We all love Windows, but it is never fun when your computer suddenly freezes in the middle of a serious project or an exciting video game. It is even worse when you experience random shutdowns.
Perhaps, you have found yourself face to face with a blank screen and an error reading ‘SYNTHETIC_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT’. If you have never encountered Bug Check Code 0x000001ca before, you may not know the exact steps to resolve the issue.
According to the feedback found on Microsoft’s Official forum and other tech forums, this problem keeps troubling some users. Whenever a .dmp is created in Windows 10, they experience random PC freezes and crashes that happen almost every week. In most cases, it seems they don’t get to the root of the issue.
What is Bug Check Code 0x000001CA?
If you have been in the above situation, you have probably asked yourself, ‘What is Bug Check Code 0x000001CA?’ and ‘What steps do I need to take to troubleshoot this error?’ According to Microsoft, Bug Check Code 0x000001CA shows that the system is suspended, and as such, it cannot process timer ticks. Typically, this problem occurs when a system-wide watchdog has expired.
In the next section, we will take you through a series of troubleshooting strategies to help you make sense of the problem and resolve it.
Irritating as it may be, Bug Check Code 0x000001CA can be resolved. But before you try any fix, detach all the peripherals connected to your PC such as printers, flash drives, and USB WiFi adapters. It is also important to ensure you haven’t made any s to your hardware or software in recent times: for instance, installing a new antivirus, adding new hardware, or even replacing your VGA card. These changes may sound normal, but they could be the reason your computer crashes. On top of this, install all available Windows updates.
Since most crashes and freezes have similar fixes, your best bet to resolve the SYNTHETIC_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT bug and similar issues is to try the solutions outlined below. You may not have to try each of them – just work your way down till you get to the one that resolves the issue.
There is a high chance that your machine is infected with malware associated with NTOSKRNL.exe, which hogs system resources. To be sure malware is not the cause of the problem, use an up-to-date antivirus tool to scan the system.
Incompatible programs in your system can also trigger errors, especially those affecting system files. Sometimes, an antivirus program interferes with system processes, thus causing random crashes.
To make sure these incompatible programs or anti-virus programs are not causing the error, uninstall them (as for your anti-virus, disable it) and check if the problem is fixed. If your antivirus is the culprit, contact the vendor for further directions or switch to another antivirus program.
After that, follow the on-screen directions to reset your BIOS settings to their factory defaults.
Save and exit the BIOS Setup.
Once you are through with the configuration, restart the computer as you normally do and see if this fix resolves the problem. If the issue persists, you may need to update the BIOS, but after trying the next strategies. Don’t try anything beyond your comprehension with BIOS.
Updating a driver involves visiting the device manufacturer’s website to check for the most recent version. Ensure the drivers you choose are compatible with your version of Windows 10. You can also try updating your Windows 10 to get the necessary driver updates.
Press Windows logo + R.
Type mdsched.exe and click OK.
Look for an option that says, ‘Restart now and check for problems (recommended)’ and click it.
Wait for the background scans to complete, which can take up to 20 minutes.
After the check is complete, restart your PC and see if the problem persists.
Sometimes the SYNTHETIC_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT issue can occur because of lost or corrupted system files. You can resolve the problem by running the built-in SFC.
Type SFC /scannow. From here, press Enter on your keyboard.
System scan will start immediately. When the check ends, restart your PC and check if the computer works normally.
If you haven’t resolved the problem through any of the above solutions, consider updating the BIOS. More often than not, a BIOS update is the last resort to resolve computer issues. You may ask why. If you install incorrect BIOS updates, your PC will become unbootable. At this point, your machine is just useless, so it is important to be extra careful when updating the BIOS. Besides this, you should not power off your PC while the BIOS update is taking place.
Bug Check Code 0x000001ca is definitely a disturbing issue that can baffle even the most organized geek. But you will agree with me that regardless of the device or operating system you are working with, some bugs are inescapable. So, you can’t give up on your computer because of Bug Check Code 0x000001CA.
Hopefully, the above tips on how to fix Bug Check Code 0x000001CA have helped you troubleshoot the issue. Perhaps, a better way to avoid system crashes is to optimize your computer for top performance. As you learned earlier, junk files or an unstable system could cause such errors.
That’s it! Let us know if you were successful in resolving the problem by sharing your experience in the comment section. Also, please share this guide to help other users with the same problem.