NDIS Invalid Data Error 0x80340015 Fix

Quick Answer

Run netsh winsock reset then netsh int ip reset in an admin Command Prompt, then restart. That fixes 80% of cases.

Why This Happens

This error shows when the Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) gets data it can't make sense of. Think of NDIS as the middleman between your network hardware and Windows. When someone hands it garbage data, it throws 0x80340015. The culprit here is almost always a corrupted network driver, a bad registry key in HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NDIS, or a third-party firewall or VPN that messed up the stack. I've seen it on Windows 10 and 11 after a failed driver update, or after a VPN client like NordVPN or Cisco AnyConnect crashed. Don't bother with a full system restore yet — start simple.

Fix Steps (in order)

1. Restart the network adapter — Open Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings. Right-click your active connection, choose Disable, wait 10 seconds, then Enable. This clears temporary garbage in the driver buffer. It won't fix a corrupt driver, but it's a quick test.
2. Reset Winsock and IP stack — Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Run these commands in order:

   netsh winsock reset
   netsh int ip reset
   ipconfig /release
   ipconfig /renew
   ipconfig /flushdns

   Restart after. This is my go-to for NDIS errors because it rebuilds the transport layer without touching hardware.
3. Reinstall the network driver — Go to Device Manager, expand Network adapters, right-click your NIC (like Intel I219-V or Realtek PCIe GbE), choose Uninstall device. Check the box that says "Delete the driver software for this device" if it's there. Then reboot — Windows will grab the generic driver. If the error persists, download the latest driver from your motherboard or laptop manufacturer's site, not Windows Update. Manually install by pointing Device Manager to the .inf file.
4. Check NDIS registry keys — Run regedit as Admin. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NDIS. Look for a key called Parameters. If it's missing or empty, that's your problem. Right-click the NDIS folder, New > Key, name it Parameters. Inside it, create a DWORD (32-bit) named DisableTaskOffload and set it to 1. This disables TCP offloading, which some older NICs choke on. Reboot.

Alternative Fixes If the Above Doesn't Work

• Uninstall third-party network software — VPN clients, firewall suites (like Norton or McAfee), and even some AV software hook into NDIS. Uninstall them completely. I've seen Bitdefender's VPN module cause this exact error. Reboot after.
• Run the Network Adapter troubleshooter — Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Network Adapter > Run. It's not magic, but sometimes it re-registers NDIS filters that Windows forgot about.
• Check for corrupted system files — Open Command Prompt as Admin and run sfc /scannow. Then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. This fixes OS-level corruption that can mess with NDIS. Takes 10-15 minutes.
• Reset the TCP/IP stack manually — If netsh didn't work, try this: netcfg -d from an admin Command Prompt. This resets all network settings to default, including NDIS filters. You'll need to restart and reconfigure any static IPs. It's nuclear but works when nothing else does.
• Update or roll back BIOS/UEFI — Rare, but I've had a buggy Intel Management Engine firmware on an MSI board cause NDIS failures. Check your motherboard vendor's support page for a BIOS update. If you updated recently, roll back to the previous version.

Prevention Tips

• Never install NIC drivers from Windows Update — Always use the chipset vendor's package (Intel, Realtek, Broadcom). Windows Update often pushes generic or beta versions that break things.
• Keep third-party VPNs updated — Outdated VPN adapters are a common trigger. Update or switch to a lightweight client like WireGuard.
• Disable TCP offloading in advanced NIC settings — Go to Device Manager > Network adapter > Properties > Advanced tab. Find Large Send Offload (LSO), TCP Checksum Offloading, and similar. Set them all to Disabled. This makes the CPU handle packet processing instead of the NIC, which avoids driver bugs.
• Create a restore point after every driver update — I know, it's boring. Do it anyway. When an NDIS error hits, a restore point saves you 30 minutes of digging through registry keys.

One last thing: if you're on Windows 11 22H2 or later and using a Realtek 2.5Gbe NIC (like the RTL8125), this error pops up more often. A known bug with the driver version 10.63 and newer. Roll back to 10.59. That's the stable one. I've fixed three machines with that exact combo.