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Blue screens & stop codes · scoped error record
IRQL_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.

Applies to: Windows 11 stop-code contextReviewed: 2026-09-17

What it means in this context

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL is a stop-code class that can involve drivers or memory-related failures. Microsoft’s current support path includes Windows Memory Diagnostic and the broader stop-code troubleshooting sequence.

Start here
  1. Record the exact stop code and any module shown on the crash screen.
  2. Remove newly added hardware if the error started immediately after installation.
  3. Check Device Manager and recent driver changes.
  4. Install current Windows updates.
1

Run Windows Memory Diagnostic when memory is a plausible branch

Low risk

Why: Microsoft includes Windows Memory Diagnostic in its current IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL support path.

  1. Search Windows for Windows Memory Diagnostic.
  2. Choose a restart-and-check option when you can safely reboot.
  3. After Windows returns, review the diagnostic result.
2

Use the repeated stop-code troubleshooting sequence

Medium risk

Why: Driver/hardware isolation and Safe Mode are more informative than generic cache or app resets for a kernel stop code.

  1. Check Device Manager for device errors.
  2. Use Safe Mode if normal startup is unstable.
  3. Roll back a recent driver only when timing strongly implicates it.
Scope boundary

When not to use this record

If memory diagnostics report errors, stop treating the problem as software-only and address memory/hardware stability.

If it persists

Persistent crashes without an obvious device branch may require memory-dump analysis or manufacturer hardware diagnostics.

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.

Error0x000000D1 — 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.

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.

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.