Fix MULTIPLE_IRP_COMPLETE_REQUESTS 0x44 in Windows 11

MULTIPLE_IRP_COMPLETE_REQUESTS, or stop code 0x00000044, appears when a driver tries to finish a request that has already been finished. Windows allows exactly one completion per request, so a second attempt is treated as a serious integrity violation and stops the machine.

The interesting part is who is at fault. The driver named in the crash is often not the one that made the mistake, and understanding why changes which fix actually works. This guide explains what an I/O request is, what the parameters tell you, and how to track down the real conflict.

PAGE CONTENT

• What an IRP Is and What 0x44 Means
• What the Parameters Tell You
• Fix 1: Identify the Device and the Recent Change
• Fix 2: Update or Reinstall the Device Driver
• Fix 3: Remove Duplicate and Third-Party Filter Drivers
• Fix 4: Clean Out Old Device Entries and Repair Windows
• Fix 5: Use Driver Verifier Carefully
• FAQs About MULTIPLE_IRP_COMPLETE_REQUESTS
• Back Up and Restore Windows with Qiling Disk Master

What an IRP Is and What 0x44 Means

An I/O request packet, usually shortened to IRP, is the structure Windows uses to carry a request through the driver stack. When an application reads a file, sends audio to a speaker, or receives a packet from a network adapter, Windows builds an IRP and passes it down through the drivers that handle that device. Each driver on the stack gets a turn to process it.

The rule that matters here is ownership. At any moment exactly one driver is responsible for the packet, and responsibility is handed along deliberately. When a driver has finished its part, it calls the completion routine, and on the last step the packet is retired. A packet is meant to be completed once, by one owner.

This stop code means that rule was broken: a driver asked to complete a packet that was already complete. It is tempting to assume the driver made a simple mistake and completed its own request twice, but Microsoft's documentation warns against that conclusion. The simple case is rarely the real one. Far more often, two separate drivers each believe they own the packet, and each tries to complete it. The first completion succeeds and the second one triggers the bug check.

That is why this stop code is genuinely hard to diagnose: the trace left by the first driver has already been overwritten by the second, so the evidence points at the wrong participant.

What the Parameters Tell You

The first parameter is the address of the IRP, and the remaining three are reserved. On its own that address identifies the request but not the culprit, so the parameters are less useful to a home user than the context of the crash.

What is useful is the device path. Two things are worth noting before you change anything:

• Which device or operation was involved. Removing a pair of Bluetooth headphones, unplugging a storage device, or disconnecting a virtual private network adapter all carry a recognisable pattern.
• What changed recently. A new security suite, a new virtual private network client, a new backup tool, or a newly attached device are the usual culprits, because they add a driver to a stack that was previously working.

There is a well-documented example that makes this concrete: users have reported that removing a Bluetooth audio device while playback is active produces this stop code every single time, until the Bluetooth driver stack is updated.

Fix 1: Identify the Device and the Recent Change

Step 1. Note precisely what you were doing. Write down the device and the action, such as removing a Bluetooth speaker, ejecting a memory card, or disconnecting a docking station.

Step 2. Reproduce it once deliberately, so you know you have a reliable trigger rather than a coincidence. Knowing the trigger turns a vague fault into a testable one.

Step 3. Recall the recent changes. If the stop code began after installing a security suite, a virtual private network client, or a new peripheral, that product is your first suspect, even if it seems unrelated to the device in the trigger.

Step 4. Avoid broad changes at this stage. Reinstalling Windows before you have identified the trigger usually reinstalls the same conflicting software and brings the stop code back.

Fix 2: Update or Reinstall the Device Driver

Step 1. Update the driver for the device in your trigger, and use the manufacturer's package rather than a generic one. For Bluetooth faults, update both the Bluetooth adapter driver and the radio or combo driver that the laptop maker publishes, because the audio and radio paths are separate components.

Step 2. Remove and re-add the device. For a Bluetooth accessory, delete the pairing in Settings and pair it again, which clears any stale state that the two drivers may be disagreeing about.

Step 3. If the device has a driver supplied by a third-party utility rather than by Windows, replace that utility with the standard driver and retest.

Step 4. For a storage or network device, update the chipset drivers at the same time, since the platform driver sits underneath the device driver and both participate in the stack.

Fix 3: Remove Duplicate and Third-Party Filter Drivers

Step 1. Understand where the conflict usually lives. A filter driver attaches itself to a device stack to inspect or modify requests in passing. That is a legitimate design, but it means two filters from two different products can both decide that they are responsible for completing a request.

Step 2. Look for duplicates. Two antivirus products, an antivirus suite plus a standalone firewall, two backup or synchronisation tools, or a virtual private network client alongside a disk encryption product: each pair is a realistic source of this stop code.

Step 3. Remove the redundant product properly with its own uninstaller, then restart. Disabling it is not enough, because a disabled filter driver can still be loaded into the stack.

Step 4. Re-run your trigger. If the stop code disappears, you have found the conflict, and you can decide which of the two products you actually need.

Fix 4: Clean Out Old Device Entries and Repair Windows

Step 1. Remove device entries left behind by hardware you no longer use. In Device Manager, enable the option to show hidden devices, then uninstall the greyed-out entries. An orphaned entry can keep a filter driver loaded for a device that no longer exists.

Step 2. Repair the system files. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

Step 3. Install all pending Windows updates, including optional driver updates. Microsoft and the device makers both ship fixes for completion handling over time, and this stop code is frequently solved by a driver release rather than by a setting.

Step 4. Update the system firmware and chipset drivers if they are behind, since the platform drivers participate in the storage and device stacks.

Fix 5: Use Driver Verifier Carefully

Step 1. If the conflict persists and you cannot identify it by removal, Driver Verifier can help. It includes I/O verification options that check whether drivers handle requests and completions correctly.

Step 2. Enable verification for a small set of suspect drivers only, never for all drivers, and write down the settings first so you can undo them.

Step 3. Enable the I/O related checks along with the standard settings, restart, and reproduce the trigger. The resulting report identifies the driver that broke the completion rules.

Step 4. Remember to disable verification with verifier /reset when you are done. Our guide on DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION covers the procedure and how to recover if the machine will not start afterwards.

FAQs About MULTIPLE_IRP_COMPLETE_REQUESTS

What exactly is an IRP?

It is the packet Windows uses to carry an input or output request through a stack of drivers. Each driver processes it in turn, and exactly one driver is responsible for completing it at the end.

Why is the driver named on screen often not to blame?

Because two drivers each tried to complete the same packet. The first attempt succeeded, and the second one produced the stop code. The trace from the first driver has already been overwritten, so the report can point at the wrong participant.

Can a Bluetooth device really cause this?

Yes. Removing a Bluetooth audio device during playback has been reported to trigger this stop code consistently, and updating the Bluetooth driver stack resolves it.

Is this a hardware fault?

Usually not. It is a software ownership conflict, which is why driver updates and the removal of redundant filters are the effective fixes. A failing device that sends duplicate completions is possible but far less common.

Will reinstalling Windows help?

Only if you do not reinstall the conflicting software afterwards. The conflict is created by the driver combination, so a clean install that restores the same combination restores the problem.

How do I confirm the fix?

Reproduce the trigger several times over a few days. Because this stop code is tied to a specific action, a reliable trigger makes confirmation straightforward once the action stops crashing.

Back Up and Restore Windows with Qiling Disk Master

Resolving this stop code means driver removals, Device Manager clean-ups, and possibly Driver Verifier experiments, and any of those can leave a machine that will not start. Create a full system backup before you begin. Qiling Disk Master handles both the backup and the restore.

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Part 1: Create a Full System Backup

Step 1. Install and open Qiling Disk Master. On the home screen, open "Backup and Recovery" and choose "System Backup". This option automatically includes Windows and the hidden boot partitions, so you do not have to select them one by one.

Step 2. Check the source. The disk where Windows is installed and its system partitions are already ticked for you. If you only need your personal documents, run a separate "File Backup" task instead.

Step 3. Click the destination box and choose where the image should be saved. Use an external HDD or SSD, a NAS, or any drive other than the one Windows is installed on, and make sure it has enough free space.

Step 4. Review the task summary and click "Proceed". Wait until the progress bar reaches 100%. Do not unplug the drive or turn off the PC while the backup is running.

Part 2: Restore Windows from the Backup

Step 1. Open Qiling Disk Master again, go to "Backup and Recovery", and select the recovery option. Your backup images are listed, so pick the one you created before the changes began.

Step 2. Choose the target disk or partition. Normally you restore to the original system disk. If the drive was replaced, select the new disk instead, and the restore rebuilds Windows together with its boot partitions.

Step 3. Preview the restore plan, click "Proceed", and confirm the warning. The PC restarts to finish the job, and Windows comes back exactly as it was on the day the image was created, with your files and programs intact.

Conclusion

MULTIPLE_IRP_COMPLETE_REQUESTS means two drivers tried to finish the same I/O request. The first completion succeeded and the second one stopped the machine, which is why the driver named in the crash is often a victim rather than the cause. Parameter 1 gives only the address of the request, so the useful evidence is the trigger and the timeline: identify the device involved, then look at what you installed or attached just before the crashes started. Update the device driver from the manufacturer, remove duplicate security, backup, or virtual private network filters, clear out hidden device entries, and repair the system files. Use Driver Verifier only as a last resort and only on a small set of suspect drivers.

Protect your PC with Qiling Backup—create a system image before your next troubleshooting step.

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