Random BSOD, error 0x0000009f (DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE), Asus N76VZ

malus · 19 Apr 2013

As I feared, official repair service will be pain in the ass. It already is actually, even before I sent my laptop there. Technically, as I've been told by the tech guy there, and rather rudely, is that my warranty doesn't cover any portions of Windows or any official apps or drivers which are in connection with Windows because my laptop didn't come with Windows (but FreeDOS). Technically, this probably means that there is good chance that they even will not "discover" the problem, since all the diagnostics that they will do is within DOS. And oh yeah, they already are threatening to charge me for this diagnostics in case they don't find the problem. Great.

I already described the problem in details to them, and I have prepared a very detailed description of problems and symptoms, but I bet they won't even look at it, and instead run the laptop through some DOS diagnostics, which will show nothing. What I fear will happen then is that they will charge me an insanely high amount for diagnostics. They will hijack my laptop, and they will refuse to send it back until I pay for the diagnostics. And when I do, they will send it back after few months. With any luck, they won't cannibalize it before that. I know this sounds crazy to some of you, but they are actually known to do this. Unfortunately, this is the only available official Asus repair service center in my country...

If anyone has an idea how to prevent such scenario, I am open for suggestions.

I'll probably be sending it there on Monday, and this is one more chance to try something on my own.
There is one thing that kept crossing my mind occasionally; is there a chance that these (error 0x0000009f DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE) BSODs have something to do with the fact that I don't have a battery in my laptop? Since I don't use it, I just charge it occasionally to 40% and then keep in a cold and try place. Up until now, that didn't seem like something that could cause BSODs, but since I didn't find anything else, maybe that could be it?

Teerex · 19 Apr 2013

I rarely do that, I think that the longest time I've had mine without the battery was 4 days. The battery is intricately connected with power management - try that.

malus, you should also try writing directly to ASUS and should describe your problem and the problem with the warranty service. They have to vouch for their hardware after all.

malus · 04 May 2013

Update.
There is a possibility that I found the culprit afterall. I didn't get the BSOD in 3 weeks now. Usually it came at least once per week. The only difference is that I removed:

1. Asus Live update (I doubt it's this one since I already removed this one on previous win7 installation, and still got the bsod.)
2. Asus Smart gesture driver for trackpad
3. Asus intant key driver/utility

Otherwise, I'm only using drivers offered by Windows and Windows update.

Unfortunately I uninstalled all 3 at the same time, so I can't blame one. But I will try to test individually if I don't get another bsod like this in next week or two.

Those are things I can live without, but only hecause Asus support and warranty policy is worst I have ever encountered. Which ever way you look at it, Asus f****d up big time.

EDIT: It has now been exactly one month since I last got the BSOD, I consider it now BSOD free. From the above mentioned 3 possible culprits, my main suspect is "2. Asus Smart gesture driver for trackpad". I will now install it, and if I get a BSOD within 14 days, I will consider it to be the cause for BSOD. If not, I will try with 1. and 3. in the same way. It has to be one of the 3.

malus · 24 May 2013

Just as I expected, within a week of installing SmartGesture driver, I got the same old BSOD. In the same way as before; system idle, not used but fully on. Now I'm 99% sure that this is what is causing the BSODs. Or at least it triggers the BSOD. Could anyone explain why would this happen? The touchpad itself seems to be working fine. Even with multitouch gestures.

easyrock · 22 Jun 2013

Hi. I googled here. Seems every N76 user is bothered. I have the same problem, with my N76VZ. I'm using Windows 8 Pro (The laptop was preinstalled with Windows 7 Home Basic). I also upgraded to 2x8G which is now officially supported. And I have installed another HDD in the secondary slot. The BSOD is randomly, the recent memory.dmp analysed:

*******************************************************************************
* *
* Bugcheck Analysis *
* *
*******************************************************************************

DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (9f)
A driver has failed to complete a power IRP within a specific time (usually 10 minutes).
Arguments:
Arg1: 0000000000000003, A device object has been blocking an Irp for too long a time
Arg2: fffffa800ea1d880, Physical Device Object of the stack
Arg3: fffff88002c5b7f0, nt!TRIAGE_9F_POWER on Win7, otherwise the Functional Device Object of the stack
Arg4: fffffa8017116210, The blocked IRP

Debugging Details:
------------------

DRVPOWERSTATE_SUBCODE: 3

IMAGE_NAME: pci.sys

DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP: 5010ab1f

MODULE_NAME: pci

FAULTING_MODULE: fffff88000c00000 pci

DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: WIN8_DRIVER_FAULT

BUGCHECK_STR: 0x9F

PROCESS_NAME: System

CURRENT_IRQL: 2

TAG_NOT_DEFINED_c000000f: FFFFF88002C62FB0

STACK_TEXT:
fffff880`02c5b7b8 fffff801`9f2103a2 : 00000000`0000009f 00000000`00000003 fffffa80`0ea1d880 fffff880`02c5b7f0 : nt!KeBugCheckEx
fffff880`02c5b7c0 fffff801`9f2103d5 : fffffa80`15b78df0 fffffa80`170191f0 fffff880`02c5b939 fffff801`9f19e084 : nt!PopIrpWatchdogBugcheck+0xe2
fffff880`02c5b820 fffff801`9f0fd1ea : fffffa80`170191f0 fffff880`02c5b939 00000000`00000001 fffff880`02b4b180 : nt!PopIrpWatchdog+0x32
fffff880`02c5b870 fffff801`9f0fb655 : 00000000`00000000 fffff801`9f0fccff 00000000`00140001 fffff801`9f3755a0 : nt!KiProcessExpiredTimerList+0x22a
fffff880`02c5b9a0 fffff801`9f0fd668 : fffff880`02bf1180 fffff801`9f374f80 00000000`00000007 00000000`000f7b09 : nt!KiExpireTimerTable+0xa9
fffff880`02c5ba40 fffff801`9f0fca06 : fffffa80`00000000 00001f80`00bf0080 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000002 : nt!KiTimerExpiration+0xc8
fffff880`02c5baf0 fffff801`9f0fd9ba : fffff880`02bf1180 fffff880`02bf1180 00000000`00000000 fffff880`02bfcf40 : nt!KiRetireDpcList+0x1f6
fffff880`02c5bc60 00000000`00000000 : fffff880`02c5c000 fffff880`02c56000 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000000 : nt!KiIdleLoop+0x5a

STACK_COMMAND: kb

FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: 0x9F_3_nvlddmkm_IMAGE_pci.sys

BUCKET_ID: 0x9F_3_nvlddmkm_IMAGE_pci.sys

Followup: MachineOwner
---------

I've just uninstalled the 'ASUS Smart Gesture', hope I'll get rid of it, just like you

malus · 23 Jun 2013

I didn't get rid of it. It came back just yesterday. Once again, it came back almost a month later, so I thought I was free of it. Unfortunately, I wasn't after all. Either it's really random, or it has something to do with Smart Gesture driver because it seems that when I don't have it installed BSODs are coming with 3-4 weeks apart, and if I do they come 3-4 times weekly. But even if it does have something to do with Smart Gesture, I think there is a hardware problem, and maybe the Smart Gesture driver is triggering it...
Since there is nothing left for me to do, I'll be bringing my laptop to service center next week, and hope for the best.

easyrock · 23 Jun 2013

I've just bosed, again. Great job ASUS!!

easyrock · 05 Jul 2013

It seems that I've got rid of it, finally. It's caused by SpeedFan. SpeedFan was my favourite program since it can monitor and report temperates, fan speed etc. of the system. I can remember every time the system BSOD, SpeedFan was running in the background. Now the system is just "Rock Solid" as long as the SpeedFan is not running again.

malus · 06 Jul 2013

I don't want to burst your bubble, but you need to wait at least a month to be sure. Maybe longer. If it is like in my case, you can be bsod free for 35 days, but it eventually comes again. For instance, I am now bsod free for 2 weeks.
I'm curious, are you using a laptop cooler/stand of some kind? Or maybe an external usb hub?

easyrock · 06 Jul 2013

No, I have no cooler, no usb hub. But I'm considering buy one cooler this summer.