Solved Can't turn on Memory Integrity PxHlpa64.sys incompatible driver

Haydon · Dec 16, 2023

Copilot steered me towards this PowerShell command to remove PxHlpa64.sys

pnputil -f -d “PxHlpa64.sys”

I'm ignorant wrt PowerShell and have to ask, is the command safe to use?

(I don't have a CD/DVD drive nor any other devices that would need PxHlpa64.sys )

FreeBooter · Dec 16, 2023

xHlpa64. sys is Sonic CD/DVD disc driver system driver file and when you have installed this driver in your system, the possibility is that the driver is not compatible with Memory integrity uninstall the driver from Device Manager.

trumpy81 · Dec 16, 2023

pnputil is a Windows provided tool to add/remove drivers. You can find it in C:\Windows\System32.

The above command uses these switches -f -d.
-f = force
-d = delete

So the command would forcefully delete the “PxHlpa64.sys” driver.

Haydon · Dec 16, 2023

trumpy81 said:
pnputil is a Windows provided tool to add/remove drivers. You can find it in C:\Windows\System32.

The above command uses these switches -f -d.
-f = force
-d = delete

So the command would forcefully delete the “PxHlpa64.sys” driver.

I wonder about the quote...unquote "..."
I looked up the syntax and the quote...unquote aren't there

trumpy81 · Dec 16, 2023

Try it with the quotes at first and if that does not work, then try it without.

Haydon · Dec 16, 2023

LOL, I try not to play the pioneer, anyone has tried it before?

pnputil appears to be THE given tool, but here is an example from MS for deleting entire driver packages that show no quote...unquote

I couldn't find an example from MS for deleting single files. I would presume that the syntax for deleting single files would not have quote...unquote either, but I would really like an ad-hoc example from MS

trumpy81 · Dec 16, 2023

Do you see any of those packages in the command you were given?

Try this link:

PnPUtil Command Syntax - Windows drivers

How to run PnPUtil, including syntax and parameters.

learn.microsoft.com

Quoting is used to remove the special meaning of certain characters or words to the shell. Quoting can be used to disable special treatment for special characters, to prevent reserved words from being recognized as such, and to prevent parameter expansion.

Haydon · Dec 16, 2023

trumpy81 said:
Do you see any of those packages in the command you were given?

Try this link:

PnPUtil Command Syntax - Windows drivers

How to run PnPUtil, including syntax and parameters.

learn.microsoft.com

Quoting is used to remove the special meaning of certain characters or words to the shell. Quoting can be used to disable special treatment for special characters, to prevent reserved words from being recognized as such, and to prevent parameter expansion.

I was looking for deleting a single file, the one in title of this thread, and

> found a non-MS site with the quote...unquote for deleting a single file

and

> found the MS site (the same MS site that you linked to) without the quote...unquote but both syntax and example are for deleting driver packages (not for deleting single files)

As I wrote in the above, the syntax for deleting single files would presumably be the same as for deleting driver packages but I myself am not going to try that out (with and without)

Someone else should try that out and run victory laps

I shall wave and follow in his footsteps after the victory laps

trumpy81 · Dec 16, 2023

You really are afraid to learn aren't you?

If you try it, what is the worst that can happen?

You have to reinstall Windows, so what, big deal, all you have lost is a little time, because you back everything up, right?

If you try it and nothing bad happens then you have learned something, correct?

If you try it and something bad happens, then you have learned something else, correct?

Why are you so afraid of learning new things?

Haydon · Dec 16, 2023

trumpy81 said:
You really are afraid to learn aren't you?

If you try it, what is the worst that can happen?

You have to reinstall Windows, so what, big deal, all you have lost is a little time, because you back everything up, right?

If you try it and nothing bad happens then you have learned something, correct?

If you try it and something bad happens, then you have learned something else, correct?

Why are you so afraid of learning new things?

It's quite the opposite, I have always been VERY eager to learn, all my life.

But this is simply not worth the effort, memory integrity can't be turned on, so what?

Why don't you play the pioneer? Add the file to your system, then delete it, it's all on the MS site that you linked to! Post screenshots, and run the victory laps

jumanji · Dec 16, 2023

Hi @Haydon

Have a look at Option Four of Brink's tutorial here on uninstalling the offending driver. Uninstall Driver in Windows 11 Tutorial

I had used it for forced uninstall of an offending driver. ( I had also tried uninstalling it from the Device Manager. When it did not help I had used the Option Four in that tutorial where you can see the pnputility. That plus a registry add helped resolve the issue ( Also Brink's contribution but I forget where I got it from) OK, it is here Option two of Brink's tutorial Enable or Disable Core Isolation Memory Integrity in Windows 11 Tutorial

You may have a look at my thread Could not turn Device Security on - solved, thanks to Brink.

Haydon · Dec 16, 2023

jumanji said:
Hi @Haydon

Have a look at Option Four of Brink's tutorial here on uninstalling the offending driver. Uninstall Driver in Windows 11 Tutorial

I had used it for forced uninstall of an offending driver. ( I had also tried uninstalling it from the Device Manager. When it did not help I had used the Option Four in that tutorial where you can see the pnputility. That plus a registry add helped resolve the issue ( Also Brink's contribution but I forget where I got it from) OK, it is here Option two of Brink's tutorial Enable or Disable Core Isolation Memory Integrity in Windows 11 Tutorial

You may have a look at my thread Could not turn Device Security on - solved, thanks to Brink.

Ah, thanks! That I can try, @Brink verifies what he teaches in his tutorials.

However, the driver packages listing from the dism command in Option Four of the tutorial does not have the file PxHlpa64.sys in the title of this thread. The provider name, Sonic Solutions, is not on the list either (Sonic Solutions has been defunct since long, also)

Brink · Dec 16, 2023

Hello mate,

In that case, you'll need to use option 6 below instead to uninstall those drivers.

Uninstall Driver in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to uninstall a driver for a device in Windows 10 and Windows 11. When a device is connected to your PC, Windows will usually automatically install drivers for it, or you may have to manually install the device's driver software. Sometimes it might be necessary...

www.elevenforum.com

x BlueRobot · Dec 16, 2023

Haydon said:
I'm ignorant wrt PowerShell and have to ask, is the command safe to use?

Yes it is safe to use, I've used it dozens of times, and the syntax they've suggested is the older style which is compatible with earlier operating systems. It does the same what @trumpy81 mentioned: -d means /delete-driver and -f means /force.

I would personally disable the associated service first, reboot and then delete the driver package. You might want to use the /uninstall option as well.

jumanji · Dec 16, 2023

@Haydon

I do not know how far you can depend upon Copilot to find the offending driver. In my case when I tried to turn Memory Integrity ON, it shouted aloud indicating the offending driver giving complete details including the published name oem22.info. That should be more authentic than the experimental Copilot. So try it.

.
Later after reading Brink's tutorial I tried dism- getdriver also and could locate oem22.inf and used PnPUtil to get rid of it as per the tutorial. Then the Registry add. OMG, it is 0200 hrs. and I am hitting the sack.

bobkn · Dec 16, 2023

This may muddy the waters, but one issue I've had in the past was having copies of unused drivers retained in the Driver Store.

It can be extra fun getting rid of those.

x BlueRobot · Dec 16, 2023

bobkn said:
It can be extra fun getting rid of those.

PnPUtil will remove those from the driver store for you.

bobkn · Dec 16, 2023

x BlueRobot said:
PnPUtil will remove those from the driver store for you.

Thanks.

With any luck, I'll never need to do that again. I vaguely recall using a script that altered permissions on the files in Driver Store so that an admin could delete them manually.

Editorial comment: I sometimes wish that MS gave a little more freedom for nonprogrammers to mess with the OS, even if it usually leads to disaster.

Haydon · Dec 16, 2023

Brink said:
Hello mate,

In that case, you'll need to use option 6 below instead to uninstall those drivers.

Uninstall Driver in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to uninstall a driver for a device in Windows 10 and Windows 11. When a device is connected to your PC, Windows will usually automatically install drivers for it, or you may have to manually install the device's driver software. Sometimes it might be necessary...

www.elevenforum.com

The option 6 / Autoruns did find the offending file but failed to delete it.

Haydon · Dec 16, 2023

jumanji said:
@Haydon

I do not know how far you can depend upon Copilot to find the offending driver. In my case when I tried to turn Memory Integrity ON, it shouted aloud indicating the offending driver giving complete details including the published name oem22.info. That should be more authentic than the experimental Copilot. So try it.

View attachment 81446.
Later after reading Brink's tutorial I tried dism- getdriver also and could locate oem22.inf and used PnPUtil to get rid of it as per the tutorial. Then the Registry add. OMG, it is 0200 hrs. and I am hitting the sack.