My computer has recently started struggling with basic programs like Steam, my browser, and Discord, even though it runs games normally. If I don't have a game open, the screen often freezes after a few minutes and the system restarts with a watchdog violation error. Installation tasks seem to make the problem worse as well. I briefly changed some Secure Boot settings in the BIOS so I could play a game, but I've since restored them. Could this be a hardware or software problem, and what should I check first?
1 Answer
A Windows reinstall probably isn’t the first thing to try here, especially since the system was only reinstalled a month or two ago and the issue began recently. A watchdog violation is more commonly related to a faulty driver, unstable BIOS setting, corrupted system files, overheating, or a problem with the SSD or RAM. Check for driver and Windows updates, reset the BIOS to optimized defaults, and run Windows Memory Diagnostic plus a drive-health check. It would also help to note the exact watchdog error code, since codes such as CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT and DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION point to different causes.
The reinstall was only about a month or two ago, and the problems started roughly a week ago. That’s why I wasn’t sure a reinstall would make sense.