How to fix DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error on Windows 10

Have you ever encountered driver IRQL not less or equal error? You may usually see this error at the beginning of Windows. This error is not very frequent, but you should resolve it if you see it because it will not be determined by itself.

Many articles on the internet claim to provide fixes for this error; however, only a few methods are effective. And for your convenience, we have listed all of those effective methods that help you to fix DRIVER IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL Windows 10.

So, continue to read this article to get rid of driver IRQL not less or equal error.

driver IRQL not less or equal

Why DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL BSOD?

The “DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL” occurs when your network driver uses the wrong memory address. You will see ndis.sys on the screen. The ndis.sys is a system file for network drivers.

In some cases, the error driver error is less than or equal to “ndis.sys”. If you see a different file name on the screen instead of “Ndis.sys”, the solutions below may not work for you. In such cases, it is better to look at the specific error code.

How Do I Fix The DRIVER IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL Error?

Here are some practical ways to solve this error. It is advised to try these methods one by one. So, read further to know those ways:

1. Uninstall Network Drivers

This error usually occurs when you turn on your computer. But sometimes, it happens after every minute. If you can’t start Windows normally, you will need to enter Safe Mode. Follow these simple steps to solve this issue.

Follow these steps to uninstall the drivers;

Step #1: Press the Windows key and R simultaneously to request a run box.

Step #2: Type devmgmt.msc and click OK. The Device Manager window then opens.

devmgmt.msc

Step #3: Click on the “Network Adapters” section in the device manager to expand more options. Then, you have to right-click the network device and uninstall it.

Step #4: You may be asked to confirm uninstalling. Click OK to confirm this.

network driver uninstall

Step #5: If you also have wireless network adapters installed, uninstall the wireless drivers and repeat the steps above to install.

Step #6: Now, you need to restart your computer to check the issue to resolved or not.

If you are unable to boot Windows successfully, follow these steps.

confirm device uninstall

Step #1: Enter Safe Mode.

Step #2: Press the Windows key and R simultaneously to request a run box.

Step #3: You need to type devmgmt.msc in the dialog box and press the OK button. The Device Manager window then opens.

devmgmt.msc

Step #4: In the Device Manager window, you have to expand the “Network Adapters” section. Right-click on the network device and select Disable.

disable network device

Step #5: If you also have wireless network adapters installed, repeat the steps above to uninstall the wireless drivers.

Step #6: Reboot your PC. Windows 10 drivers will be reinstalled automatically. Check for blue screen error.

2. Download the latest network driver

Users have reported that you can fix this problem by installing the newest network driver.

To do this, visit your motherboard manufacturer’s website and download the latest network driver for your device.

After installing the network driver, the problem should be resolved entirely.

3. Update drivers

Depending on the user, you can fix this error by updating your wireless adapter driver. You must first disable your wireless adapter to download the newest wireless adapter driver. To do so, follow these steps:

Step #1: Press the Windows key + X to open the Power User menu. Select Device Manager from the list.

select device manager

Step #2: Locate your wireless adapter, right-click on it and select Disable from the menu.

After disabling the wireless adapter, you need to connect your Ethernet cable to your PC. You have to download the new and latest driver for your wireless adapter. You can do this from Device Manager by doing the following:

Step #3: You have to right-click on the wireless adapter option and select the Update Driver software.

update driver software

Step #4: Search for the automatically updated driver software option and wait for the Windows 10 driver download.

search automatically updated driver software

While this may be the simplest way to update your drivers, it may not be the best because Device Manager does not always download the latest drivers. For this, you should use Third-party software like DriverEasy.

4. Update automatically

The above steps may fix the problem, but you can try updating the network driver manually if they do not. If you don’t have sufficient time to check all drivers, patience, or computer skills to manually update drivers, you can do this automatically with DriverEasy.

If you are unable to start Windows 10 normally, enter Safe Mode first. If you want to use Driver Easy to update drivers, you must access Safe Mode with the network.

Driver Easy automatically detects your system and finds the right drivers for it. You do not need to know what system your computer is running on; you do not need to download and install the wrong driver. This tool will do everything for you.

You can update your drivers automatically with the native or custom version of Driver Easy. It only takes two clicks with the Pro version (you get full support and 30 days money-back guarantee):

Step #1: Download the DriverEasy setup and install Driver Easy Download.

Step #2: Run Driver Easy, and now click on the Scan button. Driver Easy scans your computer and finds problematic drivers.

driver easy scan

Step #3: Click the Update button next to the flagged network driver to automatically download and install this driver’s correct version (you can do this using version).

After installing the latest drivers, go back to Device Manager and start your wireless adapter.

5. Remove ASUS AI Suite

The ASUS AI Suite is a powerful overlock tool that you can use to get powerful performance, but sometimes overloading your hardware can reduce driver errors or cause a similar error.

It is recommended that you remove this tool and the overlocking settings to resolve this issue.

After removing the ASUS AI Suite, the error should be resolved entirely. Try this one and see whether IRQL not less or equal issue exists or not.

6. Update the SoftEther VPN software

Some users use VPN tools to protect their privacy online, but VPN software can sometimes cause this error to appear.

Users have reported an error with the SoftEther VPN can raise driver IRQL error or less appearing on the blue screen, but the issue was completely fixed after updating the Softether VPN software.

Even if you do not use this software, keep in mind that you will need to update your VPN software to avoid these errors.

If updating the VPN software does not resolve the issue, you may want to consider uninstalling the VPN software.
If uninstalling the software solves the problem, you can switch to another VPN client.

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7. Reset Windows 10

If the previous solutions do not work, you will need to reset Windows 10. Remember that a reset will delete all the files from your system drive, so back them up.

You may also need Windows 10 installation media, and you can create it with Media Creation Tool. After that, you need to reset your PC by doing the following:

Step #1: Click the Power button from the start tab, hold down the Shift key and select Restart Art from the menu. If you cannot access Windows 10, restart your PC a few times during the boot sequence to access the Advanced Boot Menu.

restart windows

Step #2: Now select Troubleshoot> Reset This PC> Delete All.

Step #3: If you are prompted to add Windows 10 installation media, be sure to do so.

Step #4: Select your Windows version and select only the drive on which Windows is installed >> Delete my files.

Step #5: You should see a list of changes that can be reset. When ready to start, click the Reset button.

Step #6: Lastly, follow the steps suggests on the screen and complete the reset.

After completing the reset, you need to install all your applications and remove the backup files. Keep in mind that a reset due to your software will fix this error. If the problem is with the hardware, you need to use another solution.

8. Check your hardware

Other blue screens of driver error may appear due to a lesser or similar error and other hardware errors, so we advise you to check if your hardware is working correctly.

The sound card is defective in users’ opinion, and the problem is completely fixed after the sound card is replaced.

Keep in mind that almost all hardware components make this error visible, so you should do a detailed hardware check before finding the faulty part.

The driver IRQL not less or equal in Windows 10 causes many problems, but you can fix it with our solutions.

Conclusion:

It is all about driver IRQL not less or equal errors. Hopefully, this article helps you to get rid of this error. You can try any of the above-listed ways and see which one works for you. Comment below if you have any questions; we are waiting to helps you with that also.

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