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What to Do When Memory Integrity Blocks an Incompatible Driver

When Windows Memory integrity blocks a driver, identify the file and publisher first, seek an official compatible update, and treat disabling HVCI as a temporary, security-reducing fallback.
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If Windows says “Memory integrity” is preventing a driver from loading, do not switch the protection off immediately. First copy the driver and publisher names from the alert, then look for a compatible release in Windows Update and on the device maker’s official support site. If no supported driver exists, ask the manufacturer about a fix and decide whether the affected device or app can be removed. Turning Memory integrity off is a fallback that lowers protection, requires a restart, and can remove a Secured-core PC from its secured state.

Start with the driver name and publisher

The alert title is generic: “A driver can’t load on this device.” It does not identify the file that Windows rejected. Open the notification and record the driver name and company or publisher name. Microsoft says these are the reliable identifying details collected for this warning. Keep the spelling, file extension and punctuation exactly as shown; a search for only “Memory integrity driver error” is unlikely to find the correct update.

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Microsoft’s troubleshooting guidance for Windows 10 and Windows 11 is available in “A driver can’t load on this device”. Use the driver and publisher details from your own alert when following any support instructions.

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Try an official compatible driver before changing security settings

1. Check Windows Update

  1. On Windows 11, open Settings > Windows Update. On Windows 10, open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
  2. Select Check for updates and install applicable updates.
  3. Restart if Windows requests it, then check whether the warning returns.

Windows Update may not offer a replacement immediately. Driver publication depends on the device, its hardware identification, your Windows build and the package approved for that combination, so “no updates found” does not prove that no newer driver exists.

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2. Check the device maker or driver publisher

Go to the official support or download page for the company named in the alert, or for the manufacturer of the affected computer component. Search by the exact model, hardware identifier and Windows version. Choose a package that explicitly supports your edition and build where the vendor provides that information. Avoid generic driver-updater utilities and download sites: they can supply the wrong package, an unsigned package or an installer that does not match the hardware.

Install the vendor’s current package according to its instructions. Some installers replace the driver only after a restart; others require the old device software to be removed first. Do not remove an unknown driver just to make the warning disappear.

3. Use Device Manager as an additional check

  1. Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
  2. Expand the category that matches the affected hardware, such as storage controllers, network adapters, sound, imaging or system devices.
  3. Right-click the relevant device and choose Update driver.
  4. Select Search automatically for drivers. If you already downloaded an official package, use Browse my computer for drivers and point it to that package’s folder.

Device Manager can confirm which hardware entry is associated with the name in the alert, but it may still report that the best driver is installed even when the manufacturer has a newer package outside Windows Update.

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Ask the manufacturer when no compatible release is listed

If Windows Update and the official support page offer no HVCI-compatible driver, contact the manufacturer. Give support the exact driver filename, publisher, device model, Windows edition and build, and the wording of the Memory integrity alert. Microsoft recommends asking whether a fix is planned. A support representative may have a beta package, a replacement utility or a statement that the device has reached end of support.

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Do not treat a blocked driver as proof of malware. Microsoft notes that a driver can have a relatively minor vulnerability that prevents it from loading and is most likely not malicious. That does not establish that a particular file is safe; it means the warning alone is not enough to label it malicious. Verify the file’s origin and digital signature, and rely on the manufacturer for a supported replacement.

What Memory integrity is protecting

Memory integrity is Microsoft’s name for Hypervisor-protected Code Integrity (HVCI). Microsoft describes it as “a Windows security feature that makes it difficult for malicious programs to use low-level drivers to hijack your PC.” HVCI uses hardware virtualization to isolate core processes and enforce code-integrity checks on kernel-mode code. Hardware virtualization must be enabled in UEFI or BIOS for the feature to operate.

The controls shown in the Windows Security app vary with the Windows version and installed hardware. In Windows 11, the usual route is Windows Security > Device security > Core isolation details. You can also reach it through Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Device Security > Core isolation details. Windows 10 uses Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Device security > Core isolation details. A missing page or different label can therefore be a version or hardware difference rather than a fault.

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When HVCI rejects a driver, Windows is protecting the kernel from code that does not meet its current requirements. The rejection does not tell you whether the device is essential, replaceable or still supported; that decision requires the driver and publisher details.

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Choose what to do if the driver remains incompatible

Choice Security effect Device or app effect When it fits
Keep Memory integrity enabled and find a supported driver Preserves HVCI protection The affected function may remain unavailable until an update is installed The device is not urgent, an update may be forthcoming, or the PC is managed or Secured-core
Ask the manufacturer and wait for a fix Preserves HVCI while the issue is investigated Functionality depends on whether the publisher releases a compatible package The hardware is important and still supported
Remove the dependent device or application Preserves HVCI The device or app will no longer be available You have confirmed what the driver supports and can operate without it
Turn Memory integrity off temporarily Reduces protection against low-level driver abuse; on a Secured-core PC, the device leaves Secured-core state The old driver may load, but the dependent function can still fail Only after weighing the need for the function, the lack of a supported driver and the security consequences

Before removing anything, identify the dependent hardware or application. A storage, backup, security, virtualisation or input driver can support more than one visible program. Removing it blindly can make recovery harder or disconnect a device you still need.

Turn Memory integrity off only as a deliberate fallback

Disabling HVCI is not the standard fix for an unknown driver. It may permit the driver to load, but it removes a protection designed to make kernel-level compromise harder. Microsoft also warns that dependent functionality may still not work, and that disabling the setting on a Secured-core PC removes that secured status.

  1. Open Windows Security.
  2. Select Device security, then Core isolation details.
  3. Set Memory integrity to Off.
  4. Accept the confirmation and restart the PC. The setting change does not take effect until Windows restarts.

Use the Windows 11 Settings route Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Device Security > Core isolation details, or the Windows 10 route under Settings > Update & Security, if you cannot find the page directly. Labels can differ by build.

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After the restart, test only the function that required the driver. If it still fails, turning HVCI off did not solve the underlying compatibility problem. Re-enable Memory integrity when you no longer need the legacy driver, restart again, and continue looking for a supported replacement.

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Do not confuse HVCI with other Windows driver blocks

Windows has more than one mechanism that can stop a kernel-mode driver. The Memory integrity alert specifically describes HVCI preventing a driver from loading. The vulnerable-driver blocklist and Windows Driver Policy are related security controls but are not interchangeable diagnoses.

For applicable updates, Windows also exposes an optional driver route at Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates > Driver updates. Microsoft’s Windows Driver Policy material describes that route and signing requirements; seeing a driver there does not, by itself, prove that the Memory integrity warning has the same cause as a policy event.

A current example shows why the distinction matters. Microsoft says updates released on or after April 14, 2026 can block vulnerable versions of psmounterex.sys through the vulnerable-driver blocklist when that blocklist is enabled. Some backup applications may then fail to mount or manage disk images. Microsoft advises updating the affected backup software; Event ID 3077 in the Code Integrity Operational log can confirm a block in that specific situation. This example does not mean that every Memory integrity warning involves psmounterex.sys or backup software.

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If your alert does not name that file, do not install a workaround intended for it. Use the filename and publisher shown on your own machine, and check the relevant Code Integrity logs only when troubleshooting a suspected policy or blocklist event.

When the PC is managed or security requirements are strict

Work or school computers may enforce Core isolation through organizational policy. The switch can be unavailable, may turn itself back on, or may require an administrator. Contact IT rather than attempting registry changes or unofficial bypasses. Explain which business function needs the driver and provide the warning details so the administrator can approve a supported package or replace the device.

On a Secured-core PC, treat the loss of Secured-core status as a material change, not a cosmetic label. If the computer handles sensitive information, remote access, payment data or regulated workloads, the security trade-off may outweigh the convenience of restoring a legacy peripheral.

A recovery checklist

  • Record the exact driver filename and publisher from the alert.
  • Install pending Windows updates and restart.
  • Check Device Manager and the manufacturer’s official support page for the exact model and Windows version.
  • Ask the manufacturer whether a compatible release is planned if none is published.
  • Identify every device or app that depends on the driver before uninstalling anything.
  • Keep Memory integrity enabled when the function is optional, the driver is unsupported or the PC is managed or Secured-core.
  • If you must test with Memory integrity off, document the change, restart, test the required function and restore the setting afterward.
  • If the warning concerns a different policy or blocklist event, follow that event’s guidance instead of treating it as an HVCI problem.

What a successful fix looks like

A proper resolution is more than the alert disappearing. The replacement driver should come from an official source, match the hardware and Windows version, install without integrity errors and allow the affected device or app to function while Memory integrity remains enabled. If those conditions are not met, the system is running a compromise rather than a durable fix.

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