What Is RQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL? The IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL bug check has a value of 0x0000000A. This indicates that Microsoft Windows or a kernel-mode driver accessed paged memory at an invalid address while at a raised interrupt request level (IRQL). This is typically either a bad pointer or a pageability problem. This Stop message indicates that a kernel-mode process or driver attempted to access a memory address to which it did not have permission to access. The most common cause of this error is an incorrect or corrupted pointer that references an incorrect location in memory. A pointer is a variable used by a program to refer to a block of memory. If the variable has an incorrect value in it, the program tries to access memory that it should not. When this occurs in a user-mode application, it generates an access violation. When it occurs in kernel mode, it generates a STOP 0x0000000A message. If you encounter this error while upgrading to a newer version of Windows, it might be caused by a device driver, a system service, a virus scanner, or a backup tool that is incompatible with the new version. Cause Bug check 0xA is usually caused by kernel mode device drivers using improper addresses. This bug check indicates that an attempt was made to access an invalid address while at a raised interrupt request level (IRQL). This is either a bad memory pointer or a pageability problem with the device driver code. 1. If parameter 1 is less than 0x1000, then this is likely a NULL pointer dereference. 2. If !pool reports that parameter 1 is Paged pool, then the IRQL is too high to access this data. Run at a lower IRQL or allocate the data in NonPagedPool. 3. If parameter 3 indicates that this was an attempt to execute pageable code, then the IRQL is too high to call this function. Run at a lower IRQL or do not mark the code as pageable. 4. Otherwise, this may be a bad pointer, possibly caused by use-after-free or bit-flipping. Investigate the validity of parameter 1 with !pte, !address, and ln (List Nearest Symbols).
irql_not_less_or_equal Solutions Roll Back the Driver To Previous Version If your System Protection is turned on, Windows will create a restore point before you install the driver. Then you can follow these steps to restore the driver to earlier version to fix this issue. 1. Press Win+R (Windows logo key and R key) at the same time. A Run dialog box will appear. 2. Type rstrui.exe in the run box and click OK button. The System Restore Window will open. 3. Select the time that the faulty driver was installed. Click on Next. Click on Finish. 4. You are required to reboot your PC for the change to take effect. Uninstalling the Faulty Driver If restoring driver doesn’t work or no restore point was created when you installed the driver, you can try uninstalling the driver to fix the issue. Following steps are to uninstall the driver. 1. Press Win+R(Windows key and R key) at the same time. A Run dialog will appear. 2. Type devmgmt.msc in the run box and click OK button. Then Device Manager will open. 3. In Device Manager, locate the faulty driver and right-click on it (For example, uninstall display card driver.). A context menu will pop up. Select Uninstall. 4. Windows will prompt you to confirm the uninstallation. Check the box next to “Delete the driver software for this device.” Click “OK” button. 5. Restart your PC as soon as possible.
