Still having problems with my QS crashing my computer. Windows Gaming input communication issue

[Garrett Seltz]

So I've been having this problem with my computer for over a year. I have tried fixing it in the past and eventually gave up so I've just been dealing with my computer crashing and  having to just restart it every time I get on it. so I decided to dig into the problem once more, This will be the 3rd or 4th time trying to resolve this issue. I mainly use my QS as a computer mouse through the USB-A and Bluetooth to my Ipad.

Windows 11 Explorer.exe is crashing daily with Exception Code 0xc0000409 in Windows.Gaming.Input.dll. The crash is consistently triggered 11 seconds after the Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP (Software Protection Platform) Service runs its daily license check. It appears the Windows gaming input DLL issuffering a stack buffer overflow when polling the Quadstick's composite USB hardware profile.

Also not sure if this is related to the problem but if I am in my bluetooth profile it seems like my QS will "Disconnect" After a few minutes If I'm not in my mouse profile, Some red lights will start to flash on the QS And the QS Stops functioning for about 10 seconds. It seems like it goes through this process every few minutes if I'm not actively using the mouse profile.

These are usually the steps that.

1. Windows performs security rules engine

2. Seconds later (AppHangB1): explorer.exe passes the message along and calls up the Windows.Gaming.Input.dll file to look at the Quadstick. But because of the Quadstick's complex, multi-device signature, the DLL gets completely stuck trying to figure out how to read it. Explorer sits there waiting for a response that never comes, completely locking up taskbar and desktop.

3. explorer.exe has an error stops interacting with Windows and crashes

Windows goes through RulesEngine.

Here's the event that occurs  before the explorer.Exe/ windows.gaming.input Crash

Log Name:      Application
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP
Date:          7/12/2026 9:00:18 AM
Event ID:      16384
Task Category: None
Level:         Information
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      LAPTOP-46BSD3RO
Description:
Successfully scheduled Software Protection service for re-start at 2126-06-18T16:00:18Z. Reason: RulesEngine.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP" Guid="{E23B33B0-C8C9-472C-A5F9-F2BDFEA0F156}" EventSourceName="Software Protection Platform Service" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="16384">16384</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>4</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2026-07-12T16:00:18.2241378Z" />
    <EventRecordID>91486</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution ProcessID="78516" ThreadID="0" />
    <Channel>Application</Channel>
    <Computer>LAPTOP-46BSD3RO</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>2126-06-18T16:00:18Z</Data>
    <Data>RulesEngine</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>

Here's the explorer.Exe crash

Log Name:      Application
Source:        Application Error
Date:          7/12/2026 9:00:29 AM
Event ID:      1000
Task Category: Application Crashing Events
Level:         Error
Keywords:      
User:          LAPTOP-46BSD3RO\garre
Computer:      LAPTOP-46BSD3RO
Description:
Faulting application name: Explorer.EXE, version: 10.0.26100.8655, time stamp: 0x28f35f49
Faulting module name: Windows.Gaming.Input.dll, version: 10.0.26100.8521, time stamp: 0x62d48f52
Exception code: 0xc0000409
Fault offset: 0x0000000000045beb
Faulting process id: 0x1D40
Faulting application start time: 0x1DD115EC69442EE
Faulting application path: C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\System32\Windows.Gaming.Input.dll
Report Id: 166b7062-6ec4-4f96-8fcd-e7798536801b
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Application Error" Guid="{a0e9b465-b939-57d7-b27d-95d8e925ff57}" />
    <EventID>1000</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>100</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2026-07-12T16:00:29.1211616Z" />
    <EventRecordID>91487</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution ProcessID="72988" ThreadID="74124" />
    <Channel>Application</Channel>
    <Computer>LAPTOP-46BSD3RO</Computer>
    <Security UserID="S-1-5-21-3833036394-4001433014-3525928780-1001" />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data Name="AppName">Explorer.EXE</Data>
    <Data Name="AppVersion">10.0.26100.8655</Data>
    <Data Name="AppTimeStamp">28f35f49</Data>
    <Data Name="ModuleName">Windows.Gaming.Input.dll</Data>
    <Data Name="ModuleVersion">10.0.26100.8521</Data>
    <Data Name="ModuleTimeStamp">62d48f52</Data>
    <Data Name="ExceptionCode">c0000409</Data>
    <Data Name="FaultingOffset">0000000000045beb</Data>
    <Data Name="ProcessId">0x1d40</Data>
    <Data Name="ProcessCreationTime">0x1dd115ec69442ee</Data>
    <Data Name="AppPath">C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE</Data>
    <Data Name="ModulePath">C:\Windows\System32\Windows.Gaming.Input.dll</Data>
    <Data Name="IntegratorReportId">166b7062-6ec4-4f96-8fcd-e7798536801b</Data>
    <Data Name="PackageFullName">
    </Data>
    <Data Name="PackageRelativeAppId">
    </Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>

This one happens between the rules engine and the explorer.exe crash sometimes

Log Name:      Application
Source:        Windows Error Reporting
Date:          7/10/2026 2:23:29 PM
Event ID:      1001
Task Category: None
Level:         Information
Keywords:      
User:          LAPTOP-46BSD3RO\garre
Computer:      LAPTOP-46BSD3RO
Description:
Fault bucket , type 0
Event Name: AppHangB1
Response: Not available
Cab Id: 0

Problem signature:
P1: explorer.exe
P2: 10.0.26100.8655
P3: 28f35f49
P4: 866a
P5: 134217728
P6:
P7:
P8:
P9:
P10:

Attached files:

These files may be available here:
\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\AppHang_explorer.exe_bbfe4c023c3223cf11b69c67459bf8eb36c76a_ce9ab306_b3bfe564-8572-4cd4-9d14-0cb301d37af3

Analysis symbol:
Rechecking for solution: 0
Report Id: 72a5a464-8630-45f0-9011-e29d44e104cd
Report Status: 4
Hashed bucket:
Cab Guid: 0
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Windows Error Reporting" Guid="{0ead09bd-2157-539a-8d6d-c87f95b64d70}" />
    <EventID>1001</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>4</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2026-07-10T21:23:29.8534072Z" />
    <EventRecordID>91150</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution ProcessID="3824" ThreadID="15648" />
    <Channel>Application</Channel>
    <Computer>LAPTOP-46BSD3RO</Computer>
    <Security UserID="S-1-5-21-3833036394-4001433014-3525928780-1001" />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data Name="Bucket">
    </Data>
    <Data Name="BucketType">0</Data>
    <Data Name="EventName">AppHangB1</Data>
    <Data Name="Response">Not available</Data>
    <Data Name="CabId">0</Data>
    <Data Name="P1">explorer.exe</Data>
    <Data Name="P2">10.0.26100.8655</Data>
    <Data Name="P3">28f35f49</Data>
    <Data Name="P4">866a</Data>
    <Data Name="P5">134217728</Data>
    <Data Name="P6">
    </Data>
    <Data Name="P7">
    </Data>
    <Data Name="P8">
    </Data>
    <Data Name="P9">
    </Data>
    <Data Name="P10">
    </Data>
    <Data Name="AttachedFiles">
    </Data>
    <Data Name="StorePath">\\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\AppHang_explorer.exe_bbfe4c023c3223cf11b69c67459bf8eb36c76a_ce9ab306_b3bfe564-8572-4cd4-9d14-0cb301d37af3</Data>
    <Data Name="AnalysisSymbol">
    </Data>
    <Data Name="Rechecking">0</Data>
    <Data Name="ReportId">72a5a464-8630-45f0-9011-e29d44e104cd</Data>
    <Data Name="ReportStatus">4</Data>
    <Data Name="HashedBucket">
    </Data>
    <Data Name="CabGuid">0</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>

I think the problem is QS internal firmware tells Windows: "I am a Mouse, a Keyboard, and an Xbox/Generic Game Controller all at once over this single USB wire." When Windows tries to parse a gamepad signature that is deeply intertwined with mouse coordinates during a background security check, the code chokes.

If I unplug the QS from the computer The problem goes away and the same happens when I put the QS Into a USB-B Profile that is not connected to the computer.

It's almost like my QS needs a USB emulation mode 8 That functions ONLY As a mouse/keyboard Excluding the game controller firmware? I don't know but this issue is really getting annoying randomly having to restart my computer or restart explorer.Exe.

Is anyone else having this problem or know what the heck to do???

Anyways thank you for reading through all of this if you get to the bottom and I appreciate anyone that can chime in.

[Fred Davison]

Try running the quadstick with the flash drive turned off:

Mouse2 no Flash

See if it is more stable with the flash drive turned off.