TCP/IP Protocol Driver (Tcpip) Service Defaults in Windows 11

TCP/IP Protocol Driver.

Default Settings

Startup type: Boot
Display name:TCP/IP Protocol Driver
Service name:Tcpip
Service type:kernel
Error control:normal
Group:PNP_TDI
Path:%SystemRoot%\System32\drivers\tcpip.sys
Registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip

Default Behavior

TCP/IP Protocol Driver is a kernel driver. In Windows 11 it starts by the operating system Boot Loader before the Kernel initialization, as a part of the driver stack. If TCP/IP Protocol 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 Tcpip service startup failure.

Dependencies

If TCP/IP Protocol Driver doesn't work properly, the following services will not start:

Restore Default Startup Configuration of TCP/IP Protocol Driver

1. Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.

2. Copy the commands below, paste them into the command window and press ENTER:

sc config Tcpip start= boot
sc start Tcpip

3. Close the command window and restart the computer.

The Tcpip service is using the tcpip.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.