IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

The IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL bug check has a value of 0x0000000A. This bug check indicates that Microsoft Windows or a kernel-mode driver accessed paged memory at an invalid address while at a raised interrupt request level (IRQL). The cause is typically a bad pointer or a pageability problem.

Important

This article is for programmers. If you're a customer who has received a blue screen error code while using your computer, see Troubleshoot blue screen errors.

Cause

This bug check is caused by kernel-mode device drivers that use improper addresses.

This bug check indicates that an attempt was made to access an invalid address while at a raised interrupt request level (IRQL). The cause is either a bad memory pointer or a pageability problem with the device driver code.

General guidelines that you can use to categorize the type of coding error that caused the bug check are as follows:

• If parameter 1 is less than 0x1000, the issue is likely a NULL pointer dereference.
• If !pool reports that parameter 1 is paged pool (or other types of pageable memory), then the IRQL is too high to access this data. Run at a lower IRQL, or allocate the data in the nonpaged pool.
• If parameter 3 indicates that the bug check was an attempt to execute pageable code, then the IRQL is too high to call this function. Run at a lower IRQL, or don't mark the code as pageable.
• It may be a bad pointer caused by use-after-free or bit-flipping. Investigate the validity of parameter 1 with !pte, !address, and ln (list nearest symbols).

Resolution

If a kernel debugger is available, obtain a stack trace. Start by running the !analyze debugger extension to display information about the bug check. The !analyze extension can be helpful in determining the root cause. Next, enter one of the k* (display stack backtrace) commands to view the call stack.

Gather information

Examine the name of the driver if it was listed on the blue screen.

Check the System Log in Event Viewer for other error messages that might help pinpoint the device or driver that's causing the error. Look for critical errors in the system log that occurred in the same time frame as the blue screen.

Driver Verifier

Driver Verifier is a tool that runs in real time to examine the behavior of drivers. For example, Driver Verifier checks the use of memory resources, such as memory pools. If it identifies errors in the execution of driver code, it proactively creates an exception to allow that part of the driver code to be further scrutinized. Driver Verifier Manager is built into Windows and is available on all Windows PCs.

To start Driver Verifier Manager, type verifier at a command prompt. You can configure which drivers to verify. The code that verifies drivers adds overhead as it runs, so try to verify the smallest number of drivers as possible. For more information, see Driver Verifier.

The following code shows a debugging example:

kd> .bugcheck       [Lists bug check data.]
Bugcheck code 0000000a
Arguments 00000000 0000001c 00000000 00000000

kd> kb [Lists the stack trace.]
ChildEBP RetAddr  Args to Child
8013ed5c 801263ba 00000000 00000000 e12ab000 NT!_DbgBreakPoint
8013eecc 801389ee 0000000a 00000000 0000001c NT!_KeBugCheckEx+0x194
8013eecc 00000000 0000000a 00000000 0000001c NT!_KiTrap0E+0x256
8013ed5c 801263ba 00000000 00000000 e12ab000
8013ef64 00000246 fe551aa1 ff690268 00000002 NT!_KeBugCheckEx+0x194

kd> kv [Lists the trap frames.]
ChildEBP RetAddr  Args to Child
8013ed5c 801263ba 00000000 00000000 e12ab000 NT!_DbgBreakPoint (FPO: [0,0,0])
8013eecc 801389ee 0000000a 00000000 0000001c NT!_KeBugCheckEx+0x194
8013eecc 00000000 0000000a 00000000 0000001c NT!_KiTrap0E+0x256 (FPO: [0,0] TrapFrame @ 8013eee8)
8013ed5c 801263ba 00000000 00000000 e12ab000
8013ef64 00000246 fe551aa1 ff690268 00000002 NT!_KeBugCheckEx+0x194

kd> .trap 8013eee8 [Gets the registers for the trap frame at the time of the fault.]
eax=dec80201 ebx=ffdff420 ecx=8013c71c edx=000003f8 esi=00000000 edi=87038e10
eip=00000000 esp=8013ef5c ebp=8013ef64 iopl=0         nv up ei pl nz na pe nc
cs=0008  ss=0010  ds=0023  es=0023  fs=0030  gs=0000             efl=00010202
ErrCode = 00000000
00000000 ???????????????    [The current instruction pointer is NULL.]

kd> kb       [Gives the stack trace before the fault.]
ChildEBP RetAddr  Args to Child
8013ef68 fe551aa1 ff690268 00000002 fe5620d2 NT!_DbgBreakPoint
8013ef74 fe5620d2 fe5620da ff690268 80404690
NDIS!_EthFilterIndicateReceiveComplete+0x31
8013ef64 00000246 fe551aa1 ff690268 00000002 elnkii!_ElnkiiRcvInterruptDpc+0x1d0

Remarks

The error that generates this bug check usually occurs after the installation of a faulty device driver, system service, or BIOS.

If you encounter bug check 0xA while upgrading to a newer version of Windows, the error might be caused by a device driver, a system service, a virus scanner, or a backup tool that's incompatible with the new version.

Resolving a faulty hardware problem: If hardware has been added to the system recently, remove it to see if the error recurs. If existing hardware has failed, remove or replace the faulty component. Run hardware diagnostics that are supplied by the system manufacturer. For details on these procedures, see the owner's manual for your computer.

Resolving a faulty system service problem: Disable the service and confirm whether doing so resolves the error. If so, contact the manufacturer of the system service about a possible update. If the error occurs during system startup, investigate the Windows repair options. For more information, see Recovery options in Windows 10.

Resolving an antivirus software problem: Disable the program and confirm whether doing so resolves the error. If it does, contact the manufacturer of the program about a possible update.

For general information about troubleshooting bug checks, see Analyze Bug Check Blue Screen Data.

See also

Bug check code reference