STATUS_ACPI_HANDLER_COLLISION 0XC014000E Fix

Quick answer: Boot into Safe Mode, open Device Manager, and uninstall any recently added or updated drivers under System Devices — specifically the Microsoft ACPI-Compliant System entries. Then run sfc /scannow and dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth.

This error — STATUS_ACPI_HANDLER_COLLISION (0XC014000E) — pops up when two different drivers try to register a handler for the same Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) control method. ACPI is the interface between your OS and motherboard firmware for things like power management, CPU frequency scaling, and sleep states. The collision usually happens right after installing a new driver, updating Windows, or adding new hardware — especially if the new driver doesn't play well with an existing one.

You'll typically see this as a blue screen of death (BSOD) with that stop code. It can happen at boot, during driver installation, or when the system tries to enter sleep or hibernate. I've seen it most often on laptops after a BIOS update gone wrong or when someone installs a generic driver over a manufacturer-specific one.

How to fix STATUS_ACPI_HANDLER_COLLISION

Boot into Safe Mode. Restart your PC and press F8 (or Shift + Restart from the sign-in screen) to get to Advanced Startup. Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart. Then press 4 or F4 for Safe Mode. If you can't get there, use a Windows installation USB and select Repair your computer.
Open Device Manager. Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager. Expand the System Devices section.
Look for Microsoft ACPI-Compliant System entries. You'll likely see several of them. Right-click each one and check its Driver tab. Sort by driver date — the newest one is usually the culprit if the problem started after an update.
Uninstall the offending driver. Right-click the driver you suspect and choose Uninstall device. Check the box to Delete the driver software for this device if it appears. Do this for any driver that seems out of place — like a vendor-specific ACPI driver that replaced Microsoft's.
Run system file checker. Open Command Prompt as admin (search cmd, right-click, Run as administrator). Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. Let it finish. It'll replace corrupted system files. After that, run dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth to fix the component store if SFC found issues.
Restart normally. If Safe Mode didn't show any drivers to uninstall, restart and try the next section.

Alternative fixes if the main steps don't work

Roll back your BIOS to a previous version. A bad BIOS update can introduce ACPI changes that conflict with existing drivers. Check your motherboard or laptop manufacturer's support site for older BIOS versions and follow their flash instructions. This is risky — don't do it unless you're sure the BIOS update caused the error.
Disable specific ACPI devices in Device Manager. In Safe Mode, go to Device Manager, find System Devices, and look for entries like ACPI Fan, ACPI Lid, or ACPI Battery. Right-click and disable them one by one. Reboot after each disable to see if the error stops. This is a diagnostic step — you'll lose the feature of that component (e.g., sleep mode won't work if you disable the lid sensor).
Use System Restore. Boot to Advanced Startup again, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > System Restore. Pick a restore point from before the error started. This undoes any driver or Windows update changes.
Run the ACPI driver update tool from your motherboard vendor. Companies like Intel, AMD, Dell, and Lenovo have their own driver update utilities. These often install chipset drivers that resolve ACPI conflicts. Don't use Windows Update for this — go straight to the manufacturer's site and download the latest chipset driver package.
Check for third-party software conflicts. Programs that manage power profiles or overclocking (like MSI Afterburner, AMD Ryzen Master, or Lenovo Vantage) can sometimes register custom ACPI handlers. Uninstall any such software temporarily to see if the error goes away.

Prevention tip

Before updating any driver — especially chipset, BIOS, or ACPI drivers — create a system restore point. Go to Control Panel > System > System Protection > Create. Also, always download drivers from your PC maker's website, not from generic sources. Generic drivers are a common cause of this collision because they don't account for manufacturer-specific ACPI methods. If you have to use a generic driver, make a full backup first.