How to Fix “Blue Screen Error 0x00000116” on Windows?

“Blue screen error 0x00000116” mainly occurs due to graphics driver issues or because of corrupt system files. The error occurs when performing a task with high graphic usage like playing a game (e.g., World of Warcraft). In some instances, the error also occurs even if the system is booted in the safe mode. Sometimes, the issue only appears when playing a video in a browser (e.g., playing YouTube videos). In an extreme case, the system crashes on the startup with the BSOD error under discussion.

The following can be easily categorized as the major reasons behind the blue screen error 0x00000116:

1. Roll Back the System’s Graphics Driver to an Older Version

If the latest update of the system’s graphics driver is not compatible with any of the components on your system, then that incompatibility will result in the BSOD error 0x116 as the graphics driver may fail to respond in time. In this case, rolling back the system’s graphics driver may clear the BSOD error at hand. But before that, check if connecting the display through another display or HDMI cable (must try) to a different PC port (if possible) clears the error.

1. Right-click Windows and open Device Manager.

   

2. Now double-click on Display Adapters and right-click on your graphics card.

   

3. Then select Properties and head to the Driver tab.
4. Now click on the Roll Back button and then confirm to roll back the graphics driver.

   

5. Once done, restart your PC and upon restart, check if the 0x00000116 BSOD issue is resolved. If so, then you may disable the automatic update of the driver (till the error is reported to be resolved). 

2. Update the System’s Windows and Drivers to the Latest Build

Your system might crash with the blue screen error 0x00000116 if the PC’s Windows and drivers are outdated as their incompatibility with each other can cause unnecessary delay in the proper release of the system’s resources, thus resulting in the error at hand. Here, updating the PC’s Windows (as many OEMs use Windows updates to update their drivers) and drivers to the latest build may clear the stop code 0x0116.

1. Click Windows and search for Check for Updates.

   

2. Now, open the System Setting of Check for Updates, and in the right-half of the resulting Windows update window, click on Check for Updates.

   

3. If Windows updates are available, download and install those updates.
4. Once done, restart your system and upon restart, repeat steps 1 to 2 to open Windows Update.
5. Now select Advanced Options and open Optional Updates.

   

6. Then make sure all the updates shown are installed and once completed, restart your PC.
7. Upon restart, check if the system is clear of the Blue Screen error 0x00000116.
8. If not, right-click Widows and select Device Manager.
9. Now expand the Display Adapters tab and right-click on your graphics card.
10. Then select Update Driver and click on Search Automatically for Drivers.

    

11. Now if a graphics driver update is available, let it install.

    

12. Once installed, restart your PC, and check if the system’s BSOD error 0x00000116 is cleared upon restart.
13. If the issue persists or no update of the graphics driver is available through the Device Manager, then launch a web browser and head to the OEM website (like Nvidia).
14. Then download the latest graphics driver as per your device and install it as an administrator (without uninstalling the older driver).
15. Once done, restart your system and check if the BSOD error 0x00000116 is cleared upon restart.
16. If the issue persists and there are missing drivers on the system (like chipset drivers), then check if installing the missing drivers clears the issue.

3. Disable Monitor’s Free Sync

FreeSync is an automatic adaptive sync feature of many LCD or OLED monitors that avoids graphics tearing and reduces stuttering caused by a misalignment between the content’s refresh rate and the screen’s refresh rate. If you are using a display monitor that has FreeSync enabled, then its manipulation with your system’s graphics output could result in the blue screen error 0x00000116 as the graphics driver fails to adapt to the manipulated signal. In this scenario, disabling the monitor’s Free Sync feature may solve the problem.

1. Launch the OSD menu of your monitor and head to its Settings.
2. Now steer to the Game or Game Adjust tab and in the right pane, disable FreeSync.

   

3. Once disabled, restart your system and upon restart, check if the BSOD error under discussion is cleared.

4. Disable Hardware Acceleration of the Browser

Suppose the blue screen error 0x00000116 occurs when using a browser. In that case, the hardware acceleration feature of the browser causes the issue as the system tries to execute the specific tasks on the dedicated GPU but the driver fails to respond in time, thus causing the error. In this scenario, disabling the hardware acceleration of the browser may clear the BSOD error. For elucidation, we will go through the process of disabling the hardware acceleration of the Chrome browser.

1. Launch the Chrome browser and expand its menu in the top left corner.
2. Now select Settings and in the left pane of the resulting menu, head to the System tab.

   

3. Then, in the right pane, disable Use Hardware Acceleration When Available by toggling its status switch to the off position.

   

4. Now relaunch the browser and check if it is clear of the BSOD error at hand.

5. Perform a Thorough Cleaning of the System and Re-Seat Internal PC Components

If the accumulated dust or debris on the PC’s internal is trapping excessive heat inside the PC, then an overheated graphics card may not be able to perform fully and thus cause the issue at hand. Moreover, if an internal component like a RAM or graphics card is not seated properly, then that also could cause the BSOD error under discussion. In this case, performing a thorough cleaning of the system and re-seating the PC’s internal components may solve the problem.

1. Power off the system and disconnect it from other devices (like a printer).
2. Now remove the system’s power cable from the power source and open its cover.
3. Then use the compress air can or air blower to blow away the dust/debris from the PC. Make sure to clear the clogs around the fan also.

   

4. Now remove and reseat the system’s graphics card and RAMs. Make sure everything is seated and connected correctly.
5. Now close the PC’s cover and plug back its power cable.
6. Then power on the system and check if its 0x00000116 BSOD error is cleared.

6. Reinstall the System’s Graphics Driver

If the system’s graphics driver is corrupt, then this corruption may not let the driver respond in time and as a result, the system’s Windows may try to reset or reinitialize the display driver, resulting in the blue screen error 0x00000116. In such a case, reinstalling the system’s graphics driver may clear the BSOD error under discussion.

1. Firstly, steer to the OEM website (like Nvidia) and download the latest graphics driver as per your system.
2. Now right-click on Windows and select Device Manager.
3. Then double click on Display Adapters and right-click on your graphics card.
4. Now, in the mini-menu shown, select Uninstall Device, and in the dialogue box shown, checkmark the option of Attempt to Remove the Driver of This Device.

   

5. Then click on the Uninstall button and wait till the driver uninstalls.

   

6. Once uninstalled, restart your system and upon restart, let the Windows install a generic display driver (if it tries to).
7. Now check if the blue screen problem is cleared.
8. If not, launch the downloaded graphics driver as an administrator and follow the prompts on the screen to complete the process but make sure to select the Clean Install option during the process.

   

9. Once done, restart your PC and check if the system’s blue screen error 0x00000116 is cleared upon restart.
10. If the issue persists, uninstall the graphics driver through a utility (like DDU) and install the latest graphics driver as an administrator to check if the issue was resolved.

7. Perform an SFC Scan of the System

If the essential system files on your PC are corrupt, then that corruption could cause the error 0x00000116 as the display adapter may fail to access an essential file/directory and cause a delay in its response to the OS, leading to the BSOD error. In this context, performing an SFC scan of the system may clear the 0x00000116 error.

1. Perform an SFC scan of your system and wait till the process completes. It can take some time to complete, so, make sure to try it in your spare time (like overnight).

   

2. Once done, check if the blue screen error 0x00000116 is cleared from your system.

8. Edit the System’s Registry to Increase the System’s TDR Delay

If the system’s graphics driver is taking longer than the Windows is configured to wait for a response from the driver, then that could cause the blue screen error 0x00000116 as the Windows “thinks” that the driver is stuck in the operation and kills it. In this scenario, editing the system’s registry to increase the TDR Delay of the Windows may clear the error.

Warning:

Advanced at your own risk and with utmost care as editing the system registry is a skilled task and if not done properly, can cause system/OS damage or expose the data to threats.

1. Click Windows and search for Registry Editor.

   

2. Now, in the results displayed, right-click on the Registry Editor and select Run as Administrator.
3. Then, in the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:

   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers

4. Now, in the left pane, right-click on GraphicsDrivers and select New>> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

   

5. Then name the key as TdrDelay and double-click on it.

   

6. Now select the radio button of Decimal and enter the value of 60.
7. Then close the editor window and restart your PC.
8. Upon restart, check if the 0x00000116 BSOD error is cleared. If the system starts freezing, then you may set the TdrDelay value to 10.

9. Update the System’s BIOS to the Latest Build

The blue screen error 0x00000116 might occur if the system’s BIOS is outdated as it can cause incompatibility between different essential system modules and may cause a delayed response from the graphics driver, thus the error at hand.

Warning:

Proceed at your own risk as updating and editing the System’s BIOS is a skillful task and if anything goes wrong, you may brick your system or may cause an unrepairable loss of data.

1. Update your PC’s BIOS as per the OEM (make sure the system does not power off during the update process, otherwise it may be bricked):
   
   • Dell
   • HP
   • Lenovo
   • MSI
   • Gateway
     
2. Once the system’s BIOS is updated, check if the 0x00000116 error is cleared.

If none of the above worked, then check if removing overclock settings from the PC or GPU and running them on the stock values clears the error. If that did not work or is not applicable, then you may use System Restore to restore the system to a state when the error was not present or you may reinstall the PC’s Windows. If that did not work, then get your system checked for a hardware error, especially, if the error occurs in the system’s safe mode as well.