Windows 10: Updates causes BSOD loop on CorsairVBusDriver

[German]The latest Windows 10 updates seem to cause severe problems for some users with a CorsairVBusDriver installed. The systems remain in a Blue Screen boot loop after installing the update.


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Error description in forums

The driver corsairVBusdriver.sys is installed for Corsair keyboards, but has been causing problems for a long time. In Microsoft Answers there is this thread which started on Oct 6, 2020. Thread creator writes:

After running optional system update for Corsair devices, my ASUS RoG G771 laptop is completely unusable.  It's stuck in a BSOD reboot loop and not one recovery method is working.  I wasn't provided a recovery disk with the laptop and apparently it's unable to boot from USB.  I can't even reset the OS because it prompts for an outlook.com password and says the one I provide is incorrect (I've confirmed I am entering the latest password for the account and it's working on other devices).  Safe mode doesn't work, either.

Others have posted this on the Corsair forum and the company doesn't answer. My laptop is now a boat anchor and I'm desperate for a solution…

The machine stucks in a BSOD reboot loop and isn't useable anymore. The thread is already seven pages long, with the latest posts being from December 2020. This MS Answers forum post also complains about Blue Sreens constantly occurring, forcing the system into an auto-repair loop with the SYSTEM_THREAD_EXECPTION_NOT_HANDLED stop code, but doing nothing.

Stop error

In the course of the thread, one user expresses that the CorsairVBusDriver.sys was updated by a Windows 10 update. On reddit.com you can also find this long thread, which was opened yesterday and already has 81 replies. On the Corsair forum I found this thread on the topic.

Corsair Ultility Engine collides with update

The colleagues from Bleeping Computer have taken up the issue in this article. There, too, they conclude, based on user feedback, that the December 2020 update for various Windows versions conflict with the Corsair Utility Engine software and cause the operating system to enter a BSOD loop with the stop code SYSTEM_THREAD_EXECPTION_NOT_HANDLED.


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Fix by disabling the drivers

This problem can only be fixed by disabling the affected Corsair drivers on the affected Windows system. This requires the following steps.

1. You have to boot into safe mode (press the shift key and let Windows restart, should end up in Windows PE mode).

2. There the command prompt has to be opened (can be found under Troubleshooting, Advanced Options, Command Prompt) to rename the affected drivers.

To do this, identify the Windows drive (I always call notepad.exe in Windows PE and go to the Open dialog – it acts like a mini file manager and shows the drives with). notepad.exe in Windows PE auf und gehe auf den Öffnen-Dialog – der wirkt wie ein Mini-Dateimanager und zeigt mit die Laufwerke an).

3.  In the command prompt, change to the Windows drive with CD <lw:> and then to the following folder:

<lw:>\Windows\system32\driver

with the drivers. Rename the Corsair driver with the following command:

ren corsairvbusdriver.sys corsairvbusdriver.sys.bak

This command will, of course, shut down the device, but after a reboot, you should be able to run the Windows 10 system without a blue screen. The colleagues at Bleeping Computer go into more detail about the various renaming and uninstalling options in this post. The above-linked form posts on MS Answers and reddit.com also provide corresponding instructions.


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