How to fix incompatible drive

Question

wdscam64_prewin8.sys Western Digital drive says it's incompatible and does not pop up when I insert it into the pc.. I put my backup files on it using this pc. Any way to solve this please without losing my files.

Answer 1

Hi,

In Windows Search, 

Type PowerShell, right-click it, and choose Run as Administrator.

Get-WindowsDriver -Online | Out-GridView -PassThru | ForEach-Object {pnputil.exe /delete-driver $_.Driver /uninstall /force}

Select only the drivers matching the oemXX.inf names identified as incompatible on your PC, which is WD. Do not use oem46.inf unless that exact name is listed as incompatible on your system, as these driver names vary between systems.

Click OK, which should remove the incompatiable driver.

Then reinstall the latest software:

https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detailweb/a_id/29626/~/memory-integrity-cannot-be-enabled-for-core-isolation-in-windows-security

Ref: https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10HowTo/comments/zx5yqb/wdcsam64_prewin8sys_driver_problem_in_windows_11/

Standard 3rd party link disclaimer:

There may be links to non-Microsoft websites that provide accurate and safe information. Watch out for ads on websites frequently classified as PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). There is no need to buy paid products to fix your computers, as they sometimes do more harm than good.

Answer 2

wdscam64_prewin8.sys is a driver compatibility issue. The safest approach is to avoid anything that writes to the drive until it is detected again, to reduce risk to the backup files.

Try this in order:

1. Check for a newer compatible driver
   • Open Settings > Windows Update.
   • Select Check for updates and install any available updates.
   • This is the recommended first step when a driver is blocked from loading.
2. Update or reinstall the related device drivers
   • Open Device Manager.
   • Expand Disk drives, Universal Serial Bus controllers, and Storage controllers.
   • Right-click the related entries and select Update driver.
   • If the drive still does not appear, unplug it, then in Device Manager uninstall the suspicious or grayed-out disk/USB entry, and reconnect the drive so Windows can reinstall it.
3. Try a different USB connection path
   • Connect the drive directly to another USB port on the PC.
   • Avoid USB hubs or extension cables.
4. Update chipset and storage controller drivers
   • Install the latest chipset, USB, and storage controller drivers for the PC from the device manufacturer.
   • Outdated storage or controller drivers can cause Windows to misidentify or fail to communicate with a drive.
5. If Windows shows that the driver cannot load because of Memory Integrity
   • First look for an updated compatible driver through Windows Update or the hardware manufacturer.
   • Turning off Memory Integrity is possible, but it reduces device security. On a Secured-core PC, it takes the device out of a Secured-core state.
6. If the drive is detected in Disk Management but not usable
   • Open Disk Management and check whether the disk appears there.
   • If removable storage is not recognized correctly, a rescan can help. In similar storage-detection cases, Windows guidance is to use Disk Management and rescan for disks.
7. If the device still does not appear
   • Check whether the drive is enabled in BIOS/UEFI if applicable for the storage path.
   • Also make sure the PC’s chipset drivers are current.

To protect the files, do not format, initialize, or repartition the drive while troubleshooting. Those actions can risk data loss.

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References:

• A driver can't load on this device
• Fatal Device Hardware Error - Microsoft Q&A I am trying to connect a Western Digital Elements portable drive (2T size), to my win10 pc. My pc sees that something is there but returning Fatal Device Hardware Error in the Disk Management screen.
• Your CD or DVD drive is not recognized by Windows or other programs
• Hot-swap disks are not recognized