How to fix PNP_DETECTED_FATAL_ERROR in Windows 10

What is PNP_DETECTED_FATAL_ERROR

PNP_DETECTED_FATAL_ERROR is a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) error, unexpectedly crushing the PCs of some users. Many analysis reports indicate that this issue is often associated with hardware malfunctions or incompatibilities caused by software. The error may occur when launching a specific program or while performing basic computer tasks. Luckily, there are several ways you can resolve the issue and prevent its occurrence in the nearest future. We encourage you to follow our guide below and try each method proposed until the right one is found.

1. Install fresh updates

Errors caused by issues with software can sometimes be resolved by installing pending Windows updates. Thus, try to check if there is any update waiting to be installed and install it eventually. This is the first step you should try before moving on to other solutions. Alternatively, if you started encountering PNP_DETECTED_FATAL_ERROR right after some new system update was installed, you can remove it and see if this helps. Rarely, but some updates getting released by Microsoft may contain bugs and flaws that affect your system. It is worth checking if some new patches were installed prior to the error appearance. Below, you will find instructions for both removing and installing new updates in Windows 10.

To install new updates:

1. Press Windows + I combination and choose Update & Security the same way we did above.
2. Then go to Windows Update and click on the Check for updates button. If your Windows found new updates automatically, just click on Install/Download and follow on-screen instructions.

To uninstall recent updates:

1. Press Windows Key + I buttons to open Settings and choose Update & Security.
2. Then, in Windows Update, click View update history on the right pane.
3. Choose Uninstall updates on top and delete the most recent update by date of installation.
4. Now you can reboot your PC and open the problematic application again.

We hope it worked and you managed to solve the issue with this first method right off.

2. Reinstall the problematic software

If you are facing a BSOD crash while trying to open a specific program, but nothing else triggers the same issue, then you should probably reinstall this software. We recommend installing programs only from trusted and official resources. It is advised against using pirated or cracked software since there may be corruption and bugs triggering such system errors. In addition to this, if you have an extra antivirus apart from the default Windows Defender installed, try to disable it as well. Some anti-malware software, especially Norton, was reported to sometimes cause BSOD problems. If there are no crashes after disabling it, then you might have found the problem. In this case, you can contact antivirus support and ask for personal assistance. Otherwise, you can also consider switching yourself to another antivirus. Our recommendation is MalwareBytes – a trusted and effective antivirus that wields advanced protection algorithms to combat local and online threats. Download it using the button below and try its ultimate antimalware experience for free.

Download Malwarebytes

3. Update or roll back drivers

Obsolete or corrupted drivers are quite often notorious for causing BSOD issues like PNP_DETECTED_FATAL_ERROR. The driver you should suspect in this case is Intel DPTF Manager. If you have it installed, try updating or rolling it back to a previous version. If this does not help sort out the issue, then try to update other drivers as well. Updating a ton of system drivers may become an irritating and time-consuming procedure. This is why it will be useful to explore Driver Booster from IObit, which we mentioned further below.

To update drivers manually:

1. Right-click on the Start Menu button and select Device Manager.
2. In the opened tab right-click on the found driver, choose Update Driver, and follow the on-screen instructions.
3. Windows will start searching for available updates and automatically install them on your computer.
4. Sometimes there are malfunctioned drivers (marked with a yellow triangle), which means you should update them in the first order.

To roll back drivers:

If you know which driver has been updated recently (more likely Intel DPTF Manager), you can then roll it back to the previous version.

1. Navigate to Device Manager as we did above.
2. Locate and right-click on a previously updated driver.
3. Choose Roll Back Driver and follow instructions.
4. Once finished, reboot your PC and see if the problem dissipates.

Updating each driver manually is time- and energy-consuming. If you are willing to save it and update drivers faster, we recommend using a special utility called Driver Booster from IObit. It has broad databases of drivers for all of the devices you need to maintain your PC. You can download it using the button below.

Download Driver Booster

4. Check integrity of system files

Damaged or missing file components can play a bad joke on the functionality of your system. It is impossible to know whether it is the case without scanning your system for such a scarcity. Thus, use these steps below to perform two different scans able to find and restore absent components, if any will be eventually found. Makes sure to use both of them in the sequence below as they might have a different impact on the solution.

SFC

1. Open Command Prompt by typing cmd into the searching box next to the Start Menu button.
2. Right-click on Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
3. Once the console is opened, type the sfc /scannow command and click Enter.
4. When the fixing process is done, restart your computer.

DISM

1. Open Command Prompt as we did in the previous step.
2. Copy and paste this command DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth.
3. Click Enter and wait until Windows ends the scanning and fixing.
4. Once done, restart your PC and install the update again.

While executing all of these commands in Command Prompt, Windows will let you know if some has been restored. If yes, then the problem may just have been solved.

5. Scan your hard drive and RAM for possible damage

As we mentioned above, PNP_DETECTED_FATAL_ERROR may be related to hardware issues. This is why it is reasonable to run a system check of two essential physical components like RAM and Hard drive. Steps for checking both RAM and Hard drive components are down below:

To check your Hard drive:

1. Open Command Prompt just as we did above.
2. Then, you should paste the chkdsk /f /r C: command and press Enter. If necessary, replace “C” with the letter of your hard drive.
3. The system will scan for both configuration and physical errors and automatically repair them.

To check your RAM:

1. Type Windows Memory Diagnostic into the search bar next to Start Menu.
2. After opening, you will see a new tab that presents two options. Choose the Recommended one.
3. Windows will scan your RAM for errors and instantly restore them.

Then, restart your system and check if the problem continues to bother your PC experience. We hope it no longer does.

Summary

We acknowledge that it may sometimes be scary when unexpected shutdowns occur. Although PNP_DETECTED_FATAL_ERROR is only one of many BSOD issues, it has almost the same root of appearance as other errors of such. We hope you capitalized on the solutions above. If some of them came in handy, you can use them again if any similar errors occur in the future.