Recently, a reader asked us:

“Hello, hope you can help me. I am getting BSOD whenever I run certain applications and programs, such as Android emulators. However, there’s no problem when I am just browsing. This is the stop error code: dpc_watchdog_violation. The mini dump indicates the issue is amdppm.sys related?” – William

The amdppm.sys error can occur due to many reasons. That said, in many cases updating the Motherboard’s BIOS and installing the latest AMD Chip Set Drivers and Graphic drivers for the Motherboard and IGPU does the trick.

In addition to this solution, we have listed several other probable solutions. We recommend you start with the first solution in the list and, if it doesn’t resolve the issue, move your way down until the error is fixed.

Solution # 1 – Update Your BIOS and AMD

Before you update the BIOS, you need to know what motherboard you have and what BIOS revision you’re currently running. In case you already don’t know this information, simply perform the following steps to find it out.

• Press Win + R keys
• Type msinfo32 in the Run dialog box and hit Enter

• System Information window will now open. You can find the all relevant information about your system, including motherboard model and BIOS version

Once you’ve this information, follow these steps to update the BIOS:

• Open a web browser and search for your motherboard make and model
• Click on the motherboard’s manufacturer product page
• Go to the Support page for your motherboard on the manufacturer website
• Search for the latest BIOS version for your motherboard and download it. 
• Once the download is complete, go to the Download folder, right-click the downloaded zipped folder, and extract your new BIOS
• Next, plug in a USB flash drive into one of the USB ports and copy the new BIOS file onto it
• Now, restart the system and enter the BIOS
• To enter the BIOS on restart, press Del key (or F1 or F2 or some other function key, depending on the your motherboard) a few times when the motherboard flash screen pops up
• If you’ve enabled any custom settings in your BIOS (like overclocking), make note of it. This is because when you update the BIOS version, all settings will revert to default
• Go to motherboard’s flash utility and select it (depending on your motherboard make, it may be located under the Tool tab or some other tab)
• Select the update via a storage device option and click Next
• You should see all the connected storage devices in the left-side pane. Select the drive on which you have saved the BIOS file
• You will see the new BIOS file in the right-side pane. Select this file and click the Yes button if you are asked whether you want to read this file. You may be asked to confirm your action once again. If so, click Yes one more time.

Note: Before clicking the Yes button, it would be best if you plug a UPS into your PC so that in the unlikely event of a power cut, your computer will be able to complete the update. Also, do not restart your computer before the update is complete.

• The update process may take a few minutes. Once the update finishes, click the OK button
• Your computer will reboot and prompt you to enter setup again to access BIOS. Now, you re-enable any customized options you had before the update

Next, you’ll need to update the AMD chipset drivers. For this, first download the latest AMD chipset drivers from the AMD support page. After you’ve downloaded the latest drivers and saved them on your computer, install them by double-clicking the executable file.

FYI – An easy way to keep your chipset drivers up-to-date is by using a reliable third-party tool, such as Driver Updater. It updates your chipset drivers and other device drivers with a single mouse click. The last section of the post provides more information about the software (and a download link), so don’t forget to check it out.

Solution #2 – Run SFC and DISM Scans

In case Windows system files get corrupted (which can happen due to malware, improper shutdowns, or disk errors), you may encounter AMDPPM.SYS error. This problem can be fixed by running the SFC and DISM scans.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Type command prompt in the Search bar in the taskbar, select Command Prompt in the search results, and choose Run as administrator

• Type sfc /scannow in the Command Prompt and hit Enter. The scan may take some time, so be patient
• Once the scan is complete, type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image/ RestoreHealth and hit Enter

Finally, restart the system and check if the problem is fixed.

Solution #3 – Modify the registry

If the last solution didn’t work for you, modifying the registry may help.

• Press Win + R keys
• Type regedit in the Run dialog box and press OK

• In the Registry Editor, type the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\amdppm
• Look for Start DWORD and then double-click it
• Set the Value Data to 4 in the new window that opens and then click OK

• Restart Windows and check if the issue is fixed

Solution #4 – Disable Overclocking

Overclocking the CPU is a common strategy used by computer users to improve their PC’s performance. However, overclocking can at times cause system errors such as AMDPPM.SYS.

Solution? Revert to default setting. Here’s how to do it:

• Go to Settings
• Click Update & Security
• Click Recovery
• Click Restart Now under Advanced startup
• Wait till Windows boots into Advanced Startup Options
• Click Troubleshoot
• Choose Advanced options
• Click UEFI Firmware Settings and click Restart

• You will now able to access BIOS
• Go to Advanced tab and choose Performance
• Look for Overclocking and then disable this option
• Press Esc on the keyboard and select Save and Exit

Solution #5 – Rename the amdppm.sys file

Some users have reported they were able to fix the issue by renaming the amdppm.sys file. Therefore, it’s worth giving a shot.

• Press Win + R keys
• Type C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\

• Look for amdppm.sys file, right-click it and choose Rename
• Restart Windows

Solution #6 – Enable Virtualization

The last option is to enable virtualization. Here’s what you need to do:

• Type command prompt in the Search bar in the taskbar, right-click Command Prompt in the search results, and click Run as administrator
• Type dism.exe /Online /Enable-Feature:Microsoft-Hyper-V /All in Command Prompt and hit Enter
• Restart Windows

That’s it! We hope one of these solutions worked for you. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. And share this post so that others can benefit.

Now, as promised…

Here’s more information about the amazing Driver Updater tool. Give it a try.

Automatic driver update tools offer many benefits, the most important ones being:

• You can update device drivers automatically
• The software scans and updates all outdated or missing drivers at one go
• The tool picks the right drivers for your device and operating system, so you won’t have to worry about installing an incorrect driver by mistake
• Automatic driver updates are 100% safe

Driver Updater is one of the best driver update tools out there. Outbyte Driver Updater will give you access to a database of over 1 million drivers. It will regularly scan your PC, suggesting new driver versions to install. Driver Updater contains drivers for a variety of Windows devices. With just one click, you can update drivers in your system.

Step 1
Click here to Install and launch the app

Step 2
Scan all devices

Step 3
Install or update drivers automatically

 

Start Download