The "Could Not Start Driver" error in Exterro (formerly AccessData) FTK Imager typically occurs during when Windows security features or hardware architecture prevent the tool's low-level driver from loading . Primary Fixes
The error is a security feature, not a bug. Modern Windows versions are actively blocking legacy forensic drivers to protect against rootkits. As a forensic examiner, you must decide: either lower security settings on your dedicated workstation, or upgrade to a newer forensic toolset that uses Microsoft-certified drivers. ftk imager could not start driver new
Most user-level applications access files through the Windows API (Application Programming Interface)—the standard way to read C:\Users\...\document.docx . However, forensic imaging requires to the entire physical disk (sectors, unallocated space, slack space). For this, FTK Imager relies on a kernel-mode driver . The "Could Not Start Driver" error in Exterro
: Security software may flag the FTK driver’s attempt to read raw memory or disk sectors as malicious activity. Temporarily disable active monitoring or add an exclusion for FTK Imager.exe . As a forensic examiner, you must decide: either