How to Fix DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Errors in Windows 10

Hey there! So, you’re seeing that error message on your Windows 10 computer, huh? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. This error is all about those pesky drivers. You see, Windows 10 is pretty amazing, but there are just so many different hardware drivers out there that it’s impossible for it to work with all of them perfectly. So, when you see this message, it means that there’s a compatibility issue with one of your drivers.

The error will usually look like this: ‘DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (drivername.sys)‘. The name of the driver causing the problem will be in those brackets. This error code is actually quite helpful because it points you in the right direction to fix the problem.

Now, there are a couple of ways you can handle this error, depending on whether you get a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) during boot or just when you’re trying to use an app that requires the driver. If it’s the latter, you can follow these steps right from your desktop. But if your computer gets all cranky during boot, you’ll need to boot into Safe Mode from the installation media first.

Replacing the Driver within Windows 10

To quickly fix those annoying DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL errors in Windows 10, we’re gonna give that troublesome driver the boot and replace it. Here’s what you need to do:

1. First things first, figure out which driver file is causing the problem. If it’s not clear, Mr. Google can come to the rescue.
2. Next, right-click on the Windows Start button and select Control Panel. Easy peasy.
3. In Control Panel, look for ‘Uninstall a Program’ under the Programs section and give it a click.
4. Find that driver that’s been causing all the trouble and uninstall it completely. Buh-bye!
5. Now, go to the manufacturer’s website and download the latest Windows 10 compatible driver for your hardware. Install that bad boy and watch the magic happen.

In most cases, simply replacing the driver with the newest Windows 10 release will solve the problem. Even if the driver wasn’t initially made for Windows 10, it usually works just fine. I mean, come on, Windows 10 has been around for over a year now, so there’s really no excuse for not having a compatible driver for your relatively new hardware.

If, for some crazy reason, your system won’t let you uninstall the driver the usual way, fear not! We can work some command line magic to fix the issue. Here’s what you can do: let’s rename that problematic driver file so that Windows is either forced to load a default driver or simply ignores the hardware until you can get your hands on a fresh driver.

Okay, now it’s time to open up a command prompt window as an administrator. Get ready for some tech wizardry!

1. Type ‘cd C:\Windows\System32\Drivers’. The ‘cd’ here stands for ‘change directory’ and we’re going to the ‘Drivers’ folder in the Windows System32 folder. Of course, this assumes that you installed Windows on the C: drive.
2. Type ‘ren drivername.sys drivername.sys.old’. This fancy command renames the file mentioned in the error code to ‘.old’, which is like the version that came before. It’s a standard Windows thing.
3. Now, all that’s left to do is reboot your computer. Give it a little break.
4. When your computer starts up again, Windows will either show a box saying it’s installing a new device or it might not do anything at all. It all depends on the specific driver and how you have Windows Update set up.

So, now Windows will either load up default drivers, download new ones automatically, or just ignore the hardware for now. It really depends on your situation. But no matter what, once you install those fresh drivers, that annoying DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error should finally, finally go away. Phew!

So there you have it, my friend. Now you know how to tackle those tricky Windows 10 driver errors. Go forth and conquer!