A Blue Screen of Death (BSoD errors) is a computer’s equivalent of a major injury. Over 500 BSoDs have been reported in many forums, seeking solutions to fix them and prevent them from appearing again.
One of the blue screen errors is the WDF_VIOLATION, which is equally annoying. We made this article exclusively for users struggling with this asinine error.
What Is The WDF_VIOLATION Blue Screen Of Death error?
The Windows Driver Framework (WDF) is a blue screen error that appears on your system to signify an error detected in any framework-based driver. The WDF is a bundle of Windows elements responsible for creating device drivers on computers.
If one of these drivers is missing or malfunctioning, the system will drop everything and come to a standstill on the blue screen, with the error code WDF_VIOLATION written. Like every other BSoD error, this will accompany the typical “Your PC ran into an error” message.
If you are an HP user, you could have seen this error since HP computers have been reported to have shown this error and are generally caused by the corrupt keyboard driver (HpqKbFiltr.sys).
This is because certain versions of this driver are not compatible with some versions of the Windows 10 Operating System (OS), only on HP systems.
Why Does The WDF_VIOLATION BSoD Appear On My Screen?
Four explanatory reasons could have caused the WDF_VIOLATION on your Windows 10 PC. There is no way of knowing the exact factor responsible for this issue until the steps to fix it are implemented one at a time and the error does not show up after a certain fix.
These are the possible reasons for the WDF_VIOLATION BSoD error.
- The Bluetooth device or driver software is corrupt or old.
- There are viral or malware infestations on your computer.
- The presence of corrupt system files is hindering the system’s functioning.
- The USB devices connected to the computer are corrupt.
Steps To Resolve The WDF_VIOLATION BSOD On Windows 10
12 steps can save your system from the WDF_VIOLATION error on your computer. They are as follows –
- Remove All The Attached USB Peripherals
- Run A Full System Scan
- Perform A Startup Repair
- Run A Test For Your Cpu Memory
- Go Back To A Pre-set System Restore Point
- Run System File Checker And DISM Scans
- Download And Install The Bios Firmware Updates
- Go Back To The Default Bios Settings
- Disable External USB Ports In The Bios Menu
- Launch Your System In Safe Mode And Uninstall The Bluetooth Device
- Remove Unwanted Apps On Your Computer
Solving The WDF_VIOLATION Blue Screen Error On The Windows 10 Operating System
Use these different procedures to eliminate the WDF_VIOLATION error code on your Windows 10 PC. You can view the details of this blue screen error in the Event Viewer.
Remove All The Attached USB Peripherals
The WDF_VIOLATION can appear on your screen when there are corrupt drivers for inserted devices on your system. The USB ports on your computer could connect mice, keyboards, microphones, headphones, USB devices, and more.
Your first workaround for the stop code WDF_VIOLATION error is to detach all the USB devices plugged into your computer and restart it.
This is the easiest and foremost method to help you fix this error message. If this doesn’t work for you, you can proceed with the following methods.
Run A Full System Scan
Since this blue screen error can be caused by a virus or other malicious threat, running a scan of the entire system will help. Antivirus can help discover and delete or quarantine files that are suspicious or can cause damage to the computer.
If you own a subscription to antivirus software, it will run regular computer scans. This will detect dangerous files and remove them in the safest way possible. Antivirus software eliminates the need for having to locate and delete threats, manually.
If there are no antivirus programs on your computer, the scans will have to be done by the Windows Defender.
Perform A Startup Repair
The Startup Repair tool is a Windows feature that allows users to fix issues like blue screen errors before the system is even booted up. This will help detect issues without having to search for them manually and fix them, with no effort required from the user.
You will need a Windows Installation disk to access the Advanced repair tool. You will have to download the installation media setup and install it onto a USB storage device. Once you have it ready, follow these steps to run the startup repair.
- This boot media has to be in a USB drive, which has to be connected to your PC. Attach this USB drive and boot your system to open the Windows Recovery Environment.
- In the Advanced repair window, follow this path:
Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair
- Now, select the target Operating System to assist Windows in locating the issues and repairing them.
Your system will restart multiple times, and this is quite normal. You will no longer have the
Run A Test For Your CPU Memory
- Launch the Run utility on your computer, by searching for it or by pressing the Windows + R keys together on your keyboard.
- In the Open text space, enter Mdsched, click the Ok button, or press Enter. This is the code for launching the Windows Memory Diagnostics tool.
- As an alternate method, you can type Memory into the search field and open this diagnostics tool from the search results.
- When the small Windows Memory Diagnostic tool window appears, choose Restart now and check for problems.
This will reboot your OS and start a scan of your computer, which can last a while. When this operation ends, your PC will boot up again. After the reboot is complete, you will receive the diagnosis report.
Go Back To A Pre-set System Restore Point
- Enter system restore point into the taskbar search field and then click on the first search result.
- This will launch the System Properties dialog box onto your screen. In this window, press the System Restore button.
- When the System Restore window opens, select the Next button on the main page.
- You’ll see a lot of restore points that you have made in the past, on your computer. Select the most recent Restore Point and click on the Next button at the bottom of the window.
- Finally, click the Finish button to close this window and load a restore point.
Run The SFC And DISM Scans
The Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) is an in-built system scanner that changes the Windows 10 installation media or detects and resolves issues caused by the Windows image file.
A System File Check scan (SFC) is a scanning tool used to find file damage and replace them with a fresh and compatible copy of the same file so that the computer runs without any major errors.
- Enter cmd in the search bar at the bottom of your screen and select Run as Administrator in the search results. This will open Command prompt window with admin privileges.
- Since there are a set of commands that comprise the DISM tool, you have to execute all of these commands in the given order:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth
This command-line scans the system for corrupted system files.
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Checkhealth
This line checks whether the image files are healthy or corrupt.
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
You can use this to fix the detected file damage.
- Press Enter to run these commands.
- After the DISM scan comes to an end, enter this command line in the command prompt window:
sfc /scannow
- Now, hit the Enter key on your keyboard to run the System File Checker.
The SFC scan has to be executed a minimum of two times, for the best results. These two tools can be used to fix the WDF_VIOLATION blue screen error.
Download And Install The BIOS Firmware Updates
You can use an interface application to download the BIOS updates without having to install them manually.
If you haven’t got one, use this method.
- Go to your motherboard or laptop manufacturer’s website through a browser and open the support or downloads page.
- There should be a search bar on the page; there type in the model name, serial number, and OS type. The search results will display the laptop or motherboard model you want to update and a few similar models.
- Choose the latest BIOS software type and download the latest BIOS version from this page by clicking on the Download button.
- Once the download finishes, go to its location, right-click, and click on the Run as Administrator option.
- This file may also be downloaded as a ZIP file. You must extract it to a USB drive and install it through the BIOS menu.
Go Back To The Default BIOS Settings
Resetting the BIOS settings to their defaults might help you solve your Windows computer’s WDF_VIOLATION Blue Screen error. There is no fixed path to reset the BIOS settings of your motherboard each motherboard BIOS menu has unique interfaces, except for some standard settings.
This is the rough procedure to set the BIOS settings back to default.
- Interrupt the booting process by pressing the F10, F12, or Delete keys to bring up the BIOS menu.
- Then, press the F2 key to bring up the BIOS settings menu. Here, you can find the option to configure these settings back to default.
- After resetting, hit the F10 key and confirm in the prompt window to save the default changes and the computer will be rebooted again.
Disable External USB Ports In The BIOS Menu
Another way to fix this WDF_VIOLATION error is to disable the USB ports on your hardware. These are the steps to disable USB ports on the BIOS menu of your OS.
- Reboot your PC and when you see the brand logo, press the F10, F12, or Delete button to launch the BIOS settings. The BIOS trigger key will be shown while the system boots up.
- Press the F2 key to open the BIOS setup.
- Navigate to the Advanced tab and go into the Miscellaneous devices option.
- Locate the External USB ports option and disable it.
- Push the F10 key to save these changes and exit the BIOS menu.
Launch Your System In Windows Safe Mode And Uninstall Bluetooth Driver from your system
You can remove the problematic driver from your system after you enable safe mode to see if it fixes the error. In case of WDF_VIOLATION BSoD errors, you will have to remove the Bluetooth drivers installed on your computer.
If the Windows 10 OS doesn’t boot up properly thrice, it launches the Automatic Repair mode when it starts up the next time. This is one of the methods to boot up to start Safe Mode. Here’s how you can interrupt your boot-up.
- Press the power button or the restart button while the PC boots up.
- Hold the power button for 4 seconds to interrupt the boot process if you use a laptop.
If the booting process is interrupted three times, the OS will open Startup settings for you. These are your next steps.
- In the blue Automatic Repair window, select Advanced options.
- Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.
- Select the type of Safe Mode you want the computer to start.
- Open the Quick Link menu (Windows + X) and choose Device Manager. Alternatively, you can search for this tool in the search bar and select Device Manager from the search results.
- Click on the Bluetooth section and right-click on the Bluetooth driver.
- From this context menu, choose Uninstall device to bring up a confirmation window.
- In the pop-up window, click on the Uninstall button and the device driver will be deleted.
Remove Unwanted Apps On Your Computer
Some third-party software can cause the stop code WDF_VIOLATION error on your Windows 10 computer. These applications could be used by you regularly or just sitting idly.
Irrespective of what the apps are, you will have to remove them, and if they are required, you can reinstall them from the source.
To uninstall any software, you can use the respective uninstaller. But if you cannot find it, follow these steps.
- Add or remove in the search box and open the first search result.
- In the Add or Remove Programs window, locate the application you want to delete from your PC for good.
- Select the app and click on the Uninstall option.
- This will launch the Uninstall wizard on your computer, and you will have to follow the on-screen instructions to remove the target application.
These are the different techniques to fix the stop code WDF_VIOLATION on Windows 10. If these steps do not work, you can try to reset or reinstall Windows 10.
