HLK tests on Windows Server 2025 automatically select Filter.Driver.AntiVirus.Reliability and Filter.Driver.Fundamentals feature for my software driver

Do not manually exclude the two CHAOS tests from the certification package; first run the current Windows Server 2025 HLK with its matching official playlist and filters, then request Microsoft HLK Support to confirm applicability or provide errata if the test still cannot resolve a device target.

Why Server 2025 selects these features

HLK uses feature detection: gatherers inspect a target and associate the features, requirements, and tests that appear applicable. A software driver is itself a valid HLK target; it does not need to represent physical hardware. The software device view is specifically used for filter drivers, antivirus software, and firewalls.^1^^2^

Consequently, the checked and disabled entries in the screenshot are detected features, not optional test groups selected manually. Microsoft requires all features of the selected product type to be selected for certification.^2^

The available documentation does not identify the exact gatherer or requirement change that causes Server 2025 to detect Filter.Driver.AntiVirus.Reliability and Filter.Driver.Fundamentals when Server 2019 did not. Do not infer from the names alone that HLK has classified the product as a complete antivirus product. Different OS-specific kits, playlists, and requirement sets can produce different detected features, and Server certification must use the corresponding HLK version, matching playlist, and supplemental content.^3^

What the failure means

The CHAOS test exercises PnP, fuzzing, I/O, and power operations against devices selected by its DQ parameter. That parameter is a WDTF query identifying the target devices.^4^

Your generated query is:

IsDeviceWDTF AND IsStarted=True AND
(DriverBinaryNames='productsoftwaredriver.sys')

No devices were found for testing using the DQ means WDTF found no started device target matching that driver binary. It does not show that the driver failed fuzzing or reliability testing; setup failed before those operations started.

For a device-less software/filter driver, that points to an applicability or target-model mismatch: the assigned test expects a WDTF-addressable device, while the selected software target does not expose one. However, the public test documentation does not authorize users to waive the test merely because the driver has no physical device.

Required next steps

1. Use the current Server 2025 kit.
   Use the Windows Server 2025 HLK listed by Microsoft. The kit and official playlist must match; do not modify the official playlist used for submission.^3^^5^
2. Install the latest official playlist and HLK filters.
   Filters are Microsoft’s supported mechanism for handling tests that fail incorrectly because of a test or OS problem. Apply newly installed filters to the existing results from HLK Studio → Results → Apply Filters.^6^
3. Recreate or reselect the target only if the installation changed after selection.
   HLK records the configuration when the target is selected. If the driver/package was reinstalled or otherwise changed afterward, reselect it. Be aware that reselecting removes the target’s previous results.^7^
4. Inspect the assigned target and complete logs.
   In Results, right-click the failure and inspect Task Log and Additional Files. Confirm that the test’s DQ, WDKDeviceID, and QueryHardwareID all relate to the intended software target. Device Fundamentals guidance specifically recommends reviewing preceding log entries and all returned additional files.^8^
5. If no filter applies, open an HLK support case.
   Supply:
   • HLK build number and playlist version;
   • Windows Server 2025 build;
   • project/package and complete CHAOS logs;
   • selected target and detected-feature screenshots;
   • INF, service type, load order, and whether the driver creates any PnP or root-enumerated device;
   • the generated DQ and evidence that the product has no WDTF-addressable device.

Ask Microsoft to confirm whether the FSMF CHAOS jobs are applicable and, if not, to provide the appropriate errata or submission handling.

Effect of not running the tests

Simply leaving these tests Not Run can affect acceptance. Microsoft states that Not Run tests in an HLKX must be covered by a manual errata supplied in Readme.doc.^5^ A self-authored explanation is not equivalent to Microsoft-issued errata.

Therefore:

• Do not uncheck detected features.
• Do not alter the official playlist.
• Do not submit unexplained failed or Not Run CHAOS results.
• Submit without these tests only after an applicable official filter or Microsoft-approved manual errata/contingency covers them.

References

1. HLK Testing Concepts
2. Step 6: Select target to test
3. Windows Hardware Lab Kit
4. DF - Concurrent Hardware And Operating System (CHAOS) Test (Reliability)
5. Step 6: Select and run tests
6. Windows Hardware Lab Kit Filters
7. Troubleshooting Windows HLK Test Failures
8. Troubleshooting Device Fundamentals Reliability Testing by using the Windows HLK