Forcing Memory Integrity to Enable via Registry Editor in Windows
So, here’s where I got stuck—trying to turn on Memory Integrity (also called Core Isolation Memory Integrity) in Windows, and it just refused to switch on. No matter how many toggles I flipped in the Settings, it always stayed off. Turns out, Windows can be pretty stubborn about it, especially if some drivers or system configs are incompatible or just if the setting is disabled somewhere deep in the system. This took me a couple nights of trial-and-error, honestly, before I finally realized I could manually tweak the registry to force it on.
Now, I’ll admit, messing with the registry sounds scary—like, you’re one wrong move away from breaking something. But if you’re careful and back up first, it’s actually doable. Just be aware: messing with registry keys can have risks, like making Windows unstable or causing boot issues if you’re not cautious. So a backup first is always recommended — click File, then Export in regedit after opening it with admin rights, and save that backup somewhere safe.
Why Bother Force-Enabling Memory Integrity?
This security feature helps safeguard your system against malware trying to execute malicious code in protected memory spots. It’s part of Windows’ hypervisor-based security, and without it, your system might be vulnerable, especially to certain exploits. Windows sometimes disables it automatically—like if it detects incompatible drivers or hardware that’s not compatible, or if some system setting is off. That’s frustrating if you know your setup is fine and you just want that layer of protection active.
Step-by-step: How to Enable It via Registry
First off, make sure you open the registry editor with admin rights. You can do this by clicking the Start menu, typing regedit, then right-clicking on the result and choosing Run as administrator. Yep, it’s crucial because without those permissions, your changes might not stick. Confirm any User Account Control prompts — I’ve had to redo this a couple times, usually because I forgot to run as admin.
Once inside, navigate to this path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard\Scenarios\HypervisorEnforcedCodeIntegrityIf that key isn’t there, don’t freak out. Sometimes, depending on your Windows version or hardware, it might be nested differently—like directly under DeviceGuard. Or, if needed, you can create it:
- Right-click on
Scenarios, select New > Key, and name it HypervisorEnforcedCodeIntegrity. Inside that, you’ll add the setting.
Now, look for the Enabled DWORD
If it’s not there, create it:
- Right-click on the right pane, choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name it Enabled.
Double-click on Enabled, set the value data to 1 (this means “turn it on”). Then hit OK and double-check that it’s indeed set to 1. This tells Windows to enable the feature at a low level.
Reboot — the inevitable step
This is where it gets real: a reboot is required. After restarting, go to Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Device Security > Core Isolation. Your Memory Integrity toggle should now be ON. If it’s still greyed out or refuses to turn on, it might be a driver conflict or hardware incompatibility. Updating drivers or checking logs might help.
What if it’s still not enabling?
If after all this, Memory Integrity still won’t activate, consider your drivers—especially GPU, chipset, or virtualization software. Sometimes, proprietary drivers or certain anti-cheat or virtualization tools block it. Be sure to get the latest drivers from your hardware manufacturer. Also, check for Windows updates—sometimes they fix these very quirks.
And don’t forget, some OEMs lock down these settings. If you’re on a laptop from a brand like Dell or HP, they might disable these options at a BIOS level, so flashing or updating BIOS could be necessary. That said, on my older ASUS, I found the setting buried deep in Advanced options, so don’t lose hope if it’s not straightforward.
All in all, this process took me a couple nights and a lot of fiddling. But it’s doable if you approach it carefully. Just be sure to back up your registry before messing around, and remember that sometimes hardware just isn’t compatible with Memory Integrity, no matter what. Still, it’s nice to know the option is there, hidden behind some registry tweaks.
Hope this helped — it took me way too long to figure out. Anyway, double-check those registry paths, update drivers, and do a quick system log scan if things aren’t working. Good luck!