VAN INCOMPATIBLE OEM DRIVER: a storage or Wi-Fi driver fails Vanguard's check

VAN: INCOMPATIBLE OEM DRIVER - Incompatible OEM driver detected.

Start with the file name in the message

The error tells you which driver Vanguard rejected, and Riot's fix depends entirely on that name. There's no general step list for this code. The known ones:

• iastorvd.sys: Intel VMD/RST storage driver. See the Intel section below.
• secnvme.sys, solidnvm.sys or asstahci64.sys: a third-party NVMe or SATA driver. See the NVMe and SATA section.
• mtkwl6ex.sys, or the message mentions a MediaTek RZ616 Wi-Fi 6E Adapter. See the MediaTek section.

Riot's IOMMU guide gives one piece of background: some drivers the PC maker preinstalls don't work with DMA protection, and it sends readers with this error back to this article. If the file came from software you added yourself rather than from the hardware, look at VAN: INCOMPATIBLE SOFTWARE instead.

Intel VMD/RST (iastorvd.sys)

Riot's article says Vanguard needs a security feature that today's Intel VMD/RST driver lacks, and that Intel is working on a new release that meets it. When it's out, install it and restart. As of Riot's July 17, 2026 update, that's the only fix the article gives for this file, and it offers nothing to try in the meantime.

Don't confuse it with VAN: STATUS_VMD_9001, the other Intel VMD error, where reinstalling your current RST driver is the fix.

NVMe and SATA drivers: swap to Microsoft's

Riot doesn't support some third-party storage drivers, and the fix is replacing them with the driver Windows ships. Each file has a matching Microsoft driver:

• secnvme.sys (NVMe drive): replace with NVM Express Controller.
• solidnvm.sys (NVMe drive): replace with NVM Express Controller.
• asstahci64.sys (SATA AHCI): replace with Standard SATA AHCI Controller.

To make the swap:

1. Press Win+X and open Device Manager.
2. Expand Storage controllers, or IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers for SATA.
3. Right-click the drive's controller, choose Properties and go to the Driver tab.
4. Click Update Driver, then Browse my computer for drivers, then Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
5. Pick the Microsoft driver from the list above, click Next, and restart once it's installed.

You'll know it worked when the Driver tab lists Microsoft Corporation as the provider. Riot says that driver meets Vanguard's requirements.

MediaTek RZ616 Wi-Fi (mtkwl6ex.sys)

This adapter needs driver version 3.5 or newer. Riot adds that 3.4 and older can make the system unstable, so it's worth updating even apart from the game.

Check yours in Device Manager (Win+X): expand Network adapters, right-click RZ616 Wi-Fi 6E 160MHz, open Properties, then the Driver tab, and read the Driver Version. Below 3.5? Open Windows Update, go to Advanced options, then Optional updates, install the newest driver listed for the Wi-Fi adapter and restart. Riot also mentions the Microsoft Update Catalog as a place to find it.

A driver that isn't on this list

Riot's article only covers the files above. If yours is something else, or the error comes back after the matching update, send Player Support a ticket with the driver name from the message and your logs attached.

Related errors

• VAN: STATUS_VMD_9001
• VAN: INCOMPATIBLE SOFTWARE
• VAN: RESTRICTION

Source: Riot Games Player Support, VAN: Incompatible OEM Driver, updated July 17, 2026. Riot's steps are paraphrased here, not copied; checked September 25, 2026.