Fix 0XC0000018: Conflicting Address Range in Windows

The 30-Second Fix: Clean Boot

I know this error is infuriating — it usually pops up during boot or when you're trying to install a new driver, and then everything freezes. The good news is, the simplest fix works more often than you'd think. A clean boot strips out all non-Microsoft services and startup programs. That alone clears the conflicting address range because the troublemaker just isn't loaded.

1. Press Win + R, type msconfig, and hit Enter.
2. Go to the Services tab, check Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all.
3. Switch to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
4. Disable every startup item you see.
5. Click OK, restart your PC.

If the error disappears, you've found the culprit — it's one of the disabled services or startup programs. Now re-enable them one by one, restarting each time, until the error comes back. That's your guilty party. Uninstall or update that software.

The 5-Minute Fix: Update or Roll Back Drivers

If the clean boot didn't help, the next most likely cause is a driver that's trying to claim an address range already in use by another driver. This happens a lot after a Windows update that ships a new driver, or after you manually updated something. I've seen it most often with network and graphics drivers.

First, check for updates:

1. Open Device Manager (Win + X > Device Manager).
2. Expand the category that seems related — usually Network adapters or Display adapters.
3. Right-click the device and choose Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.

If that doesn't work, roll back:

1. In Device Manager, right-click the device > Properties.
2. Go to the Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver. If it's grayed out, you can't roll back — skip this.
3. If you can roll back, do it, restart, and test.

Still broken? Try uninstalling the driver entirely. Right-click the device > Uninstall device, check Delete the driver software for this device, then restart. Windows will reinstall a generic driver. That often resolves the address conflict because the generic driver is simpler and uses less memory.

The 15+ Minute Fix: Driver Verifier

If you're still staring at 0XC0000018 after those steps, this is the nuclear option. Driver Verifier is a built-in Windows tool that stresses drivers to find conflicts. It will likely cause a blue screen — that's intentional. It gives us the exact driver name causing the conflict.

Warning: Only do this if you're comfortable with blue screens and safe mode. If you're not, skip to the Reset This PC option at the end.

1. Press Win + R, type verifier, and hit Enter.
2. Select Create standard settings, click Next.
3. Choose Select driver names from a list, click Next.
4. Check all drivers from non-Microsoft providers. You'll see a list of third-party drivers — select them all.
5. Click Finish, restart your PC.

Your system will likely crash on boot with a blue screen. That's fine. The crash dump will name the driver. Restart in safe mode (press F8 repeatedly during boot, or force restart 3 times to trigger recovery). Once in safe mode:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Type verifier /reset and hit Enter to disable Verifier.
3. Check the dump file in C:\Windows\Minidump using a tool like BlueScreenView to see which driver caused the crash.

Once you know the driver, uninstall or update it. That's the root cause.

Last Resort: Reset This PC

If none of that worked, the address range conflict is deep — maybe a corrupted system file or a bad registry entry. Don't waste another hour hunting ghosts. Back up your files, then go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Reset this PC. Choose Keep my files. It'll reinstall Windows cleanly without losing your data. The error won't survive a reset.

And that's it — you've got a clear path from quick fix to full rebuild. Start with the 30-second step and work down. You'll nail it.