(Fixed) CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT Error on Windows 10

If your Windows 10 computer screen turns blue and displays a sad smiley face together with a long message, it means that you stumbled upon a BSOD error that must be fixed.

The worst part about it is that blue screen messages make your machine inoperable. On top of that, any unsaved projects you’ve been working on until that point will be lost.

What is CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT?

CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT is a BSOD error caused by the processor’s failed attempts to perform interruptions. It means that the CPU isn’t properly responding to commands.

There might be a problem with how the CPU cores and threads interact with each other. For example, if your system supports multiple CPU threads, the BSOD error could indicate that one thread fails to send requests to another one.

Stop code CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT is typically accompanied by the following error codes: 0x00000101, 0x27FD1D7E, 0x372CD352, 0x94DAFD0F, or 0xCA4FBB49.

How to fix CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT on Windows 10

You might be tempted to perform a factory reset on your Windows 10 PC. But it should be your last resort. Before doing that, try the next solutions:

1. Clean boot Windows 10

If you don’t get a chance to take too many steps on your operating system because Windows 10 quickly shows the CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT error after launch, try a clean system boot.

It instructs your OS to start only essential services, drivers, and processes, turning off everything else. This gives you a chance to create a safe environment for BSOD troubleshooting.

How to clean boot Windows 10:

1. Press the Windows key, type system configuration, and hit Enter to launch this app
2. Go to the Services tab, uncheck Hide all Microsoft services, and click Disable All
3. Switch to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager
4. Disable all processes from the list
5. Restart your computer

2. Check the system memory

If the RAM card isn’t performing properly, this could trigger BSOD errors on your Windows 10 computer, including CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT. However, you can easily check the RAM status and repair any issues using a built-in tool – Windows Memory Diagnostic.

How to use Windows Memory Diagnostic:

1. Close all running programs
2. Click the Start button, type Windows Memory Diagnostic, and launch this app
3. Click Restart now and check for problems

Windows will begin verifying the system memory during boot. It should solve any RAM issues in this phase.

However, if you need more advanced information for memory diagnostics, try using MemTest86. You can boot it from a USB flash drive to check your RAM sticks and remove or replace the ones with errors.

3. Disable overclocking

Overclocking means to improve the performance of your computer by increasing the clock rate of your CPU, RAM, or GPU. It’s a technique often used to enhance the gaming experience.

However, if it’s not done properly, it could cause serious problems on your machine, including the CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT error. For instance, you need additional cooling power to prevent your PC from going haywire.

How to deactivate overclocking in BIOS:

1. Restart your PC and hit the key or key combination shown on the screen to enter BIOS mode
2. Locate the Advanced settings
3. Disable Overclocking
4. Save the current configuration and exit BIOS
5. Reboot your PC and check for BSOD errors

However, if you have installed a third-party overclocking utility, make sure to turn it off, reset BIOS settings to default, and remove the program from your computer to prevent any further problems.

4. Get the latest Windows updates

If there are any pending Windows updates, you should download and install them in order to take advantage of the newest features, improvements, hotfixes, and security features. You could even get rid of the CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT stop code this way.

How to run Windows Update:

1. Click the Start button, type check for updates, and hit Enter
2. Wait until Windows checks for updates and click Download if there’s anything pending
3. Reboot your PC. You might have to do this a few times, depending on the update’s complexity

5. Check your drivers

The system drivers tell your devices how to interact with each other and the operating system. So, if you have missing or outdated drivers, it could be the reason why you keep getting BSOD error codes on your computer like CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT.

You can easily fix this by reinstalling the device drivers. Or, if they’re obsolete, you should update them to the latest version.

How to easily reinstall compatible drivers:

1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager
2. Expand the categories and look for any entry with a yellow exclamation point. Right-click it and select Uninstall device
3. Proceed with the on-screen instructions to remove the device
4. Reboot your computer

Don’t worry since Windows 10 will automatically reinstall any missing devices as soon as it launches. However, if it doesn’t fix the CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT problem, you should update the device drivers.

If you need help figuring out which devices need an update, you could use Microsoft’s DriverVerifier.

How to update drivers:

1. Go to Device Manager, right-click a device, and press Update driver
2. Click Search automatically for updated driver software
3. If you see the The best drivers for your device are already installed message, click Search for updated drivers on Windows Update

Unfortunately, Microsoft usually fails to find driver updates on the web although newer versions are actually available. To overcome this problem, you can visit the official website of your device manufacturer to download and install drivers.

On the other hand, if you don’t want to risk getting an incompatible driver for your computer that may cause further damage, then you should opt for a driver updating application.

It scans your computer for all drivers, finds newer versions on the Internet, and makes sure to download drivers compatible with your operating system and hardware. And it’s all performed automatically.

6. Uninstall recent programs

Stop code CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT could also be caused by a recent program you recently installed, which isn’t fully compatible with your operating system.

How to remove recent apps:

1. Right-click the Windows 10 Start button and go to Apps and Features
2. Click Sort by and select Install date
3. Choose the first app displayed, click Uninstall, and proceed with the removal instructions
4. Restart your computer
5. If you still receive BSOD errors, uninstall the next app in the recent list

However, if the application in question has added or edited your system registry settings, it might not be enough to remove it with the Windows built-in uninstaller.

In that case, we advise using a programs removal tool. It automatically deletes the remnant files and restores the registry settings to default.

7. Roll back Windows 10

A better solution than uninstalling faulty programs is to roll back Windows 10 to a previous restore point. It should repair the CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT error if if was caused by software or system modifications.

How to use System Recovery:

1. Make sure you’re logged in as the PC administrator
2. Press Win key + R, type control panel, and hit Enter
3. Click Recovery
4. Click Open System Restore
5. Choose a restore point, click Next, and proceed with the on-screen instructions
6. Reboot your PC

8. Fix disk and system errors

Any number of hard disk errors and system file corruption issues can lead to blue screen errors like CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT. It can be challenging to identify and fix the exact problem.

But you can turn to some trustworthy Windows tools for help: CHKDSK (Check Disk) to repair hard disk errors, SFC (System File Checker) to restore corrupt system files, and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) to check the component store of the OS image.

The three utilities can be launched from Command Prompt with elevated rights. You don’t need previous experience with the CMD environment as long as you follow the instructions below.

How to use CHKDSK:

1. If your OS is installed on C:, run chkdsk c: /f. Otherwise, replace c: with the correct partition letter
2. When asked to schedule CHKDSK at the next system reboot, type y and hit Enter
3. Exit CMD, restart your PC, and wait until CHKDSK does its job

If you still get the CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT stop code, proceed with the next solution.

How to use SFC:

1. Run sfc /scannow
2. Wait until SFC scans and repairs your system files
3. Restart your machine

BSOD errors caused by damaged system files should get fixed by now. If they don’t, use DISM.

How to use DISM:

1. Run DISM /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth
2. If it returns any errors, run DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
3. Restart your PC and launch CMD as admin again
4. Run sfc /scannow
5. Reboot your machine

9. Reset BIOS to default

If you or another person with access to your computer has entered BIOS mode and made modifications, it could be fatal to your operating system, resulting in CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT or other BSOD errors.

How to reset BIOS to default:

1. Reboot your PC
2. Before Windows gets launched, quickly press the key displayed on the screen to access BIOS
3. Go to the Advanced section
4. Enable Reset Configuration Data (it might be described differently on your screen, depending on the BIOS version)
5. Save the current BIOS configuration, exit, and restart your PC

10. Unplug new hardware devices

If you have recently purchased a new piece of hardware that goes into your desktop or laptop, like a USB-enabled mouse, webcam, Wi-Fi adapter, or memory card, it might have triggered hardware errors that eventually lead to CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT.

You should be able to easily fix this by unplugging all recent hardware and restarting your computer to check for improvements.

If you’re unsure, unplug everything, launch Windows to confirm that you’re not getting errors anymore, then carefully reattach one component at a time to identify the culprit.

To kick it up a notch, you could try removing all cables and cards from the computer unit. Then start plugging back everything in, making sure that the components are connected correctly but without using force.

It might also be a good idea to dust off your gear, particularly the cooler. Faulty USB ports could be another reason for BSOD errors, so you should try connecting your USB-enabled devices to different ports.

11. Check your PC for malware

Some viruses are powerful enough to disable critical processes and services, resulting in BSOD errors such as CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT. The only solution here is to perform a scan on your computer and get rid of any pests.

How to use Windows Defender:

1. Click the Start button, type Windows Security, and launch this app
2. Select Virus & threat protection
3. Click Scan options
4. Select Quick scan and click Scan now
5. If the scan results are clean, try again with Windows Defender Offline scan

The steps above apply for Windows 10 computers but only if you don’t have a third-party antimalware program installed that has overridden Windows Defender. If you do, then shift your attention to that application to run malware scans.

Stop code CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT can be fixed

To summarize, if you can’t get rid of the CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT error on your Windows 10 computer, try running a clean boot, checking the RAM, and disabling overclocking.

It’s also a good idea to install the latest Windows updates, check and update your drivers, uninstall recent programs, and roll back Windows 10 to a stable restore point.

Furthermore, you should repair hard disk and system errors, reset BIOS to default, unplug new hardware devices, and check your PC for malware.

Parting words

Did these fixes work for you? What else have you tried to repair this annoying BSOD error? Let us know in the comment area below.

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Alex Ion

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