HP Laptop 15-dy2031nr BSOD DRIVER PNP WATCHDOG

[Jeffery1206]

A friend had an issue with his laptop as follows and gave it to me for a look:

• In the middle of using the laptop it locked up and he had to press and hold the power button to reboot
• On Reboot, a preparing Automatic Repair screen comes up and runs for some time
• once the Preparing Automatic Repair screen goes away, he gets a BSOD for "Driver PNP WATCHDOG"
• Upon rebooting it, he gets the HP logo screen with the spinning circle underneath that runs continuously (let it run overnight.)

Here is what I've tried:

1. Ran F2 hardware scan and found no errors on the system/??intense scan??
2. Boot off a Windows 11 Flashdrive but the hard drive is not seen
3. Downloaded SP152863.exe containing the Intel drivers
4. Ran drvload driver\dchu_VMD\iaStorVD.inf from the recovery CMD prompt. The prompt hangs on loading the driver until eventually a Driver PNP WATCHDOG" BSOD comes up.  Tried this with Secure boot turned on and turned off. There is no option for legacy boot.
5. Downloaded the HP Cloud Recovery & created USB boot drive
6. Hit F9 and selected the boot drive (also tried changing the boot order to USB boot drive first, but after the USB led flashes a for a few seconds, it starts booting to the HP logo screen with the spinning circle below as if it skipped booting from the HP Cloud Recovery Drive. I tried this with secure boot turned on and turned off. 
7. I pulled the drive out of the machine and mounted it in an enclosure, but the drives shows up Disk 4 Healthy (GPT Protective Partition) and cannot be accessed.

note: I do have the BL key and when secure boot is turned off, I'm asked for and input the BL key, but nothing seems to change.

I consider myself pretty tech savvy, but I'm stumped.  While the diagnostics are showing no error with the SSD, my suspicion is that the SSD is having issues.  Ideally, he would like to get data off the laptop, but since I can't even mount it on an external system and mount the drive, I'm not sure how to proceed.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Jeffery1206 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

You're absolutely right to suspect the SSD—and your instincts are spot-on given the symptoms and the steps you've already taken. 

The DRIVER PNP WATCHDOG BSOD typically signals a PnP (Plug and Play) driver timeout, often caused by storage controller issues, corrupted boot partitions, or firmware-level incompatibilities. The fact that the SSD shows up as a GPT Protective Partition externally confirms that it's likely locked behind BitLocker or a corrupted boot environment.

Let’s break this down into two goals:

Goal 1: Recover the Data

What You’re Seeing

• Disk shows as Healthy (GPT Protective Partition) in Disk Management
• Cannot mount or access the volume
• BitLocker key is available, but inputting it doesn’t unlock the drive

 

Recovery Options

1. Use manage-bde to Unlock the Drive

On a working Windows PC:

• Open Command Prompt as Administrator
• Run:
  manage-bde -unlock X: -RecoveryPassword YOUR-BITLOCKER-KEY
  manage-bde -status X:
• Replace X: with the correct drive letter and paste the full recovery key.

If successful, you can then run:

manage-bde -off X:

to decrypt the drive.

 

2. Use Third-Party Recovery Tools

If BitLocker is disabled or partially corrupted:

• Try EaseUS Data Recovery, R-Studio, or ReclaiMe File Recovery
• These tools can scan GPT-protected partitions and extract raw files

Please note that HP is not responsible for the accuracy, security, or reliability of information shared on third-party websites. 
Any interaction with or reliance on such third-party services is at your own discretion. 
We recommend exercising caution and reviewing the privacy policies and terms of use of those websites before providing any personal information.

Goal 2: Restore Boot Functionality

 

Recommended Steps

1. Switch SATA Controller Mode in BIOS

Even if legacy boot isn’t available, try toggling:

• RAID → AHCI
• VMD → Disabled (if available)

This can allow Windows Setup to detect the SSD.

 

2. Use HP Cloud Recovery with BIOS Defaults

• Reset BIOS to Factory Defaults
• Enable Secure Boot
• Boot from HP Cloud Recovery USB again
• Let it run uninterrupted for 30+ minutes

If it still loops, the SSD may be unreadable at the firmware level.

 

3. Replace SSD and Reinstall Windows

If recovery fails and data is already backed up:

• Replace the SSD with a compatible NVMe drive
• Reinstall Windows via USB
• Re-enable BitLocker only after confirming stability

You’re navigating this like a pro—let’s make sure your friend’s data and device get the resolution they deserve.

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

[Jeffery1206]

Hi Hawks_Eye,

Thanks for the post.  I've tried some of your suggestions as follows:

- Using Manage-BDE.  I am unable to assign a drive letter to the partition and none is auto-assigned. Plus the normal "bitlocker recovery" screen doesn't come up when mounting this drive on another computer. The manage-bde command line seems to require a drive letter.  Is there a way to unlock without a drive letter assignment?

- I found an EasueUs document on this problem: https://www.easeus.com/partition-master/access-gpt-protective-partition-without-losing-data.html . They make it seem like the partition is inaccessible to any Windows drive tools while in this state, but they are trying to sell their software, so I'm taking that with a grain of salt. 

- Switch SATA controller mode in BIOS.  I can only find two drive related options in BIOS: turn on/off secure boot, and UEFI HII configuration which shows me information about the drives and will allow me to "disable Optane Volume", but the disable Optane Volume comes up with a "Are you sure prompt," so I submitted an incident with Intel on this to see if it's safe to disable the Optane volume.

- The Cloud recovery USB boot drive does not boot whether I use the F9 key or change the boot order so the USB drive is first.  My USB drive has an led flasher in it, and when it's selected through F9, it only flashes for a few seconds and then goes quiet.  I'm working on creating another Cloud Recovery drive on a different USB key now and will try again, but the option to restore/backup the drive never comes up an the computer continues through the "automatic recovery", BSOD, reboot cycle.

- I don't have a spare M.2 drive that I can swap in as a test, and haven't talked to my friend about costs associated in fixing this until I either get his data recovered or am sure it's not possible.  I'm hoping the Intel will give me some insight into this.  A cross post of this issue to SpiceWorks did bring up this "Microsoft Investigating Reports of SSDs vanishing after latest windows 11 Update:" https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsoft-investigating-reports-of-ssds-vanishing-after-latest-windows .

If Intel doesn't have anything, I'll use EaseUS's free download of the recovery program which I assume lists recoverable files but won't recover them without purchase. At least this may determine if the data is accessible.  

Thanks for the post.  If you think of anything else, please post it as now I'm basically grasping at straws.  Maybe the Windows update will be the issue and MS will issue a workaround or Intel will know the best way to proceed.  I'll update this post if I find anything.  I'm also cross posting here: https://community.spiceworks.com/t/hp-laptop-15-dy2031nr-bsod-driver-pnp-watchdog/1235510/12  so if someone reading this is having similar issues, check both spaces.

@hawks_eye, Thanks for all of the great information. I'm not throwing in the towel yet.  

[Hawks_Eye]

Thanks for all your efforts and patience, @Jeffery1206.

You're handling a very tough situation with patience and persistence—kudos to you for that. Given everything you've already tried, you're definitely on the right track, and your attention to detail may still pay off.

Here are a few advanced suggestions and insights that may help push this toward resolution or at least determine the best next steps:

BitLocker & GPT Protective Partition

You're correct—Manage-BDE requires a drive letter to operate. If no letter is being assigned, and BitLocker recovery doesn’t prompt, it likely means:

The drive is not mounting correctly due to corruption or a BIOS/Optane interference

OR the system partition is locked behind Intel RST/Optane RAID configurations, which can make it appear as a GPT Protective Partition

❗ GPT Protective Partition simply means Windows doesn’t recognize the partition layout—it doesn’t mean the data is lost.

 

Next Logical Steps

1. Disable Optane Volume

If Intel gives the green light, disable Optane from BIOS/UEFI. This can often unlock access to drives that are otherwise hidden or misconfigured due to cache-linking. Just make sure you don’t accidentally delete or “reset” the RAID/Optane volume if that’s prompted.

Disabling Optane will sometimes allow the system to view the SSD as a normal NVMe device.

2. HP Cloud Recovery Drive

Try another USB drive (16–32GB, USB 3.0). Even high-quality USBs can sometimes be incompatible or get written incorrectly.

Ensure it’s formatted FAT32

Use HP Cloud Recovery tool again with a fresh ISO

Boot with Secure Boot OFF, Legacy Mode ON (if possible)

If it still skips the USB after selecting it in F9, this usually indicates:

Drive not being read properly

Or EFI bootloader isn't valid

Try rebuilding the recovery USB on another PC and ensure UEFI boot is set when creating it.

3. 🔧 Use Third-Party Recovery Tools (Cautiously)

EaseUS is one option. Others include:

MiniTool Power Data Recovery

Recuva (free version)

DiskGenius (known for GPT access)

You’re right to be cautious—they’ll often show data but require payment to recover. But if one of these tools can see the data, that’s a good sign your SSD isn't toast.

Please note that HP is not responsible for the accuracy, security, or reliability of information shared on third-party websites. 
Any interaction with or reliance on such third-party services is at your own discretion. 
We recommend exercising caution and reviewing the privacy policies and terms of use of those websites before providing any personal information.

4. 🧩 Try Assigning a Letter Using DiskPart

If it’s not mounted:

diskpart list disk select disk # list volume select volume # assign letter=Z

If assign fails, the partition is likely hidden by BitLocker or RST/Optane configuration.

Keep me posted for any further assistance.

Regards,

Hawks_Eye

[Jeffery1206]

I just heard from Intel.  They are escalating the case to the next level engineer and will get back to me on my main 2 questions for them within a week:

1. Is there a different driver that might mount the drive without a BSOD in the Windows Recovery environment or is there a different method to mount the drive such as loading some other support driver before loading the hard drive controller driver?
2. Is it safe and advisable to disable the Intel Optane Volume Function considering I don't have a backup of the drive content.

It may take some time, but I'll update this when I hear from them.

[Hawks_Eye]

@Jeffery1206 

Thanks for updating us.

It’s great to hear that Intel is escalating the case and actively working on your questions. They should be able to provide more insight into the BSOD issue and the best way forward.

Please keep me updated with any feedback or new info from Intel! I’m happy to help further if needed once you hear back from them.

Regards,

Hawks_Eye

[Jeffery1206]

So I was a bit excited to work with Intel and see how they handled things, but I'm more than a little bit disappointed. After 10 days and providing multiple pieces of information to the technician, I was told, " *Intel®’s NAND Solid State Drive business was acquired by SK Hynix in November of 2020 and is now Solidigm™. Starting on October 1, 2022, all Technical and Warranty Support for NAND SSD products is provided directly by Solidigm™. Your existing open cases will be closed by Intel Customer Support and transitioned to Solidigm Support to re-open.*
*For any questions – you may contact Solidigm Support directly at [www.solidigm.com](https://www.solidigm.com/)*" Obviously, if we knew that 10 days ago, we would be further along the path to a solution. I have not heard back from Solidigm so far and I'm going to chat with the laptop owner and see if they want me to pursue the troubleshooting further or just replace the SSD and try to rebuild.

I'll update this thread once I go one way or the other with this.

[Hawks_Eye]

@Jeffery1206 

Thanks for sharing that—and I’m genuinely sorry you’ve had to navigate such a frustrating support loop. Ten days of back-and-forth only to be redirected is a tough pill to swallow, especially when you're trying to resolve a BSOD issue like DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG, which already demands precision and urgency.

From what you've described, it sounds like the SSD may be the root cause, particularly if it's not mounting externally and shows up as a GPT Protective Partition. That behavior often points to firmware-level corruption or controller failure, even when diagnostics report no errors.

You’ve clearly done everything right so far—methodical, patient, and thorough. Keep us posted.

Thanks!

[Jeffery1206 · Accepted solution]

Update:

I've given up on Intel and SK Hynix.  I contacted the laptop user and got their permission to move forward after explaining the real risk of losing data as I move forward.  I proceeded as follows:

1. I attempted to load the base driver that a user in my SpiceWorks thread (see above) provided, but the driver would not load. I think it's likely that the component has been modified sufficiently by HP to make the base Intel driver incompatible.  That or I did it wrong. 🙂
2. I disabled the Optane Volume. I left it in SAFE ?mode? and selected ?protect/save? data.  Sorry, I didn't take snaps of the BIOS screen before doing this because I was relatively sure that it would not work so the terminology I'm using above may not match up perfectly to the BIOS options. 
   • When I launched the ?Remove? function for optane volume, the screen locked in place. 
   • After maybe 10 or 20 minutes, I checked and the keyboard was active again.
   • I saved the changes & rebooted the computer
   • The bitlocker key was requested & I input it
   • The computer booted normally!!!

From this, I think we can safely conclude that something with the Optane Volume technology was the cause of the problem and that removing it fixed the issue.  I plan to do normal maintenance: chkdsk, sfc, and dism repairs/checks on the system & reunite it with it's user. This is very frustrating because that was one of the original things I wanted to do, but decided that since I knew nothing about Optane technology that I'd communicate with the vendor(s) about the best path forward.  Sadly, there was no expertise available for this technology. In the future as I invest in computer equipment, having the Intel chipset will be a mark against instead of a mark for any purchase.  This is sad since I normally look for Intel when buying a computer.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not striking Intel from purchase list, but if I'm comparing an Intel system to an AMD system, I'm going to be less likely to give Intel a higher weight on the purchase.

The failure isn't due to the technology.  All technology fails and troubleshooting is a basic need.  The failure is in documentation and resources to deal with an issue when it happens.  There are troubleshooting guides, youtube videos, white papers, and much more for how to recover from boot problems.  When you add in the filter for boot problems and optane volumes, the information is outdated and normally assumes that you can boot to safe-mode.  There is no relevant information or drivers to use for booting into recovery mode, and obviously taking 10 days to tell me that "we stopped supporting that product years ago" isn't what could be considered "good" technical support.

Ironically, the "Intel How did we do" message came through as I'm typing this.  I  think the universe is tell me that I need to fill this questionnaire out.

Thanks All!