Reference Manual

HOW TO fix device driver problems.

Admin Privilege Required Admin rights are required to install or uninstall device drivers.

On any Windows platform, problems can arise when device drivers are uninstalled or upgraded. In many cases, the problems are caused by users rebooting the machine before a pending uninstall has completed, or by users ignoring reboot requests altogether. The problems are exacerbated by the fact that Windows Device Driver installation techniques have never been particularly robust.

If a new version of the WinPkFilter device driver cannot be installed, the following steps should be followed in order to alleviate the problems:

  • Open Control Panel, Network and Internet, Network Connections in the Explorer and view the Properties of any network adapter.
  • If an entry "WinpkFilter LightWeight Filter" is present, uninstall it.
  • Run regedit.exe and delete HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\ndisrd
  • In directory \Windows\Inf locate and delete all oem?.inf and oem?.pnf files that contain the string ndisrd.
  • In directory \Windows\System32\Drivers delete file ndisrd.sys.
  • Reboot Windows and then install the driver.

    • Due caution should be taken when deleting Registry entries and System files. Be sure you have a recent System Restore Point to fall back on should things go wrong.

    NOTES

    If the NAT32 driver install command does not succeed, try running the appropriate .msi file in the NAT32 Drivers directory. Note that the installer also supports a Repair operation.

    SEE ALSO

    Driver, Driver Installation, NAT32
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