy far longer than allowed. Find the driver named on the screen or in the crash dump, and update, roll back or remove it first.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

What blue screen code 133 means

Microsoft's bug check reference says the DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION bug check has a value of 0x00000133. It means the DPC watchdog fired, either because one deferred procedure call (DPC) ran too long, or because the system spent too long at a high interrupt level (IRQL DISPATCH_LEVEL or above).

In plain words: drivers answer hardware in short bursts that block everything else on that processor core. Microsoft says a DPC should not run longer than 100 microseconds, and the real limit Windows enforces is much higher. A driver that blows past it freezes the PC, so Windows stops it with code 133 instead.

What causes the 0x133 blue screen, most common first

Microsoft's remark on 0x133 is short: in general it is caused by faulty driver code that, under certain conditions, does not complete its work in time. So the question is always which driver. Microsoft's own example dump names BthA2DP.sys, the Bluetooth audio driver, and AMD documents the same stop code for an older version of its Solarflare network driver.

Find the driver behind code 133

Microsoft's advice for users who cannot debug is to check the System log in Event Viewer and to disable the driver if one is named. The dump names it most often, and reading it takes about ten minutes if the PC still starts.

1. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Windows\Minidump. Each crash leaves one .dmp file named by its date.
2. Install Microsoft's debugger: open Terminal and run winget install Microsoft.WinDbg.
3. Start WinDbg as administrator, select File > Open dump file and open the newest .dmp file.
4. Type !analyze -v and press Enter. Wait until the analysis ends.
5. Note Arg1 under DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (133) and the line IMAGE_NAME further down.

How to fix blue screen error code 133

Start with Fix 1 if the dump or the stop screen names a driver. Fix 2 is for crashes after a fresh install, Fix 3 for new hardware and Fix 4 for idle freezes. Fix 5 is for a PC that restarts in a loop. Fixes 6 and 7 are the general repairs.

Fix 1. Update, roll back or remove the driver the crash names

15 minutesLow riskThe stop screen shows a What failed line, or !analyze -v shows an IMAGE_NAME that is not a core Windows file.

Microsoft says 0x133 is in general faulty driver code and advises disabling the named driver and checking with its maker for an update. A fixed driver release is how vendors close this bug, as AMD did for its network driver.

1. Search the driver file name (for example nvlddmkm.sys or rtwlane.sys) to learn which device it belongs to.
2. Right-click Start and select Device Manager, then find that device.
3. If the crashes began after a driver update, open Properties > Driver and select Roll Back Driver.
4. Otherwise, download the newest driver for that exact device from its maker or your PC maker's support page and install it.
5. If no newer driver exists, right-click the device and select Disable device for a test, as Microsoft advises.
6. Restart and use the PC the way it used to crash. Step by step with screenshots: Update, roll back or reinstall a driver

Fix 2. Install the chipset and storage drivers and the SSD firmware from your PC maker

20 minutesLow riskThe crashes began after a fresh Windows install or a big upgrade, or the dump names a storage driver such as storport.sys, storahci.sys, stornvme.sys or iaStorA.sys.

A fresh install brings generic drivers. Storage and chipset drivers run a DPC for every disk request, so a mismatched driver or old SSD firmware is a common way to exceed the watchdog. That fits the reader's question above: crashes right after a clean install.

1. Find your exact model on the sticker of the PC or in Settings > System > About.
2. On your PC or motherboard maker's support page, download the chipset driver and the storage or RAID/AHCI driver for your Windows version.
3. Install the chipset driver first, restart, then install the storage driver and restart again.
4. In Device Manager, expand Disk drives to read your SSD model, then get its firmware tool from the SSD maker and update the firmware if a newer one exists.
5. Install the graphics, network and Bluetooth drivers from the same support page, so no device runs on a generic driver.

Fix 3. Unplug new hardware and test with the basics only

15 minutesLow riskThe crashes began after you added a device: a dock, a USB hub, an external drive, a capture card, a Bluetooth headset or a new card inside the PC.

Microsoft's first step for repeated stop codes is to remove new hardware, and its 0x133 reference asks you to confirm new hardware is compatible with your Windows version. Every device brings its own driver, and one slow driver is enough.

1. Shut the PC down and unplug everything except the keyboard, mouse and screen.
2. Remove any card or drive you added inside the PC before the crashes began.
3. Start the PC and use it for the length of time that usually brings a crash.
4. If it stays stable, plug the devices back in one at a time, a day apart if the crash was rare.
5. When the crash returns, update or replace the driver of the last device you added, or leave that device out.

Fix 4. Update the BIOS and undo overclocks and power tweaks

30 minutesRead the warningThe PC freezes at idle and then shows code 133, it runs an overclock or memory profile, or the BIOS is years old.

The BIOS sets up the chipset, storage and power states that drivers rely on. Users report idle freezes with 0x133 that stopped after a BIOS update or after changing CPU power state (C-state) settings, though no vendor documents that as a general fix.

1. Reset every CPU, GPU and memory overclock to default, and turn off XMP or EXPO for the test.
2. Find your BIOS version: press Win + R, type msinfo32 and read BIOS Version/Date.
3. Compare it with the newest version on your PC or motherboard maker's support page, and read the release notes for stability or storage fixes.
4. Update the BIOS with the maker's own tool or instructions.
5. If you changed power settings in the BIOS or Windows, return them to default, then test at idle again.

Fix 5. Stop a restart loop from Safe Mode or the recovery environment

30 minutesRead the warningCode 133 appears during startup and the PC restarts again and again, as in the reader's question.

Safe Mode starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers, so the driver behind 0x133 usually does not load. From there you can remove it, and Microsoft recommends Safe Mode for exactly this when restarting is a problem.

1. Turn the PC on and, when the logo appears, hold the power button until it shuts down. Do this twice; the third start opens Automatic Repair.
2. Select Advanced options > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, then press 4 for Safe Mode: Start Windows or a Mac in Safe Mode
3. In Safe Mode, roll back or uninstall the driver you installed last, as in Fix 1.
4. If Safe Mode does not start, go back to Advanced options and run Startup Repair: Run Startup Repair
5. If that fails, select System Restore and pick a point from before the first crash: Undo recent changes with System Restore

Fix 6. Repair system files and check the disk

20 to 60 minutesNo riskEvent Viewer shows disk errors, the crash happens during startup, or SFC has never run on this PC.

Damaged system files are a rare cause of 0x133, but a failing disk can make storage requests hang, which is the kind of delay the watchdog catches. These two checks rule both out.

DISM fetches clean copies of Windows components, then SFC replaces damaged system files with them. Step by step with screenshots: Run DISM and SFC to repair Windows system files

In Terminal (Admin), one after the other:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

Then check the disk for file system errors and bad sectors. chkdsk C: /f /r runs at the next restart and can take an hour on a large drive: Check a disk for errors (chkdsk)

Fix 7. Reinstall Windows and keep your files

60 minutes or moreRead the warningEvery fix above failed and the dumps keep naming only Windows files.

A reinstall replaces every Windows file and the whole driver store at once. If the crash then returns before you install any driver of your own, the cause is the hardware.

1. Back up your files and note the apps you will need to install again.
2. Open Settings > System > Recovery (on Windows 10: Settings > Update & Security > Recovery).
3. Select Reset PC, then Keep my files and Cloud download.
4. After the reset, install the chipset and storage drivers from your PC maker first, as in Fix 2, then the other drivers and apps one at a time. Full method: Reinstall Windows without losing files

Still getting blue screen 133: what to collect and whom to ask

Microsoft says a real fix needs the source code of the faulting driver, so the help you need comes from the driver's maker. Collect the facts once and send them to whoever the dump points at.

• The three newest .dmp files from C:\Windows\Minidump, zipped.
• The Arg1 and IMAGE_NAME lines from !analyze -v.
• Your Windows edition and build from Settings > System > About, and the BIOS version from msinfo32.
• The driver version of the named device from Device Manager.
• What you were doing at each crash: idle, gaming, copying files, startup.

How to keep code 133 from coming back

Other blue screens follow the same logic: find the driver or app in the dump first. Our guide to the WIN32K_CRITICAL_FAILURE blue screen shows it for a graphics crash.

Frequently asked questions

What is bluescreen code 133?

Bluescreen code 133 is the stop code DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION, bug check 0x00000133. Windows shows the name on the stop screen, and after the restart Reliability Monitor lists the crash as BlueScreen with BCCode 133. It means a driver kept a processor busy at a high priority for too long, so Windows stopped the PC rather than let it hang. The fix is to find that driver in the crash dump and update, roll back or remove it.

Is code 133 the same as 0x133 and 0x00000133?

Yes. All three are the same number in hexadecimal: 0x133 is the short form, 0x00000133 the eight digit form Event Viewer uses, and 133 is how Reliability Monitor and WinDbg's BUGCHECK_CODE line print it. Searches for code 133, error code 133, bsod 133 or bugcheck_code: 133 all lead to the same stop code, DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION, and the same fixes on this page.

How serious is blue screen code 133?

It is serious enough to fix, but it rarely means broken hardware. Microsoft says it is in general caused by faulty driver code. One crash after a driver update can be a one-off, and Microsoft notes that most unexpected restarts need no action. Repeated crashes with code 133 do need attention, because each one can lose unsaved work. Start with the driver named in the dump.

Why do I get code 133 after a fresh Windows install?

A clean install uses Microsoft's generic drivers for the chipset, storage controller and many devices. Most work, but a mismatch with your controller or old SSD firmware can make disk requests take too long, and the watchdog stops the PC. Install the chipset and storage drivers from your PC maker's support page first, then the other drivers, and update the SSD firmware, as in Fix 2.

How do I find which driver caused the 133 blue screen?

Open the newest file in C:\Windows\Minidump with WinDbg, Microsoft's free debugger, and run !analyze -v. The IMAGE_NAME line usually names the driver when Arg1 is 0. When Arg1 is 1, the dump may stop outside the guilty driver, so check the System log in Event Viewer for device errors just before the crash, as Microsoft advises.

Can a graphics card cause blue screen 133?

Yes. A graphics driver is one of the drivers that run deferred procedure calls, and users report 0x133 crashes that stopped after a clean graphics driver install or a rollback. If the dump names nvlddmkm.sys, amdkmdag.sys or an Intel graphics driver, start with Fix 1 for that card. If the crashes come only in games with an overclocked card, reset the overclock as in Fix 4.

Can bad RAM or a failing SSD cause code 133?

A failing SSD can, because storage requests that hang keep the storage driver busy. RAM is a less likely cause of this code, since 0x133 is about time, not corrupted memory. If Event Viewer shows disk errors, run CHKDSK as in Fix 6 and check the SSD maker's tool for its health. For RAM, use Windows Memory Diagnostic only after the driver fixes, when crashes change their stop code.

Does chkdsk or SFC fix blue screen 133?

Sometimes, but rarely on their own. SFC repairs damaged Windows files and CHKDSK repairs the file system and marks bad sectors. Code 133 is mostly a driver timing problem, so these tools help only when a system file or the disk is damaged. Run DISM and SFC first, then CHKDSK, as in Fix 6, after you have checked the drivers.

What does exit code 133 or another code 133 mean?

This page is about the Windows stop code 133, DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION. Other programs use 133 for unrelated things. On Linux and in Docker, exit code 133 follows the 128 plus signal number rule, so it means a process ended by signal 5, SIGTRAP. An app or game that shows code 133 in its own window has its own meaning, so check that app's help pages.