Windivert Driver Cannot Be Installed You Must Restart Your Computer Official

Modern antivirus engines (Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, and even Windows Defender) sometimes flag WinDivert as a "potentially unwanted driver" because it can be used for man-in-the-middle attacks.

: Corrupted system files can cause driver installation loops. Run sfc /scannow in an elevated Command Prompt to repair potential errors. Manual File Removal Manual File Removal The error message typically appears

The error message typically appears when an application (like a VPN, network monitor, packet sniffer, or firewall) tries to use the WinDivert driver — a legitimate, open‑source packet capture/modification library — but the installation or loading of its driver fails. Check for Anti-Malware Interference | Step | Action

Clear your temp folder by pressing Win + R , typing %temp% , and deleting the contents. 4. Check for Anti-Malware Interference handle via takeown and icacls .

| Step | Action | Expected Outcome | |------|--------|------------------| | 1 | Open cmd as administrator and run: sc query windivert | If exists, note STATE . If RUNNING , attempt sc stop windivert . | | 2 | Check pending file renames: reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager" /v PendingFileRenameOperations | If non-empty, especially with windivert paths, reboot is mandatory. | | 3 | List loaded drivers: fltmc filters | Look for windivert . If present but version mismatch, reboot needed. | | 4 | Verify driver file: dir C:\Windows\System32\drivers\windivert64.sys | If file exists but cannot be deleted/modified due to Access Denied , handle via takeown and icacls . |