What does HRESULT 0x800F0248 (SPAPI_E_DEVICE_INSTALL_BLOCKED) mean?

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Device installation is forbidden by a system policy.

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SPAPI_E_DRIVER_STORE_ADD_FAILED	SPAPI_E_DRIVER_INSTALL_BLOCKED

SPAPI_E_DEVICE_INSTALL_BLOCKED

SPAPI_E_DEVICE_INSTALL_BLOCKED (0x800F0248) is a Windows SetupAPI driver-installation error. This code means Windows policy blocked installation of the device itself. The policy can be targeted by device ID, device instance ID, setup class, or a broader restriction; installing a different driver package will not bypass it.

What to check

Check Device Installation Restrictions in local or domain Group Policy/MDM.
Record the device instance ID and hardware IDs for the policy administrator.
Check PnP audit events and setupapi.dev.log to identify the policy decision.

Microsoft: Manage device installation with Group Policy

Microsoft: SetupAPI device installation log

Microsoft: Troubleshooting device and driver installations

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