Packet Monitor Driver (PktMon) Service Defaults in Windows 11
Default Settings
| Startup type: | Manual |
| Display name: | Packet Monitor Driver |
| Service name: | PktMon |
| Service type: | kernel |
| Error control: | normal |
| Path: | %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\PktMon.sys |
| Registry key: | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PktMon |
Default Behavior
Packet Monitor Driver is a kernel driver. In Windows 11 it starts only if the user, an application or another service starts it. If Packet Monitor Driver fails to start, the failure details will be recorded into Event Log. Then Windows 11 should boot up and notify the user about the PktMon service startup failure.
Restore Default Startup Configuration of Packet Monitor Driver
1. Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Copy the command below, paste it into the command window and press ENTER:
sc config PktMon start= demand
3. Close the command window and restart the computer.
The PktMon service is using the PktMon.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.