What does BSOD 196 (DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION) mean?

DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION

DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION meaning

DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION is bug check 0x000000C4. Driver Verifier detected a fatal rule violation in a monitored driver. Parameter 1 is the verifier subcode; Parameters 2 through 4 contain rule-specific addresses, handles, pool data, or state.

How to analyze DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION

Record the verifier settings and selected drivers, decode Parameter 1 with the official table or !analyze -v, and inspect the named driver at the first invalid operation. Keep the dump from the first occurrence because later corruption may obscure the original rule.

• Preserve the complete dump, all four parameters, Windows build, loaded modules, and the event timeline before changing drivers or firmware while investigating DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION.
• Run !analyze -v and follow the parameter-specific objects and the stack associated with DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION rather than relying only on the symbolic name or a single probable-cause line.
• Compare multiple dumps when available; a stable instruction or object path associated with DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION is stronger evidence than a module that appears only after earlier corruption.

Recovery boundary for DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION

Fix or replace the driver that violated the verifier contract. Do not leave aggressive verifier settings enabled on production machines after evidence is collected; use targeted verification during reproduction.

Official references for DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION

• Microsoft: DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION bug check
• Microsoft: Bug check code reference
• Microsoft: Analyze a kernel-mode dump with WinDbg

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