LizardByte · ReenigneArcher · Aug 15, 2026 · Aug 15, 2026 · Aug 15, 2026
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-build.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-build.yml
@@ -496,7 +496,7 @@ jobs:
             --xml-pretty \
             -o reports/coverage.xml
 
-      - name: Uninstall Windows driver installer
+      - name: Uninstall Windows driver installer with an open consumer handle
         if: >-
           always() &&
           runner.os == 'Windows'
@@ -507,20 +507,69 @@ jobs:
             -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
             Select-Object -First 1
           if ($installer) {
-            $logPath = Join-Path $env:RUNNER_TEMP "libvirtualhid-driver-uninstall.log"
-            $process = Start-Process `
-              -FilePath msiexec.exe `
-              -ArgumentList @("/x", $installer.FullName, "/qn", "/norestart", "/L*v", $logPath) `
-              -PassThru `
-              -NoNewWindow
-            if (!$process.WaitForExit([int] [TimeSpan]::FromMinutes(5).TotalMilliseconds)) {
-              Get-Content -LiteralPath $logPath -Tail 200 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-              Stop-Process -Id $process.Id -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-              throw "Windows driver installer uninstall timed out after 5 minutes."
+            $nativeMethods = @'
+          using System;
+          using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
+
+          public static class LibVirtualHidUninstallTest
+          {
+              public const uint GenericReadWriteAccess = 0xC0000000;
+
+              [DllImport("kernel32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Unicode, SetLastError = true)]
+              public static extern IntPtr CreateFile(
+                  string fileName,
+                  uint desiredAccess,
+                  uint shareMode,
+                  IntPtr securityAttributes,
+                  uint creationDisposition,
+                  uint flagsAndAttributes,
+                  IntPtr templateFile);
+
+              [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
+              [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
+              public static extern bool CloseHandle(IntPtr handle);
+          }
+          '@
+            Add-Type -TypeDefinition $nativeMethods
+            $invalidHandle = [IntPtr]::new(-1)
+            $deviceHandle = [LibVirtualHidUninstallTest]::CreateFile(
+              "\\.\LibVirtualHid",
+              [LibVirtualHidUninstallTest]::GenericReadWriteAccess,
+              0x00000003,
+              [IntPtr]::Zero,
+              3,
+              0x40000080,
+              [IntPtr]::Zero
+            )
+            if ($deviceHandle -eq $invalidHandle) {
+              Write-Warning "Unable to hold the libvirtualhid control device; continuing cleanup."
+            } else {
+              Write-Host "Holding the libvirtualhid control device open during MSI uninstall."
             }
-            if ($process.ExitCode -notin @(0, 3010)) {
-              Get-Content -LiteralPath $logPath -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-              throw "Windows driver installer uninstall exited with code $($process.ExitCode)."
+
+            $logPath = Join-Path $env:RUNNER_TEMP "libvirtualhid-driver-uninstall.log"
+            $driverLogPath = Join-Path $env:ProgramData "libvirtualhid\uninstall-driver.log"
+            try {
+              $process = Start-Process `
+                -FilePath msiexec.exe `
+                -ArgumentList @("/x", $installer.FullName, "/qn", "/norestart", "/L*v", $logPath) `
+                -PassThru `
+                -NoNewWindow
+              if (!$process.WaitForExit([int] [TimeSpan]::FromMinutes(5).TotalMilliseconds)) {
+                Get-Content -LiteralPath $logPath -Tail 200 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+                Get-Content -LiteralPath $driverLogPath -Tail 200 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+                Stop-Process -Id $process.Id -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+                throw "Windows driver installer uninstall timed out after 5 minutes."
+              }
+              if ($process.ExitCode -notin @(0, 3010)) {
+                Get-Content -LiteralPath $logPath -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+                Get-Content -LiteralPath $driverLogPath -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+                throw "Windows driver installer uninstall exited with code $($process.ExitCode)."
+              }
+            } finally {
+              if ($deviceHandle -ne $invalidHandle) {
+                [void] [LibVirtualHidUninstallTest]::CloseHandle($deviceHandle)
+              }
             }
           }
 

diff --git a/cmake/packaging/wix_resources/libvirtualhid-driver-installer-patch.xml b/cmake/packaging/wix_resources/libvirtualhid-driver-installer-patch.xml
@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@
                   Impersonate="no" />
     <CustomAction Id="CA_LibVirtualHidUninstallDriver"
                   Directory="INSTALL_ROOT"
-                  ExeCommand="&quot;[WindowsFolder]System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe&quot; -WindowStyle Hidden -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File &quot;[INSTALL_ROOT]scripts\windows\uninstall-driver.ps1&quot; -Force -RemoveCertificateSubject &quot;CN=libvirtualhid CI Test Driver Signing&quot;"
+                  ExeCommand="&quot;[WindowsFolder]System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe&quot; -WindowStyle Hidden -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File &quot;[INSTALL_ROOT]scripts\windows\uninstall-driver.ps1&quot; -Force -RemoveCertificateSubject &quot;CN=libvirtualhid CI Test Driver Signing&quot; -LogPath &quot;[CommonAppDataFolder]libvirtualhid\uninstall-driver.log&quot;"
                   Execute="deferred"
                   Return="check"
                   Impersonate="no" />
     <CustomAction Id="CA_LibVirtualHidUninstallDriverSilent"
                   Directory="INSTALL_ROOT"
-                  ExeCommand="&quot;[WindowsFolder]System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe&quot; -WindowStyle Hidden -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File &quot;[INSTALL_ROOT]scripts\windows\uninstall-driver.ps1&quot; -Force -RemoveCertificateSubject &quot;CN=libvirtualhid CI Test Driver Signing&quot;"
+                  ExeCommand="&quot;[WindowsFolder]System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe&quot; -WindowStyle Hidden -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File &quot;[INSTALL_ROOT]scripts\windows\uninstall-driver.ps1&quot; -Force -RemoveCertificateSubject &quot;CN=libvirtualhid CI Test Driver Signing&quot; -LogPath &quot;[CommonAppDataFolder]libvirtualhid\uninstall-driver.log&quot;"
                   Execute="deferred"
                   Return="check"
                   Impersonate="no" />

diff --git a/docs/windows-driver.md b/docs/windows-driver.md
@@ -147,7 +147,8 @@ powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\windows\test-browser-gamepad.
   -GamepadAdapterPath .\cmake-build-windows-driver\examples\Release\gamepad_adapter.exe `
   -GamepadProfile xseries
 powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\windows\uninstall-driver.ps1 `
-  -Force -RemoveCertificateSubject "CN=libvirtualhid CI Test Driver Signing"
+  -Force -RemoveCertificateSubject "CN=libvirtualhid CI Test Driver Signing" `
+  -LogPath .\cmake-build-windows-driver\uninstall-driver.log
 ```
 
 The WiX installer also places validation files under the default install root,
@@ -174,10 +175,14 @@ The install helper also clears any legacy broker service `Environment` value so
 licensing configuration cannot be overridden on the user's machine. The
 uninstall helper stops and deletes that service before removing the driver
 package. It discovers staged OEM INF names through language-neutral DISM and
-CIM objects instead of parsing localized `pnputil` labels. Uninstall fails if a
-command fails or if the broker service, root device, or staged driver package
-is still present after cleanup, so the MSI cannot silently report a complete
-removal while driver state remains.
+CIM objects instead of parsing localized `pnputil` labels. If an application
+has an outstanding device handle, the helper records the initial device-removal
+failure and continues with the forced driver-package uninstall, which can finish
+or schedule the removal. Uninstall still fails if package removal fails or if
+the broker service, root device, or staged driver package remains after cleanup,
+so the MSI cannot silently report a complete removal while driver state remains.
+MSI uninstall diagnostics are appended to
+`C:\ProgramData\libvirtualhid\uninstall-driver.log`.
 
 The installed-driver test fails if the root device is not started, if
 `\\.\LibVirtualHid` cannot be opened, or if a held `gamepad_adapter` instance

diff --git a/scripts/windows/install-driver.ps1 b/scripts/windows/install-driver.ps1
@@ -24,45 +24,6 @@ $script:LibVirtualHidBrokerServiceName = "libvirtualhid_broker"
 $script:LibVirtualHidBrokerServiceDisplayName = "libvirtualhid Broker"
 . (Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "libvirtualhid-driver-common.ps1")
 
-function Start-LibVirtualHidTranscript {
-  [CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess)]
-  param([string] $Path)
-
-  if (-not $Path) {
-    return
-  }
-
-  try {
-    $logDirectory = Split-Path -Parent $Path
-    if ($logDirectory) {
-      New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $logDirectory -Force | Out-Null
-    }
-    if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($Path, "Start libvirtualhid install transcript")) {
-      Start-Transcript -Path $Path -Append | Out-Null
-      $script:LibVirtualHidTranscriptStarted = $true
-    }
-  } catch {
-    Write-Warning "Unable to start libvirtualhid install transcript: $($_.Exception.Message)"
-  }
-}
-
-function Stop-LibVirtualHidTranscript {
-  [CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess)]
-  param()
-
-  if (-not $script:LibVirtualHidTranscriptStarted) {
-    return
-  }
-
-  try {
-    if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess("libvirtualhid install transcript", "Stop transcript")) {
-      Stop-Transcript | Out-Null
-    }
-  } catch {
-    Write-Warning "Unable to stop libvirtualhid install transcript: $($_.Exception.Message)"
-  }
-}
-
 function Invoke-CheckedCommand {
   param(
     [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]

diff --git a/scripts/windows/libvirtualhid-driver-common.ps1 b/scripts/windows/libvirtualhid-driver-common.ps1
@@ -1,3 +1,42 @@
+function Start-LibVirtualHidTranscript {
+  [CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess)]
+  param([string] $Path)
+
+  if (-not $Path) {
+    return
+  }
+
+  try {
+    $logDirectory = Split-Path -Parent $Path
+    if ($logDirectory) {
+      New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $logDirectory -Force | Out-Null
+    }
+    if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($Path, "Start libvirtualhid driver transcript")) {
+      Start-Transcript -Path $Path -Append | Out-Null
+      $script:LibVirtualHidTranscriptStarted = $true
+    }
+  } catch {
+    Write-Warning "Unable to start libvirtualhid driver transcript: $($_.Exception.Message)"
+  }
+}
+
+function Stop-LibVirtualHidTranscript {
+  [CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess)]
+  param()
+
+  if (-not $script:LibVirtualHidTranscriptStarted) {
+    return
+  }
+
+  try {
+    if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess("libvirtualhid driver transcript", "Stop transcript")) {
+      Stop-Transcript | Out-Null
+    }
+  } catch {
+    Write-Warning "Unable to stop libvirtualhid driver transcript: $($_.Exception.Message)"
+  }
+}
+
 function Get-LibVirtualHidRootDeviceInstanceId {
   param([string] $TargetHardwareId)
 

diff --git a/scripts/windows/uninstall-driver.ps1 b/scripts/windows/uninstall-driver.ps1
@@ -14,10 +14,13 @@ param(
 
   [string] $RemoveCertificateSubject,
 
+  [string] $LogPath,
+
   [switch] $Force
 )
 
 $ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
+$script:LibVirtualHidTranscriptStarted = $false
 . (Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "libvirtualhid-driver-common.ps1")
 
 function Invoke-CheckedCommand {
@@ -125,6 +128,31 @@ function Assert-PublishedName {
   }
 }
 
+function Remove-LibVirtualHidDeviceInstance {
+  [CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess)]
+  param(
+    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+    [string] $InstanceId
+  )
+
+  if (-not $PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($InstanceId, "Remove libvirtualhid development device with pnputil")) {
+    return
+  }
+
+  $output = @(& pnputil.exe /remove-device $InstanceId 2>&1)
+  $exitCode = $LASTEXITCODE
+  foreach ($line in $output) {
+    Write-Information ([string] $line) -InformationAction Continue
+  }
+
+  if ($exitCode -ne 0) {
+    Write-Warning (
+      "pnputil.exe /remove-device $InstanceId exited with code $exitCode. " +
+      "Continuing with forced driver-package removal; final state verification will still fail if cleanup is incomplete."
+    )
+  }
+}
+
 function Assert-LibVirtualHidRemoved {
   param(
     [string] $TargetOriginalName,
@@ -173,56 +201,60 @@ function Remove-DriverCertificate {
   }
 }
 
-$publishedNames = @()
-if ($PublishedName) {
-  Assert-PublishedName -Name $PublishedName
-  $publishedNames += $PublishedName
-} else {
-  try {
-    $publishedNames = @(
-      Find-PublishedName `
-        -TargetOriginalName $OriginalName `
-        -TargetHardwareId $HardwareId
-    )
-  } catch {
-    throw "Unable to discover the staged libvirtualhid driver package through Windows APIs: $($_.Exception.Message)"
+Start-LibVirtualHidTranscript -Path $LogPath
+
+try {
+  $publishedNames = @()
+  if ($PublishedName) {
+    Assert-PublishedName -Name $PublishedName
+    $publishedNames += $PublishedName
+  } else {
+    try {
+      $publishedNames = @(
+        Find-PublishedName `
+          -TargetOriginalName $OriginalName `
+          -TargetHardwareId $HardwareId
+      )
+    } catch {
+      throw "Unable to discover the staged libvirtualhid driver package through Windows APIs: $($_.Exception.Message)"
+    }
   }
-}
 
-Remove-LibVirtualHidBrokerService -Name $BrokerServiceName
+  Remove-LibVirtualHidBrokerService -Name $BrokerServiceName
 
-$deviceInstanceIds = @(
-  Get-LibVirtualHidRootDeviceInstanceId -TargetHardwareId $HardwareId
-  Get-LibVirtualHidRegistryRootDevice -TargetHardwareId $HardwareId |
-    Select-Object -ExpandProperty InstanceId
-) | Select-Object -Unique
+  $deviceInstanceIds = @(
+    Get-LibVirtualHidRootDeviceInstanceId -TargetHardwareId $HardwareId
+    Get-LibVirtualHidRegistryRootDevice -TargetHardwareId $HardwareId |
+      Select-Object -ExpandProperty InstanceId
+  ) | Select-Object -Unique
 
-foreach ($instanceId in $deviceInstanceIds) {
-  if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($instanceId, "Remove libvirtualhid development device with pnputil")) {
-    Invoke-CheckedCommand -FilePath "pnputil.exe" -Arguments @("/remove-device", $instanceId)
+  foreach ($instanceId in $deviceInstanceIds) {
+    Remove-LibVirtualHidDeviceInstance -InstanceId $instanceId
   }
-}
 
-if ($publishedNames.Count -eq 0) {
-  Write-Warning "No staged libvirtualhid driver package matching $OriginalName was found."
-} else {
-  foreach ($driverPackage in $publishedNames) {
-    Assert-PublishedName -Name $driverPackage
-    $deleteArgs = @("/delete-driver", $driverPackage, "/uninstall")
-    if ($Force) {
-      $deleteArgs += "/force"
-    }
+  if ($publishedNames.Count -eq 0) {
+    Write-Warning "No staged libvirtualhid driver package matching $OriginalName was found."
+  } else {
+    foreach ($driverPackage in $publishedNames) {
+      Assert-PublishedName -Name $driverPackage
+      $deleteArgs = @("/delete-driver", $driverPackage, "/uninstall")
+      if ($Force) {
+        $deleteArgs += "/force"
+      }
 
-    if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($driverPackage, "Delete libvirtualhid driver package")) {
-      Invoke-CheckedCommand -FilePath "pnputil.exe" -Arguments $deleteArgs
+      if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($driverPackage, "Delete libvirtualhid driver package")) {
+        Invoke-CheckedCommand -FilePath "pnputil.exe" -Arguments $deleteArgs
+      }
     }
   }
-}
 
-if (-not $WhatIfPreference) {
-  Assert-LibVirtualHidRemoved `
-    -TargetOriginalName $OriginalName `
-    -TargetHardwareId $HardwareId `
-    -ServiceName $BrokerServiceName
+  if (-not $WhatIfPreference) {
+    Assert-LibVirtualHidRemoved `
+      -TargetOriginalName $OriginalName `
+      -TargetHardwareId $HardwareId `
+      -ServiceName $BrokerServiceName
+  }
+  Remove-DriverCertificate -Subject $RemoveCertificateSubject
+} finally {
+  Stop-LibVirtualHidTranscript
 }
-Remove-DriverCertificate -Subject $RemoveCertificateSubject