Every time when you try to launch a certain game, the game crashes with an error message saying ‘Failed to start Denuvo driver. Error code: 2148204812‘. That can be frustrating. But don’t worry. In this post, I’ll walk you through the step-by-step guide on how to fix this error.
What is Denuvo?
The name of Denuvo driver can easily make us think it’s a driver which allows hardware to communicate with the system. However, Denuvo is not a driver but an anti-tamper technology used in the protection of Digital Rights Management (DRM) for software, particularly in the gaming industry.
Denuvo Anti-Tamper, commonly known as Denuvo, is designed to prevent unauthorized access and tampering of video game software. It works by encrypting and protecting the executable files of a game, making it more challenging for hackers to crack and distribute illegal copies. The primary purpose of Denuvo is to protect the intellectual property of game developers and publishers by securing their games against piracy.
In some cases, the ‘Failed to start Denuvo driver’ can occur just because the game software is in the illegal. We do not recommend or tolerate any illegal game software. If you’re using the original game software, you can try the methods below to fix the error.
Method 1: Run the Game As Administrator
Method 2: Disable Unnecessary Background Programs
Method 3: Uninstall and Reinstall the Game
Method 4: Delete the winmm.dll File
Method 5: Contact the Game’s Support
Method 1: Run the Game As Administrator
To fix the problem, you can try running the game as administrator. Here’s how to run a game as administrator:
1) Press Win + S to open the search box.
2) Type the name of the game into the search box and then click on Run as administrator.
Method 2: Disable Unnecessary Background Programs
There might be a conflict between the game and a certain installed program, for example, the known conflict between the Vanguard and Pro Evolution Soccer 2018. You can try disabling all unnecessary background programs and see if the error persists.
You can disable background programs via Task Manager. To do so:
1) Right-click on the Start menu button and select Task Manager.
2) In the Task Manager, click on the Processes tab, right-click on a program and select End task.
3) Repeat Step 2) until you disable all unnecessary programs.
While the background programs are disabled, if the error doesn’t appear, it means that’s one of the disabled programs causing the error. You can find out that program among the disabled programs. Once you find it out, you can determine if you need to uninstall it.
Method 3: Uninstall and Reinstall the Game
Try uninstalling and reinstalling the game, and see if helps fix the ‘Failed to start Denuvo driver’ error.
Firstly, uninstall the game from your computer.
1) Right-click on the Start menu button and select Apps and Features.
2) Select the game from the app list and click on Uninstall.
3) Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the game.
Secondly, reinstall the game.
Download the game from the official website and install it onto your computer again. Once done, launch the game and see if the error still occurs.
Method 4: Delete the winmm.dll File
Some users have reported that deleting the winmm.dll file helped them fix the ‘Failed to start Denuvo driver’. You can try this method and see if it works for you.
Navigate to the installation folder of the game, locate the ‘winmm.dll’ file and delete it.
Once done, relaunch the game and check to see if the error is resolved.
Method 5: Contact the Game’s Support
If you’ve tried the above methods but with no luck, contact the game’s technical support for further assistance. To contact the game’s support, you just need to go to the vendor’s official website, navigate to the Support page and then submit a ticket. Remember to describe your problem in detail so the support can assist you better.
To fix the ‘Failed to start Denovu driver’, you can try the above methods above. Hopefully you find one method that works for you. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below.