5 Ways to Overcome DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL in Windows

 Windows 10 has a large number of error messages, and the DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error is one of them. If you find this stop code, you don't need to worry, because this time we will discuss how to solve this DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error.

What is the DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Error?

This DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error is related to your system driver and carries a stop code of 0x000000D1. The error indicates “that a kernel-mode driver attempted to access pageable memory while the process IRQL is too high.”

This error stems from a communication problem between your hardware and processor. When your hardware wants to tell the CPU that something is going to happen, it creates an interrupt. If too many hardware bits try to communicate simultaneously, or rather, there's a configuration error somewhere, the interrupt request level (IRQL) goes up.

In this case, the hardware is trying to access a part of your system memory that it can't because the CPU is processing other things. Drivers help with hardware communication, allow your GPU to talk to the CPU, and so on. If a driver tries to access a memory address it doesn't have proper access to, it can cause your system to crash. One of the most common drivers involved with the 0x000000D1 error are your network drivers, specifically the system file ndis.sys.

How to Overcome DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Since the DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error is related to your system's drivers, there are several easy fixes available.

1. Check for Updates

Check for Updates

It's clear, you should always check for updates or updates. There might be a bug fix in a future update related to your faulty driver, and installing the update might make everything fine.

Press Windows key + I to open the Settings panel. Now go to Update & Security , then check under Windows Update for any pending updates. If there is an update, save any important files, then press Restart now. Your system will reboot during the process.

2. Update System Drivers

Windows 10 takes care of updating your drivers, but that doesn't mean the drivers will be updated to the appropriate versions. It also doesn't stop driver corruption, where drivers become buggy or corrupt over time. Driver errors are less common in Windows 10 than in older versions of Windows, but they do still happen.

Check Drivers

If you want to see the latest driver updates, Press Windows key + I to open the Settings panel, then select Update & Security > View update history. You can find any drivers that require updating here.

Update System Drivers

If the driver update history page says nothing, it's time to check Device Manager. Type Device Manager in the Start Menu search bar and select the most suitable one. Check the list for any yellow error indicators. If not, it is unlikely that the driver is the source of the problem.

However, because DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL is often associated with the ndis.sys system file, you must perform a manual network adapter update here.

Go to the Network adapters section, right-click the driver for the Wi-Fi adapter or Ethernet adapter (or both), and select Update driver. Now, select Search automatically for updated driver software, and Windows will automate the updating process for you.

3. Uninstall And Reinstall Network Drivers

If updating Windows 10 and updating drivers still doesn't work, you can try to install a clean driver. That means you have to remove the driver from your system, then install the latest version without help from Windows.

As this is related to network adapters, you need to download the correct drivers beforehand, because after you remove your network adapter drivers, your internet connection may stop working.

Return to Device Manager and open the Network adapters section. Now, copy and paste the driver name into an internet search engine. For example, we will perform a search for “Intel (R) Ethernet Connection” to find the latest drivers for the Ethernet adapter.

Browse and download the latest version of network adapters available for your hardware. Most drivers come with an automatic installation file called setup.exe, which you will find somewhere in the downloaded driver files.

Uninstall And Reinstall Network Drivers

Once you have downloaded the correct network adapter driver, you can go ahead and uninstall the existing network adapter driver. In Device Manager, right-click your existing network adapter driver and select Uninstall.

When finished uninstalling the driver, locate the new network adapter driver and run the installation program. After the installation is complete, restart your computer.

4. Run SFC and CHKDSK

Windows 10 includes several integrated system tools that will repair a corrupted file system. If driver updates and replacements don't work, it could be a corrupted file elsewhere on your system. The DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error could be related to your paging file, which is a type of virtual system memory. Running SFC and CHKDSK can fix any corruption related to the paging file.

Windows System File Check (SFC) fixes errors related to Windows system files, automatically scanning and fixing errors.

Before running SFC command, it is important to check if the system is working properly. To do this, you can use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool, or DISM.

Like SFC, DISM is an integrated Windows utility with multiple functions. In this case, the DISM Restorehealth command ensures that your next repair will work properly. Perform the following steps.

Deployment Image Servicing and Management

1. Type Command Prompt (Admin) in the Start menu search bar, then right-click and select Run as administrator to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.

2. Type the following command and press Enter: DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

3. Wait for the command to complete. The process can take up to 20 minutes depending on the health of your system. The process seems to crash at certain times, but wait for it to finish.

Run SFC

When the process is complete, type sfc /scannow and press Enter.

CHKDSK is another Windows system tool that checks your file structure. Unlike SFC, CHKDSK scans your entire drive for errors, whereas SFC scans your Windows system files specifically. Like SFC, run a CHKDSK scan from the Command Prompt to repair your machine.

Run CHKDSK in CMD

1. Type command prompt in the Start menu search bar, then right-click the most suitable and select Run as administrator. (Alternatively, press Windows key + X , then choose Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu.)

2. Next, type chkdsk /r and press Enter. The command will scan your system for errors and fix any issues along the way.

5. Check for Viruses/Malware

We all have a strong desire to download or use files and software for free from unverified sources. Many times, such activities can prove to be lethal, such as malware or virus infection inside the PC.

These files can also cause network drivers to become corrupted. If so, then it is recommended to immediately remove the software or files from the computer and perform a full virus scan of the system with reliable antivirus software or Windows Defender.

Conclusion

So those are some ways to solve the DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error. We hope that one of these fixes can solve your problem. While the DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error is frustrating, it's not a very difficult problem to remove from your system. Perform these steps one by one, and your system will be back up and running properly in no time.

The important thing to remember is to download the new network adapter driver before removing the old one. If you do it the wrong way, for example, remove the driver first, you might have a hard time downloading the new network adapter driver, especially if you don't have another device available.