Windivert Driver Cannot Be Installed You Must Restart Your Computer Top -

WinDivert is a powerful tool that intercepts network packets. Because of this, many Antivirus programs (like Windows Defender, Bitdefender, or CrowdStrike) flag its installation as "Malicious Driver Loading."

If you've encountered the error message while running a network-related application, you are not alone. This issue often plagues users trying to launch VPNs, network traffic analyzers, anti-cheat systems, or specialized gaming tools (like GTA V mods).

and run these commands to force-stop and delete the old driver instance: sc stop WinDivert sc delete WinDivert Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard (Note: The service name might vary by version, such as WinDivert1.4 WinDivert2.0 Check Administrator Privileges

Outdated Windows builds can have driver signature enforcement issues. Run Windows Update and restart. WinDivert is a powerful tool that intercepts network packets

Press the , type cmd , right-click on Command Prompt , and select Run as administrator .

When an app using WinDivert crashes, it often leaves the driver service stuck in a "stop-pending" state. Windows prevents a new installation until the old one is gone.

Fix: WinDivert Driver Cannot Be Installed (You Must Restart Your Computer) and run these commands to force-stop and delete

A previous session left a copy of the WinDivert driver running in the background, locking the system service.

Running a 32-bit version of the software on a 64-bit Windows operating system (or vice versa) can trigger installation failures.

The error message windivert driver cannot be installed you must restart your computer is technically accurate but often misleading. It implies that a simple restart will solve the problem, but for many users, the error persists even after they have restarted their computer multiple times. Press the , type cmd , right-click on

| Error Code | Likely Cause | Detailed Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Driver Signature Issue | Windows requires all kernel drivers to have a valid digital signature for security. Version 2.2 of WinDivert has a valid signature, but older or custom-compiled versions may not. This error signifies that Windows is blocking an unsigned or improperly signed driver. | | Error 0x80041017 | WMI Repository Corruption | This specific error code points to a problem with the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) repository. This repository stores information about system components, and when it's damaged, it can prevent the proper installation of software and drivers. | | System Error 5 | Insufficient Administrative Privileges | Installing a kernel driver requires the highest level of access. If the application isn't run "as an administrator," the operation will be blocked, resulting in an "Access Denied" error. | | System Error 1275 | Driver Blocked by Security or Environment | This error is often triggered by security software (antivirus) that misidentifies WinDivert's behavior as suspicious. It can also occur in unsupported virtualization environments or if there's an architecture mismatch (trying to use a 32-bit driver on a 64-bit system). | | System Error 2 | Missing Driver Files | The application cannot find the necessary WinDivert32.sys or WinDivert64.sys driver files in its directory. This can happen if the download is incomplete or if the files are accidentally deleted. | | N/A | Memory Integrity (Core Isolation) | A Windows security feature called "Memory Integrity" (part of Core Isolation) can conflict with older or incompatible drivers, including versions of WinDivert, preventing them from loading. | | N/A | File System Interference or Conflicts | The driver installation can be blocked if the related files are currently "in use" by another process. This often happens if a previous instance of the application didn't close properly, leaving the driver locked. |

The Windivert driver could not be installed automatically. Restarting Windows will allow the installer to finish adding the driver and register it properly with the system. After reboot: