How to Fix Driver Power State Failure

Driver Power State Failure (stop code 0x0000009F) on Windows 10 means a device driver did not respond correctly when Windows tried to change power states, such as going to sleep or waking up. It is almost always caused by an outdated, buggy, or incompatible driver, often for the display, network, or storage device, or by power management settings. You fix it by updating or rolling back the driver behind it.

Why this happens

When your PC sleeps, hibernates, or wakes, Windows tells each device to change power state. If a driver fails to reply in time or handles the change badly, Windows stops with this error to avoid an unstable state.

• Outdated or buggy drivers, commonly graphics, Wi-Fi, network, or storage drivers.
• Incompatible drivers left over after upgrading from an older Windows version.
• Aggressive power-saving settings that suspend a device the driver cannot handle.
• A recent driver or Windows update that introduced the problem.
• Occasionally, failing hardware such as an external drive or USB device.

Is this normal?

No. It is a real driver or power management fault. It often shows up specifically when the PC sleeps or wakes, which is a strong clue that a device driver is not handling power transitions correctly.

Does it cause any problems?

Yes. It crashes the PC and loses unsaved work, and it can make sleep unreliable so the machine crashes whenever it tries to rest or resume. That makes a laptop frustrating to use on battery.

How to fix or check it

1. Note when it happens. If it is during sleep or wake, focus on power-related drivers first.
2. Update your drivers from the manufacturer websites, especially graphics, network, and storage drivers. Avoid relying only on generic Windows drivers.
3. If it began after a driver update, open Device Manager, find the device, and use Roll Back Driver on the Driver tab.
4. In Device Manager, open the Power Management tab for network and USB devices and turn off Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power, then test.
5. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth to repair system files.
6. Disconnect external drives and non-essential USB devices, then see if the crashes stop, to identify a faulty device.
7. If it started after a Windows update, uninstall that update or use System Restore to a working point.

Frequently asked questions

Why does it only crash when the PC sleeps or wakes?

Because that is exactly when Windows changes power states. A driver that fails to respond during those transitions triggers the error, which is why sleep and wake are the most common moments.

Which driver is usually to blame?

Graphics, Wi-Fi, network, and storage drivers are the most frequent culprits. If you have a crash dump, it may name a specific .sys file that points to the exact driver.

Will disabling sleep fix it?

Disabling sleep can stop the crashes, but it is a workaround, not a fix. Updating the responsible driver is the proper solution so you can use sleep normally again.