Memory Integrity off - no incompatible drivers found

safron said:

Thanks again neves. The last line in SystemInfo reads:
> "Hyper-V Requirements: A hypervisor has been detected. Features required for Hyper-V will not be displayed."

Click to expand...

neves said:

That line is misleading - as in - it can mean a lot of things, such as:

- you have multiple virtualization apps installed - which is kinda like having multiple antivirus solutions installed (it can create conflicts - and thus as a preventive measure - one solution is disabled by default). Which is actually an official statement. ...

Click to expand...

As anything is possible in PCs, please be aware Hyper V should not be affecting the ability to enable Memory Integrity. I have the exact same reading as the OP, and yet Memory Integrity is enabled on my machine.





As to this...

neves said:

- Hyper-V and all its features could actually be Missing/Disabled. Which easy to find out - by simply using Windows Search and opening the Windows Features tab - while typing the following: Turn Windows feature Then look for Hyper-V. Both features should be ticked. If Disabled from the BIOS/UEFI Hyper-V Platform feature - should be greyed out. If missing or disabled - you can also use the folowing comands to enabled them - while using windows CMD/Terminal ( with Admin privileges)

Click to expand...

You would only need Hyper V if running any Virtual Machines. I myself run no Virtual Machines requiring Hyper V to be enabled, but simply enable it in the BIOS by default. Point... I have the same readings as the OP, yet my Memory Integrity is enabled.

All that said, what I find interesting is the missing faulty driver info (and why I asked to see Device Manager). There should be something there listing the affected driver. The fact that there is nothing there suggests (simply "my guess") the issue may actually be a "missing" driver, and why, I asked to see Device Manager.

Not saying Hyper V isn't the issue - It can be tested by simply disabling Hyper V (Virtualization) in the BIOS. If no change (still can't enable Memory Integrity), I'd move on from that train of thought. On the other hand, if the OP IS running VM software, they might check there.

My two cents.

Dru2 said:

As anything is possible in PCs, please be aware Hyper V should not be affecting the ability to enable Memory Integrity. I have the exact same reading as the OP, and yet Memory Integrity is enabled on my machine.

View attachment 58164

View attachment 58165

As to this...


You would only need Hyper V if running any Virtual Machines. I myself run no Virtual Machines requiring Hyper V to be enabled, but simply enable it in the BIOS by default. Point... I have the same readings as the OP, yet my Memory Integrity is enabled.

All that said, what I find interesting is the missing faulty driver info (and why I asked to see Device Manager). There should be something there listing the affected driver. The fact that there is nothing there suggests (simply "my guess") the issue may actually be a "missing" driver, and why, I asked to see Device Manager.

Not saying Hyper V isn't the issue - It can be tested by simply disabling Hyper V (Virtualization) in the BIOS. If no change (still can't enable Memory Integrity), I'd move on from that train of thought. On the other hand, if the OP IS running VM software, they might check there.

My two cents.

Click to expand...

As stated in my last post: A hypervisor has been detected. Features required for Hyper-V will not be displayed. - is misleading (it can mean/imply all kinds of things), followed by possible meanings - including all the ways to determine if Virtualization is actually enabled or missing, plus the ways it can be enabled or installed and more...

PS. When all the details are in front of you (it's all there) - don't try to read between lines (make presumptions about what's been said).

Edit: I see the OP has a pre-built Dell PC. I'm looking at things from my custom-built PC, so...

Thank you neves!

FYI, I can see in [Manager > Performance > CPU] that Virtualization is enabled.

neves said:

look for Hyper-V. Both features should be ticked.

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I'm running Win 11 Pro. Hyper-V is enabled in optional features. I enabled it now, along with Virtual Machine Platform, and Windows Hypervisor (post 11). Enabling Hyper-V appears not to have had any effect.

neves said:

The systeminfo command used in CMD/Terminal works slightly different than the GUI version

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The output I provided above (post 19) was from Terminal, not the GUI.

I totally agree with your thoughts about Dell. Overreaching, heavy-handed, poorly documented, and limiting overall. I won't be buying another from them, but unless I'm prepared to build my own, who's better? Probably not Lenovo, HP, et. al.

Thank you for the link (redirect) and your advice re not enabling Memory Integrity. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

Latest on the pile: As reported here (post 33) there was an update to Defender today, and that switched off Kernel-Mode Hardware-enforced Stack Protection. The option to tun it on is greyed out, saying "Memory integrity must be enabled to use this feature". Sigh.

neves said:

As stated in my last post: A hypervisor has been detected. Features required for Hyper-V will not be displayed. - is misleading (it can mean/imply all kinds of things), followed by possible meanings - including all the ways to determine if Virtualization is actually enabled or missing, plus the ways it can be enabled or installed and more...

PS. When all the details are in front of you (it's all there) - don't try to read between lines (make presumptions about what's been said).

Click to expand...

I'll say again... Hyper V is only needed if running VM machines. It should NOT be affecting the ability to enable Memory Integrity. I've shown/explained this perfectly via my posted images. And though the OP has a pre-built machine, the rules should be the same.

I also provide a way to test said theory.

Not here to determine who the greatest technician is, simply trying to help the OP. I'm also not here to argue. The OP can do with the info I provided as they wish.

Peace

@Dru2. Thanks for your input. I agree about Hyper-V, which is why I didn't enable it initially. I thought the same of Virtual Machine Platform, (not sure about Windows Hypervisor) but I saw those mentioned as possible solutions somewhere, so figured I'd give it a shot.

Below are screenshots from Device Manager, including hidden devices. Pls let me know if anything jumps out.

@neves
I know you're not a fan of Memory Integrity, but I saw this, provided by Brink, which seems to be a much simpler solution then the "official, extended" version.

First off, did you even try disabling Hyper V in the BIOS. And then try enabling Memory Integrity again? That was a suggested. We can't help you if you don't provide feedback on suggestions.

Anyway...

safron said:

@Dru2. Thanks for your input. I agree about Hyper-V, which is why I didn't enable it initially. I thought the same of Virtual Machine Platform, (not sure about Windows Hypervisor) but I saw those mentioned as possible solutions somewhere, so figured I'd give it a shot.

Below are screenshots from Device Manager, including hidden devices. Pls let me know if anything jumps out.

Click to expand...

I can't read those images as they are far too small. Nore did I need them extended. I was simply looking to see if there were any problem areas as noted my Red Xs or Yellow Exclamation marks. I didn't see any of those, so all looks good from what I can see.

That said, perhaps you might give Dell's tech support a call and see what they say? I just find it odd there's no listing for a supposed driver issue. When I was having issues enabling Memory Integrity on my system, same one as noted above, the offending drivers were listed and thus I was able to deal with them. One was an older WD driver that got replaced by a compatible one... WD Discovery Desktop App. Note the advisory summary. The other stuff I just removed as I no longer needed it. Now I'm able to enable Memory Integrity without issue.

Good luck.

> In my browser I'm able to click on the pic and zoom in. You also mentioned the possibility of a missing driver. In any event, no problems identified in Device Mgr.
> There is no entry in my BIOS to either enable or disable Hyper V. As discussed above, it's probably one of those things Dell decided its customers didn't need to worry their little heads about.
> I do have a NVMe PC SN810 NVMe WDC 512GB SSD. I generated a list of installed drivers in PowerShell, but nothing showed up with Western Digital as the provider. In Device Manager the driver is shown as provided by Microsoft, version 10.0.2261.608.

Dru2 said:

I'll say again... Hyper V is only needed if running VM machines. It should NOT be affecting the ability to enable Memory Integrity. I've shown/explained this perfectly via my posted images. And though the OP has a pre-built machine, the rules should be the same.

I also provide a way to test said theory.

Not here to determine who the greatest technician is, simply trying to help the OP. I'm also not here to argue. The OP can do with the info I provided as they wish.

Peace

Click to expand...

2nd time in a row (in this topic alone) you read between lines and just rubbish on what's being said by others (makes no sense in relation to what i said). Not to mention - you don't know what you're talking about (you don't seem to understand this feature - how it works and its requirements). Quite ironic - since Memory Integrity is also known as Hypervisor-protected Code Integrity (it's in the name). That beings said - do try yourself what you recommended him to do...

"Not saying Hyper V isn't the issue - It can be tested by simply disabling Hyper V (Virtualization) in the BIOS. If no change (still can't enable Memory Integrity), I'd move on from that train of thought. On the other hand, if the OP IS running VM software, they might check there."

Dru2 said:

As anything is possible in PCs, please be aware Hyper V should not be affecting the ability to enable Memory Integrity. I have the exact same reading as the OP, and yet Memory Integrity is enabled on my machine.

View attachment 58164

View attachment 58165

As to this...


You would only need Hyper V if running any Virtual Machines. I myself run no Virtual Machines requiring Hyper V to be enabled, but simply enable it in the BIOS by default. Point... I have the same readings as the OP, yet my Memory Integrity is enabled.

All that said, what I find interesting is the missing faulty driver info (and why I asked to see Device Manager). There should be something there listing the affected driver. The fact that there is nothing there suggests (simply "my guess") the issue may actually be a "missing" driver, and why, I asked to see Device Manager.

Not saying Hyper V isn't the issue - It can be tested by simply disabling Hyper V (Virtualization) in the BIOS. If no change (still can't enable Memory Integrity), I'd move on from that train of thought. On the other hand, if the OP IS running VM software, they might check there.

My two cents.

Click to expand...

Then try to Enable Memory Integrity (after simply disabling Virtualization from Bios). Unless this feature was reworked last night (completely changed the way it works and its requirements) - you won't even find the page to be able to access Memory Integrity - let alone be able to Enable it. It's actually because you have Virtualization Enabled - why you're able to run it. Here, the official info:

Memory integrity is a virtualization-based security (VBS) feature available in Windows. Memory integrity and VBS improve the threat model of Windows and provide stronger protections against malware trying to exploit the Windows kernel. VBS uses the Windows Hypervisor (Hyper-V Platform > Hyper-V Hypervisors) to create an isolated virtual environment that becomes the root of trust of the OS that assumes the kernel can be compromised. Memory integrity is a critical component that protects and hardens Windows by running kernel mode code integrity within the isolated virtual environment of VBS. Memory integrity also restricts kernel memory allocations that could be used to compromise the system.


Also, knowing this stuff has very little to do with being a good technicians (that's more about years upon years of practice - only way you can learn this trade) - and more to do with reading about this features while checking their functionality in practice (if you actually care or are into learning about this stuff - since for 99.99% of world's population is not actually useful or interesting - nor will you find them on Windows relates forums talking about this features) - especially since the information is public (like above link). Instead, of... forming personal conclusion about how they might work (which is clearly what you did - only way you could make such statements like above). Last but not least - since you also got this part wrong - thus the info/content you share as knowledge is actually misleading - which is the opposite of helping others (more like - confusing the OP about the subject in question - by advising one to disable a BIOS feature - which is actually a core requirement for using this security feature). Also from official info:

"Many third-party virtualization applications don't work together with Hyper-V. Affected applications include VMware Workstation and VirtualBox. These applications might not start virtual machines, or they may fall back to a slower, emulated mode.These symptoms are introduced when the Hyper-V Hypervisor (which is needed for Memory Integrity to work) is running.

Cause​

This behavior occurs by design.

Many virtualization applications depend on hardware virtualization extensions that are available on most modern processors. It includes Intel VT-x and AMD-V. Only one software component can use this hardware at a time. The hardware cannot be shared between virtualization applications.

To use other virtualization software, you must disable Hyper-V Hypervisor (again, needed for Memory Integrity to work), Device Guard, and Credential Guard. If you want to disable Hyper-V Hypervisor, follow the steps in next two sections.


PS. Sometimes even having enough experience paired with knowledge - one can still be wrong - like using this feature on 10 year old hardware - which all things consider (didn't work when i tried that myself in practice + taking into account the official info it shouldn't work) - i was sure it can't/doesn't work. Yet, was proven wrong. And that info is actually more valuable to me (since it expands my knowledge) - than my pride (which more often than not makes people more stupid). As mentioned above - some things one can only learn from practice (as it's usually the case with a new OS). But this is not the case - "thus, i wasted my time while writing this message (since i'm sure you're not gonna read it - like you didn't read the others - or else you wouldn't make such statements) - not for you - but for anyone reading your personal conclusion - and getting less knowledgeable in the process (if they actually take your personal conclusions as actual knowledge on this subject). Peace out.

safron said:

@neves
I know you're not a fan of Memory Integrity, but I saw this, provided by Brink, which seems to be a much simpler solution then the "official, extended" version.

Click to expand...

Fair enough (whatever works/helps).

I'm going to see if Del has a WD driver update, then possibly remove some of the older drivers as suggested by glasskuter. If neither of those solve the issue, I'll just put it aside, and hope for resolution in the next major Windows update. Per your comment, neves, maybe it's just as well.

Thank you to everyone for your input and suggestions.

safron said:

> In my browser I'm able to click on the pic and zoom in. You also mentioned the possibility of a missing driver. In any event, no problems identified in Device Mgr.
> There is no entry in my BIOS to either enable or disable Hyper V. As discussed above, it's probably one of those things Dell decided its customers didn't need to worry their little heads about.
> I do have a NVMe PC SN810 NVMe WDC 512GB SSD. I generated a list of installed drivers in PowerShell, but nothing showed up with Western Digital as the provider. In Device Manager the driver is shown as provided by Microsoft, version 10.0.2261.608.

Click to expand...

Based on the official info from Dell - on the systems where it can be enabled or disabled - it's actually called "Virtualization"


Tho, i couldn't find this feature in the official manual for 8950 - while checking the BIOS section at page 65:


Which is actually the case for other owners of 8950 as debated on the official forum:

XPS 8950, Virtualization not shown in BIOS

Supposedly, it's hidden yet Enabled without the option to Disable it from Bios - since some did found it to be enabled while using the systeminfo command in Windows.

@neves, have a good day. Ignored.

Thanks neves. There's nothing in the BIOS for Virtualization, but I've confirmed via Task Manager that is is enabled.
Btw, according to Dell, I have the latest WD driver, so that's another dead end

safron said:

Thanks neves. There's nothing in the BIOS for Virtualization, but I've confirmed via Task Manager that is is enabled.
Btw, according to Dell, I have the latest WD driver, so that's another dead end

Click to expand...

Out of curiosity what version of WD driver do you have ? I has a similiar issue and it was the WD driver, but... the version that is
availbable for my older USB 1TB is: WDC_SAM - 4.55.25.661 nothing newer. I just removed the driver, drive works OK and blocked any updates because MS keeps pushing the same 'old' driver as noted.

safron said:

> I do have a NVMe PC SN810 NVMe WDC 512GB SSD. I generated a list of installed drivers in PowerShell, but nothing showed up with Western Digital as the provider.

Click to expand...

Be aware the WD software I mentioned is for external drives with built in security features. It would not be required for your WD NVMe drive.

safron said:

I'm going to see if Del has a WD driver update, then possibly remove some of the older drivers as suggested by glasskuter. If neither of those solve the issue,

Click to expand...

That's not a good strategy as you'll just end up playing the guessing game. Add that it could also be hard to find it again, should it not be the problem one; and especially with pre-built computers. Which is why I'm personally in favor of keeping driver update software that comes with store bought computers/laptops. But that's another subject for another time.

BTW, is this a new PC? And did this issue suddenly appear, or was it always there?

Anyway, I'd give Dell a call and go from there.

Good luck.

Thank you Dru2. Dell's driver update software and/or the back-end catalogues on which they're based, are atrocious on many levels. I now check to see what they're suggesting, but perform my own due diligence. I also started using Intel Driver Support Assistant.

Dell Update actually trashed the device about 2 weeks ago. I got errors trying an Image restore (Hasleo) as well as with an in-place upgrade using a cloud-based ISO (twice). I ended up performing a Reset (i.e., clean install) and then this issue appeared during the build-out phase, but at the time I only had a few apps installed (Dropbox, Vivaldi, KeePass) all of which are also installed on a 2nd device that has no issues. Uninstalling them had no impact.

safron said:

Thanks neves. There's nothing in the BIOS for Virtualization, but I've confirmed via Task Manager that is is enabled.
Btw, according to Dell, I have the latest WD driver, so that's another dead end

Click to expand...

Noticed it in your Device Manager as well. Among the features available there - there's one which usually comes with Dell Support Assist (had more bad experiences with proprietary apps than positive - so from personal experience I'm pretty biased about having them installed - one update and they could brake stuff). Wouldn't be surprised if one of those features/apps is acting as a virtualization app - which in turn interferes with Memory Integrity. That's actually why i gave up on using Memory Integrity (to have it enabled - was suppose to chose between this security feature and an app i needed at that time - which to me seemed really rubbish - for a security feature to interfere with legit apps and being compelled to chose between one or the other). Not surprisingly, for this reason - even officials from MS recommend it disabled (not really a practical feature - or one made with common sense).

It's so interesting that you mentioned SupportAssist (SA), neves. IMO, it's a heavy-handed, poorly implemented, non-transparent, inadequately optioned, resource draining heap of (other than that, it's great). I'd uninstalled SA long ago on this device, but it was installed automatically with the Reset. On the "working" device, all (6+) associated SA Services are stopped - Dell is deprecating Dell Update, and not keeping the catalogue current, so I decided to keep SA installed, but inactive. I don't know why, after all the problems it's caused, I didn't consider SA could be the culprit.

When building out the new device, I uninstall a couple of things (e.g., McAfee, MS 365) immediately, but generally don't get around to much of the Microsoft and Dell bloatware until core apps have been installed / configured.

I got sidetracked with this Memory Integrity issue, but as of this afternoon, had decided to move on without it, and completed key installs. I took a backup image, and am now ready for the "uninstall phase" of the build. I'll first try stopping SA Services, but the drivers will still be lurking out there, so I'm skeptical that will solve the problem. If that doesn't work, I may uninstall SA completely, and good riddance. Stay tuned.