DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION: Driver Verifier Is Switched On

What causes DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION

• Driver Verifier is monitoring one or more drivers and found a fatal error in one of them.
• The first parameter of the stop code identifies the type of violation; Microsoft's page lists every value.

How to fix DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION, safest step first

The steps come from Microsoft's guidance, with the reversible ones first. Each one says how to put back what it changed. If Windows cannot start normally, Microsoft's basic steps say to start in safe mode and continue from there.

1. 01

   Write down the stop code and the file the screen names

   Microsoft Support says the stop code appears at the bottom of the screen and, when Windows knows it, so does the name of the module that was running. If the screen went by too fast, the command under Check it yourself lists the stop codes Windows recorded, and Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System shows the errors logged around the restart.

   To undo: Nothing to undo: this only reads information.

2. 02

   See whether Driver Verifier is on

   Open Command Prompt and run verifier /querysettings. Microsoft documents it as showing the options that will be activated and the drivers that will be verified after the next boot. On the test PC it ran without administrator rights and, with Driver Verifier off, listed every option unticked.

   To undo: Nothing to undo: this only reads the settings.

3. 03

   Turn Driver Verifier off

   Open Command Prompt as administrator, run verifier /reset and restart. Microsoft: it "clears all Driver Verifier settings. After the next boot, no drivers will be verified." If Windows cannot start normally, Microsoft's basic steps say to start in safe mode and continue from there.

   To undo: Driver Verifier can be set up again with the verifier command; keep the output of the previous step if you want the same settings back.

4. 04

   Update the driver the screen names

   Microsoft's advice when a driver is identified in the bug check message is to disable the driver or check with the manufacturer for driver updates. In Device Manager, right-click the device and choose Update driver, or install the current package from the manufacturer's support page for your exact model. Microsoft suggests you might also consider removing the driver that caused the problem.

   To undo: Open the device's Properties > Driver tab and choose Roll Back Driver, or apply the restore point.

5. 05

   If it started after a driver update, roll the driver back

   In Device Manager, right-click the device, choose Properties, open the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver, then give a reason and confirm. Microsoft notes that you need administrator rights, and that going back to the previous driver often fixes a problem that appeared after an update. The button is greyed out when Windows kept no earlier driver for the device.

   To undo: Rolling back is the undo for the update. To return to the newer driver, install it again with Update driver or from the manufacturer's package.

Check it yourself

1. 01

   List the stop codes Windows recorded (PowerShell)

   Each entry gives the date, the stop code as a hexadecimal number with its four parameters, and where the dump file was saved. On the test PC, Windows 11 build 26300, this ran without administrator rights. An error saying no events were found means Windows recorded none. This stop code appears there as 0x000000c4.

   Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{ LogName='System'; Id=1001;
     ProviderName='Microsoft-Windows-WER-SystemErrorReporting' } -MaxEvents 5 |
     Format-List TimeCreated, Message

   PowerShellCopy
2. 02

   List the driver packages installed on the PC

   Shows every third-party driver package with its provider, class, version and date, so you can see what was installed around the first crash. Nothing is changed.

   pnputil /enum-drivers

   cmdCopy