diff --git a/tun/wintun/guid/guid_windows.go b/tun/wintun/guid/guid_windows.go
index 0078d2c..c5f4be6 100644
--- a/tun/wintun/guid/guid_windows.go
+++ b/tun/wintun/guid/guid_windows.go
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"golang.org/x/sys/windows"
 )
 
-//sys	clsidFromString(lpsz *uint16, pclsid *windows.GUID) (hr int32) = ole32.CLSIDFromString
+//sys	clsidFromString(lpsz *uint16, pclsid *windows.GUID) (err error) [failretval!=0] = ole32.CLSIDFromString
 
 //
 // FromString parses "{XXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX}" string to GUID.
@@ -22,14 +22,11 @@ func FromString(str string) (*windows.GUID, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-
 	guid := &windows.GUID{}
-
-	hr := clsidFromString(strUTF16, guid)
-	if hr < 0 {
-		return nil, syscall.Errno(hr)
+	err = clsidFromString(strUTF16, guid)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
-
 	return guid, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/tun/wintun/guid/zguid_windows.go b/tun/wintun/guid/zguid_windows.go
index 5467849..b0b4cce 100644
--- a/tun/wintun/guid/zguid_windows.go
+++ b/tun/wintun/guid/zguid_windows.go
@@ -42,8 +42,14 @@ var (
 	procCLSIDFromString = modole32.NewProc("CLSIDFromString")
 )
 
-func clsidFromString(lpsz *uint16, pclsid *windows.GUID) (hr int32) {
-	r0, _, _ := syscall.Syscall(procCLSIDFromString.Addr(), 2, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(lpsz)), uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(pclsid)), 0)
-	hr = int32(r0)
+func clsidFromString(lpsz *uint16, pclsid *windows.GUID) (err error) {
+	r1, _, e1 := syscall.Syscall(procCLSIDFromString.Addr(), 2, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(lpsz)), uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(pclsid)), 0)
+	if r1 != 0 {
+		if e1 != 0 {
+			err = errnoErr(e1)
+		} else {
+			err = syscall.EINVAL
+		}
+	}
 	return
 }
diff --git a/tun/wintun/setupapi/setupapi_windows.go b/tun/wintun/setupapi/setupapi_windows.go
index dec9da2..621d12b 100644
--- a/tun/wintun/setupapi/setupapi_windows.go
+++ b/tun/wintun/setupapi/setupapi_windows.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ package setupapi
 import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"fmt"
+	"runtime"
 	"syscall"
 	"unsafe"
 
@@ -261,9 +262,13 @@ func SetupDiGetDeviceRegistryProperty(deviceInfoSet DevInfo, deviceInfoData *Dev
 func getRegistryValue(buf []byte, dataType uint32) (interface{}, error) {
 	switch dataType {
 	case windows.REG_SZ:
-		return windows.UTF16ToString(BufToUTF16(buf)), nil
+		ret := windows.UTF16ToString(bufToUTF16(buf))
+		runtime.KeepAlive(buf)
+		return ret, nil
 	case windows.REG_EXPAND_SZ:
-		return registry.ExpandString(windows.UTF16ToString(BufToUTF16(buf)))
+		ret, err := registry.ExpandString(windows.UTF16ToString(bufToUTF16(buf)))
+		runtime.KeepAlive(buf)
+		return ret, err
 	case windows.REG_BINARY:
 		return buf, nil
 	case windows.REG_DWORD_LITTLE_ENDIAN:
@@ -271,7 +276,7 @@ func getRegistryValue(buf []byte, dataType uint32) (interface{}, error) {
 	case windows.REG_DWORD_BIG_ENDIAN:
 		return binary.BigEndian.Uint32(buf), nil
 	case windows.REG_MULTI_SZ:
-		bufW := BufToUTF16(buf)
+		bufW := bufToUTF16(buf)
 		a := []string{}
 		for i := 0; i < len(bufW); {
 			j := i + wcslen(bufW[i:])
@@ -280,6 +285,7 @@ func getRegistryValue(buf []byte, dataType uint32) (interface{}, error) {
 			}
 			i = j + 1
 		}
+		runtime.KeepAlive(buf)
 		return a, nil
 	case windows.REG_QWORD_LITTLE_ENDIAN:
 		return binary.LittleEndian.Uint64(buf), nil
@@ -288,8 +294,8 @@ func getRegistryValue(buf []byte, dataType uint32) (interface{}, error) {
 	}
 }
 
-// BufToUTF16 function reinterprets []byte buffer as []uint16
-func BufToUTF16(buf []byte) []uint16 {
+// bufToUTF16 function reinterprets []byte buffer as []uint16
+func bufToUTF16(buf []byte) []uint16 {
 	sl := struct {
 		addr *uint16
 		len  int
@@ -298,8 +304,8 @@ func BufToUTF16(buf []byte) []uint16 {
 	return *(*[]uint16)(unsafe.Pointer(&sl))
 }
 
-// UTF16ToBuf function reinterprets []uint16 as []byte
-func UTF16ToBuf(buf []uint16) []byte {
+// utf16ToBuf function reinterprets []uint16 as []byte
+func utf16ToBuf(buf []uint16) []byte {
 	sl := struct {
 		addr *byte
 		len  int
@@ -334,6 +340,16 @@ func (deviceInfoSet DevInfo) SetDeviceRegistryProperty(deviceInfoData *DevInfoDa
 	return SetupDiSetDeviceRegistryProperty(deviceInfoSet, deviceInfoData, property, propertyBuffers)
 }
 
+func (deviceInfoSet DevInfo) SetDeviceRegistryPropertyString(deviceInfoData *DevInfoData, property SPDRP, str string) error {
+	str16, err := windows.UTF16FromString(str)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	err = SetupDiSetDeviceRegistryProperty(deviceInfoSet, deviceInfoData, property, utf16ToBuf(append(str16, 0)))
+	runtime.KeepAlive(str16)
+	return err
+}
+
 //sys	setupDiGetDeviceInstallParams(deviceInfoSet DevInfo, deviceInfoData *DevInfoData, deviceInstallParams *DevInstallParams) (err error) = setupapi.SetupDiGetDeviceInstallParamsW
 
 // SetupDiGetDeviceInstallParams function retrieves device installation parameters for a device information set or a particular device information element.
diff --git a/tun/wintun/setupapi/setupapi_windows_test.go b/tun/wintun/setupapi/setupapi_windows_test.go
index 73cad7c..d5443ff 100644
--- a/tun/wintun/setupapi/setupapi_windows_test.go
+++ b/tun/wintun/setupapi/setupapi_windows_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 package setupapi
 
 import (
+	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 	"syscall"
 	"testing"
@@ -471,7 +472,7 @@ func TestSetupDiGetSelectedDevice(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestUTF16ToBuf(t *testing.T) {
 	buf := []uint16{0x0123, 0x4567, 0x89ab, 0xcdef}
-	buf2 := UTF16ToBuf(buf)
+	buf2 := utf16ToBuf(buf)
 	if len(buf)*2 != len(buf2) ||
 		cap(buf)*2 != cap(buf2) ||
 		buf2[0] != 0x23 || buf2[1] != 0x01 ||
@@ -480,4 +481,5 @@ func TestUTF16ToBuf(t *testing.T) {
 		buf2[6] != 0xef || buf2[7] != 0xcd {
 		t.Errorf("SetupDiSetSelectedDevice(nil) should fail with ERROR_INVALID_USER_BUFFER")
 	}
+	runtime.KeepAlive(buf)
 }
diff --git a/tun/wintun/wintun_windows.go b/tun/wintun/wintun_windows.go
index e1b46a8..69f6eb6 100644
--- a/tun/wintun/wintun_windows.go
+++ b/tun/wintun/wintun_windows.go
@@ -218,11 +218,7 @@ func CreateInterface(description string, hwndParent uintptr) (*Wintun, bool, err
 	}
 
 	// Set Plug&Play device hardware ID property.
-	hwid, err := syscall.UTF16FromString(hardwareID)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, false, err // syscall.UTF16FromString(hardwareID) should never fail: hardwareID is const string without NUL chars.
-	}
-	err = devInfoList.SetDeviceRegistryProperty(deviceData, setupapi.SPDRP_HARDWAREID, setupapi.UTF16ToBuf(append(hwid, 0)))
+	err = devInfoList.SetDeviceRegistryPropertyString(deviceData, setupapi.SPDRP_HARDWAREID, hardwareID)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, false, errors.New("SetupDiSetDeviceRegistryProperty(SPDRP_HARDWAREID) failed: " + err.Error())
 	}