If you encounter the DRIVER_UNLOADED_WITHOUT_CANCELLING_PENDING_OPERATION Blue Screen error with an error code of 0x000000CE then it means that a driver failed to cancel the pending operations before unloading. Some of the driver files that might be the culprit include the intelppm.sys, intcdaud.sys, tmxpflt.sys, mrxsmb.sys and asusptpfilter.sys.
This kind of Blue Screen error occurs when the driver failed to cancel lookaside lists, worker threads, DPCs, and other items before unloading. You can usually identify which driver file is triggering the BSOD error in the BSOD error itself since its name would be printed on the blue screen and stored in memory at the location (PUNICODE_STRING) KiBugCheckDriver.
Refer to the possible solutions given below to fix the DRIVER_UNLOADED_WITHOUT_CANCELLING_PENDING_OPERATIONS error.
Performing System Restore might help you in fixing the SYNTP.SYS Blue Screen error. You can do this option either by booting into Safe Mode or in System Restore. If you are already in the Advanced Startup Options, just directly select System Restore and proceed with the next steps. And if you have just booted your PC into Safe Mode, refer to the steps below.
Disabling the BIOS Memory options such as Caching and Shadowing can help you in fixing the DRIVER_UNLOADED_WITHOUT_CANCELLING_PENDING_OPERATIONS Blue Screen error. All you have to do is enter the BIOS first and then use the Arrow and Enter keys to select your choices. And if you can’t seem to find it, look for specific instructions from your OEM or you could also look out for instructions from the manufacturer of your motherboard.
If the first option didn’t work for you, then it’s time to either update or roll back the device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh. On the other hand, if you have just updated your device drivers then you need to roll back the drivers to their previous versions. Whichever applies to you, refer to the steps below.
Note: You can install a dedicated driver on your computer in case you have it or you could also look for it directly from the website of the manufacturer.
Running the CHKDSK utility might also help you resolve the DRIVER_UNLOADED_WITHOUT_CANCELLING_PENDING_OPERATIONS Blue Screen error. If your hard drive has issues with integrity, the update will really fail as the system will think that it’s not healthy and that’s where the CHKDSK utility comes in. The CHKDSK utility repairs hard drive errors that might be causing the problem.
chkdsk /f /r
Note: After you select the option, your PC will restart and check for memory-based issues. If it finds any issues, it will automatically fix them and if there’s no issue found, then it’s most likely not a memory-based issue so you should try the other options given below.
You can also try to analyze the Memory Dump files as it can help you identify the root cause of the DRIVER_UNLOADED_WITHOUT_CANCELLING_PENDING_OPERATIONS error.
You might also want to try disabling the concerned driver file if it is mentioned in the Stop error. For example, if the stop error mentioned the “intelppm.sys” driver file then you have to disable this driver file since it is most likely the culprit. To do that, follow the steps below.
The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like DRIVER_UNLOADED_WITHOUT_CANCELLING_PENDING_OPERATIONS. It can be found on the Settings Troubleshooters page. To use it, refer to these steps:
“The instruction at 0xf77041d24 referenced memory at 0×00000000. The memory could not be read.”
“This policy setting allows you to prevent Windows from installing removable devices. A device is considered removable when the driver for the device to which it is connected indicates that the device is removable. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device is reported to be removable by the drivers for the USB hub to which the device is connected. This policy setting takes precedence over any other policy setting that allows Windows to install a device. If you enable this policy setting, Windows is prevented from installing removable devices and existing removable devices cannot have their drivers updated. If you enable this policy setting on a remote desktop server, the policy setting affects redirection of removable devices from a remote desktop client to the remote desktop server. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Windows can install and update device drivers for removable devices as allowed or prevented by other policy settings.”