HWID spoofers are essential tools for anyone dealing with a hardware ban — but if you've never used one before, the setup process can feel overwhelming. Drivers, Secure Boot, BIOS settings, kernel-level software... it sounds complicated. If you want to understand the basics first, start with our guide on what an HWID spoofer is.

It's not. If you follow the steps in order, the entire process takes about 10 minutes. This guide walks you through everything from start to finish, with no steps skipped.

Whether you're setting up the TATEWARE HWID Spoofer or any other kernel-level spoofer, these fundamentals apply across the board. Let's get into it.

What You'll Need Before Starting

Before you touch anything, make sure you have the following ready. Missing even one of these can cause the spoofer to fail or not load at all.

Pro Tip

Create a dedicated folder (e.g., C:\Spoofer) and add it to your antivirus exclusion list. This prevents Windows from deleting the spoofer files after you re-enable protection.

Step 1: Disable Secure Boot

This is the step most beginners skip — and the #1 reason spoofers fail to load. Secure Boot must be disabled for any kernel-level spoofer to work.

Why Secure Boot Blocks Spoofers

Secure Boot is a UEFI firmware feature that only allows digitally signed drivers to load during startup. Since HWID spoofers use custom unsigned drivers to intercept hardware ID requests at the kernel level, Secure Boot will block them before they even get a chance to run.

How to Disable It

  1. Restart your PC and press your BIOS key during boot (DEL, F2, or F12 — check your motherboard manual)
  2. Navigate to the Security tab or Boot tab in your BIOS menu
  3. Find "Secure Boot" and set it to Disabled
  4. Save and exit (usually F10)
  5. Let Windows boot normally — you may see a brief message about Secure Boot being off. This is fine.
Important

On some motherboards, you need to set an administrator password in BIOS before the Secure Boot option becomes editable. If the option is greyed out, look for a "Set Supervisor Password" option first.

To verify Secure Boot is off, open System Information in Windows (search "msinfo32") and check the "Secure Boot State" field. It should say Off.

Step 2: Run the Cleaner First

Before you spoof anything, you need to remove existing anti-cheat traces from your system. This is critical — if you spoof your hardware IDs but leave behind tracking files from EAC, BattlEye, or Vanguard, the anti-cheat will still recognize your machine.

What Gets Cleaned

Most quality spoofers (including TATEWARE) have a built-in cleaner. Run it before you activate the spoofer. If your spoofer doesn't include one, check our PC cleaning guide for manual instructions.

How to Run the Cleaner

  1. Close all games and launchers — Epic, Steam, Riot Client, everything
  2. Right-click the spoofer and select "Run as administrator"
  3. Select the "Clean" or "Trace Clean" option — this varies by spoofer
  4. Wait for it to finish — the cleaner will scan and remove all identified traces
  5. Do NOT restart yet — you'll run the spoofer next, then restart once

Step 3: Launch the Spoofer

With Secure Boot disabled and traces cleaned, you're ready to actually spoof your hardware. This is the core step where your hardware IDs get randomized.

Activating Your License

  1. Run the spoofer as administrator — right-click and select "Run as administrator"
  2. Enter your license key — paste the key you received after purchase
  3. Wait for validation — the spoofer will connect to the license server and verify your key

Selecting What to Spoof

Most spoofers let you choose which identifiers to change. For maximum protection, enable all of them:

SMBIOS / Motherboard Serials

The most important identifier. This changes your motherboard serial number, manufacturer string, BIOS serial, and baseboard info. Always enable this.

Disk Drive Serial Numbers

Randomizes the volume serial numbers on all connected drives (HDD, SSD, NVMe). Anti-cheats commonly check these as a secondary identifier.

MAC Address

Changes the physical address of your network adapter. Some anti-cheats track this alongside hardware IDs to build a more complete fingerprint.

GPU Identifiers

Masks your graphics card's device ID and serial. Not all anti-cheats check this, but it's worth enabling for full coverage.

Once everything is selected, click "Spoof" or "Apply". The spoofer will prepare the kernel driver and queue the changes for the next reboot.

Step 4: Restart Your PC

This is where the magic happens. The spoofer applies its changes during the boot process — before Windows fully loads and before any anti-cheat can read your real hardware IDs.

  1. Click "Restart" in the spoofer or restart manually through Windows
  2. Wait for the full reboot — don't interrupt it, don't force shutdown
  3. Log back into Windows normally — the spoofer driver loads silently during boot

Some spoofers display a brief confirmation message during boot or in the system tray after login. If yours doesn't, that's fine — you'll verify in the next step.

Don't Skip the Restart

The spoofer does not work without a restart. The kernel driver needs to load during the boot sequence to intercept hardware ID requests at the lowest level. If you skip this step, your real IDs are still visible.

Step 5: Verify It Worked

Never assume the spoof worked — always verify. It takes 30 seconds and saves you from getting banned again on a new account.

How to Check Your Hardware IDs

  1. Open Command Prompt as administrator
  2. Check disk serials: type wmic diskdrive get serialnumber — compare to what you had before. If it's different, the disk spoof worked.
  3. Check motherboard serial: type wmic baseboard get serialnumber — this should show a randomized string, not your real serial.
  4. Check MAC address: type ipconfig /all and look at the "Physical Address" — it should be different from your original.
  5. Check BIOS serial: type wmic bios get serialnumber — this should also be randomized.
Quick Verification Checklist

Disk serial numbers are different from original
Motherboard serial is randomized
MAC address has changed
BIOS serial is different
GPU info shows masked values (if your spoofer supports GPU check)

If any of the IDs still show your original values, something went wrong. Jump to the Troubleshooting section below.

Step 6: Create New Game Accounts

This is the step that catches the most people. You've spoofed your hardware, verified it works, and now you log into your old banned account — instant ban.

Never use old accounts on spoofed hardware. Here's why:

Creating Clean Accounts

  1. Use a brand new email address — create a fresh Gmail, Outlook, or ProtonMail account
  2. Create the game account after spoofing — make sure the spoofer is active (post-reboot) before you create the account
  3. Don't add friends from your old account immediately — social connections can be used for manual review flags
  4. Don't use the same payment method — if you're buying in-game items, use a different card or payment service
Critical Rule

One spoof = one identity. If you ever need to re-spoof (after a PC restart where the spoofer wasn't active), create new accounts again. Don't mix spoofed identities with accounts created under a different spoof.

Common Mistakes

These are the mistakes we see every single day in our Discord support channels. Avoid all of them and you'll have zero issues.

Mistakes That Get You Banned Again

1. Forgetting to disable Secure Boot — the spoofer driver won't load, your real IDs are exposed, and you get banned the moment you launch the game.

2. Not restarting after spoofing — the spoof only applies during boot. If you skip the restart, nothing is actually changed.

3. Using old accounts — banned accounts stay banned regardless of your hardware. Always create fresh accounts after spoofing.

4. Not running the cleaner first — leftover anti-cheat traces can identify your machine even with spoofed hardware IDs.

5. Running the game before verifying — always check your IDs with the commands in Step 5 before launching any game.

6. Disabling antivirus after the spoofer is deleted — some antivirus programs quarantine the spoofer silently. Check your quarantine folder if the spoofer file disappears.

Troubleshooting

If something isn't working, don't panic. Here are fixes for the most common issues. For more detailed solutions, check our full guide on fixing HWID spoofer issues in 2026.

Spoofer Won't Load or Open

Driver Signing Issues

Spoofer Loaded but IDs Didn't Change

Blue Screen (BSOD) on Restart

Get TATEWARE HWID Spoofer

Kernel-level spoofing with built-in cleaner. SMBIOS, disks, MAC, GPU — one-click setup with auto-verification. Works with EAC, BattlEye, Vanguard, and Ricochet.

Get the Spoofer

The Bottom Line

Setting up an HWID spoofer for the first time looks complicated, but it really comes down to six steps: disable Secure Boot, clean traces, run the spoofer, restart, verify, and create new accounts. Follow each step in order, don't skip anything, and you'll be back online in under 10 minutes. If something goes wrong, our HWID spoofer not working fixes guide covers every common issue in detail. And if you play EAC-protected games like Fortnite or Apex, check out the best HWID spoofer for EAC games for game-specific recommendations.

The biggest mistakes all come from cutting corners — skipping the restart, forgetting Secure Boot, or logging into old banned accounts. Do it right the first time and you won't have to do it twice.

If you run into anything not covered here, our support team is available 24/7 in the TATEWARE Discord. Drop your issue in the support channel and we'll walk you through it.