DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (0x0000009F) BSOD on Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 specifically during ETS2 in Balanced Power Mode

Neeraj N 0 Reputation points
2026-08-26T16:14:42.7433333+00:00

I am experiencing system freezes and DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (BugCheck 0x0000009F) crashes on my gaming laptop.

Specific Trigger & Symptoms:

  • The issue occurs specifically while playing Euro Truck Simulator 2 (ETS2) when set to Balanced Thermal/Power Mode (via Lenovo Vantage).
  • The system completely freezes , forcing a manual hard reset via long power button press (logged as Event ID 41, Kernel-Power).
  • Minidumps list ntoskrnl.exe, indicating an OS kernel timeout while waiting for a hardware driver to execute a power state transition (D3 state).

System Specifications:

  • Model: Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS
  • RAM: 24 GB
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050A (4GB)
  • OS: Windows 11

Troubleshooting Already Attempted:

  1. Fast Startup: Fully disabled via Power Options.
  2. System Health: Ran sfc /scannow and DISM repair commands; no file corruption detected.
  3. Drivers: Updated drivers via Windows Update.

BlueScreenView Output

050426-11984-01.dmp	04-05-2026 12:36:35	DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE	0x0000009f	00000000`00000003	ffffc181`3ac7a520	fffff802`2d635640	ffffc181`3a8268b0	ntoskrnl.exe	ntoskrnl.exe+4fa330	NT Kernel & System	Microsoft® Windows® Operating System	Microsoft Corporation	10.0.26100.9168 (WinBuild.160101.0800)	x64	ntoskrnl.exe+4fa330					C:\Windows\Minidump\050426-11984-01.dmp	8	15	26100	4,762,617	04-05-2026 12:36:58

Caused by: ntoskrnl.exe+4fa330

How can I resolve this crash without keeping the laptop permanently in Performance Mode?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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  1. Clary-N 15,095 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-27T00:38:16.05+00:00

    Hi Neeraj N,

    Thank you for providing the dump details. They confirm a DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (0x9F) with parameter 0x3, which means a device blocked a power request for too long. However, ntoskrnl.exe is the Windows kernel and is not enough to identify the faulty driver. It's recommended to analyze this type of dump with WinDbg using !analyze -v and the blocked IRP address.

    Since the crash occurs only in Lenovo Vantage Balanced mode, I recommend:

    1. Install the latest BIOS, AMD chipset, power-management and graphics drivers from Lenovo Support for the LOQ 15ARP9.
    2. Clean-install the NVIDIA driver or test the previous Lenovo-recommended version if the issue began after an update.
    3. In Control Panel > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings, set PCI Express > Link State Power Management to Off, if that option is available.
    4. Restart and test ETS2 again in Balanced mode.

    If the crash continues, open the dump in WinDbg and run:

    !analyze -v

    !irp ffffc181`3a8268b0

    Please share the resulting MODULE_NAME, IMAGE_NAME, FAILURE_BUCKET_ID, and !irp output so the blocked driver can be identified more accurately. Please let me know how it goes.

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