How to Resolve the “The Operating System Cannot Be Booted Because of Important System Driver Errors”

What to do when encountering a Windows error? Windows 10/11 errors can be frustrating, and it’s crucial to know what to do when they occur.

In this article, we discuss everything we know about the error “The Operating System Cannot Be Booted Because of Important System Driver Errors.” We include why it shows and what to do to fix it.

About the Error “The Operating System Cannot Be Booted Because of Important System Driver Errors” on Windows 10/11

This error message notoriously appears when Windows cannot boot normally. It may be triggered by the qevbda.sys system file. In most cases, this error message is accompanied by the 0x0000221 error code.

Aside from a faulty qevbda.sys file, there are many reasons why Windows cannot boot normally. These include the following:

• a buggy hardware driver
• incompatible hardware component
• newly installed device
• outdated hardware drivers
• A malfunctioning external peripheral device
• malware entities
• corrupt or damaged system files
• bad sectors or hard drive issues

So, what to do about “The Operating System Cannot Be Booted Because of Important System Driver Errors?” Read the next section for solutions.

How to Fix “The Operating System Cannot Be Booted Because of Important System Driver Errors”

If you find yourself faced with this error message, you can try any of the recommended solutions below. You don’t have to try all of them in the order given. Just choose one that works for you.

Fix #1: Check any connected external devices for problems

This error message can be triggered by a faulty external peripheral device like your mouse, external keyboard, hard drive, or USB stick. And in this case, your first course of action should be unplugging all connected external devices one at a time. Once you find the one that is at fault, connect it to another Windows computer and check if it is recognized without issues. If it is, then you may proceed with installing a compatible device driver.

To do so, you may have to boot Windows 10/11 into Safe Mode. From here, you can then try updating your drivers via the Device Manager.

Now, if you don’t prefer booting Windows into Safe Mode, you can download the latest driver version from the official website of the device manufacturer or use a third-party device driver updater tool to avoid downloading incompatible or wrong driver versions. If the issue persists, you may try another fix.

Fix #2: Run the SFC utility

In this fix, you will have to run the System File Checker (SFC) utility. It is designed to allow Windows users to scan and restore corrupted or damaged Windows system files.

Here’s how to run a scan using the SFC utility:

1. Press the Windows key to launch the Start menu.
2. Into the search field, input cmd or command prompt.
3. Right-click on the most relevant search result.
4. Choose Run as Administrator.
5. If prompted by the UAC, provide your administrator password.
6. Once the Command Prompt window loads, input the sfc /scannow command and hit Enter.
7. Wait for the scan to complete and check if the error message still appears.

Fix #3: Remove the faulty device driver

If you are having problems with a faulty device driver, then you need to remove it. To do this, you have to boot into the Advanced Recovery Options and launch the Command Prompt.

Here’s a detailed guide on what to do:

1. Launch Settings.
2. Select Update and Security and click Recovery.
3. Now, choose the Advanced Startup option.
4. Hit the Restart Now button.
5. Upon restart, launch Command Prompt with administrator privilege.
6. Input the following commands one at a time followed by the Enter key:
   • cd..
   • cd windows\system32
   • del netqevbda.inf
7. Wait for the process to complete and check if the error is gone.

Be careful when using the command above, though. Make sure you have created a restore point first so you can easily revert and restore your files in case something goes wrong.

Fix #4: Perform an automatic startup repair

Windows 10/11 devices have this new recovery feature called Automatic Repair. You can use this to fix the error “The Operating System Cannot Be Booted Because of Important System Driver Errors” on Windows 10/11.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to perform an automatic startup repair:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to Update and Security > Recovery > Advanced Startup.
3. Choose the Restart Now option.
4. From the Windows Recovery environment, choose Troubleshoot.
5. Select Advanced Options.
6. Click Automatic/Startup Repair.
7. You will then be asked to choose a User Account. Choose one and proceed.
8. If prompted, provide your password and hit the Continue button.

Windows Automatic Repair will now begin and try to resolve the issue. The process may take time and your device may boot a couple of times. Once it is done, check if the error message still shows.

Fix #5: Restore your system

If the above solutions did not work, you may restore your system to a point prior to seeing the error message.

To perform a System Restore on Windows 10/11, do the following:

1. Click the Start menu.
2. Into the search field, input create a restore point and click on the most relevant search result. This should launch the System Properties window.
3. Hit the System Restore button and click Next.
4. Choose a restore point and wait for your system to revert all changes.
5. Next, hit the Scan for affected programs button to see what apps will be removed after the system restore process.
6. Click the Close button.
7. Hit Next, then Finish.
8. At this point, System Restore will revert your device to the state you chose.

Fix #6: Check for malware entities

Your Windows device has a built-in antivirus solution that you can use to identify and get rid of malware entities. It is called Windows Defender. To use it, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start menu.
2. Into the search field, input Windows Defender and click on the top-most result.
3. You will be asked to check for updates. To do so, click the Check for updates now button.
4. To proceed with a scan, hit the Scan button.
5. Windows Defender will now begin to scan your device for any malware entity. It will then alert you if it discovers any malicious activity or process.

For better results, you can use a third-party anti-malware solution, too. Just make sure you download a reliable antivirus solution from a trusted source. Once you have installed one, run a complete and thorough malware scan to ensure no malware entity remains hiding in your system. Once the scan is complete, the antivirus suite will display its findings. Apply the recommended fixes.

Conclusion

The Windows error “The Operating System Cannot Be Booted Because of Important System Driver Errors” should barely scratch the surface if you know what to do. So, familiarize yourself with these fixes so you will be equipped with sufficient knowledge in the event you come across this error in the future.

If you have encountered a specific Windows error message not covered on this website, please let us know in the comments. We’d love to share our insights about it, why it happened, and give solutions to fix it.