Unable to force driver removal to find failing driver(s)


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Mark Phelps

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Windows 11
I have a Win11 Pro PC that keeps crashing on me. I ran WhoCrashed and all it tells me is that it is likely a driver issue.

So, I used DISM to export drivers to a folder (for backup), created a spreadsheet of the driver info and set about using pnputil to remove some drivers. I did this a while back to clean out old drivers from devices no longer in use and it worked without issue.

I have three HP drivers that (most likely) are the issue, as all the other drivers are for current devices and are themselves fairly current. The HP drivers are OLD, and since I no longer have any HP devices connected to that PC, I want to remove them. But I am unable to remove them because Windows claims they are in use. I tried the /force option of pnputil and even tried using Driver Store Explorer. All fail to remove these drivers.

Apart from a clean-install, is there anything else I can try?
 
Windows Build/Version
Win11 Pro build 22621.1265

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11Ryzen 5600X16GBEVGA GT 710
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom built
CPU
Ryzen 5600X
Motherboard
ASRock Steel Legend
Memory
16GB
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GT 710
Sound Card
None
Monitor(s) Displays
23",24", 19" - flat panels
Screen Resolution
1920x1200
Hard Drives
None - only M.2 SATA and NVMe drives
PSU
750W
Case
Antec
Cooling
stock Wraith cooler
Keyboard
Corsair gaming
Mouse
Logitech M720
Internet Speed
1Gb
The proper way.... How to remove old and useless Drivers in Windows 11/10
Worked in 7, 10 and also 11
The improper way I have used in a tight - I found the names and file location using properties of the driver. I then booted from a live linux distro drive, and deleted them. That's not the right way, though, since it didn't remove any registry entries associated with the driver.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.8457
Mark Phelps said:
I have a Win11 Pro PC that keeps crashing on me. I ran WhoCrashed and all it tells me is that it is likely a driver issue.

So, I used DISM to export drivers to a folder (for backup), created a spreadsheet of the driver info and set about using pnputil to remove some drivers. I did this a while back to clean out old drivers from devices no longer in use and it worked without issue.

I have three HP drivers that (most likely) are the issue, as all the other drivers are for current devices and are themselves fairly current. The HP drivers are OLD, and since I no longer have any HP devices connected to that PC, I want to remove them. But I am unable to remove them because Windows claims they are in use. I tried the /force option of pnputil and even tried using Driver Store Explorer. All fail to remove these drivers.

Apart from a clean-install, is there anything else I can try?
Click to expand...
You could check in services to see if any HP services are being started automatically and disable them. Then you may be able to remove drivers.

Also check in Task Scheduler to see if it is starting any HP apps/services.

Of course check if any HP apps are still installed from apps menu as well.

I rather doubt it is these as you are not using them.

Does PC work on in safe mode. If so, you may have to uninstall an app in normal mode, see if crash goes away. If not reinstall app, try next one etc. until you find culprit - Tedious but eventually you will find app that is causing issue.

It is most likely one of your recent apps if it started recently.

If you clean install, install one app at a time, test pc, reboot install next one - if you install all at once, you may still be none the wiser.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ16 GB solderedIntegrated Intel Iris XE
OS
Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS Zenbook 14
CPU
I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
Motherboard
Yep, Laptop has one.
Memory
16 GB soldered
Graphics Card(s)
Integrated Intel Iris XE
Sound Card
Realtek built in
Monitor(s) Displays
laptop OLED screen
Screen Resolution
2880x1800 touchscreen
Hard Drives
1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
PSU
Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
Case
Yep, got one
Cooling
Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
Keyboard
Built in UK keybd
Mouse
Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
Internet Speed
900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Defender
Other Info
TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

Macrium Reflect Home V8
Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
Thanks for the replies. It will take me a while to work through these. I will post back with results.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11Ryzen 5600X16GBEVGA GT 710
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom built
CPU
Ryzen 5600X
Motherboard
ASRock Steel Legend
Memory
16GB
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GT 710
Sound Card
None
Monitor(s) Displays
23",24", 19" - flat panels
Screen Resolution
1920x1200
Hard Drives
None - only M.2 SATA and NVMe drives
PSU
750W
Case
Antec
Cooling
stock Wraith cooler
Keyboard
Corsair gaming
Mouse
Logitech M720
Internet Speed
1Gb
glasskuter said:
The proper way.... How to remove old and useless Drivers in Windows 11/10
Worked in 7, 10 and also 11
The improper way I have used in a tight - I found the names and file location using properties of the driver. I then booted from a live linux distro drive, and deleted them. That's not the right way, though, since it didn't remove any registry entries associated with the driver.
Click to expand...
OK, went into Device Manager, removed all the previously hidden drivers, rebooted into safe mode, reran pnputil -- failed again claiming the drivers were in use.

Have not tried the Linux method. Will have to find a boot USB stick -- which I have somewhere3.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11Ryzen 5600X16GBEVGA GT 710
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom built
CPU
Ryzen 5600X
Motherboard
ASRock Steel Legend
Memory
16GB
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GT 710
Sound Card
None
Monitor(s) Displays
23",24", 19" - flat panels
Screen Resolution
1920x1200
Hard Drives
None - only M.2 SATA and NVMe drives
PSU
750W
Case
Antec
Cooling
stock Wraith cooler
Keyboard
Corsair gaming
Mouse
Logitech M720
Internet Speed
1Gb
What exactly are the 3 HP drivers?
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.8457
glasskuter said:
What exactly are the 3 HP drivers?
Click to expand...
I rebooted from an Ubuntu USB stick and removed the HP drivers -- hpvyt13 and prnhpcl1(2) -- from both DriverStore and spool\drivers\x64 directories.

We'll see if the crashing continues.

In have a full driver backup as well as a full image backup, so I can restore if a driver removal renders Windows unbootable.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11Ryzen 5600X16GBEVGA GT 710
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom built
CPU
Ryzen 5600X
Motherboard
ASRock Steel Legend
Memory
16GB
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GT 710
Sound Card
None
Monitor(s) Displays
23",24", 19" - flat panels
Screen Resolution
1920x1200
Hard Drives
None - only M.2 SATA and NVMe drives
PSU
750W
Case
Antec
Cooling
stock Wraith cooler
Keyboard
Corsair gaming
Mouse
Logitech M720
Internet Speed
1Gb
Those drivers are for an HP printer.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.8457
glasskuter said:
Those drivers are for an HP printer.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I know.

It's been three days since I forced their removal using Linux and the PC has not crashed since. So, I have to presume that those drivers were the issue.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11Ryzen 5600X16GBEVGA GT 710
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom built
CPU
Ryzen 5600X
Motherboard
ASRock Steel Legend
Memory
16GB
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GT 710
Sound Card
None
Monitor(s) Displays
23",24", 19" - flat panels
Screen Resolution
1920x1200
Hard Drives
None - only M.2 SATA and NVMe drives
PSU
750W
Case
Antec
Cooling
stock Wraith cooler
Keyboard
Corsair gaming
Mouse
Logitech M720
Internet Speed
1Gb
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