The most frequent cause is outdated or corrupted system drivers, particularly network or graphics drivers. Additional triggers include faulty RAM, failing hard drives, or power supply issues. Now that you know the details about the error, you can solve this error using these solutions.
1. Update Windows to the Latest Version
If your Windows is out of date, it might not work properly with drivers or applications, resulting in the 0x0000FFFF error. Updating Windows to the latest version can often resolve the issue.
2. Perform a Clean Boot of Your PC
The 0x0000FFFF error may be caused by some application interfering with Windows. Performing a clean boot can help you identify if a background application is the cause.
3. Perform a Cold Restart and Reconnect Hardware Components
This error can happen if Windows experiences a temporary glitch, there’s static electricity in your hardware, your PC is dusty, or components (like RAM) are not properly connected. Performing a cold restart, cleaning your computer, and reseating hardware may fix the problem.
3.1. How to Perform a Cold Restart
3.2. Clean the System and Reseat/Reconnect Hardware
3.3 Test the System’s RAM
If no RAM sticks or slots seem faulty, check your RAM’s health using the MEM Test tool. You may also find it helpful to use CPU-Z to check your CPU’s health. If you have been overclocking your system or graphics card, revert any overclocked settings to their default values and see if this fixes the problem.
4. Update Your Drivers to the Latest Version
If any of your system drivers are outdated, they may not work well with a newer version of Windows, leading to the 0x0000FFFF error. Updating all drivers can often fix this. The following drivers are most often linked to this error: For graphics driver problems, consider using the tool provided by your card’s manufacturer (such as Nvidia GeForce Experience or AMD software) to update the driver. If that doesn’t work, try installing an older version of the graphics driver to see if it resolves the issue. Lowering your screen resolution—for example, from 4K to 1080p—can also help in some cases. If you’re not sure which driver is causing the problem, try using Driver Verifier to help identify the problematic driver.
5. Disable or Uninstall Your Antivirus
Sometimes, the error code 0x0000FFFF can be caused by your antivirus software interfering with Windows. Disabling or uninstalling the antivirus can often help fix the problem. Antivirus programs like Bitdefender (bddci.sys) and Malwarebytes have been known to cause this issue. Warning: Disabling or uninstalling your antivirus may make your system more vulnerable to threats, so proceed with caution.
