LnS Driver stuck in Device Manager - WmiPrvSE.exe high CPU

So I recently updated to v207b1 and subsequently had some issues with the LnS (see this post). Although most everything is resolved (LnS is working great now, drivers are installed, LnS is activated properly, etc.) I have one remaining issue that I can't seem to resolve.

Although I don't use a wireless card normally (I am using one of the nForce NIC's), I need to use one on occasion so I have drivers installed for it. In Device Manager, however, it shows the hidden "Look 'n' Stop Driver" for this wireless card with the yellow exclamation point over the icon:



In Properties, it says:

This device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device. (Code 31)

It was showing this even after uninstalling LnS (including Drivers). I have tried uninstalling this device (right click > Uninstall as well as clicking the Uninstall button on the Driver tab) with LnS installed as well as uninstalled to no avail. When LnS is not installed, "Driver Details" gives me an error that no driver file is installed. When LnS IS installed, it shows the correct driver file:

C:\Windows\system32\Drivers\lnsfw.sys

However, no matter what I do, I can't get this "device" uninstalled. It simply refreshes the Device Manager view and remains in the list.

Furthermore, since this happened I have noticed WmiPrvSE.exe using a lot of CPU, and found this thread regarding it:

http://winforums.com/showthread.php?t=11858 (last 3 posts or so)

It seems high CPU usage of WmiPrvSE.exe can be caused by issues with network drivers, so I am assuming these are related. I have since plugged the wireless adapter back into the computer to see if it would help (it didn't), and you can see that the LnS driver was recreated properly for the adapter, along with the bad one remaining:


(Hidden Devices shown)
FYI "Dsnpfd Miniport" is driver used by BWMeter bandwidth meter software (latest version). I also tried uninstalling this but it didn't help.

If anyone has any ideas as to how I can remove this instance of the LnS driver, please let me know - thanks!

 

Try going into safe mode and uninstalling the device i.e.

1. Restart your computer.
2. Before the windows logo tap the F8 key repeatedly until you are presented with a Windows Advanced Options menu.
3. Select the option Safe Mode with the arrow keys.
4. Then press enter on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode.

 

Yes, you can try to remove it in safe mode.

Since there is another "802.11 USB... - Look 'n' Stop Driver" with no warning, does this wireless adapter work anyway with Look 'n' Stop ?

There is a manual procedure to remove this kind of remaining drivers(see here), but it used to removed completely all remaining drivers and not a particular one (so it mainly used after Look 'n' Stop is uninstalled).

If the wireless adapter works anyway, I would recommend to keep the setup as it is right now. The situation could be worse when trying to remove particular registry keys to solve the issue.

Another way to proceed could be to look at the properties of the wireless adapter, and check the services, protocols... attached to it. You should find Look 'n' Stop driver in the list, and you can try untick the checkbox for it, press Ok, and then go back to the list of system device. Maybe the error will disappear or you will be able to remove it now.

Regards,

Frederic