BSOD 145 (WIN32K_INIT_OR_RIT_FAILURE): causes and diagnosis

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: Win32k or the raw input thread failed during graphical subsystem initialization.

Could be also:
Constant	Type	OS
ERROR_DIR_NOT_EMPTY	Win32 error	Windows
ETIMEDOUT	errno	Solaris

Previous	Next
PP1_INITIALIZATION_FAILED	UP_DRIVER_ON_MP_SYSTEM

WIN32K_INIT_OR_RIT_FAILURE

Win32k and raw input initialization failure for WIN32K_INIT_OR_RIT_FAILURE

WIN32K_INIT_OR_RIT_FAILURE is bug check code 0x00000091. This bug check belongs to the session/graphics input path. It points at failure while initializing win32k, the raw input thread, display input plumbing, or session graphics state rather than a normal user-mode window crash.

How to read it in a dump

Check whether the system was starting a session, switching display state, or initializing graphics/input drivers.
Graphics drivers, keyboard/mouse filters, session manager, and win32k stack frames are key evidence.
A user-mode application is usually a symptom, not the direct cause.

What to check

Check display/input filter drivers and recent GPU driver updates.
Compare safe mode and normal boot behavior.
Use kernel symbols to inspect win32k and raw input thread initialization frames.

References

Dump evidence

Preserve the complete dump, the four bug-check parameters, the exact Windows build, loaded-module list, and the event timeline immediately before the stop. AllStat summarizes the condition as “this result”; that sentence identifies the failure class, while the parameters and stack determine which object, driver, processor, or subsystem instance was involved.

Analysis order

Run WinDbg !analyze -v, then inspect the documented meaning of each parameter instead of relying only on the probably-caused-by line.
find the earliest abnormal event: driver update, firmware change, device reset, storage error, verifier report, resource exhaustion, or application hang connected with win32k / init / or / rit.
keep third-party filter, security, storage, graphics, and virtualization drivers in the module inventory; removing evidence before dump analysis can obscure the responsible path.

Do not repeatedly reboot a machine affected by this result before collecting the dump and event logs. Recovery actions should follow the component identified by the stack and parameters, not merely the symbolic stop-code name.

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