Stuck on "Preparing Automatic Repair" with DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG BSOD

[Jojo22103]

Hi HP Community,

My HP laptop is stuck in a boot loop. It shows the "Preparing Automatic Repair" screen every time I turn it on, and then eventually crashes with a blue screen error showing the stop code DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG.

I’ve tried waiting, but it stays stuck on the repair screen. I also attempted a few force shutdowns to trigger recovery options, but it keeps returning to the same automatic repair loop.

has anyone faced this specific issue or found a solution that worked?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Jojo22103 

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for posting your query! We're here to help you get back up and running.

The "Preparing Automatic Repair" loop with the DRIVER_PNP_WATCHDOG error can be frustrating, but there are several steps you can try to resolve this issue:

Perform a Hard Reset:

• Turn off your laptop completely and unplug it from the power source.
• If your laptop has a removable battery, take it out.
• Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds to drain any residual power.
• Reconnect the power source and try turning the laptop back on.

Access Advanced Startup Options:

• Turn on the laptop and immediately press F11 repeatedly (or the appropriate key for your model) to access the recovery menu.
• Select Advanced Options, then try Startup Repair or System Restore to revert to a previous working state.

Uninstall Recent Updates:

• If you suspect a recent update caused the issue, go to Advanced Options > Uninstall Updates and remove the most recent updates.

Run Diagnostics:

• Restart the laptop and press F2 or Esc repeatedly to access the HP Diagnostics menu.
• Run a full hardware diagnostic test to check for issues with the hard drive or memory.

Boot into Safe Mode:

• From the recovery menu, select Advanced Options > Startup Settings, then choose Safe Mode.
• Once in Safe Mode, update or uninstall drivers that might be causing the issue.

Reset the PC:

• If none of the above steps work, consider resetting the PC. From the recovery menu, select Reset this PC and choose whether to keep or remove your files.
• This will reinstall Windows and may resolve the issue.

Reinstall Windows:

• If the reset fails, create a bootable USB drive with the Windows Media Creation Tool on another computer.
• Use it to reinstall Windows on your laptop.

Let me know how these steps work for you or if you need further guidance! 😊

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