220-1102 Software Troubleshooting Practice Question
A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 workstation that crashes with a blue screen error 0x0000009F (DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE) every time the computer is put to sleep. The technician has updated all power-related drivers, disabled sleep in power options, and run SFC and DISM without finding issues. The crash still occurs when the user manually selects 'Sleep' from the Start menu. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume driver updates always fix power-related crashes, but the question specifically tests the distinction between driver software bugs and hardware firmware bugs, which can cause the same stop code even with correct drivers.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
A hardware device has a firmware bug that fails during power state transitions
The DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (0x0000009F) bug check occurs when a driver fails to complete a power state transition within the required time window. Since the technician has already updated power-related drivers, disabled sleep, and verified system file integrity with SFC and DISM, the most likely remaining cause is a hardware device with a firmware bug that fails to properly handle D-state transitions (e.g., D0 to D3) when the system enters sleep. Firmware bugs in devices like network adapters, USB controllers, or graphics cards can cause this crash even if the driver itself is up to date.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
A hardware device has a firmware bug that fails during power state transitions
Why this is correct
Correct. A faulty firmware in a device (e.g., USB hub, network card) can cause a power state failure even when drivers appear updated. Replacing the device or installing a firmware update can resolve the issue.
- ✗
The Windows installation is corrupted beyond repair by standard tools
Why it's wrong here
SFC and DISM directly validate the integrity of Windows system files and the component store, respectively; a full repair cycle that completes without errors strongly indicates the OS isn't corrupt beyond repair. If the installation were truly unrecoverable, you'd see persistent boot failures, DLL errors, or widespread application crashes—not a clean, reproducible crash only when entering sleep. Since the transition to sleep relies on kernel power management and device firmware, a corruption-based explanation is far weaker than a hardware firmware defect.
- ✗
A third-party service configured to run during sleep is causing the crash
Why it's wrong here
User-mode services are frozen and stop receiving CPU time once the system enters the sleep transition; they don't execute during the actual power state change. A service-induced crash would more plausibly happen after resume, when the service resumes and tries to reinitialize a peripheral or API call. The fact that the crash occurs at the precise moment of sleep implicates kernel-mode drivers and ACPI firmware—not a background service that's paused at that point.
- ✗
The computer is infected with a rootkit that interferes with power management
Why it's wrong here
While a rootkit could theoretically hook power management routines, doing so on a 64-bit Windows 10 system would require bypassing Secure Boot, Driver Signature Enforcement, and PatchGuard, which is exceedingly rare in practice. Moreover, rootkit behavior is designed for stealth, so a crash that occurs deterministically on every sleep attempt is more consistent with a firmware bug than with stealthy malware. The failed malware scans further redirect the diagnosis toward a specific hardware/firmware interaction failure during power state transitions.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Troubleshoot: Mobile OS Issues
Key term
Windows
Windows is a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft that manages computer hardware and software, providing a graphical user interface for users to interact with their devices.
Key term
Integrity
Integrity is the assurance that data has not been altered or tampered with in an unauthorized way, preserving its accuracy and consistency from source to destination.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1102 exam.