Windows 10 BSOD problems: Microsoft offers up driver fix for HP crashes
Microsoft has released a fix for an HP driver that was causing blue screen of death (BSOD) on some HP machines running Windows 10 versions 1803 and 1809.
Microsoft said it pulled the buggy software, an HP keyboard driver, from Windows Update on October 11 to contain the problem.
Windows 10
As ZDNet reported at the time, several HP users were reporting machines displaying the error message WDF_VIOLATION after installing Microsoft's October Patch Tuesday update.
According to Microsoft, the HP keyboard driver version 11.0.3.1 has a "known incompatibility with certain HP devices" running the two latest releases of Windows 10.
Some users pinpointed the HP driver 'HpqKbFiltr.sys' and Microsoft's update KB4464330 for version 1809 and KB4462919 for version 1803 as the source of their BSOD woes. Users reported that removing the driver fixed the problem.
That seems to be Microsoft's answer to the problem, too. A day after pulling the faulty HP driver from Windows Update, Microsoft released the update KB 4468304, which removes the incompatible driver from HP devices that are waiting to restart. Microsoft warns users with devices in this state not to restart their machines.
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This update will be automatically downloaded through Windows Update, but users can install the update manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog.
"If Windows Update has installed the HP keyboard driver version 11.0.3.1, and you are pending a restart, do not restart your device," Microsoft warns in a support document.
"We have released an update that will remove the incompatible driver from your device via Windows Update. Alternatively, you can uninstall the driver manually."
Microsoft has also provided instructions for those seeing a WDF_VIOLATION BSOD on machines that fail to load Windows, as well as instructions for uninstalling the update with the buggy driver using Command Prompt.
The company also had to pull a buggy Intel audio driver on October 11 that was pushed to users through Windows Update and broke their device's audio.
Intel had unintentionally released a version of its Intel Smart Sound Technology (ISST) Driver and accidentally offered it to devices running Windows 10 versions 1803 and 1809, according to Microsoft.
The faulty driver overrode existing compatible audio drivers, and Microsoft's update removed it.
Microsoft is still testing the Windows 10 version 1809 update with Windows Insiders after halting the rollout due to reports of severe data loss after installing the update.
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