When you encounter the prompt "Windows cannot initialize the device driver", the hardware driver usually cannot load. The solution is as follows: 1. Update or reinstall the driver, go to Device Manager to manually update or uninstall it and download the latest version of the official website; 2. Check driver signature or compatibility issues, enable the "Disable Driver Forced Signature" mode or run the installer in compatible mode; 3. Repair system file corruption or conflict, run sfc /scannow and DISM commands, or troubleshoot software conflicts in safe mode; 4. Check BIOS/UEFI settings, restore default configuration or adjust related hardware options. In most cases, update the driver can be solved, or use the driver management tool to assist with processing.

When you encounter the prompt "Windows cannot initialize the device driver", it usually means that the driver of a hardware device cannot load normally, causing the device to be unusable. This problem may occur on various peripherals or built-in hardware, such as graphics cards, network cards, sound cards, USB devices, etc.

Below are some common reasons and corresponding solutions, you can try to troubleshoot according to your own situation.

1. Update or reinstall the driver

This is the most common and effective solution. The driver version that comes with the system may be incompatible with the current hardware or is damaged.

• Go to Device Manager (right-click on "Start Menu" → Device Manager)
• Find the device that is in trouble (usually with a yellow exclamation mark)
• Right-click to select "Update Driver" or "Uninstall Device"
• If the update fails, you can try to manually download the latest driver installation.

Suggestion: Go to the official website to download the driver of the corresponding model, instead of relying on automatic updates.

Some devices need to uninstall the old driver first and then install the new version, especially after upgrading the hardware or reinstalling the system, this problem is prone to occur.

2. Check driver signature or compatibility issues

Some third-party drivers may not be certified by Microsoft signatures, especially on 64-bit systems, which may be blocked from loading.

• Press F8 to enter the advanced boot option (some Win10/Win11 systems need to be enabled in settings)
• Enable "Disable driver forced signature" mode
• Then try to reinstall the driver

If you are not sure if it is a compatibility issue, try running the driver in compatibility mode:

• Right-click to drive the installer → Properties → Compatibility
• Check "Run as administrator" or select the old version of the system compatibility mode

3. System files are corrupt or conflicted

If the system critical files are corrupted, the driver initialization may also fail.

You can try running the following command to fix the system:

 sfc /scannow

If it is invalid, you can try it:

 DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

These two commands can help fix issues in system images and Windows resource protection.

In addition, recently installed software or drivers can also cause conflicts. You can check it one by one in safe mode.

4. BIOS/UEFI setup issues

Sometimes improper settings on the motherboard BIOS can cause driver loading to fail, especially overclocking, power management, or virtualization related settings.

• Enter BIOS (press Del/F2/F10 and other keys when powering on)
• Try to restore the default settings (Load Optimized Defaults)
• Or check if there are any hardware-related disables, such as the integrated network card is turned off, or the PCIe channel is not set correctly

Especially after some motherboards update the BIOS, some hardware configurations may change, and they also need to be manually adjusted at this time.

Basically, these common investigation directions. Although it seems a bit too much, most of the time, you can do it by updating the driver. If it is inconvenient to operate, you can also consider using some reliable driver management tools to assist with processing.

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