Windows 11 crashes my Wi-Fi card

Question

I had a problem with my Wi-Fi card where Windows 11 was forcefully updating its drivers to 2025 version even though the latest posted on producent site were from 2020. Because of that I restricted it via Registry Editor and it worked for some time. Now I have a new issue. Sometimes I get an error 18 which says that the drivers have to be reinstalled and after a while it changes into error 28 (sometimes it's instantly error 28) which says that the drivers are not installed at all even though they are.

This error description roughly translates to

"The drivers for this device are not installed. (Code 28)

Installation of this device is prohibited by system policy. Contact your system administrator.

To find a driver for this device, click Update Driver."

And at the same time this shows up in "drivers" page:

It says that my drivers are in fact installed

Answer 1

1

Click your Start Button, type cmd and choose Command Prompt

Run this command and hit Enter:

ipconfig /flushdns

Run this command and hit Enter:

ipconfig /registerdns

Run this command and hit Enter:

netsh winsock reset

Run this command and hit Enter:

netsh int ip reset

Close Command Prompt

Open the Settings App

Go to Network and Internet

Click the Network Reset button

Wait for your PC to automatically restart after 5 minutes, do not manually restart your PC.

2

If that process does not resolve the problem, your screenshot indicates you have an external TP-Link USB WiFi adapter, is that correct?

If so, did you go to the TP-Link website to download and install their recommended version of the drivers?

If that does not resolve the problem, the TP-Link devices usually have a Realtek WiFi chipset, try installing a driver form the Realtek website.

Answer 2

The error messages and behavior indicate a driver loading/compatibility problem rather than the driver simply being “missing”. On Windows 11 this is often caused by security features such as Memory Integrity (Core isolation) blocking an older or incompatible driver, even if Device Manager shows it as installed.

Use the following steps to troubleshoot:

1. Check whether Windows is blocking the driver
   1. Open Start → Settings → Privacy & security → Windows Security → Device security.
   2. Select Core isolation details.
   3. If Memory Integrity is On, check whether there is a notification that a driver cannot load. This would match the situation described where a driver is prevented from loading even though it is installed.
2. Try an updated or alternative driver
   1. First, run Windows Update and install all available updates. This can provide a newer, compatible driver version.
   2. If the Wi‑Fi adapter manufacturer offers a newer driver that explicitly supports Windows 11, install that version manually.
   3. If Windows Update still offers a different driver than the vendor, prefer the version that is documented as compatible with Windows 11.
3. If no compatible driver exists yet
   1. If Windows Security reports that Memory Integrity is blocking the Wi‑Fi driver and no updated driver is available from the manufacturer, there are two options:
      • Keep Memory Integrity on and accept that the adapter may not function reliably, or
      • Turn Memory Integrity off to allow the older driver to load.
   2. To turn Memory Integrity off:
      • Go to the Core isolation page in Windows Security.
      • Set Memory Integrity to Off and restart the PC.
   3. Be aware that disabling Memory Integrity reduces protection and, on Secured‑core PCs, takes the device out of its Secured‑core state.
4. Reinstall the adapter after adjusting security/driver
   1. In Device Manager, right‑click the Wi‑Fi adapter → Uninstall device and, if offered, select the option to delete the driver.
   2. Restart the PC so Windows reinstalls the adapter using the currently allowed driver.
5. If the problem persists
   • Contact the adapter manufacturer with the exact model and Windows 11 build and ask whether a Memory‑Integrity‑compatible driver is planned. The driver name and company shown in the Windows Security notification are the key identifiers to share with them.

These steps address the situation where Windows 11 reports Code 28/18 in Device Manager while still showing a driver present, by focusing on driver compatibility and the security feature that can prevent the driver from loading.

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References:

• A driver can't load on this device
• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows
• Troubleshooting Wi-Fi connection on your Surface