Windows BSOD Error 0x000001C5 — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

Windows BSOD 0x000001C5 (DRIVER_VERIFIER_DMA_VIOLATION) means a driver tried to perform an illegal DMA (Direct Memory Access) operation. DMA is how hardware devices directly read and write memory — bypassing the CPU for speed. When a driver does this incorrectly, Windows crashes to prevent data corruption. This error often points to a driver bug in graphics cards, network adapters, or storage controllers.

Affected Models

Windows 10
Windows 11

Common Causes

A hardware driver (GPU, network, USB, storage) is performing DMA operations incorrectly
Driver Verifier's DMA remapping verification is enabled and caught a rule violation
An outdated or incompatible device driver is not following Windows DMA protection rules
A PCIe device driver has not been updated to support Windows DMA Guard
A third-party hardware driver installed recently has a bug in its DMA handling

How to Fix It

Disable Driver Verifier if it is enabled. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and type: verifier /query to see if it is active. If it is, type: verifier /reset and restart your PC. This will stop the BSODs triggered by Verifier catching the DMA issue.

Driver Verifier actively provokes drivers to expose bugs. Disabling it stops the crashes but does not fix the underlying driver. However, most systems function fine with the driver still installed.
Update your graphics card driver. Nvidia drivers: visit nvidia.com/drivers. AMD drivers: visit amd.com/support. Intel graphics: visit intel.com/content/www/us/en/support. Download and install the latest version, reboot after.

GPU drivers are the most common culprit for DMA violation errors. Always get drivers directly from the manufacturer, not Windows Update.
Update your motherboard chipset drivers. Go to your motherboard manufacturer's website (ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock, etc.), find your model, and download the latest chipset driver package.

Chipset drivers control how the CPU and all connected hardware communicate. Outdated chipset drivers cause many types of DMA errors.
Analyze crash dump files to identify the exact driver. Open Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System and look for errors at the crash time. Alternatively, use WhoCrashed (free download) to read the minidump files in C:\Windows\Minidump.

The crash dump names the specific driver file (usually ending in .sys) that caused the error. Once you have the name, you can look up which hardware it belongs to and update or uninstall it.
If a specific piece of hardware is identified, remove it temporarily. Shut down the PC, unplug it, and physically remove the suspected card (GPU, network card, sound card). Boot and check if the crashes stop. This confirms whether it is a hardware driver issue.

Removing hardware is a definitive test. If the crashes stop after removing a specific device, that device's driver is the problem. Update, downgrade, or replace the hardware.

When to Call a Professional

If you cannot identify the offending driver after checking crash dumps, bring the computer to a repair technician. They can analyze minidump files in detail and check if any hardware is actually malfunctioning. For new PCs still under warranty, contact the manufacturer — a driver bug this specific sometimes requires a firmware or driver update from them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is DMA and why does it cause crashes?

DMA (Direct Memory Access) lets hardware devices — like your graphics card or network adapter — read and write system memory directly, without involving the CPU. This makes data transfers very fast. But if a driver uses DMA incorrectly — accessing memory it should not touch — it can corrupt data or cause security vulnerabilities. Windows DMA protection is designed to catch and block these illegal operations, which is why a BSOD occurs.

Could this BSOD be caused by a virus?

Rarely, but it is possible. Some malware installs driver-level components that can cause DMA errors. Run a full system scan with Windows Defender or another trusted antivirus tool. If malware is found, remove it and see if the crashes stop. However, a legitimate driver bug is a far more common cause than malware.

Will updating drivers erase any of my files?

No. Updating device drivers does not touch your personal files, documents, photos, or installed programs. A driver update only replaces the small software file that controls a specific piece of hardware. It is always safe to update drivers, and you can roll back a driver update through Device Manager if the new version causes problems.