Indicates a system driver that is unlikely to be causing the problem (for example, win32k.sys). In this case, you will need a serious analysis of the dump, which requires very deep knowledge and experience in this area. However, you can check the drivers yourself using the checker built into the operating system. Verifier.exe. Although it is covered in detail in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article Using the Driver Verifier to Troubleshoot Windows Drivers, the material presented there is presented at a fairly technical level. The following is a brief description of the steps you need to follow to check the drivers.
On this page
Getting Started with the Driver Verifier
On the menu Start — Run(or Start — Search) enter verifier and press Enter. The Driver Verifier will launch. Select an item Create custom parameters (for program code) and press the button Further.
Select individual options from a complete list and press the button Further.
In the next step, check all the boxes except Simulation of a lack of resources and press the button Further.
In the next step, select Automatically select unsigned drivers and press the button Further. If no unsigned drivers are found, go to .
Unsigned drivers
If unsigned drivers are found, you will see a list of them.
Drivers can belong to both devices and applications. Do not close the Driver Verifier window or click the button Further Now.
Search for updated drivers
You need to check if there are updated drivers.
- If you see an application driver in the list, visit its manufacturer's website - the application may have been updated. If there is no updated version, you can try uninstalling the app (you can always reinstall it later). If critical errors stop, it was the cause.
- If you see a device driver listed and you are running Windows Vista, use the windows updates to search for new drivers. This method works well for Windows Vista because many device manufacturers work with Microsoft to make their drivers available for download through Windows Update. In the control panel, select Windows Update and check for updates for your device driver. If the driver is found, install it.
- If Windows Update doesn't offer you new drivers, visit the device manufacturer's website. Perhaps new drivers are available there. If you are having trouble finding drivers, please visit the Find Drivers, Firmwares and Manuals forum on OSzone.net.
After updating the application or driver, close the Driver Verifier window, pressing a button Cancel(but not Further) . Restart your computer and continue working on the operating system. If the critical error no longer occurs, you have fixed it by updating the driver.
Uninstalling drivers
If no new drivers are found, try uninstalling the driver.
Attention! Removing drivers causes the devices to be inoperable. After a reboot at best operating system will install the appropriate driver from its own driver store. If you are unsure whether to uninstall a particular driver, do not uninstall it.
In device manager ( Start — Search / Run — devmgmt.msc — OK) find the device, right-click on it and select the item from the context menu Properties. Then go to the tab Driver and press the button Delete.
Checking for Unsigned Drivers
Attention! After checking for unsigned drivers, the system may not boot (see below how to proceed in such a situation).
If you don't want to uninstall the driver and/or want to check for unsigned drivers, in the Driver Verifier window, click Further. You will be prompted to select a physical disk.
Ready, then restart your computer. If after reboot you see blue screen with an error, the problematic driver has been identified - its name will be included in the error message. Enter Safe Mode and reset all driver verification options by typing in Start — Search / Run command verifier.exe /reset.
If the system booted normally, the check for unsigned drivers was successful - they are not the source of the problem. You can see a list of verified drivers by running verifier.exe .
Since unsigned drivers are not the cause of the fatal error, you need to check other drivers.
Custom driver check
If no unsigned drivers are found, or if the driver check does not reveal any problems, you will have to perform a custom driver check. In this case, in the window shown below, select the item Select a driver name from the list.
In the next step, you will be prompted to select the drivers to check. Don't select all drivers at once, since checking them will take a lot of time and system resources.
Therefore, the verification may have to be carried out in several stages. The step-by-step sequence for selecting drivers can be as follows:
- Recently updated drivers or those that typically cause problems (drivers antivirus programs, firewalls, virtual disks).
- Drivers not supplied by Microsoft.
- A group of 10 - 15 drivers at a time.
Select the drive where the operating system is installed and click Ready, then restart your computer.
Attention! After checking the drivers, the system may not boot (see below how to proceed in such a situation).
If you see a blue screen with an error after rebooting, the problematic driver has been identified - its name will be included in the error message. Restart your computer and enter safe mode by clicking F8 while loading. After logging in, reset all driver verification options by typing in Start — Search / Run command verifier.exe /reset.
If the system booted normally, the selected drivers were checked successfully - they are not the source of the problem. You can see a list of verified drivers by running verifier.exe and choosing at the first step the item Display information about current tested drivers.
Now select next group drivers and recheck.
All drivers checked - what's next?
If the verification of all drivers was successful, I must take my hat off to your patience and perseverance. Most likely, the drivers are not the cause of the critical error that occurs on your system. It is possible that the problem lies in the hardware of your computer - for example, in a faulty hard drive or RAM, or the power supply does not have enough power to power all devices. There may be other hardware problems that cannot be detected by checking the drivers either.
Using the system utility supplied with Windows Vista/7 Driver Verifier Manager, you can conduct a comprehensive diagnosis of the drivers installed in the system and find problematic components that disrupt the stable operation of the computer and the equipment connected to it.
To run the mentioned tool, you need to log in to Windows with administrator rights, then in the address bar of the Start -> Run menu, enter the command verifier.exe and click OK. As a result, a driver check manager window will open, in which you will need to scratch your head and decide on the appropriate option to launch the utility. You can perform both selective and full testing of all drivers without exception.
After setting the program operation mode and pressing the “Finish” button, you will need to restart the computer and wait for the operating system to load. If a bad driver is found, Windows will fall into the so-called “Blue Screen of Death” (BSOD - Blue Screen Of Death) and report a critical error containing information about the problematic component, which must be taken on a pencil.
The next step is to remove the defective driver files. To do this, hold down the F8 key when starting the computer, start the system in safe mode (Safe Mode) and then eliminate the failed component using standard Windows tools. Then you will need to open the console again and enter the instruction verifier.exe /reset to deactivate the Driver Verifier Manager application. It is important to note that entering the last command is also required if the computer boots successfully, indicating that there are no problematic drivers.
For more background information on this subject, see the article "Using the Driver Verifier to Diagnose Problems with Windows Drivers (Advanced)" on the Microsoft Support site.
Indicates a system driver that is unlikely to be causing the problem (for example, win32k.sys). In this case, you will need a serious analysis of the dump, which requires very deep knowledge and experience in this area. However, you can check the drivers yourself using the checker built into the operating system. Verifier.exe. Although it is covered in detail in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article Using the Driver Verifier to Troubleshoot Windows Drivers, the material presented there is presented at a fairly technical level. The following is a brief description of the steps you need to follow to check the drivers.
On this page
Getting Started with the Driver Verifier
On the menu Start - Run(or Start - Search) enter verifier and press Enter. The Driver Verifier will launch. Select an item Create custom parameters (for program code) and press the button Further.
Select individual options from a complete list and press the button Further.
In the next step, check all the boxes except Simulation of a lack of resources and press the button Further.
In the next step, select Automatically select unsigned drivers and press the button Further. If no unsigned drivers are found, go to .
Unsigned drivers
If unsigned drivers are found, you will see a list of them.
Drivers can belong to both devices and applications. Do not close the Driver Verifier window or click the button Further Now.
Search for updated drivers
You need to check if there are updated drivers.
- If you see an application driver in the list, visit its manufacturer's website - the application may have been updated. If there is no updated version, you can try uninstalling the app (you can always reinstall it later). If critical errors stop, it was the cause.
- If you see a device driver listed and you're running Windows Vista, use Windows Update to look for new drivers. This method works well for Windows Vista because many device manufacturers work with Microsoft to make their drivers available for download through Windows Update. In the control panel, select Windows Update and check for updates for your device driver. If the driver is found, install it.
- If Windows Update doesn't offer you new drivers, visit the device manufacturer's website. Perhaps new drivers are available there. If you're having trouble finding drivers, check out the forum on the site.
After updating the application or driver, close the Driver Verifier window, pressing a button Cancel(but not Further) . Restart your computer and continue working on the operating system. If the critical error no longer occurs, you have fixed it by updating the driver.
Uninstalling drivers
If no new drivers are found, try uninstalling the driver.
Attention! Removing drivers causes the devices to be inoperable. After a reboot, at best, the operating system will install the appropriate driver from its own driver store. If you are unsure whether to uninstall a particular driver, do not uninstall it.
In device manager ( Start - Search / Run - devmgmt.msc - OK) find the device, right-click on it and select the item from the context menu Properties. Then go to the tab Driver and press the button Delete.
Checking for Unsigned Drivers
Attention! After checking for unsigned drivers, the system may not boot (see below how to proceed in such a situation).
If you don't want to uninstall the driver and/or want to check for unsigned drivers, in the Driver Verifier window, click Further. You will be prompted to select a physical disk.
Ready, then restart your computer. If you see a blue screen with an error after rebooting, the problematic driver has been identified - its name will be included in the error message. Restart your computer and enter safe mode by clicking F8 Start - Search / Run command verifier.exe /reset.
If the system booted normally, the check for unsigned drivers was successful - they are not the source of the problem. You can see a list of verified drivers by running verifier.exe .
Since unsigned drivers are not the cause of the fatal error, you need to check other drivers.
Custom driver check
If no unsigned drivers are found, or if the driver check does not reveal any problems, you will have to perform a custom driver check. In this case, in the window shown below, select the item Select a driver name from the list.
In the next step, you will be prompted to select the drivers to check. Don't select all drivers at once, since checking them will take a lot of time and system resources.
Therefore, the verification may have to be carried out in several stages. The step-by-step sequence for selecting drivers can be as follows:
- Recently updated drivers or those that typically cause problems (antivirus, firewall, virtual disk drivers).
- Drivers not supplied by Microsoft.
- A group of 10 - 15 drivers at a time.
Select the drive where the operating system is installed and click Ready, then restart your computer.
Attention! After checking the drivers, the system may not boot (see below how to proceed in such a situation).
If you see a blue screen with an error after rebooting, the problematic driver has been identified - its name will be included in the error message. Restart your computer and enter safe mode by clicking F8 while loading. After logging in, reset all driver verification options by typing in Start - Search / Run command verifier.exe /reset.
If the system booted normally, the selected drivers were checked successfully - they are not the source of the problem. You can see a list of verified drivers by running verifier.exe and choosing at the first step the item Display information about current tested drivers.
Now select the next group of drivers and check again.
All drivers checked - what's next?
If the verification of all drivers was successful, I must take my hat off to your patience and perseverance. Most likely, the drivers are not the cause of the critical error that occurs on your system. It is possible that the problem lies in the hardware of your computer - for example, in a faulty hard drive or RAM, or the power supply does not have enough power to power all devices. There may be other hardware problems that cannot be detected by checking the drivers either.
A faulty driver can cause many problems with your computer. The main sign that your computer has a faulty driver is the blue screen of death, which is often caused by a driver being disabled.
In this article, we will tell you how you can find a faulty driver, and then update it or completely remove it.
Sometimes Windows notifies the user that one of the drivers has failed. However, it happens that the system cannot detect what the problem is, therefore it does not issue error messages, which is why it works slower or not as required. In this case Driver Check Manager(Driver Verifier) creates an additional load on system drivers, thereby trying to cause a crash. If one of the drivers fails, then Driver Check Manager report a problem with a blue screen.
Warning
Before use Driver Check Manager, please note that the tool may restrict you from using your own computer. Because the Driver Check Manager launches a blue screen of death when it detects a faulty driver, this can cause big problems when loading Windows.
If you don't have a chance to get into Windows to disable driver testing, your computer will go into a "boot -> load -> crash" loop that's pretty hard to get out of. The Automatic Repair feature is one of the few options to access Windows, but it's best to avoid this situation.
Before using Driver Verifier, make sure you have at least one of the following escapes:
- You can go into safe mode. Switching to safe mode before starting Windows boot usually done by repeatedly pressing F8 while the computer is booting up. However, new computers boot up so fast that you simply won't have time to press F8 at the right moment.
- You created a system restore point before using Driver Check Manager. It is also desirable to have an installation Windows disk so you can restore your computer to factory settings.
How to run the Driver Verification Manager
Before starting the instructions for use Driver Verification Manager, make sure you read the "Warning" section above. It says how to avoid endless loading of Windows.
When you are one hundred percent sure that you have an emergency exit plan, click " Windows Key + R» and enter cmd in the dialog box Run", then press " OK».
In the command window, enter:
verifier
In the popup window select " Create custom parameters (for program code)", then press " Further».
You will see a list of all the tests that you can run to verify the drivers. Select all tests from the list, except"Simulate random resource shortage" and "Additional DDI Compliance Check", then click " Further».
On the next screen select " Choosedriver names from the list" and press " Further».
Here you can select the drivers you want to test. If you don't know which driver is malfunctioning, choose all but Microsoft because they most often work without errors.
When you click " Ready”, Windows will prompt you to restart your PC. After the computer turns on, continue using it as you normally would. If you get a blue screen, pay attention to the error message and restart your computer.
Once you have identified the faulty driver, you can disable Driver Check Manager in one of two ways. You can rediscover command line, enter the command verifier, and select " Delete existing options».
You can also open a command prompt and type:
Verifier /bootmode resetonbootfail
After disabling Driver Verification Manager, restart your computer. If the computer does not turn on, then use one of the emergency exits that we talked about in the "Warning" section.
Conclusion
If you think one of the drivers is malfunctioning but can't figure out which one, then Driver Check Manager will be a great help.
However, you should be prepared for the fact that the computer will not be able to turn on after testing the drivers, so consider an emergency exit, such as going into safe mode or starting a Windows restore point.
Have you ever had problems with drivers on your computer? How did you manage to find the faulty driver? Tell us in the comments below!
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