0xC0000003 STATUS_INVALID_INFO_CLASS Fix: 3 Steps

What 0xC0000003 Actually Means

This error shows up as a blue screen or a sudden crash with the cryptic message "STATUS_INVALID_INFO_CLASS". What it really means: Windows asked a driver or system component for information, and that driver replied with garbage—an "info class" that doesn't exist in the kernel's lookup table. I've seen this most often after a Windows update that replaced a video driver, or after someone force-closed a game that locked up. Had a client last month whose print queue died because of this—turns out a corrupted printer driver was triggering the error every time he tried to open Devices and Printers.

1. The 30-Second Fix: Run SFC Scan

Start here because it's fast and catches the obvious stuff. The System File Checker checks every protected system file against a known good copy. I've fixed maybe 40% of 0xC0000003 cases with just this.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator: hit Win+X, then click "Windows Terminal (Admin)" or "Command Prompt (Admin)".
2. Type this and press Enter:

sfc /scannow

Let it run. It'll take 5-10 minutes. If it finds corrupt files and fixes them, reboot immediately. If it says "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them", go to step 2.

Pro tip: If SFC hangs at 20% or 40%, don't force-close it. That can corrupt the scan itself. Wait 30 minutes; if still stuck, reboot in Safe Mode and run it again there.

2. The 5-Minute Fix: DISM + Driver Rollback

If SFC couldn't fix everything, it means the corruption is deeper—likely in the component store (where Windows keeps backup copies of system files). This is where DISM comes in.

Run DISM Repair

1. Open Command Prompt as admin again (same way as step 1).
2. Run this command:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

This connects to Windows Update to download fresh copies of corrupt files. If your internet is spotty, use a local install source instead:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\RepairSource\Windows /LimitAccess

Where C:\RepairSource\Windows is a mounted Windows ISO or USB drive.

After DISM finishes, run sfc /scannow again to catch anything leftover. Then reboot.

Roll Back the Problem Driver

The other common cause here is a bad driver update—especially for graphics cards, network adapters, or storage controllers. Here's how to undo it:

1. Right-click the Start button and open "Device Manager".
2. Look for any device with a yellow exclamation mark. Focus on: Display adapters, Network adapters, Storage controllers, System devices.
3. Right-click the device, go to Properties > Driver tab > Roll Back Driver.
4. If the button is grayed out, that means no previous driver is saved. In that case, uninstall the device (check "Delete the driver software for this device") and reboot. Windows will reinstall the generic driver.

Real scenario: Had a client whose NVIDIA driver auto-updated and triggered 0xC0000003 every time he launched a game. Rolling back to the previous driver version fixed it instantly.

3. The 15+ Minute Fix: Clean Boot & System Restore

If the first two steps didn't help, we're dealing with something that's either a deep-seated conflict or corruption that survived SFC and DISM. This is the nuclear option—but it works.

Perform a Clean Boot

Clean boot loads Windows with only Microsoft services and drivers. If the error disappears, a third-party service or startup program is the culprit.

1. Press Win+R, type msconfig, press Enter.
2. Go to the Services tab, check "Hide all Microsoft services", then click "Disable all".
3. Go to the Startup tab, click "Open Task Manager", disable every startup item.
4. Click OK and restart.

If the error doesn't appear, start re-enabling services in small batches to find the offender. I usually do it in groups of five—reboot, test, repeat.

System Restore to a Working State

System Restore reverts your Windows installation to a snapshot from before the problem started. It doesn't touch your personal files, but it does uninstall drivers and programs installed after the restore point was created.

1. Search for "Create a restore point" in the Start menu, open it.
2. Click "System Restore", then Next.
3. Pick a restore point dated before the first time you saw the error.
4. Click Scan for affected programs to see what will be removed. Note that down—you'll need to reinstall those later.
5. Click Next, then Finish.

This takes about 15-20 minutes. After it's done, check if the error is gone. If it is, you're golden. If not, you might be looking at a hardware issue—specifically a failing hard drive or RAM. Run chkdsk /f on your system drive and a memory diagnostic (Windows Memory Diagnostic tool) to rule those out.

When to Throw in the Towel

If none of these steps work, you're probably dealing with a manufacturing defect or a deeply corrupted Windows install that needs a fresh start. Backup your data and do a clean install of Windows via the Media Creation Tool. I know it's a pain, but it's faster than chasing a ghost for two days.