This guide will list out various methods to fix the “Windows Cannot Verify the Digital Signature for the Drivers” error. This message usually pops up when Windows cannot identify the connected USB device. As far as the culprit behind this issue is concerned, it could be attributed to its drivers being corrupted. And if you go through its Properties, then accompanying the aforementioned error will be the below message:
“A recent hardware or software change might have installed a file that is signed incorrectly or damaged, or that might be malicious software from an unknown source. (Code 52)”.
Moreover, even though the device might be visible in the Device Manager, however, it will be accompanied by a yellow warning sign. As a result of this, you wouldn’t be able to access the connected USB device, whether it’s from File Manager, Command Prompt, Disk Management, or any third-party tools. To address this concern, we will be listing out various methods that should fix this problem. Follow along.
Windows Cannot Verify the Digital Signature for the Drivers
Try out each of the below-listed tweaks and then see which one works out in your favor.
FIX 1: Reinstall Drivers
One major cause of this issue could be due to the drivers getting corrupted. Therefore, let’s uninstall them and then reinstall their fresh instance from scratch. Follow along:
- Right-click on the Windows icon and select Device Manager.
- Then right-click on your device and select Uninstall Device.
- Once done, unplug your USB device and then restart the PC.
- Now replug your USB and the drivers will be auto-installed.
- Once that happens, check whether your PC can identify it.
FIX 2: Registry Editor Tweak
Before starting with the below steps, make sure to take a backup of the Registry.
- Open Run via the Windows+R shortcut, type in regedit, and hit Enter.
- This will launch Registry Editor. Now copy-paste the below location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{36FC9E60-C465-11CF-8056-444553540000} - On the right-hand side, there should be UpperFilters and LowerFilters.
- Delete both these files, restart your PC, and then check out the result.
FIX 3: Disable Driver Signature Verification
If the driver in question is not signed, then Windows will prevent you from installing it. Therefore, you should consider disabling the Driver Signature Verification, which could be done via the below-listed steps:
- Bring up the Power menu, press and hold the Shift button, and click Restart.
- The PC will boot to Windows Recovery Environment. Click on Troubleshoot.
- After that, go to Advanced options > Startup Settings.
- Now press the 7 or F7 key (or Fn+F7 on some PCs). The PC will now boot to the OS with the Driver Signature Verification disabled.
- Now connect your device to your PC via USB and check if the underlying issue has been fixed or not.
FIX 4: Reinstall Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller
- To begin with, take ownership of the two files listed below:
C:\Windows\system32\drivers\usbehci.sys C:\Windows\system32\drivers\usbhub.sys
- Then rename usbehci.sys to usbehciold.sys and usbhub.sys to usbhubold.sys.
- Now press Windows+X and select Device Manager. Then expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
- Now right-click on Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller and select Uninstall.
- Finally, restart your PC and the drivers will be installed automatically. Check if it fixes the issue or not.
FIX 5: Use SFC and DISM Commands
System File Checker and Deployment Image Servicing and Management are two command-line utility tools from Microsoft that scan for corrupt Windows files and then replace them with their working versions. The major difference between the two is that the SFC replaces the corrupt files with their working ones from the cached directory whereas DISM does so by downloading the working files from the online Microsoft servers. So let’s put both these tools to the test and check out the result.
- Open Command Prompt from the Start Menu and use the below command to open the SFC Tool:
sfc /scannow
- Once the SFC Scanning is complete, use the below command to use the DISM Tool:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- Once DISM finishes scanning, restart your PC and check out the results.
FIX 6: Disable Secure Boot
If none of the workarounds spelled out success, then the last course of action should be to disable Secure Boot on your PC. However, only do so if the drivers are safe and it comes from a trusted source. One more important thing worth keeping in mind is the fact that the next time you want to re-enable Secure Boot, it might require a factory reset. So if that’s well and good, then do check out our guide on How to Disable Secure Boot in Windows 11.
That’s it. These were the various methods to fix the “Windows Cannot Verify the Digital Signature for the Drivers” error. All the queries concerning the aforementioned methods are welcomed in the comments section.
