Getting DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE on Windows Server 2025 – Need Help!

Hey everyone,

I'm reaching out because I'm facing a pretty frustrating issue with some servers running Windows Server 2025. I created a Golden Image after deploying a hardened version aligned with the CIS Benchmark and it worked perfectly in the past. However, now I'm dealing with a problem where, during a clean reboot or shutdown, the server hangs for exactly 10 minutes, then I get a BSOD with the error "DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE."

The servers—both VMware VMs and physical ones—restart fine after the BSOD, but I can't pinpoint the driver responsible for this trouble. Unfortunately, no memory dump is created even after I tried changing the dump settings and troubleshooting with Microsoft.

I've already tried several things:
- Checked for and removed old, incompatible drivers
- Enabled driver verifier
- Adjusted power plan settings
- Uninstalled and reinstalled VMware Tools, including upgrading to the latest version
- Tried removing the latest cumulative update to see if that made a difference

An in-place upgrade resolves the issue, but I really can't afford to upgrade all 35 servers right now, plus I'd still face the same issue with newly deployed servers.

I'm really hoping someone can help me figure out the root cause to avoid this during image build or deployment. I'll be grateful for any suggestions, even if it feels like a long shot!

Thanks a ton in advance!

Cheers,
Alex,
The Clippy Enthusiast