Many Windows users have reported encountering Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error with a STOP code CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT. This BSOD error interrupts you while you are using your Windows PC. It does this by causing software crashes, leaving you with a blue screen and an error message. It is common among users of Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7 operating systems.
However, even though you may spend a lot of time while trying to fix this error, it is fixable. In this article, I have provided some useful troubleshooting tips to help you fix the clock watchdog timeout issue.
What is Clock Watchdog Timeout
A Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error is technically called a stop error. This type of error occurs when Windows is affected by a serious issue and is forced to stop completely. BSOD errors can occur in all Windows operating systems, including Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 98/95.
Since these blue screen errors give you no other choice than to restart, troubleshooting one could be difficult. But, almost every stop error comes with a hexadecimal-based stop code that can be used to research and fix it.
This Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error with a STOP code CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT suddenly occurs while you are using your Windows PC. This BSOD error mostly occurs when your graphics card drivers are either outdated or corrupt.
The error message reads; “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We’re just collecting some error info, and then we’ll restart for you. (0% Complete)”
Once a blue screen with this message appears on your screen, you will only have wait for the process to reach 100%, and then look for a solution. You can use the stop code CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT to troubleshoot this error.
What Causes This Clock Watchdog Timeout
When you look at user reports and the repair strategies used to fix this specific issue, you will find out that it can be a result of several reasons. But the main reason for this BSOD error with a stop code CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT is a graphics card driver issue. However, I have compiled a couple of these reasons for you below.
Outdated or Corrupted Graphics Drivers
This is the leading cause of this problem. When you troubleshoot further, you will find out that this error is caused thanks to two files which are atikmpag.sys and nvlddmkm.sys in Windows 10.
If you are using an NVIDIA Graphic card then Video TDR Failure error is due to the nvlddmkm.sys file but if you are using an AMD graphic card then this error is due to the atikmpag.sys file.
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A Problematic Update
- When Windows update has some kind of issues, you may encounter this BSOD error. For instance when you download an incompatible graphics card driver.
Hardware Issues
You may also encounter video TDR failure due to hard issues such as over-clocked components, insufficient system power, insufficient system cooling, incorrect component compatibility & settings, and defective parts. Nonetheless, whatever the case may be, once you encounter this video TDR failure, you should opt for a solution to fix it immediately.
How to Fix Clock Watchdog Timeout
Fortunately, fixing this BSOD error does not require any complicated operation. You probably need to update your graphics card drivers to resolve it. Every solution is dependent on the cause of the error. Sometimes troubleshooting this error may take a lot of your time before you succeed.
Nonetheless, whatever is the source of this error, you can simply fix it by carefully following a few guidelines that I will show you. To fix this Video TDR Failure, you need to follow the guidelines below carefully.
Solution 1 – Update your Graphics Card Drivers
When you encounter this BSOD error, the problem is probably from the current drivers installed on your PC. Your graphics card drivers may be outdated or corrupt. You can update your drivers manually or automatically. Just follow the steps below;
If you are using an NVIDIA graphics card, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Press Win+R simultaneously. This operation will invoke the Run dialog box. Enter msconfig, click on OK to open System Configurations. Click on the Boot tab and check Safe boot. Click OK
Step 2: Click on Restart and boot into Safe Mode. Click on This PC > Local Disk C. You will see the NVIDIA folder. Delete the folder. Open the Run dialog by clicking Start and then Run
Step 3: Enter “devmgmt.msc” in the run box. Click the OK button. The Device Manager window will open.
Step 4: Open the “Display Adapters” field and right-click on the NVIDIA adapter you wish to uninstall. Then select “Uninstall.” Click “OK” to remove the adapter from the list and uninstall the driver
Step 5: Press Win+R simultaneously to invoke the Run box. Open Systems configuration by entering msconfig. Click on the Boot tab, uncheck Safe boot, and click OK. Now, click on Restart.
Step 6: Download the latest NVIDIA driver Once you are done, install the NVIDIA driver. Click the Custom installation option and tick all the boxes including the “perform clean install” box. Restart your PC
If you’re using an AMD graphics card, follow the steps below.Step 1: Download the AMD Cleanup Utility
Step 2: Access the downloaded file and double-click on “AMDCleanupUtility.exe.’
Step 3: Reboot the system and run the utility in safe mode.
Step 4: A dialogue box will pop up stating that AMD Cleanup Utility will delete all AMD driver and application components. Click on OK
Step 5: Once the process is complete, click on Finish and reboot your PCNow you need to install the latest driver update. To do this, just follow these steps;
Step 1: Visit the AMD Driver Support Page. Go to the section, Auto-Detect, and Install Radeon Graphics Drivers for Windows. Click DOWNLOAD NOW
Step 2: Run the file you downloaded and click on Install
Step 3: The tool will launch automatically. Click Accept and Install to proceed.
Step 4: The tool will detect the installed AMD graphics product and system configuration and display Recommended and Optional driver packages that are compatible with your graphics product
Step 5: Choose the version you want and click Express installation. Once this process is done, restart your computerIf you have an integrated graphics (Intel)
Step 1: Press Win + R to launch a Run
Step 2: Enter devmgmt.msc into the Run dialog and press the Enter button. The Device Manager will open.
Step 3: Expand the Display adapters and right-click on your graphics drivers.
Step 4: Click Uninstall
Step 5: Now restart your PC. Once your PC is on, it will automatically reinstall the graphics drivers. Check if you have fixed the issue.If the problem is still not solved after updating your graphics drivers, move to the next potential solution below.
Solution 2 – Removing problematic applications
You may encounter this BSOD error if you have some problematic apps running on your computer. Third-party applications often cause these kinds of errors to appear, and to fix the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT error. You will need to find and uninstall all the problematic apps on your PC to fix it.
Some of these apps may be antiviruses. Therefore, it is advisable that you remove your antivirus software temporarily. Removing antivirus software is easy, but I must say that you should use the dedicated removal tool to remove all files and registry entries that are associated with your antivirus software.
Many antivirus companies have these tools available for download on their website, and you can download them for free. For the Norton users, you can uninstall Norton Security Suite by following the steps below.
To uninstall Norton Security Online or Norton Security Suite for Wndows PC:
Step 1 – Access the start menu, and click on the Control Panel.
Step 2 – Click on Programs. Click on the Program and Features option.
Step 3 – Access the list of currently installed programs and click on the Norton Security product. Now, click on Uninstall or Remove.
Step 4 – Once you are prompted by the User Account Control (UAC), click on Yes.
Step 5 – Now, follow the on-screen guidelines to select your uninstall preference.
Step 6 – Once you are done, Norton uninstaller will run and complete. Once the process in step 7 is complete, restart your PC.To uninstall Norton Security Online or Norton Security Suite for Mac users:
Step 1 – Access the Applications folder and double-click Norton Security.
Step 2 – Go to the Norton Security application window to get the menu options. In the menu bar, near the Apple icon, click on Norton Security. Now, click on Uninstall Norton Security.
Step 2 – Access the Uninstall Norton Security confirmation window and click on Uninstall.
Step 3 – Type your Administrator account name and password, and click on Install Helper.
Step 4 – The uninstaller will run and complete. Once the uninstallation is complete, click on Restart Now.If you are using McAfee, you can uninstall it by following the steps below.
To uninstall McAfee on your Windows computer:
Step 1 – Access the Start menu and click on Control Panel.
Step 2 – Click Programs and Features.
Step 3 – Right-click on McAfee Security Center and click on Uninstall/Change.
Step – Click on the checkboxes close to the McAfee Security Center and remove all files for this program.
Step 4 – Click on Remove to uninstall the app.
Step 5 – Click on Restart Now to restart your PC.
Step 6 – When your PC restarts, the McAfee Internet Security will be successfully uninstalled.To uninstall McAfee on your Mac:
Step 1 – Close your browsers (Sarafi and Chrome) during removal to ensure that the McAfee browser plug-in is removed correctly.
Step 2 – In the Dock, find and open the Applications folder.
Step 3 – Double-click the McAfee Internet Security Uninstaller.
Step 4 – Click Continue.
Step 5 ‘- Type your administrator password and click OK.
Step 6 – Click Finish.If you were able to fix the error by removing the antivirus, you might want to consider changing to different antivirus software. There are plenty great antivirus tools out there, but you can check out Bitdefender, Bullguard, and Panda Antivirus. These antivirus tools are very compatible with Windows 10, and they will not cause any new errors.
If the issue is still not solved after all problematic applications and antivirus, move to the next potential solution below.
Solution 3 – Updating the BIOS
The BIOS is a very sensitive part of the computer. It is a software component, but the functioning of the hardware component of your computer depends so much on it. For this reason, you have to be very careful when changing anything in the BIOS. To update the BIOS, you need to follow the steps below carefully.
Step 1 – Press the Windows logo key + R button simultaneously. This operation will start the Run dialog box.
Step 2 – In the Run dialog box, type in msinfo32 and hit the Enter button on your keyboard. This operation will open System Information.
Step 3 – On the bottom of the system information menu, you will see a search field. Now, you have to type in BIOS Version and hit the Enter button on your keyboard.Step 4 – You will now see the version and developer of the BIOS that is installed on your PC.
Step 5 – Now, go to your manufacturer’s website and get the newest version of BIOS downloaded on to your PC. If you are using a laptop, ensure that it is continuously plugged in until this BIOS update is completely installed.
Step 6 – Double-click on the file that you just downloaded, and then install the newest version of the BIOS.When you are done, you have to reboot your PC for the changes that you made to take effect. If the problem is still not solved after updating the BIOS, move to the next potential solution below.
Solution 4 – Disabling C1-6 in BIOS
Plenty users have reported that they were able to fix this error by disabling specific settings in BIOS. They were able to do this by disabling the C1-6 in BIOS. So, you can try that.
If you need information on know how to access BIOS, find, and disable these settings, you can check your motherboard manual. However, to disable C-States on a Dell server, you need to follow the steps below.
Step 1 – The first thing to do is to reboot the server.
Step 2 – When you are done, press the F2 button on your keyboard to enter the BIOS configuration menu. In the BIOS configuration menu, select Processor Settings.
Step 3 – Now, scroll down and locate the C States and C1E. Using the arrow key, set both of them to Disabled.
Step 4 – Press the ESC button on your keyboard repeatedly and then click on “Save changes and exit.” Now, open the OpenManage web interface (https://IP_ADDRESS:1311/)
Step 5 – Log in with your root username and password. Click on Main System Chassis, and then BIOS. Now, click on the Setup tab.
Step 6 – Click on “Processor C State Control” Click on the “Disabled” radio button. Now, click on Apply. Also, click on “Go Back to BIOS Setup Page”
Step 7 – Repeat this process for “Processor C1-E.”Now, reboot the server to apply the settings changeIf the problem is still not solved after disabling C1 -6 in BIOS, move to the next potential solution below.
Solution 5 – Resetting BIOS
As I mentioned earlier, some BIOS settings can make the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT Blue Screen of Death error to pop up, and the easiest way to solve this issue is by resetting your BIOS.
Resetting BIOS will set all settings to the default value, thus fixing this error.
Step 1 – Access the BIOS Setup utility.
Step 2 – Press the F9 key to load the factory default settings automatically.
Step 3 – Once a message appears, prompting you to continue this operation. Select OK to continue. To cancel the operation by selecting Cancel.
Step 4 – Confirm the changes by highlighting OK, then press Enter.
Step 5 – The BIOS Setup utility window appears with the cursor highlighting the first value on the window.
Step 6 – To save the changes and exit the BIOS Setup utility, press the F10 key.After performing all the solutions above, you should have fixed the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error with a STOP code CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT.
Conclusion
Many Windows users have constantly reported facing Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error with a STOP code CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT. This error often occurs when the processor is nonresponsive. Sometimes, you would have to reset BIOS to fix it. In this article, I have given you information on the solutions to help you fix this error. Now it is your turn to perform these solutions and conquer it.
Marziano is a seasoned tech expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and multiple certifications, including CompTIA A+, Network+, and Cisco’s CCNA, he has a well-rounded and robust understanding of various aspects of technology.
