Windows 8.1 error: "thread stuck in device driver"

Anonymous
2013-11-20T13:05:26+00:00

After installing the Windows 8.1 update without issue, every time I turn on my computer a screen appears that saying that there was an error when the last session ended, and that the issue pertains to "thread_stuck_in_device_driver". This has occurred every time for the last 6 days, and I have used system restore and Windows Update and the issue still remains. Has anyone found a solution to a similar problem?

Thanks, Jarred

***Post moved by the moderator to the appropriate forum category.***

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Performance and system failures

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2015-08-25T16:30:23+00:00

The Dell support page offers a few things to check, but says if all else fails, replace the video card.

Maybe replacing the video card is worth it to get rid of all the headaches. 

THREAD STUCK IN DEVICE DRIVER

This Blue Screen error indicates that a device driver-almost always a video card driver-is stuck waiting for something (usually a hardware operation) to happen. Most of you have probably seennv4_disp.sys associated with this Blue Screen.

  1. Ensure the video drivers are updated to the latest Dell version.
  2. The system BIOS is fully up-to-date.
  3. If both the video driver and the system BIOS are fully up-to-date, check with the manufacturer for recent driver updates.
  4. As a last resort, try exchanging the video card.

Note: Reinstalling Windows is not likely to prevent this error from reoccurring.

http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/SLN129813/EN#Error6

Was this answer helpful?

50+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

194 additional answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2014-11-10T14:42:56+00:00

    Dear dash render!

    of all the postings and replies, yours made the most sense, because my Dell laptop also no longer sleeps, and its previous super speed has slowed considerably since I upgraded to Windows 8.1 and started getting the THREAD_-STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER message.

    I am unfortunately technically challenged, just a grandmother who can barely keep up with the basics.... I wonder if you can help me through the steps which you took to remedy the problem, specifically, can you please give me a step by step instructions for

    "uninstall the AMD Radeon HD 7730M device through the Device Manager, and then installed the lastest AMD drivers from the Dell website."

    as these seem to be the required steps to get rid of this annoying problem! I don't know how to uninstall anything and don't know where the "Device Manager" is located. I ALso don't know where on the Dell website where to find the latest AMD drivers... I don't want to experiment on my own, as that can easily lead to screwing things up even further, as you can imagine!

    My laptop is no longer under warranty, so I do not have the option of calling Dell anymore. Anyway, their advice is frequently not on target anyway...

    If you choose to help me, I would be so grateful!

    thank you in advance.

    Gabi K in Maryland

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2014-10-21T19:27:10+00:00

    Hello again,

    Didn't mean to seem harsh or angry -doesn't help that you probably received an email from my previous deleted comment too -- I'm a very friendly guy :)

    General internet niceness: 

    It's mostly okay to copy/paste but if you do it from little blogs such as mine it's even more awesome to always include the original link so i.e. you don't take the blame if something goes wrong...

    Also stay involved in the community :)  please don't let this little thing stop you

    I'm happy to know that my post helped you!

    Kindly,

    -Cris.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2014-10-21T16:53:06+00:00

    Hi Cris,

    My apologies. I am very new to this community and not very much familiar with it. However, I've added your link and removed the article from my post. It was really very helpful.

    Cheers

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2014-10-21T16:24:55+00:00

    Hi there,

    Thank you for copy pasting this solution from my blog article.

    I would have appreciated a simple link to the post like this:

    http://crisvg.wordpress.com/2014/05/23/thread_stuck_in_device_driver-no-more-windows-8-1/

    Also to note that this solution might not work for everyone but if it does, you are free to let me know with a comment on the blog. Perhaps @staff or @mods could also have a look at the article to see if it's suitable for this and other similar threads. 

    Cheers,

    -Cris.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments