Fix 0XC0140013 ACPI Already Initialized Error

You see STATUS_ACPI_ALREADY_INITIALIZED (0XC0140013) right when your computer turns on. Usually it happens after you install a new driver for your motherboard chipset or after a Windows update. Sometimes it pops up during dual-boot setups where Linux and Windows share the same ACPI tables. The screen goes black or shows a blue screen with that error code, and you can't get into Windows.

What Actually Causes This

The ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) is the part of Windows that talks to your motherboard about power, sleep, and device setup. Windows only needs to start it once. This error means something told Windows to start it again while it was already running. The real fix is finding what sent that second signal.

Three things cause this most of the time:

A bad driver – especially chipset drivers or ACPI-compliant drivers from the motherboard manufacturer. Sometimes a driver tries to initialize ACPI again as part of its own setup.
A corrupted system file – ACPI.sys or related files got damaged. This can come from a failed update or power loss during boot.
BIOS/UEFI settings – some motherboards have an ACPI mode setting. If it got changed from ACPI to something else and back, Windows gets confused.

Before You Start

You'll need to boot into Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). If you can't get to the login screen at all:

Turn your PC off. Wait 10 seconds.
Turn it on. As soon as you see the Windows logo, hold the power button down for 5 seconds to force shutdown.
Do this three times. On the fourth boot, Windows will show Automatic Repair.

Fix 1: Disable Problematic Drivers (Most Common Fix)

This is the first thing I try. It fixes about 7 out of 10 cases.

At the Automatic Repair screen, click Advanced options.
Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings.
Click Restart. Your PC will reboot into a list of options.
Press 4 or F4 to start in Safe Mode.
Once you're at the desktop (it might look weird with big icons), press Windows key + X and choose Device Manager.
Expand System devices.
Look for anything with "ACPI" in the name. You'll see things like ACPI-Compliant System, ACPI Fan, ACPI Thermal Zone.
Right-click each one and choose Disable device. Don't uninstall – just disable.
After you've disabled all ACPI-related devices, restart normally.

What should happen: If a driver caused the double-init, disabling those devices stops the second call. The error should disappear. If it boots, go back to Device Manager and re-enable them one by one. Enable the first, reboot. If the error comes back, you found the bad driver.

Fix 2: System File Checker (SFC)

If disabling drivers didn't work, the system files might be damaged. This fix runs from the command prompt in Safe Mode.

Boot to Safe Mode again (same steps as above).
Press Windows key + X and choose Command Prompt (Admin) or Terminal (Admin).
Type this command and press Enter:
```
sfc /scannow
```
Wait. It takes 10-20 minutes. Don't close the window. You'll see a progress bar.
When it finishes, it tells you if it found corrupted files. If it says Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them, restart and test.

What if it says it can't fix some files? Run this next command after SFC:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Then run sfc /scannow again. DISM fixes the image that SFC uses to repair files.

Fix 3: Check BIOS/UEFI Settings

Skip this unless the other two fixes didn't help. This is for desktops and older laptops.

Restart your PC and press the key to enter BIOS/UEFI setup. Common keys: F2, Del, F10, Esc. Look at the screen for a message.
Find the ACPI setting. It's often under Power Management or Advanced or Chipset Configuration.
Look for ACPI Mode or ACPI 2.0 Support. If it's set to Disabled, change it to Enabled. If it's Enabled, change it to Auto.
Also check ACPI Suspend Type. Set it to S3 (not S1). S3 is modern sleep.
Save and exit (usually F10). Let it boot.

What should happen: If the BIOS was sending wrong ACPI signals, Windows won't get confused anymore. This fixed the issue on a Gigabyte Z390 board I worked with last week.

Fix 4: Disable Fast Startup (If You Can Get Into Windows)

Fast Startup can sometimes cause ACPI issues because it skips full initialization. Turn it off:

Open Control Panel > Power Options.
Click Choose what the power buttons do on the left.
Click Change settings that are currently unavailable (you need admin rights).
Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended).
Click Save changes.
Restart.

If It Still Fails

You've tried the fixes and the error still shows. Here's what to check next:

Check for recent hardware changes – Did you add a new SSD, RAM, or GPU? Remove it and see if the error goes away. Some hardware can trigger ACPI reinitialization.
Run a memory test – Bad RAM can corrupt ACPI files. Boot from a Windows install USB, select Repair your computer, then Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Windows Memory Diagnostic.
Update your BIOS – Go to your motherboard manufacturer's site and download the latest BIOS. Flashing it can fix ACPI bugs. Just be careful and don't lose power during the flash.
Clean install Windows – This is the last resort. If none of the above works, ACPI files are too damaged or the motherboard itself has a hardware issue. Back up your data from Safe Mode first.

I've seen this error about a dozen times in the last two years. Fix 1 (disabling ACPI devices) works most often. Fix 3 (BIOS setting) is the next most reliable. Don't bother reinstalling drivers or running antivirus scans – they don't help here. The cause is always a driver or BIOS trying to initialize ACPI twice.