I saw the following question, and it is the exact same problem on my machine, I have tracked it to the ASUS PCE-n53 wireless card in my desktop. Does anyone know of a workaround? Windows 8.1 RTM installation crashes The adapter worked fine in windows 8... any ideas? EDIT: Crash Dump Analysis * Bugcheck Analysis * * IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (a) An attempt was made to access a pageable (or completely invalid) address at an interrupt request level (IRQL) that is too high. This is usually caused by drivers using improper addresses. If a kernel debugger is available get the stack backtrace. Arguments: Arg1: 0000000000000000, memory referenced Arg2: 0000000000000002, IRQL Arg3: 0000000000000001, bitfield : bit 0 : value 0 = read operation, 1 = write operation bit 3 : value 0 = not an execute operation, 1 = execute operation (only on chips which support this level of status) Arg4: fffff801ef4f1316, address which referenced memory Debugging Details: WRITE_ADDRESS: 0000000000000000 CURRENT_IRQL: 2 FAULTING_IP: nt!KeReleaseSpinLock+16 fffff801`ef4f1316 f048832100 lock and qword ptr [rcx],0 DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: WIN8_DRIVER_FAULT BUGCHECK_STR: AV PROCESS_NAME: System ANALYSIS_VERSION: 6.3.9600.16384 (debuggers(dbg).130821-1623) amd64fre TRAP_FRAME: ffffd00020d45550 -- (.trap 0xffffd00020d45550) NOTE: The trap frame does not contain all registers. Some register values may be zeroed or incorrect. rax=0000000000000001 rbx=0000000000000000 rcx=0000000000000000 rdx=0000000055920200 rsi=0000000000000000 rdi=0000000000000000 rip=fffff801ef4f1316 rsp=ffffd00020d456e0 rbp=ffffd00020d45768 r8=0000000055920222 r9=0000000035930000 r10=0000000055920222 r11=ffffd00020d456a8 r12=0000000000000000 r13=0000000000000000 r14=0000000000000000 r15=0000000000000000 iopl=0 nv up ei pl zr na po nc nt!KeReleaseSpinLock+0x16: fffff801ef4f1316 f048832100 lock and qword ptr [rcx],0 ds:0000000000000000=???????????????? Resetting default scope LOCK_ADDRESS: fffff801ef6da360 -- (!locks fffff801ef6da360) Resource @ nt!PiEngineLock (0xfffff801ef6da360) Exclusively owned Contention Count = 6 Threads: ffffe000010ff040-01<* 1 total locks, 1 locks currently held PNP_TRIAGE: Lock address : 0xfffff801ef6da360 Thread Count : 1 Thread address: 0xffffe000010ff040 Thread wait : 0x1fbe LAST_CONTROL_TRANSFER: from fffff801ef5647e9 to fffff801ef558ca0 STACK_TEXT: ffffd00020d45408 fffff801ef5647e9 : 000000000000000a 0000000000000000 0000000000000002 0000000000000001 : nt!KeBugCheckEx ffffd00020d45410 fffff801ef56303a : 0000000000000001 0000000000000000 ffff0c83e3e25300 ffffd00020d45550 : nt!KiBugCheckDispatch+0x69 ffffd00020d45550 fffff801ef4f1316 : 00000000000a5890 0000000000000001 0000000000000000 ffffe00004c00000 : nt!KiPageFault+0x23a ffffd00020d456e0 fffff80003b430ad : 00000000000afe80 ffffe00004c00000 00000000000a2f80 0000000035720000 : nt!KeReleaseSpinLock+0x16 ffffd00020d45710 fffff80003ac249f : ffffe00004c00000 00000000000000a8 ffffe00004c85050 0000000000000800 : netr28x+0x840ad ffffd00020d457b0 fffff80000b76475 : ffffd00020d459e8 ffffd00020d459f0 ffffe00004ac2006 ffffe00004ac21a0 : netr28x+0x349f ffffd00020d459a0 fffff80000baa248 : ffffe00004ac2eb8 0000000000000000 ffffe00000000000 ffffe00004ac21a0 : ndis!ndisMInvokeInitialize+0x39 ffffd00020d459e0 fffff80000b74784 : 0000000000000050 ffffe00004907ba0 0000000000000000 01cecbbc328e6cde : ndis!ndisMInitializeAdapter+0x4dc ffffd00020d46050 fffff80000b74d3d : 0000000000000050 ffffe0000443e770 ffffc00000951480 ffffe00004ac21a0 : ndis!ndisInitializeAdapter+0x60 ffffd00020d460a0 fffff80000b74c14 : ffffe00004ac21a0 ffffe00004ac2050 ffffe000047ec2a0 0000000000000000 : ndis!ndisPnPStartDevice+0x89 ffffd00020d460f0 fffff80000b87695 : ffffe00004ac21a0 ffffe00004ac21a0 ffffd00020d461b0 ffffe000047ec2a0 : ndis!ndisStartDeviceSynchronous+0x58 ffffd00020d46140 fffff80000b6a760 : ffffe000047ec2a0 ffffe00004ac21a0 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : ndis!ndisPnPIrpStartDevice+0x13471 ffffd00020d46170 fffff8000032576c : ffffe00004b11501 ffffe00004b11570 0000000000000001 fffff80000325880 : ndis!ndisPnPDispatch+0x140 ffffd00020d461e0 fffff8000030b40a : ffffe000047ec2a0 0000000000000106 ffffd00020d462f0 ffffe00004b116c0 : Wdf01000!FxPkgFdo::PnpSendStartDeviceDownTheStackOverload+0xe8 ffffd00020d46250 fffff80000305942 : 0000000000000106 ffffd00020d462f0 0000000000000105 ffffd00020d464d0 : Wdf01000!FxPkgPnp::PnpEventInitStarting+0xa ffffd00020d46280 fffff80000305a5a : ffffe00004b116c8 0000000000000002 ffffe00004b11570 ffffe00004b11600 : Wdf01000!FxPkgPnp::PnpEnterNewState+0x102 ffffd00020d46310 fffff80000305bc4 : 0000000000000000 ffffd00020d46400 ffffe00004b116a0 0000000000000000 : Wdf01000!FxPkgPnp::PnpProcessEventInner+0xc2 ffffd00020d46390 fffff8000030c27a : 0000000000000000 ffffe00004b11570 0000000000000000 ffffe00004b11570 : Wdf01000!FxPkgPnp::PnpProcessEvent+0xe4 ffffd00020d46430 fffff80000300936 : ffffe00004b11570 ffffd00020d464c0 0000000000000000 ffffe00004a0e630 : Wdf01000!FxPkgPnp::_PnpStartDevice+0x1e ffffd00020d46460 fffff800002fba18 : ffffe000047ec2a0 ffffe000047ec2a0 0000000000000000 ffffe0000486f020 : Wdf01000!FxPkgPnp::Dispatch+0xd2 ffffd00020d464d0 fffff801ef838796 : 0000000000000000 fffff801ef6aa101 0000000000000000 ffffd000208aa180 : Wdf01000!FxDevice::DispatchWithLock+0x7d8 ffffd00020d465b0 fffff801ef4d5bad : ffffe000011dc3a0 ffffd00020d46659 0000000000000000 fffff801ef7f5ba4 : nt!PnpAsynchronousCall+0x102 ffffd00020d465f0 fffff801ef838e57 : ffffe000011db8d0 ffffe000011db8d0 ffffe00004a8d060 ffffc00002b11200 : nt!PnpStartDevice+0xc5 ffffd00020d466c0 fffff801ef838fe7 : ffffe000011db8d0 ffffe000011db8d0 0000000000000000 ffffe000011db8d0 : nt!PnpStartDeviceNode+0x147 ffffd00020d46790 fffff801ef7fd19e : ffffe000011db8d0 0000000000000001 0000000000000001 ffffe00000000001 : nt!PipProcessStartPhase1+0x53 ffffd00020d467d0 fffff801ef897b17 : ffffe000011db8d0 0000000000000001 0000000000000000 fffff801ef7ef7b2 : nt!PipProcessDevNodeTree+0x3ce ffffd00020d46a50 fffff801ef4f5033 : 0000000100000003 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : nt!PiRestartDevice+0xaf ffffd00020d46aa0 fffff801ef44565d : fffff801ef4f4c90 ffffd00020d46bd0 0000000000000000 ffffe00004a10170 : nt!PnpDeviceActionWorker+0x3a3 ffffd00020d46b50 fffff801ef4eec80 : 0000000000000000 ffffe000010ff040 ffffe000010ff040 ffffe0000035c900 : nt!ExpWorkerThread+0x2b5 ffffd00020d46c00 fffff801ef55f2c6 : ffffd00020472180 ffffe000010ff040 ffffe00000608040 ffffc00000002710 : nt!PspSystemThreadStartup+0x58 ffffd00020d46c60 0000000000000000 : ffffd00020d47000 ffffd00020d41000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : nt!KiStartSystemThread+0x16 STACK_COMMAND: kb FOLLOWUP_IP: netr28x+840ad fffff800`03b430ad 4533e4 xor r12d,r12d SYMBOL_STACK_INDEX: 4 SYMBOL_NAME: netr28x+840ad FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner MODULE_NAME: netr28x IMAGE_NAME: netr28x.sys DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP: 51de7a8d FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: AV_netr28x+840ad BUCKET_ID: AV_netr28x+840ad ANALYSIS_SOURCE: KM FAILURE_ID_HASH_STRING: km:av_netr28x+840ad FAILURE_ID_HASH: {a1f86ced-f566-ac23-afeb-1aa88ea5ab8f} Followup: MachineOwner