My ASUS Vivobook S14 running Windows 11 suddenly stopped booting normally. It now powers off immediately when I unplug the charger, so it may also have a battery or charging problem. Startup takes around 15 minutes, Windows becomes extremely slow, and after several more minutes it crashes with the error "DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (0x133)." I've read that updating drivers might help, but the system is so unresponsive that I can barely open anything. What can I try to diagnose or repair it?
2 Answers
The combination of extremely slow disk access, long boot times, and a watchdog crash could indicate a failing or corrupted SSD, although a storage controller driver or other hardware problem is also possible. Prioritize copying important files while the laptop still starts. Avoid changing BIOS or disk settings until your data is backed up. Try booting into Windows Recovery or Safe Mode, where you may be able to uninstall a recent driver or run a storage diagnostic. If you can open an elevated Command Prompt, run `sfc /scannow`, followed by `DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth`, but these commands may not help if the drive itself is failing. ASUS hardware diagnostics or testing with a known-good replacement SSD would be useful next steps.
The instant shutdown when the charger is removed points to a separate battery, battery connection, or charging-circuit issue. Windows troubleshooting won’t fix that part. Since the machine is also taking an unusually long time to boot, start with a backup or remove the SSD and copy the data using another computer if necessary. Then use the recovery menu from a Windows installation or recovery USB to run startup repair, access Safe Mode, and check the disk. If the SSD reports errors or the system remains painfully slow even outside normal Windows, replacing the drive is more likely to solve the crashes than simply updating drivers.
I can technically reach Windows, but every click takes several minutes and I can’t reliably open Command Prompt. Is there another way to run repairs or figure out whether the drive is failing?