Disabling Driver Verification is the only way to start the server

We have recently taken on a new client. I got access to their server running multiple Hyper-V virtual machines.

One server in particular is having an issue where it does not start up after reboot/shutdown until I log in and "Disable Driver Verification" with the F8 menu.

OS: Windows Server 2016 1607 (Build 14393.2248)

I have tried online and offline SFC and DISM fixes, both eventually came back clean but I was still having the issue.

I did some digging and came across the "sigverif.exe" as part of Windows as this checks if the files are digitally signed. So I ran that and it came back with 5 files as having an issue. All in C:\Windows\System32\Drivers and all have modified dates in Jan 2018.

File - Version
cdrom.sys - none
hidclass.sys - none
hidparse.sys - none

intelppm.sys - none

netvsc.sys - 10.0.14393.2007

So I am guessing I need to replace these files with properly signed ones in the correct version? Hopefully this solves my problem... But I need to find out where to get the files as a starting point. Or am I just chasing ghosts in solving the problem.

Are there any updates to this case?

I can tell you that sometimes Windows uses older system/driver files. I don't know why. I do know that sometimes newer "drivers" are just older drivers with later date signatures on them. This is a known fact.

You haven't stated the bare minimum required information here, which is Windows build/version.

Also, when was the last time Windows Update was run on the machine in question?

The Windows Server 2016 virtual machine is experiencing startup issues, which require disabling driver verification for successful boot-up. After running "sigverif.exe," several system files in C:\Windows\System32\Drivers were found to be unsigned or modified. To resolve the problem, the plan is to replace these files with properly signed versions. Potential sources for obtaining the correct files include Windows Update, the Microsoft Update Catalog, or another Windows Server 2016 machine with the same build number. Once the files are replaced, the server will be rebooted to test if the issue persists. If it does, further investigation into hardware or software conflicts may be necessary.

Edited by hamluis, 22 May 2024 - 12:02 PM.