How to find out which drivers are conflicting. Driver diagnostics. All drivers checked - what's next

So, you have a recurring blue screen of death, and like many BSoDs, it's because a bad driver is to blame. However, the screen doesn't give you the correct information, either because it doesn't contain any driver at all, or because it lists a system driver that acts like a bogus one.

Driver Verifier is a free utility included with all versions of Windows from Windows XP. It literally checks every one of the drivers on your PC until it hits the issue that caused the problem, intentionally creating the same blue screen but then writing the information to a log file helping you identify the problem.

Run driver driver

If you experience the same blue screen frequently and you would like to get active and fix it, here is how to use Driver Verifier.

  1. Click the button Start
  2. Click " Execute"...
  3. Enter cmd and press Enter.
  4. In the new window enter verifier and press Enter.


On Windows Vista and 7:

  1. Click the button Start
  2. Enter cmd in the box and click Enter.
  3. In the new window enter verifier and press Enter.


On Windows 8 and 8.1:

  1. Press key Windows+X
  2. Click " Command line" ("Administrator") (Windows PowerShell (Admin) in Windows 8.1)
  3. In the new window enter verifier and press Enter.


All versions of Windows:

  1. Make sure it's selected setting user preferences (for code developers) .
  2. Click " Further" .
  3. Select " Select individual settings" from the full list .
  4. Click " Further" .
  5. Deselect system simulation with low resource and standby I/O requests. (These two cause unnecessary workload on your PC.) Make sure everything else is selected.
  6. Double click " Further" .
  7. Select " Select Driver Names" in the list .
  8. Click " Further" .
  9. Select all drivers on this screen except those that say Microsoft Corporation under the provider. It is very unlikely that a Microsoft driver is causing this issue.
  10. Click " Ready" .


Note. If you are unable to complete the above steps because the blue screen continues to occur, try downloading to .

At this point, you must restart your computer. Then try causing the BSoD again by doing what you did before. Windows puts an extra load on your drivers to help you. If you are unable to reproduce the BSoD, try starting your computer overnight. Once the BSoD reappears, restart your computer and read the Minidump file.


Reading a dump file

The Verifier driver will run, run a blue screen, and write a log file. This log file is located in C:\Windows\Minidump\. Read it and you will see which driver is causing this problem. Try looking up the name of the driver to see what piece of hardware your PC is using.

So how do you read it? You need a debugging tool, which you can download from Microsoft.

A . Download the SDK, install it, select debug tools, and deselect everything else.

Note that debugging tools for previous versions of Windows are no longer available; you will have to send the dump file to a Microsoft technician for analysis.


After installing it, look for it on the launch screen. It's called windbg (x64). Run it.

  1. Click " File", then " Open crash" .
  2. Switch to C:\windows\minidump\ and open the .DMP file contained inside.
  3. Look at the bottom of the resulting file where the line says " Probably caused". This is a good indicator of which driver is causing this problem.

Fix driver

Update the driver associated with this hardware:

  1. Click the button Start
  2. Click Control Panel
  3. Click " Switch to classic view"
  4. Double click system
  5. Go to tab "Hardware"
  6. Click Device Manager
  7. Click " Update driver".

On Windows Vista and 7:

  1. Click the button Start
  2. Click Control Panel
  3. Double click Device Manager
  4. Find the device causing the problem
  5. Right click on it
  6. Click " Update driver".


On Windows 8 and 8.1:

  1. Press key Windows+X
  2. Click Control Panel
  3. View by small icons
  4. Click Device Manager
  5. Find the device causing the problem
  6. Right click on it
  7. Click " Update driver".

Or use our app not to be confused with Driver Verifier. Driver Reviver automatically updates all existing drivers on your PC and is especially good for updating underperforming drivers like this one to the latest and greatest version.

After fixing the problem driver, you will want to disable Driver Verifier.

Disable driver verifier

Once you're done using Driver Verifier, you'll want to turn it off as it's pretty heavy on your PC while it's running.

On all versions of Windows:

  1. Re-run Driver Verifier using the steps above.
  2. Select " Delete existing settings" .
  3. Click " Ready" .
  4. Restart your computer again.


Bookmark this article for the future so whenever you have a blue screen you can fix the problem. Also, check out our interactive and enter your error name for more tips on resolving your specific blue screen of death. Good luck!

We have already talked about. But how to install a driver for old equipment if it does not support PnP technology? And how can you diagnose the operation of the drivers? Let's take a look at these topics in this article.

Installation of old equipment

If you do not have software for equipment from the manufacturer (in other words -) and the device does not support, open Device Manager, right-click on the computer name at the very beginning of the list and select Install old hardware, Then Further. Then you can go one of two ways: either the computer will try to identify the connected device itself, or you yourself select the class of the device and, with hope in your soul, will look for your equipment in the list of available ones. And if you find it, then you're in luck. If not, then you need to follow the instructions

Driver operation diagnostics

Equipment conflicts

Driver conflicts are becoming less and less common these days. But they meet. Usually, conflicts arise when two entities require the same resources. And all the wars on Earth were for the sake of possessing some kind of resources! So do not be surprised that this weakness is also present in computer components. To find out if the device has any conflicts, you need to diagnose the operation of the driver. To do this, go to Device Manager, select Devices. Next, in the context menu, select Properties and open tab Resources. Below you will find the field List of conflicting devices, where you can find out if there are conflicts or not. If there are any, the "Change" button is activated, where you, as a judge, will divide the resources between the conflicting ones.

System Information

Also, a utility is used to diagnose the operation of drivers. System Information, which you can open by typing in the Run menu msinfo32.
In it you will see three nodes. You can use the following to diagnose drivers:

  • The first node has a parameter Conflicts and sharing. In it you will see which equipments use the same resources. Which in turn is a possible cause of the problem.
  • In the second node you can find detailed information about the required equipment. And in order to diagnose drivers, it is best to use the parameter Devices with problems.
  • In the third node, expanding the parameter System drivers, You can find out about the status of the kernel drivers. This is a very important parameter, because it is focused specifically on the operating system kernel drivers. And restoring a kernel driver is much more difficult than a printer driver. And therefore it is better to diagnose such cases, otherwise you may stumble upon one of the fatal errors.

Driver Check Manager

Another tool for diagnosing drivers is − Driver Check Manager. It allows you to put drivers under load, simulate a lack of resources, in general, put drivers in conditions that are unrealistically difficult for them, in order to identify possible failures. You can call this tool using the menu Run, if you enter there and run the command verifier.

To be honest, this utility has a rather vague interface. It's my opinion. Yes, and it doesn’t really interest me, since even with a running virtual machine and a bunch of programs I can’t load the hardware above 60%. Therefore, I did not honor this utility with attention. But according to the described functionality, this utility is a very good tool.

DirectX Diagnostics

If you type in the Run menu dxdiag, then you run Diagnostic tool. In the window that opens, there will be 4 tabs: the second is about the screen, the third is about the sound and the fourth is about the input system. Each of them has a note at the bottom indicating the presence or absence of problems. As you can see, this tool only diagnoses these three classes of hardware. Why? Because the main use of DirectX is when creating games. What does the game need? Screen to see what we're playing! Sound to hear the roar of an engine or a shot in the back. And an input system to steer or shoot. And do not care what your printer does not print. That's it.

So good luck with the drivers, and if you need driver diagnostics, then feel free to use any of the above tools. The article also partly relates to the topic of this article, because drivers are software products.

Using the Driver Verifier Manager system utility supplied with Windows Vista/7, you can conduct a comprehensive diagnosis of drivers installed in the system and find problematic components that disrupt the stable operation of the computer and equipment connected to it.

To run the mentioned tool, you need to register in Windows with administrator rights, then in the address bar of the Start -> Run menu, enter the verifier.exe command 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 faulty driver is detected, 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 Users)" 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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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, 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. 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:

  1. Recently updated drivers or those that typically cause problems (antivirus, firewall, virtual disk drivers).
  2. Drivers not supplied by Microsoft.
  3. 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. Insofar as 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. Entering Safe Mode before Windows starts loading is usually done by repeatedly pressing F8 while the computer is booting. 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's also a good idea to have a Windows installation disc so that 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, Besides"Simulate random resource shortage" and "Additional DDI Compliance Check", then click " Further».

On the next screen select " Selectdriver 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 re-open the command prompt, 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!