5 Best Ways to Fix Hardlock.sys Error in Windows 10

Windows updates have long been plagued with issues since Microsoft’s inception. Things frequently break, and users often encounter the dreaded BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) error. The recent October update is no exception. At the bottom of the screen, you may encounter the message ‘What failed: hardlock.sys’. Another error that may appear is ‘Page_Fault_in_Non-Paged_Area’.

You can find the hardlock.sys file in this folder: C:\Windows\System32\drivers. What’s notable is that this file is not essential for running your Windows10 computer. It was developed by a third-party vendor but has been signed by Microsoft. However, deleting the file is not recommended. There are ways to fix the issue, which we will discuss below.

1. Registry Editor

Always make a restore point before making system-level changes or installing a major Windows update.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor from the Start menu. Admin rights will be required.

Step 2: Navigate to the following folder structure:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Hardlock

Step 3: If the Hardlock folder is missing, no action is needed. If it is present, double-click on the Start entry in the right window-pane and set the value data as 4. Save all changes.

Reinstall the latest Windows 10 update and check for the BSOD hardlock.sys error.

2. Hardlock Device Driver

We have written a guide on drivers, but not everyone can access the system due to the BSOD error. So, I will share a CMD hack that you can use in Safe Mode instead. We are going to uninstall the Hardlock Device Driver.

Step 1: Open CMD from the Start menu by selecting the ‘Run as administrator’ option.

Step 2: Download this Haspdinst Utility and unzip it.

Step 3: Give the command: haspdinst.exe -kp -r -fr -v -purge

Reboot your computer once and try updating Windows again. Check if you still get the hardlock.sys error.

3. Uninstall Sentinel Driver

Open your computer in Safe Mode if you can’t access drivers from the Device Manager normally.

Step 1: Search for and open the Device Manager from the Start menu. You will find all the drivers installed on your Windows 10 computer. Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of the window to find Universal Serial Bus controllers. Double-click to expand it. You should find a driver entry that says ‘Sentinel HASPKey’ or ‘Sentinel USB Key’.

Right-click the key and select “Uninstall device.”

4. Pause Windows Update

You can pause updates in Windows 10 by disabling auto-updates. This allows you to evaluate whether it is safe to install subsequent updates. Follow these steps:

1. Press Windows key+I to open Settings.

2. Click on Updates & Security.

3. Select ‘Pause updates for 7 days’ or a longer period if desired.

To pause updates for an additional 7 days, use the same option.

Next, click on Advanced options for more update choices.

Step 3: Scroll down to delay or pause Windows updates for up to 30 days.

5. Uninstall Windows Update

To improve the readability and clarity of the text, you can make the following revisions:

Original:

“What about the current situation? You will have to uninstall current updates that are causing all the issues and pause them until a stable version is released.

Step 1: Go back to Settings > Update & Security and click on View update history.”

Revised:

“What’s the current situation? Uninstall the problematic updates and pause them until a stable version is released.

Step 1: Navigate to Settings > Update & Security and select View update history.”

Step 2: You can view recent Windows updates and choose to uninstall them if needed.

Just follow the instructions and reboot your computer once to finish. For command line enthusiasts, use this line of code instead: “wusa /uninstall /kb:1234567”.

Uninstall 2020

We all want that, right? The hardlock.sys error in Windows 10 is frustrating because it leads to the Blue Screen of Death or BSOD. You are left with no option but to reboot your computer forcefully by pressing and holding the power button for a few seconds.

I hope one of the mentioned solutions worked for you. I recommend being cautious when installing new updates on any Windows 10 computer, especially notable or major updates. Keep an eye out on the news for reports of broken computers. If there are none, you can manually update easily.

Next up: Updating single apps can be boring and time-consuming on Windows. Click the link below to learn how to batch update all Windows apps in one go.