How to Fix IRQL Not Less or Equal on Windows

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL is a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) that usually points to a bad driver, faulty RAM, corrupted system files, or a device trying to access memory it should not use. It often appears after a Windows update, new hardware install, overclocking change, or driver conflict. In some cases, antivirus software, disk errors, or damaged temporary system data can also trigger it.

Common Symptoms

• A blue screen with the message IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
• Random restarts while gaming, updating, or using demanding apps
• Crashes shortly after startup or after waking from sleep
• Freezing, stuttering, or instability before the crash
• Problems starting Windows normally after the error

How to Fix It Manually

1. Disconnect new hardware and boot into Safe Mode if needed

   • Unplug any recently added USB devices, external drives, or new internal hardware.
   • If Windows keeps crashing, hold Shift and click Restart from the sign-in screen.
   • Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
   • Press 4 for Safe Mode.

2. Update or roll back problem drivers

   • Press Windows + X and click Device Manager.
   • Look for devices with a warning icon, or think about what changed recently: graphics card, Wi-Fi adapter, storage controller, printer, or chipset drivers.
   • Right-click the device and choose Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
   • If the problem started after a driver update, right-click the device, choose Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver.

3. Run Windows Memory Diagnostic

   • Press Windows + S, type Windows Memory Diagnostic, and open it.
   • Click Restart now and check for problems.
   • Let the test finish. If it reports memory errors, reseat or replace the RAM causing the issue.

4. Repair corrupted system files

   • Press Windows + S, type cmd.
   • Right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
   • Run these commands one at a time:
     1. sfc /scannow
     2. DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
   • Restart your PC after both scans complete.

5. Check the disk for errors

   • Open Command Prompt as administrator again.
   • Type: chkdsk C: /f /r
   • Press Enter, then type Y to schedule the scan on restart.
   • Restart the PC and let the disk check finish.

6. Remove overclocking and recent software changes

   • If you overclocked your CPU, GPU, or RAM, return everything to default settings in BIOS/UEFI or your tuning software.
   • Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps and uninstall any recently added antivirus, hardware tools, or system utilities that appeared before the crashes.
   • Then install the latest Windows updates from Settings > Windows Update.

7. Check crash details in Reliability Monitor

   • Press Windows + S, type Reliability Monitor, and open View reliability history.
   • Click a red Critical event around the time of the crash.
   • Look for driver or hardware names mentioned there, then update, remove, or replace that component.

Fix It Automatically with Kudu

If you do not want to dig through drivers, crash logs, and leftover system junk manually, Kudu can help speed up recovery after repeated BSODs. It can clean temporary files, remove unnecessary clutter, and optimize Windows so the system runs more smoothly after a crash or repair.

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