"Ongoing investigation indicates that this issue is related to peripherals or internal device components which have RGB lighting features," Microsoft noted.
Microsoft pins crashes to inpoutx64.sys driver
Microsoft has identified a single driver—inpoutx64.sys—as the direct cause of a known issue that has been triggering system crashes and game failures on Windows 11 devices. Affected systems produced "EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION" errors and reports of games failing to launch or freezing. When first confirmed, Microsoft said the problem affected titles such as ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals running on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2.
How the company's fix works and how users will experience it
On August 26, 2026, at 6:00 PM PT, Microsoft began rolling out a permanent remediation that disables the inpoutx64 driver on affected devices. The company explained that the resolution "is resolved by a block that prevents the inpoutx64 driver from loading." On systems where the block applies and the game ARC Raiders is installed, the system will display a message window informing the user that the driver was disabled; after that message appears, the game will launch normally. The rollout targets consumer and business devices that are not managed by IT departments, requires a system restart to take effect, and may take up to 24 hours to reach all affected devices.
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Fix the backlogTemporary registry workaround for enterprise-managed systems
Because the automatic rollout does not propagate to enterprise-managed devices, Microsoft published a temporary fix for IT administrators. The steps, which Microsoft advised should be preceded by a registry backup, are:
- Open the Registry Editor (regedit).
- Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\inpoutx64.
- On the right, open the registry value named Start and set its Value data to "4".
- Close the Registry Editor and restart the computer.
Microsoft stated that "ongoing investigation does not indicate that disabling this registry key can result in unintended behavior." If administrators need to re-enable the driver later, Microsoft said they can restore the registry key to its previous value.
Rollout timeline and inclusion in future updates
Microsoft said the temporary block is already propagating and that the driver block will be bundled into the September 2026 Windows security updates and future releases. The company previously considered whether the August 2026 updates were behind the issue, but the investigation pointed instead to peripherals or internal components with RGB lighting features, which may install drivers or components with file names similar to inpoutx64. In systems where those drivers are present, launching certain games could trigger the failure sequence.
What this means for gamers, enterprise IT administrators, and general Windows users
- Gamers: Players who encountered "EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION" errors or freezes in ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals should see normal launches once the driver block reaches their device and they restart. Microsoft will surface a message explaining the disablement when the block takes effect.
- Enterprise IT administrators: Because the automated rollout does not include managed devices, IT teams will need to decide whether to apply the Microsoft-recommended registry change (setting the inpoutx64 Start value to 4) or await the September security update that will include the block. Microsoft advises backing up the registry before making changes and notes that disabling the key can be reverted by restoring the prior value.
- General Windows users (consumer and unmanaged business devices): These devices are in the scope of the immediate rollout. Users should expect the fix to appear within 24 hours of the August 26, 2026, 6:00 PM PT start time and must restart to complete the change.
Microsoft has handled similar compatibility holds and rollbacks in the past: it removed upgrade blocks for players of Star Wars Outlaws, Assassin's Creed, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and Asphalt 8: Airborne, and it lifted a compatibility hold in January 2025 after fixing an Auto HDR bug that was breaking some games on Windows 11 24H2 devices. In this case, the company has both a short-term administrative workaround and a formal block that will be baked into monthly security updates, while an ongoing investigation continues to trace how RGB-enabled peripherals and their drivers install components named like inpoutx64.sys.
Microsoft's next concrete step is the September 2026 Windows security update, which will include the driver block for broader distribution; until then, the registry change is the sanctioned path for enterprises that cannot wait. The company's continuing investigation will determine whether further remediation or guidance is required for device vendors and peripheral manufacturers.
Source: BleepingComputer — Microsoft rolls out fix for Windows 11 crashes, gaming issues
