MonitorWare Knowledge Base

Can I request some assistance? I get the error
"The following boot-start or system-start driver(s) failed to load: FltMgr"

The error is reported by "Service Control Manager" and is on a Windows XP Pro machine with all the latest patches but not SP2. SP2 actually failed to load due to this error.

It has just started to happen but the boot up time of the computer is very slow to go with it.

All I can find on the MS site is that it is the File Filter Manager.


Live long and prosper.......

Have the same problem. After several hours searching the web in vain, I contacted Microsoft Tech Support. 1/2 hour later, their best advice is to ignore the error. They state FltMgr is new to SP2 and a non-essential service.

The service is the File System Filter Manager Driver. A file system filter driver intercepts requests targeted at a file system or another file system filter driver. By intercepting the request before it reaches its intended target, the filter driver can extend or replace functionality provided by the original target of the request. Examples of file system filter drivers include anti-virus filters, backup agents, and encryption products. Developers use the IFS (Installable File System) Kit to develop file systems and file system filter drivers.

The Filter Manager is a file system filter driver provided by Microsoft that simplifies the development of third-party filter drivers and solves many of the problems with the existing legacy filter driver model, such as the ability to control load order through an assigned altitude. A filter driver developed to the Filter Manager model is called a minifilter.

Every minifilter driver has an assigned altitude, which is a unique identifier that determines where the minifilter is loaded relative to other minifilters in the I/O stack. Altitudes are allocated and managed by Microsoft.

Fltmgr.sys resides in \windows\system32 directory and loaded through the following registry keys:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Internet Explorer\Explorer Bars\{C4EE31F3-4768-11D2-BE5C-00A0C9A83DA1}\FilesNamedMRU

HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\LEGACY_FLTMGR\0000
(class is LegacyDriver)

HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\FltMgr
Description: File System Filter Manager Driver
ImagePath: system32\drivers\fltmgr.sys
Group: FSFilter Infrastructure

HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\FltMgr\Enum
0: Root\LEGACY_FLTMGR\0000

HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Enum\Root\LEGACY_FLTMGR\0000
ClassGUID: {8ECC055D-047F-11D1-A537-0000F8753ED1}

HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\FltMgr

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\LEGACY_FLTMGR\0000

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\FltMgr\Enum

HKU\S-1-5-21-1659004503-507921405-854245398-1004\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Explorer Bars\{C4EE31F3-4768-11D2-BE5C-00A0C9A83DA1}\FilesNamedMRU

Have not experienced any problems with my system since the error started, but will keep close watch.

Hope this helps...

I am having the same error. I get it and internet explorer shuts down. It can and has happened on diffrent web sites that internet explorer needs to shut down. I get it everytime I go to McAfee support and try to run a scan.

What if anything can be done to fix this driver problem?

Thanks,
Jeannie