Earlier this month, numerous users encountered severe anomalies while gaming after installing the August update for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. These disruptive issues included distorted visual displays, intense game stuttering, and even abrupt system reboots. Consequently, Microsoft initiated a thorough investigation following this influx of negative user feedback. The company has now released its preliminary findings. Microsoft asserts that the widespread malfunction directly relates to RGB lighting device drivers.
RGB Drivers Cause System Instability
Microsoft detailed its findings within a recent investigation report. Continuous scrutiny indicates the problem stems from external peripherals or internal components featuring RGB lighting capabilities. These devices frequently install drivers or code modules bearing names similar to inpoutx64. Launching specific games triggers critical exceptions on systems harboring these drivers.
Players might experience a variety of abnormal behaviors. These include unresponsive game clients and sudden client closures without prior notification. Furthermore, users might suffer random device restarts or encounter specific error codes, such as EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION.
Microsoft Requests Continued Feedback
Despite these preliminary findings, Microsoft strongly encourages affected users to continue submitting reports via the Feedback Hub. The company requires ongoing data collection to fuel its investigation. It also needs this data to collaborate effectively with relevant hardware partners to resolve the issue permanently. Currently, Microsoft advises users to disable the problematic driver to restore system stability.
Temporarily Disabling the RGB Driver via Registry
Crucial Warning: Before modifying the registry, you must create a backup. You can consult the official Microsoft technical documentation to learn exactly how to back up and restore the registry safely.
Execution Steps:
- Launch the Registry Editor and navigate directly to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\inpoutx64 - Locate the specific registry value named
Startwithin the right-hand pane. Double-click this value. Subsequently, modify the key value data to4and save the changes. - Finally, restart your operating system to disable the driver completely. Following this deactivation, certain RGB lighting devices might function erratically. Additionally, the software utilized to control your RGB lighting may exhibit abnormal behavior.
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