How to fix the 0xA3 ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL error?

Given your presence on this page, we must assume your computer went down with a Blue Screen of Death error defined by the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL code on Windows 10.

What is ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL ERROR on Windows 10?

‘ACPI’ is an acronym for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface. It is the specification that provides an open (or known) standard for device configurations and power management techniques in the Windows operating system. A Driver is simply any computer program or code that handles or manages high-level interactions between computers (software) and physical components (hardware devices). The Internal tag appears in error descriptions when the operations in view are executed within the parent function, language, program, or system.

A Blue Screen of Death error (commonly abbreviated as BSOD) typically shows up when a computer suffers a bad crash. The crash is usually so severe that Windows is forced to initiate a restart to prevent damage – if the machine determines that it is no longer safe to work in the operating system environment. Some Blue Screens of Death are down to software issues, while others are a result of hardware failures. We generally find it difficult to figure out the exact cause of a BSOD, even when we have all the information that matters.

We suspect the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL Blue Screen of Death has something to do with driver problems in Windows. After all, with 0x000000A3 being the bug check value for the error, we can safely extrapolate that the ACPU driver had to deal with some inconsistencies or discrepancies.

The driver for an important device or component might be acting up for one reason or the other, and the program issues probably translated to severe crashes. Software conflicts might also be in play as causes of this particular Blue Screen of Death.

How to fix the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL BSOD error on Windows 10?

Based on the known (or possible) causes of the BSOD, we will now describe the most effective solutions to the issues that triggered the error.

1. Update your drivers:

Earlier, we established the link between the ACPI DRIVER INTERNAL Blue Screen of Death and driver issues, so it makes sense for you to begin the troubleshooting process by updating your drivers. You are unlikely to know which exact driver has become problematic. There might be several troubled drivers, mind you.

Well, you are better off updating the drivers for all the important components in your machine. This way, you are likely to fix the problems for all devices (and leave no stone unturned). We will now describe the standard driver update procedure in Windows 10:

• First, you have to use this keyboard shortcut to access the applications and options that make up the Power User menu: Windows logo button + letter X key.
• From the list that appears, you must select Device Manager.
• Now, you must go through the categories housing similar or related devices. To expand a category and view its contents, you have to click on its expansion icon.

For example, you can click on the expansion icon for the Display Adapters category to see your graphics drivers.

• Assuming the device driver you intend to update is now visible, you have to right-click on it to see the available context menu and then choose Update Driver Software.

Windows will present you with two options on the How do you want to search for driver software? window.

• We want you to choose the one named Search automatically for updated driver software.

Windows is now supposed to search online for the needed software. If it finds a new driver, it will download and install it on your behalf. All you have to do here is pay attention to the proceedings, confirm prompts (where applicable), and perform the requested tasks.

• After Windows finishes installing the driver for the device, you have to initiate the same automatic driver update operation for other devices. Perform this task for as many devices as you can so that your computer will end up running the latest drivers for its components.

If the automatic driver update process fails – especially because Windows did not find the needed software online – then you have to consider an alternative path. The Browse my computer for driver software option (you saw earlier) is the same thing as the manual procedure. In the manual driver update process, you have to identify the bad driver, gather some information about it, and then move on to search for its replacement online.

Auslogics Driver Updater should make everything significantly easier. This program will initiate a scan on your computer to identify the bad or problematic drivers. Once the identification phase is complete, the application will proceed to search for the needed software updates online and install them. Invariably, your computer will end up with the latest manufacturer-recommended versions of the drivers in no time and without much effort on your part.

We would rather you got your drivers updated through automatic update processes or mechanisms. If you must use the manual driver update procedure, then you will have to contend with many complications and risks.

For example, you must be mindful of obtaining software from questionable websites or shady sources. Only official download centers and trusted webpages will do. You must also ensure that you get the precise (or correct) driver version meant for the device on your machine. A similar or related driver version (designed for another computer) will not do.

If you try to cut corners or use shortcuts, then you will end up with incompatible drivers or software even more problematic than when you started. Considering the volume of drivers you have to work on and update, then burden from the projected risks and complications might prove insurmountable.

• In any case, after you get your computer to install the latest drivers for all the devices that matter, you must reboot your PC. Only then must you try to confirm that the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL BSOD has been resolved.

2. Download and install Windows updates:

Through Windows updates, Microsoft regularly issues patches and fixes to bugs, vulnerabilities, and holes in the Windows operating system code. The issues or events that triggered the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL Blue Screen of Death might have been resolved in a certain Windows update, which your system is yet to run. Well, if our assumptions hold true, after your computer downloads and installs the needed update, the BSOD case should become untenable.

Even if your computer (like most Windows 10 devices) is configured to fetch and install Windows updates automatically, it does not hurt to initiate a manual check for update. If things work out, then you will save yourself the time and effort that would have been spent applying other fixes to the problem.

These are the instructions you must follow to check for Windows updates:

• First, you must use this keyboard shortcut to fire up the Settings application: Windows logo button + letter I key.
• Once the Settings window appears, you must check its main menu screen for Update and Security and click on it.
• Assuming you are now on the Windows Update menu (close to the right-pane area of the window), you should see the Check for updates button. Click on it.

Your computer will now try to get in touch with Microsoft servers to see if there is anything your system is missing. If Windows finds something, then you will know about it. In that case, all you will have to do is watch the proceedings for the download and installation processes.

If Windows finds nothing, then you will see a notification stating that your computer is updated. In that case, you can simply move on to the next fix.

• Restart your computer once Windows finishes installing the updates – if a prompt to this effect fails to show up.
• After the reboot, you can reattempt the tasks you were on when your computer went down with the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL Blue Screen of Death and see what happens this time.

3. Run the Hardware troubleshooter:

If the previous procedures failed to do enough to stop your computer from going down with further Blue Screens of Death defined by the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL code, then you have to try to get help from a troubleshooter. After all, troubleshooters are the go-to programs which users are supposed to run when they encounter a problem in the Windows operating system environment.

There are different troubleshooters for specialized tasks, programs, setups, and so on. Since you are dealing with a Blue Screen of Death related to failures or inconsistencies affecting device drivers (and similar components), the Hardware troubleshooter is the utility most likely (of the lot) to help you in some way. Like all troubleshooters, it will try to diagnose (or detect) the source of the problem and rectify things automatically (or recommend a fix).

Go through these steps to run the Hardware troubleshooter:

• First, you must open the Settings app. You can perform this launch task through the keyboard shortcut we provided earlier.
• This time too, after the Settings window shows up, you have to click on Update and Security to get to the next screen.
• Check for Troubleshoot on the list of options close to the left-pane area of the window and click on it. On the right-pane area, you must click on Hardware and Devices to get it highlighted.
• Click on the Run the troubleshooter button (that recently appeared).

At this point, we must say we have taken you as far as we should. All you have to do is follow the instructions on the wizard window and pay attention to the proceedings while the troubleshooter does its job.

• After the troubleshooting operations and repair processes reach completion, you have to test your computer to see if the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL BSOD manifests itself again.

If the problem persists, then we recommend you restart your computer (to round up the work the troubleshooter did earlier) and then check for the Blue Screen of Death again.

4. Unplug or disconnect all external hardware devices:

Conflicts involving the drivers or processes associated with external devices – such as printers, scanners, projectors, and so on – might be the reason your computer has been going down with the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL Blue Screen of Death. If you use any peripheral, you have to disconnect it and test things to learn the truth.

These instructions should give you an idea of what we want you to do:

• Unplug all the peripherals connected to your computer via its ports.
• Do your best to trigger the Blue Screen of Death. Reattempt the task you were performing when you encountered the BSOD earlier.

If you cannot recreate the Blue Screen of Death even with your best efforts and after extensive trials, then you must assume the peripherals previously connected play a role in triggering the BSOD crash.

• Now, you must try plugging the peripherals back in (one after the other, one at a time) to test them and identify the culprit.

If you have several external devices, then you should benefit from placing them into groups and then testing the groups to figure out the bad composition and then further testing the group constituents to isolate the bad peripheral.

• After you figure out the bad peripheral (or the combination of problematic external devices) from the lot, then you can keep them away from your computer for as long as necessary – at least, until you figure out how to make things work without your computer crashing every now and then.

You can try to update the driver for the problematic peripheral and see if the new driver runs without causing trouble for you. If that fails too, then you might have to consider a replacement for the external device (or an alternative), especially if you cannot do without its functions.

5. Toggle the fast startup function:

The fast startup function (when enabled) allows a computer to boot up or recover faster (from sleep) in standard conditions. Well, some users figured out the link between the fast startup feature being active on their computer and the crashes resulting in blue screens.

We do not have further information on the nature of the connection, but we do know that you can toggle (on or off) the fast startup function to stop your computer from going down with the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL Blue Screen of Death. In other words, if the function is currently set to on on your device, you might benefit from switching it off – and vice versa.

Go through these steps to do some work on the fast startup feature:

• First, you have to bring up the Search function on the Windows Start screen. You can use this keyboard shortcut to do the job quickly: Windows logo button + letter S key.
• Type Power Options into the text field to perform a search task using those keywords as the query.
• Once Power and sleep settings (System settings) emerges as the main entry on the results list displayed, you have to click on it.

You will be directed to the Power & Sleep screen in the Settings application.

• On the right-pane area of the window, you have to click on the Additional power settings link (under the Related settings text).

You will end up on the Power Options screen in Control Panel now.

• Go through the links close to top-left pane area of the Control Panel window and then click on Choose what the power buttons do.
• On the following screen, you must click on the box for Fast startup.

The function will be enabled – if it was disabled previously. Otherwise, it will be disabled – if it was enabled previously. Any change is welcome.

• Click on the Save changes button.

Windows will now take note of the new power management configuration.

• Restart your computer. Try to recreate the Blue Screen of Death and watch out for changes.

6. Do a clean boot:

Since you are yet to resolve the problem, there is a good chance that certain third-party applications are somehow involved in the conflicts or related events that result in the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL Blue Screen of Death. How it happens does not matter now. A clean boot will provide the means through which you get to learn whether external influences or interferences (from third-party programs) were involved in causing the crash.

Furthermore, in the environment or platform resulting from a clean boot, you get to test the suspicious applications as much as you need to isolate or identify the culprit(s). You will then later decide what to do with the bad program(s).

Anyway, here are the instructions you must go through to do a clean boot on your PC:

• First, you have to use this keyboard shortcut to quickly fire up the Run app: Windows logo button + letter R key.
• Assuming the small Run window is now up on your screen, you must fill the text box on it with this keyword: msconfig.
• Click on the OK button to run the code (one tap of the Enter button on your machine’s keyboard does the same thing).

The System Configuration window will have been brought up by now.

• Click on the radio button for Selective startup (to select this option) and then click on the box for Load startup items (to deselect this parameter).
• Click on the Services tab to move there. Click on the box for Hide all Microsoft services (to get this parameter selected).
• Once the services on the list become fewer, you must click on the Disable all button.
• Click on the Apply button and then click on the OK button to save the changes you made to your system configuration.
• At this point, you have to open the Task Manager application. You can use this keyboard shortcut to launch it quickly: Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
• Once the Task Manager window appears, you have to click on the Startup tab to go there.
• To disable a startup item, you have to right-click on it to see its context menu there and choose the Disable option.

You have to perform the disabling task on all the third-party programs listed under the Startup tab. You will know you have done a good job when the value under Status for each startup item reads Disabled.

• Close the Task Manager window and then restart your computer.

If you did everything correctly, then your PC will end up in the clean boot environment. You know what you have to do there.

Other things you can try to resolve the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL Blue Screen of Death error on Windows 10 PCs

If you came here to learn how to fix the error 0xa3 ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL issue, then you might be disappointed to leave without finding a fix. The procedures and workarounds that make up our final list are unlikely to fail you.

7. Run a scan for viruses and malware:

If malicious programs have anything to do with the Blue Screen of Death issue, then this is the only way you get to find out. After the cleanup, you have to restart your computer.

8. Uninstall the programs you recently installed:

If the appearance of the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL BSOD coincided with the introduction of a new program (or new application version) on your computer, then you have to remove the program (or update) and then check if things have gotten better.

9. Uninstall Windows updates (in safe mode):

If you started struggling with the blue screen issue not long after you got your computer to download and install Windows updates, then you have to try removing those updates and then observe the results of your action.

10. Run scans using the SFC and DISM tools:

If the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL Blue Screen of Death is down to file corruption or related data damage – especially those affecting essential system entries – then the SFC and DISM utilities will assist you in figuring out and rectifying the problems.

11. Use System Restore:

If all else fails, then you must try to get your computer back to an old state – one where the ACPI_DRIVER_INTERNAL Blue Screen of Death error cannot be triggered or where the factors that give rise to the crash are nonexistent.

12. Reset Windows; Install a fresh copy of Windows 10.