Can anyone at Sysinternals please help? I am suddenly getting a Program Compatibility Assistant error which states, "A driver cannot load on this device" and points at the ProcExp152.sys driver, saying that a security setting has detected this driver as vulnerable and is blocking it from loading. I don't know why this error suddenly started showing up on my Windows 11 machine Upon searching, I found that others have been reporting the same exact error since late last year. But so far, I have not found a solution anywhere. I run Process Explorer in Admin mode and it is set to replace my task manager. Therefore, having this error pop up every time I restart my computer is annoying at minimum, but I worry whether it represents a deeper malaise somewhere. Please help. Thanks in advance.

It has been nearly two months since I asked this question. The problem persists. With every reboot the same error message comes up. Is there really no one at Sysinternals who can help resolve this issue in a reasonable manner? I miss those days when Mark actively engaged with the Sysinternals users. Sigh.

Hello there, "Procexp152.sys Driver cannot load due to security setting," seems to be related to the Sysinternals Process Explorer tool. This error typically occurs when there are security settings preventing the loading of drivers, possibly due to User Account Control (UAC) restrictions or other security measures on your system. Windows has a driver signature enforcement feature that prevents the loading of unsigned drivers. If the driver associated with Process Explorer is unsigned, you might need to temporarily disable driver signature enforcement. Keep in mind that disabling this feature can expose your system to potential security risks. Hope this resolves your Query !! --If the reply is helpful, please Upvote and Accept it as an answer--

has anyone in microsoft looked at this to fix the issue here?

Procexp152.sys Driver cannot load due to security setting

suirauqa 55

Can anyone at Sysinternals please help? I am suddenly getting a Program Compatibility Assistant error which states, "A driver cannot load on this device" and points at the ProcExp152.sys driver, saying that a security setting has detected this driver as vulnerable and is blocking it from loading.

I don't know why this error suddenly started showing up on my Windows 11 machine
Upon searching, I found that others have been reporting the same exact error since late last year. But so far, I have not found a solution anywhere.
I run Process Explorer in Admin mode and it is set to replace my task manager. Therefore, having this error pop up every time I restart my computer is annoying at minimum, but I worry whether it represents a deeper malaise somewhere.

Please help. Thanks in advance.

John Stephens 361 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2023-08-16T15:53:00.15+00:00

Are you running the current version, Process Explorer v17.05?
suirauqa 55 Reputation points

2023-08-19T23:07:33.6266667+00:00

Thank you for your comment, John. My apologies for the delayed response. I am indeed running the v17.05 of Process Explorer.
Christian 11 Reputation points

2023-10-17T11:39:44.1666667+00:00

My company set up a software from palo alto networks for scanning for threats, and sent me several mails containing reports why I should not use Process Manager, although i still can use it (seems loading the driver is just suppressed).

As I did not noticed any difference in usage, whether the driver could be loaded or not, I'd like to know what is the impact!?

Maybe loading the driver could depend on a setting, so it can be disabled if not used/required.

4 answers

suirauqa 55 Reputation points

2023-10-16T02:11:07.3366667+00:00

It has been nearly two months since I asked this question. The problem persists. With every reboot the same error message comes up. Is there really no one at Sysinternals who can help resolve this issue in a reasonable manner? I miss those days when Mark actively engaged with the Sysinternals users. Sigh.
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1 person found this answer helpful.
John Stephens 361 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2023-10-17T15:05:28.4033333+00:00

Do you have anti-malware software installed other than Microsoft Defender? Is the device managed by an organization?

suirauqa 55 Reputation points

2023-10-17T15:09:23.1366667+00:00

Thank you, John. This is my personal computer (i.e., not managed by any org) and I don’t have any other AV than Microsoft Defender.

Gov Maharaj [MS] 0 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2023-10-17T15:55:20.24+00:00

From the machine that is having the issue, please file a feedback hub bug, and share the link to the feedback here, and send it to defragshow@microsoft.com

suirauqa 55 Reputation points

2023-11-01T22:10:11.3233333+00:00

I filed a Feedback Hub report. However, I could not record the process of reproducing the issue because the error message comes up only AFTER I reboot the system and Process Explorer has to start afresh. I don't know how to record this.

Gilles Jaffier 0 Reputation points

2024-04-08T12:01:32.29+00:00

Hello,
Could you post the link to the Feedback Hub issue, please? Or is it accessible somewhere and I just missed it?
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Limitless Technology 43,946 Reputation points

2023-08-16T10:57:46.15+00:00

Hello there,

"Procexp152.sys Driver cannot load due to security setting," seems to be related to the Sysinternals Process Explorer tool. This error typically occurs when there are security settings preventing the loading of drivers, possibly due to User Account Control (UAC) restrictions or other security measures on your system.

Windows has a driver signature enforcement feature that prevents the loading of unsigned drivers. If the driver associated with Process Explorer is unsigned, you might need to temporarily disable driver signature enforcement. Keep in mind that disabling this feature can expose your system to potential security risks.

Hope this resolves your Query !!

--If the reply is helpful, please Upvote and Accept it as an answer--
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suirauqa 55 Reputation points

2023-08-19T23:17:22.47+00:00

Hello, LT. Thanks for trying to help.

Windows has a driver signature enforcement feature that prevents the loading of unsigned drivers. If the driver associated with Process Explorer is unsigned, you might need to temporarily disable driver signature enforcement. Keep in mind that disabling this feature can expose your system to potential security risks.

The thing is, I have been running Process Explorer (and Autoruns) for years and years (long before Sysinternals became a part of Microsoft) without this kind of a problem. I don't want to disable driver signature enforcement. Rather, I want Microsoft to figure out why the driver for a Microsoft tool (i.e., Sysinternals) is suddenly finding the Process Explorer driver to be "unsigned" and generating this persistent error message and I want a solution that does not leave my system vulnerable to potential security risks.
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JH 0 Reputation points

2023-10-30T20:18:39.3233333+00:00

has anyone in microsoft looked at this to fix the issue here?
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Gov Maharaj [MS] 0 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2023-10-30T22:36:37.8566667+00:00

We can't repro it... that is why we need the feedback hub bug. Please see my earlier response.

suirauqa 55 Reputation points

2023-11-01T21:49:51.5433333+00:00

I am so sorry, GM. Somehow, the thread did not show me your earlier message at all. I wouldn't have known about your comment if I did not see this one!! Let me see if I can follow your directions properly. I shall post back. Thank you for trying to help.
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