Post-Windows 10 Creators Update WiFi Link 5300 AGN Blue Screen w KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

[MPete11]

I have an HP EliteBook 8530w with an Intel WiFi Link 5300 AGN, marked in hardward properties as residing in PCI Slot 1 (bus 3, device 0).

Almost immediately after I installed the Win 10 Creators Update, it began crashing Windows (blue screens) with the errors KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (4 of these since July 2) and DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (2 of these since July 2). I determined that the 5300 is the cause of the problem through BlueScreenView, which identifies NETwNs64.sys (marked as Intel Wireless WiFi Link Adapter, version 14.2.1.2) as the primary cause.

I see that this network adapter is no longer supported, but I also see that there are older drivers available for Win 7, Win 8, and Win 8.1

I am assuming that this crashing is due to the newer Win 10 Creators Update being changed so that the now-not-supported 5300 driver is no longer compatible. (It was working just fine under Win 10 before the CU.)

So, what is my best option (and buying a new laptop is not in that list at this time)? Should I uninstall the 5300 AGN device and drivers and then re-install it using the Win 7, Win 8, or Win 8.1 driver (which are offered on the Intel site) to run in compatibility mode in Windows? Or is there another Intel WiFi card, with fully-compatible W10 CU drivers, that I can purchase and install to replace the 5300 AGN? (I have no problems opening up my laptop, but I would need to know if such a card is in fact replaceable, i.e., not hard-wired to the motherboard.)

[AlHill]

The 5300 is not supported on anything above Windows 8:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000005602.html Supported Operating Systems for Intel® Wireless Products

Doc

[MPete11]

Yes, as I noted earlier, I see that drivers are not available for anything above that. And as I also noted, I have had no problems with it under Windows 10 before the CU, so I would be quite happy with it being unsupported if Microsoft would just leave Windows 10 alone. Given these things, a chart showing me that it is not supported doesn't answer my question: What are my options?

(a) Is it possible to install an older driver under compatibility mode--I have seen older posts elsewhere to that effect, but I don't know if that would work under the CU--and if so, which one (7, 8, 8.1)?

(b) Is there a different WiFi card I can purchase, with fully-compatible CU drivers, that can replace the 5300?

[AlHill]

Go back to before W10CU

or, go back to W8

A replacement card is an option, depending... if a desktop, there are plenty of options. If a laptop, no, you must consult with HP. Or, purchase a wifi dongle that is compatible.

Doc

[CMora8]

You're lucky it worked as long as it did...

Windows 10 uses a (new) driver model called the WLAN Device Driver Interface (WDI). If an adapter doesn't meet the requirements, it won't be able to get a Win10 driver, not even a generic one. Earlier builds didn't implement this to increase compatibility and ease people into win10. But MS will be more strict as newer builds roll out. This is very likely why you're running into these problems.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/network/wifi-universal-driver-model

From personal experience, I would recommend going with the USB dongle for WiFi. It's cheaper and less of a pain in the neck than replacing wireless adapters (I have a TP-LINK Archer T1U on one of my older laptops because of this, it works great).

Is this what you're looking for? https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000006507.html

[MPete11]

Thanks! The Intel link you posted is what I've already seen, and it only tells me there is no support for Win 10. And actually, the 5300 still works, but it's not consistent, so I have to take care to save things frequently in case of a crash. Thanks for the info on how MS is changing how they do WiFi, that explains a lot. I'll look into the dongle thing and if I find one that works, I'll post it here so that others with similar problems may also find an answer. The dongle you suggest is only $17.99 on Amazon (the AC450) and is tiny so it would be out of the way, but the description says it "transmits on only 5GHz band"--which is normally fine for me since that's the band I use, but it would be nice to be able to fall back on 2.4GHz if the router's 5GHz band fails for whatever reason.

[MPete11]

Just posting an update. I purchased a "Wsky Wireless USB Wifi Adapter - AC 600M Dual Band" at Amazon. That worked fine, when it worked, but it often dropped the connection and the only thing I could do to fix it was unplug it and plug it back in. So, I returned it and went back to using the built-in 5300AGN. However, I did not uninstall the Wsky software and drivers. Since that time, I have not had any more crashes... Perhaps Wsky updated something that now makes the 5300AGN usable...? I'll wait a couple more weeks and then post again with an update.