HP Spectre failing to boot with DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG

[glorious_sight]

Laptop was working fine, but at the next boot went into a loop where it fails to boot.

At the HP logo screen, 'Preparing Automatic Repair' and a circling wait cursor appears. After a while the 'Preparing Automatic Repair' part vanishes. After a while later, the wait cursor stops and a message about 'DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG (1D5)' appears, including that it will automatically reboot. Which it does, and the loop starts over.

Trying to boot into the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) on the laptop fails with the same error.

I tried using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB, and use that to enter WinRE. That did get me into a WinRE setup, but that environment doesn't recognize the SSD. I believe this is because the SSD is configured to use Intel RST and Optane, and WinRE doesn't support those. I tried getting the drivers for these from the HP download site, and using 'drvload' to load them. Only 3 of the 5 driver 'inf' files loaded successfully, and even with that 'diskpart' 'list disks' does not see the SSD, only the USB stick.

I tried creating a bootable USB using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool. When I try to boot using that, I get a BSOD with the same 'DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG' error. I am concerned that the Cloud Recovery Tool may fail on this model of laptop in general, as there's nothing particularly special about my setup.

The laptop has AMI BIOS F.34.

If I understand correctly, I can either get WinRE to recognize the SSD by loading the right drivers, or I can reconfigure the laptop to use SATA AHCI, which WinRE supports, rather than RST/Optane to access the SSD. How do I switch into AHCI mode and back safely and without data loss?

I found the UEFI Configuration/UEFI HII Configuration/Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology/Optane Volume selector with a single Intel Optane option, which has two member disks and a Disable option. What happens if I use that Disable option?

[glorious_sight]

UEFI Boot tests passed. UEFI Fast tests first pass passed, with a yellow mark next to "Battery Check: Primary - OK (0)"

[glorious_sight]

UEFI Fast Test second pass passed.

[glorious_sight]

UEFI Extensive tests passed.

[Kuroi_Kenshi · Accepted solution]

Hi @glorious_sight,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I understand your HP Spectre is stuck in a boot loop with the “DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG” error and can’t access Windows Recovery or the SSD. Let’s go through a few steps to troubleshoot this.

Power Drain the Laptop
Turn the laptop off completely.
Unplug the AC adapter and, if possible, remove external devices (USB drives, external HDDs, etc.).
Press and hold the power button for 15–20 seconds to discharge residual power.

Run Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI)
Power on the laptop and immediately press Esc repeatedly, then press F2 for Diagnostics.
Run the System Tests > Fast Test and then Extensive Test to rule out hardware issues.
If all tests pass, the problem is likely software or configuration-related.

Load Default BIOS Settings
Turn on the laptop and press Esc > F10 to enter BIOS Setup.
Press F9 to load defaults, then F10 to save and exit.
This ensures no custom BIOS settings (like Secure Boot or Boot Mode changes) are causing the loop.

Check Intel RST / Optane Configuration
In BIOS, go to UEFI Configuration > Intel® Rapid Storage Technology > Optane Volume.
You will see the Optane volume with two member disks and a Disable option.

Selecting Disable breaks the Optane cache but does not delete data on the main SSD.

After disabling, the storage controller usually switches to AHCI mode, which WinRE supports.

Boot with Microsoft Installation Media (USB)
Insert the bootable USB created using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool.
Boot from the USB by pressing Esc > F9 and selecting the USB drive.
In the setup screen, go to Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
Run diskpart and use list disk to check if the SSD is now detected.

Load Intel RST Drivers if SSD Not Detected
If the SSD still isn’t listed, download the latest Intel RST driver for your model from the HP support page.
Extract it to a separate USB.
From the same WinRE screen, select Load Driver and browse to the folder containing the extracted drivers.
Load them and recheck with diskpart.

Startup Repair or System Restore
Once the SSD is recognized, use Startup Repair from the WinRE menu.
If you have a restore point, try System Restore to revert the system to a working state.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[glorious_sight]

In particular, it's disabling Optane that got things unstuck.

I did end up soft-resetting the OS, preserving user data, and reinstalling apps, but I would encourage others with this problem to see if they can just disable Optane and boot normally into Windows before proceeding with the OS reset.