Crash and Burn: How to Fix the 0x000000CE ‘Driver Unloaded Without Cancelling Pending Operations’ BSOD

What Is the 0x000000CE BSOD?

The 0x000000CE Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), also known by its descriptive error string "DRIVER_UNLOADED_WITHOUT_CANCELLING_PENDING_OPERATIONS," is a critical Windows system error. It indicates that a kernel-mode driver was unloaded from memory without properly canceling all its pending operations—a violation that can leave system memory in an inconsistent or unsafe state.

This BSOD typically causes an abrupt system reboot or crash, often while shutting down, updating, or using hardware that recently had a driver installed or updated.

What Causes This Error?

The core issue revolves around bad driver behavior. Below are the most common culprits:

1. Faulty or Misbehaving Drivers

• A poorly coded driver (especially third-party ones) that unloads without cleaning up its active processes.
• Most commonly seen in custom hardware drivers, antivirus kernel modules, or network adapters.

2. Improper Driver Unload Sequence

• The Windows kernel expects drivers to clean up after themselves—canceling I/O requests, work items, and callbacks.
• If the driver skips this, the OS will crash to prevent further corruption.

3. Manual or Forced Driver Uninstallation

• Using third-party driver removal tools or force-uninstalling drivers may leave remnants that cause instability.

4. Driver Verifier Tool

• If Driver Verifier is enabled, it can intentionally trigger this BSOD if it detects misbehavior—it's often used by developers and testers to catch faulty drivers early.

5. Malware or Rootkits

• Malware that hooks or manipulates kernel-level drivers may alter the expected driver behavior and cause system crashes.

How to Fix the 0x000000CE Error

Follow these solutions in order—from easiest to most technical:

1. Boot into Safe Mode

Safe Mode loads only essential drivers. This allows you to diagnose and resolve issues without triggering the BSOD.

Steps:

1. Restart the PC.
2. Press F8 or Shift + F8 during startup (or force shutdown 3 times for Recovery Mode).
3. Choose “Safe Mode with Networking.”

2. Use System Restore

If the error started after a recent driver update, rolling back to a previous restore point may resolve it.

Steps:

• Go to Control Panel > Recovery > Open System Restore
• Choose a restore point before the BSOD appeared.

3. Update or Roll Back Drivers

Corrupt or newly installed drivers are the most frequent causes.

To Update:

• Press Win + X > Device Manager
• Right-click the suspect device (e.g., network adapter, graphics card)
• Select Update Driver

To Roll Back:

• In Device Manager, go to Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver

4. Uninstall Recently Installed Software or Drivers

If a crash began after a specific install:

• Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features
• Uninstall any suspicious or recent software.
• Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) for graphics drivers, or Revo Uninstaller for thorough removal.

5. Run the Driver Verifier Tool

Driver Verifier helps identify the exact driver causing issues—but use it with caution, as it can induce BSODs.

Steps:

1. Open Command Prompt (Admin)
2. Type verifier > Enter
3. Choose “Create standard settings” > Next > “Automatically select all drivers” > Finish
4. Restart your system.

Let your system run until it crashes again. The minidump will point to the faulty driver.

To turn off Driver Verifier after diagnosis:

• verifier /reset in Command Prompt (Admin)

6. Check for Malware

Run a full scan using a reliable anti-malware tool (e.g., Malwarebytes, Windows Defender, or SpyHunter). Malware interfering with kernel drivers can cause this error.

7. Check Event Viewer and Minidump Logs

To dig deeper:

• Open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc)
• Look for critical errors under System > BugCheck
• Open Minidump files (C:\Windows\Minidump\) using BlueScreenView or WinDbg.

This can identify the exact .sys file (driver) that failed.

How to Prevent Future 0x000000CE BSODs

• Always download drivers from official vendor sites.
• Avoid beta drivers unless necessary.
• Regularly update Windows.
• Run periodic scans for rootkits and malware.
• Use Driver Verifier (carefully) if you're testing new hardware or software.
• Avoid forced driver uninstalls without cleanup tools.
• Back up regularly so you can use System Restore or clean installation as a fallback.

Final Thoughts

The 0x000000CE BSOD is a sign of a critical driver error, often due to developers or software neglecting proper driver cleanup procedures. Thankfully, with the right diagnostics and a few methodical steps, this issue can be resolved and prevented.

If all else fails, a clean Windows reinstall might be necessary—but that should only be your last resort.

Support.Com Can Help!

If you’re still having trouble, consider reaching out to Support.Com for a personalized solution to all technical support issues.