PEAUTH Service Defaults in Windows 11
Default Settings
| Startup type: | Automatic |
| Display name: | PEAUTH |
| Service name: | PEAUTH |
| Service type: | kernel |
| Error control: | normal |
| Path: | %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\peauth.sys |
| Registry key: | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PEAUTH |
Default Behavior
PEAUTH is a kernel driver. In Windows 11 it starts automatically during the operating system startup. If PEAUTH fails to start, the failure details will be recorded into Event Log. Then Windows 11 should boot up and notify the user about the PEAUTH service startup failure.
Restore Default Startup Configuration of PEAUTH
1. Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Copy the commands below, paste them into the command window and press ENTER:
sc config PEAUTH start= auto
sc start PEAUTH
3. Close the command window and restart the computer.
The PEAUTH service is using the peauth.sys file that is located in the C:\Windows\system32\drivers directory. If the file is removed or corrupted, read this article to restore its original version from Windows 11 installation media.