PC IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x0A): A Driver Reached Where It Shouldn't
In plain English: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x0A) means a driver tried to use memory it was not allowed to touch, at a moment when Windows had to stop it. Windows shut down to protect your files.
First safe step: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x0A) means a driver tried to use memory at a priority level where that access is not allowed. Windows stopped the PC at once to protect your files and programs.
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x0A) means a driver tried to use memory it was not allowed to touch, at a moment when Windows had to stop it. Windows shut down to protect your files. It does not mean your PC is broken for good.
That stop is covered in our plain English guide to blue and black screen stop codes, because the screen itself holds the clue. Near the bottom it may name a driver file. That name matters more than the code, and it points to the one driver to check first.
Before you search for a fix, take a clear photo of the whole screen and write down the driver file name exactly as shown. Then use the steps below to roll that driver back to the version that worked before. Do not download a replacement driver from a random site.
Part of the Blue Screen and Black Screen Stop Codes in Plain English series, the pillar guide for this cluster.
What IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL means in plain English
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x0A) means a driver tried to use memory at a priority level where that access is not allowed. Windows stopped the PC at once to protect your files and programs. The PC is not necessarily broken. Windows chose a crash over letting that access do damage.
A driver is the small program that lets Windows talk to a piece of hardware. For example, a graphics driver lets Windows send pictures to your screen, and a printer driver lets Windows send a page to your printer. If that program reaches for the wrong memory, Windows steps in.
One crash right after a new device or an update can be a one-off, especially if the PC restarts and works normally. If your crash did start then, see first steps after a blue screen that started right after an update before you change anything else.
A real stop code screen like this shows no phone number, payment request, or demand to install software. If you see a number to call, pause and read how to tell a fake blue screen with a phone number from a real one.
Find the driver file named on the crash screen
Before you press anything or let the PC restart, take a clear phone photo of the whole crash screen. That photo is your record if the screen vanishes. Then look under the stop code for the 'What failed;' line. If that line also shows a phone number, read how to tell a fake blue screen with a phone number from a real one before you act.
Copy the name from that line exactly, letter for letter and number for number. It is a file name ending in .sys, in a pattern like exampledriver.sys. Check awkward spellings twice, because one wrong letter points to a different driver. The example here is only a pattern. It is not a guess about the driver on your PC. Enlarge the photo if the name is blurred.
If no file is named, do not guess one from a web search. Write down the date and time of the crash, and what had just changed. Note any new device that was plugged in, any update or program that had just finished, and what you were doing when the screen appeared. That short note is the clue you will use later.
Do not search for that file name in order to download a copy of it. Sites that offer single driver files for download cannot be trusted to give you the right, safe version for your PC, and a loose file is not the fix on this page. Keep the name. You will use it to find and roll back the driver already installed.
Get back into Windows so you can fix it
If Windows starts normally after the restart and you reach your desktop, stay there. Go straight to the rollback steps in the next section and do not restart again just to see if the crash happens. Each extra crash gives you nothing new, and your photo from earlier already holds the clue you need.
If the crash comes back before the desktop appears, do not keep turning the PC off and on to force your way in. Use how to start Windows in Safe Mode when your PC won't boot instead. Safe Mode loads only basic drivers, so it may let you reach the desktop and roll back the named driver.
If you see a recovery screen or a BitLocker screen instead of your desktop, stop at that screen. Do not try random options or keep guessing at choices you do not recognize. Note what the screen says, and follow the separate help for that screen before you go any further.
Whichever route gets you in, the goal is the same. You are only getting back into Windows so you can roll back one driver, the one named in your photo. You do not need to fix anything else on the way, and you do not need to download anything.
Roll back the named driver, step by step
Start with the name in your photo. A file name ending in .sys can sometimes hint at the kind of device, such as display, sound, or network hardware, but it does not prove it. Use that hint, and what changed recently, to choose one likely category to check first.
- Right-click the Start button, select '
Device Manager;', and expand the likely category, such as Display adapters, Network adapters, or Sound, video and game controllers. - Right-click the device you think matches and select '
Properties;'. - Select the '
Driver;' tab and select 'Driver Details;'. If the name from your photo is listed, you have the right device. If it is not listed, close the window and check the next likely device instead. - Close that list, then select '
Roll Back Driver;'. When Windows asks why, choose the reason that fits best, for example that the previous driver worked better, and confirm. The screen may flicker or go black briefly if this is a display driver, so wait and do not hold the power button down. - Restart the PC once, using the normal restart option, and wait for Windows to finish loading.
After the restart, open the same device and 'Driver;' tab again. An earlier driver date or version than the one you wrote down means the rollback took effect. Windows reaching the desktop and the PC working normally are the other signs to look for.
Use the PC normally for the rest of the day. Leave the older, working driver in place for now, and do not install a newer one again straight away just because it is offered. If the crash stays away, the rollback has done its job.
Do not use driver updater tools, cleaner programs, or a loose .sys file offered for download. Those sources can install the wrong driver or add unwanted software. The only safe sources for a later driver are Windows Update and the maker of your PC or device.
If roll back is greyed out or no driver was named
If 'Roll Back Driver;' is grayed out, you have not done anything wrong. It means Windows kept no earlier driver for that device, so there is nothing for the button to return to. Leave the driver file alone too. Do not delete the .sys file by hand, because Windows may need it to start the device at all.
Next, open Update history and look for a driver or Windows update installed just before the first crash. Write down the update name and date before you do anything else. If the dates line up, follow how to uninstall a bad Windows update if the driver arrived that way. That page covers the uninstall itself, so you do not need to guess here.
If no update fits, try System Restore and choose a point dated before the first crash. System Restore puts Windows and its drivers back to that earlier state, but it does not remove your personal files, photos, or documents. Pick the closest point before the crash, not the oldest one you can find. Let it finish, and do not turn the PC off while it runs.
If you plugged in a new device just before this started, unplug it and restart once to test. Keep it unplugged until Windows stays on the desktop without crashing. If no driver was named and nothing here fits, do not install drivers at random. Write down what you checked, in case the crash returns.
If the crash keeps coming back
Look back at your photos and check Reliability Monitor over the last few days. If each crash names a different .sys file, or it happens even in Safe Mode, the pattern points beyond one driver, toward memory or other hardware. Write down each name and date before you try anything else.
Timing gives another clue. If it happens only when the PC wakes from sleep, follow the sleep and wake driver crash, DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE. If it began right after an update, use the first steps after a blue screen that started right after an update.
Different names each time can mean the named driver was only passing through faulty memory. Read MEMORY_MANAGEMENT, when faulty memory looks like a driver fault, for that side of the problem, rather than running a memory test here.
Stop if the PC will not stay on long enough to work, keeps looping into recovery screens, or holds the only copy of important files. Take your photos, driver names, and dates to a local repairer instead of trying more fixes. That record can help them start where you left off.
Frequently asked questions
Will rolling back a driver delete my files, photos or documents?
No. It changes only the software for that one device. Your files, photos and documents stay where they were, though saving open work before the restart is still sensible.
Can I stay on the older driver?
Yes, while the PC works normally. Wait for a later driver through Windows Update or from the PC or device maker, and do not install one from a driver updater site.
Neighbouring cases in this cluster: DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (0x133): The Freeze That Ends in a Crash.
Conclusion
That photo is the difference between a guess and a fix. With the exact driver named, you can put back the version that worked and leave everything else on the PC alone. It also gives you a clear record to show someone if you need help later.
A PC that crashed once with IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x0A) is not written off. If Windows runs normally after that one change, use it normally and keep the photo and date somewhere safe. If the name changes or the crash returns, that pattern, not another download, is what should guide the next step.