What is DRIVER-POWER-STATE-FAILURE-2?
Controller power status error ranks as a critical-severity system driver issue in our database. The driver returned an invalid power state when the system went to sleep or wake up. It's also often linked to hibernation problem. The steps below are ordered to resolve this efficiently.
Common Causes
- Bad Wi-Fi or GPU driver
- Hibernation problem
- Corrupt driver INF
Step-by-Step Fix Guide
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1
Update Wi-Fi and GPU driver
In our testing, Update Wi-Fi and GPU driver alone clears up DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE more often than any other single step.
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2
Disable fast startup
If it comes back, the next steps in the sequence are there specifically for atypical drivers instability cases.
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3
Uninstall the driver and install again
"Uninstall the driver and install again" is worth trying when bad Wi-Fi or GPU driver turns out to be the culprit.
Commands & Diagnostics
powercfg /sleepstudy
powercfg /energy
verifier /standard /all
Frequently Asked Questions
The leading cause of DRIVER-POWER-STATE-FAILURE-2 is bad Wi-Fi or GPU driver, though hibernation problem and corrupt driver INF also show up in our reports.
Try "Update Wi-Fi and GPU driver" first — it resolves most DRIVER-POWER-STATE-FAILURE-2 cases on its own. Only work through the rest of the guide above if it comes back.
Treat DRIVER-POWER-STATE-FAILURE-2 as urgent — it's flagged critical severity, meaning repeated occurrences risk data loss or hardware damage.
Usually. DRIVER-POWER-STATE-FAILURE-2 is fixable with the steps above; a full Windows reinstall is rarely necessary unless everything else has failed.
Sometimes. Microsoft regularly releases patches that fix known BSOD triggers including DRIVER-POWER-STATE-FAILURE-2. Make sure Windows is fully up to date via Settings → Windows Update before attempting more advanced fixes.
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