WhyCrashed

wdfilter.sys

Microsoft — Microsoft Defender filter driver

When blamed in a crash: Often a victim, dig deeper

What to do

Defender's file filter. Genuine WdFilter crashes are rare — conflicts with a second antivirus are the usual story.

  1. If a third-party antivirus is also installed, remove one of the two — running both is the classic trigger.
  2. Run Windows Update (Defender platform updates ship there).
  3. Check for disk corruption: chkdsk C: /f

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