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Blue screens & stop codes · scoped error record
0x000000D1

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL: a kernel driver made an invalid high-IRQL memory access

Microsoft describes bug check 0xD1 as a kernel-mode driver accessing pageable or invalid memory at an IRQL that was too high.

Applies to: Windows stop-code / bug-check contextReviewed: 2026-09-17

What it means in this context

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0xD1) is strongly driver-oriented, but the useful end-user evidence is the named module and change timeline. Microsoft notes that invalid memory access can also reflect corruption, so do not update every driver at once.

Start here
  1. Record any driver/module name from the crash.
  2. Check whether the crash started after a driver, VPN, security or hardware change.
  3. Install current Windows updates.
  4. Check Device Manager for device problems.
1

Update or roll back the implicated driver

Medium risk

Why: Microsoft's 0xD1 guidance centers on the offending driver/function when it can be identified.

  1. Find the implicated device or software driver.
  2. Update from Windows Update or the device/software publisher.
  3. If the crash began immediately after a driver update, test rollback when available.
2

Use Safe Mode to remove a driver that prevents stable startup

Medium risk

Why: Safe Mode can provide a cleaner environment for reversing a problematic driver or software change.

  1. Enter Windows Recovery Environment if normal startup is unstable.
  2. Use Startup Settings to reach Safe Mode.
  3. Remove or roll back the specific recent driver/software change, then restart normally.
Scope boundary

When not to use this record

Do not use Driver Verifier casually on a production PC without a recovery plan; it is an advanced diagnostic tool designed to provoke driver failures for analysis.

If it persists

If no driver is obvious and crashes persist, memory-dump analysis is more useful than broad registry or cache changes.

Evidence

Reviewed source

Related authority records

Continue with the same failing system

These links share the same component or repair context; they are not generic keyword suggestions.

Error0x00000050 — PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA: invalid system memory was referenced

Microsoft defines bug check 0x50 as an invalid system-memory reference; driver and memory evidence matter.

Error0x0000007E — SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED: an unhandled kernel thread exception

Bug check 0x7E means a system thread generated an exception that the error handler did not catch.

Error0x0000009F — DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE: driver stuck in a power transition

Microsoft defines bug check 0x9F as a driver in an inconsistent or invalid power state.

ErrorIRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL — IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL: driver and memory-oriented stop-code diagnosis

Use the stop-code context to check recent drivers and memory rather than treating the crash as a generic Windows error.

Error0x00000116 — VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE: Windows could not recover the display driver after a GPU timeout

Bug check 0x116 occurs when Windows attempts to reset the display driver after a timeout and recovery fails.

ErrorEvent ID 1001 — WER-SystemErrorReporting bugcheck: preserve the stop code and dump path

When Event ID 1001 says the computer rebooted from a bugcheck, the useful evidence is the exact bugcheck code, parameters and saved dump.