The CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) error may appear during the initialization process for Windows Vista, XP, and 2000, and Windows 7 and 8. It appears in a multi-processor system when an expected clock interrupt on a secondary processor is delayed or when the allocated time interval is exceeded. It results to the automatic shutdown of the computer to prevent damage and possible loss of data from unsaved work.

This error happens when the processor did not respond properly to requests and interrupts are not being processed on time. It is usually caused by defective hardware or a bug in a device driver.

This BSOD error is also known as CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT and “STOP 0x00000101“. Some users of Windows have reported this error, which normally appears on the screen during the initialization of the system as:

To resolve the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT BSOD error, you can use a hardware diagnostic program to determine if a newly installed device is functioning properly. If you are using Windows 7, you can employ Hardware Diagnostic Tools from Windows by clicking on Start, All Programs, PC Help & Tools, and then selecting Hardware Diagnostic Tools. You have to follow the instructions and prompts that appear in the dialog window that appears on the screen. The tests performed by this utility will tell you if the hardware tested is functioning properly, or if a device has failed the test.

If the BSOD error is due to a misconfigured device, you can try to resolve the problem by using System Restore to restore to the last known good configuration of your PC. Alternatively you can also try updating your computer drivers for all of your hardware. Some times an old driver can affect how a piece of hardware functions with your computer. You can try updating your drivers yourself by using a combination of Windows update and researchng new drivers on hardware manufacturer’s website or you can user Driver Reviver to quickly and easily update your drivers for you.