Forum Discussion
Driver Update for Dual Band Wireless AC 7265 Causes Windows Crash
Hello.
So I just reinstalled windows 11 pro on my computer from a flash drive because I was having issues. After it was finished, installed updates and it started crashing with an ndis.sys error. After reinstalling a few times, I discovered this update seems to be the issue:
"Intel driver update for Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265"
After that one finishes installing, the ndis.sys error happens immediately. Computer forces a restart. It will work fine for a few minutes and then the ndis.sys error will happen again. Going to the windows update screen seems to trigger it immediately
Anyway, now I am intentionally avoiding installing this driver update. I have Windows 11 Pro so I went into group editor and switched automatic driver updates to off.
However....this doesn't seem like the ideal solution. Anyone have any suggestions? I understand I can go to the intel website and download the update manually....but I am not in the mood to try it just to have to do a reinstall again. Any other suggestions?
5 Replies
Interesting. Windows 11 will not send any drivers, which does not belong in your system, I guess. I mean, it detects the drivers then, send them like "Raw",so if for example that driver was installed like original from your machines manufacturer with a valid digital driver, is one thing. Let's say this "Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265" crashes, because? Why it crashes? If for example you installed any driver before, which is not part of the system originally, but from somewhere else, and not working correctly, then, when you search for Updates on Microsoft, and it detects the driver, will update that, because your system it Is saying "Hey This Driver Is Out of Date" Give me the new one, right now! You: WTF?! But at the other hand, who knows? Maybe the driver is for real, but there is another "Problem" perhaps, nothing to do with the driver, which is not faulty, but something missing, therefore the innocent driver, who did nothing suspicious, and innocent as well, you are blaming.
Hmmm... Step one, like always, is to check, if there is any system file corrupted .dll is missing, is a must do. So, type in search "CMD", and run like Administrators, type the magic command sfc/scannow , and wait for the miracle. Because when the scan if finished, and you see the feedback: "Everything is corrupted, but some of the system files could maybe be repaired, and they were, but you must restart your system, to the magic to take effect" then it is a good sign actually. after restarting the system, this problem may be solved maybe not.
It is saying: -" What are you doing? There is nothing wrong with anything" Is your problem.
Next step is the "Intel Driver and Support Assistant",which you install for fun, without the data collection special program, only the "Assistant" is enough. It will detect drivers, you do not want, but from these information´s you will find out a little more about the problems. When finished the fun, you can calmly uninstall this assistant as well.https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html
Now you check Windows Update again.
You will see, nothing changed, after the updates. Everything is back to abnormal.
Now, I never advertise anything. If let's say your system is missing .dll or some of them corrupted etc. then because you don´t know which, there are many alternatives to found out.
The easiest is "Driver Identifier" gives you the list on all the missing drivers belong to your system, and showing the different board manufacturers alternatives, and them own, means, you don´t want to install a driver which is for example Dell, if your system is MSI. But if you find and see a driver, and you are 100% sure, that driver is OK, you can download manually, or with .exe. If you are scared, but you see these info's, is also helpful. After a scan, if you have installed whichever, then you rescan again.
https://www.driveridentifier.com/
This community, do not like Driver Booster pro-13, I know why, but actually it can give you the drivers even in the free version, also can install them, but no links here, look for it manually, easy to find I promice.
Type in the Browser Search: " Driver Booster 13"
You can also check with:
https://www.simplysup.com/
I had to physically remove my Wifi card from my motherboard to avoid windows to trigger this update/installation. This worked immediately and now im connected using ethernet for now. I did this after doing the same you did and reinstalling windows 11 from a flash drive. So far this is the only solution. Not sure when im going to be able to reconnect my wifi card.
Be cautious with manual driver installations—always download from official sources.
Once you find a stable driver version, it’s best to block auto updates for that driver if possible, to prevent reversion to the problematic one.
Be cautious when uninstalling or rolling back drivers, and consider creating a system restore point before making changes. If the problem persists, it might be worth reaching out to your device manufacturer or Intel support for a tested, stable driver version or workaround.
The ndis.sys error is related to the Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS), which handles network drivers in Windows. When this error appears after updates, it often indicates a problem with network driver compatibility, corruption, or conflicts introduced by the update.
