Graphics Driver is a system program that controls your computer’s graphics card. The graphics card is a set of integrated circuits that handle data operations on the screen of your computer.
This article explains how to reset Graphics Driver after a Windows Update has failed or when it appears you have lost your device.
- How to Reset Graphics Driver
- What causes Graphics Driver problems?
- Symptoms of Graphics Driver problems
- How to Troubleshoot Graphics Drivers
- Reasons to Reset Graphics Driver
- Solution To Fix graphics driver crashes.
- 1. Reset Your Computer
- 2. Disable Unused Features
- 3. Update Your Graphics Driver Software
- 4. Troubleshoot Your Computer’s Hardware
- Tips for Resetting graphics drivers
- 1. Reset Your Graphics Card
- 2. Remove Hardware That May Be Affecting Graphics Performance
- 3. Try a Clean Boot
- 4. Contact Your Graphics Card Manufacturer
- Conclusion
How to Reset Graphics Driver
If you are experiencing problems with your graphics driver, there are a few things you can do to try to fix the issue.
First, check to see if the graphics driver is up to date. Windows will automatically download and install the latest drivers, but sometimes older drivers can cause issues. If the graphics driver is outdated, you can try to reset the driver by following these steps:
- Boot your computer into Safe Mode by pressing F8 during startup or by booting into Advanced Options and selecting Safe Mode.
- If your computer is running Windows 10, open the Settings app and go to System> Hardware & Device> Graphics. Under “Driver Status,” select “Reset Driver.”
- If your computer runs Windows 8 or 8.1, open the Control Panel and go to System and Security> Administrative Tools> Device Manager. Under “Graphics Cards,” select each card and click “Restore Driver.” Ensure that the box next to “Compatible with this version of Windows” is checked before clicking on “Restore.”
- If resetting your graphics driver does not work, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the graphics driver for instructions on how to uninstall or reinstall a graphics driver in Windows 10; see How To Reset Graphics Driver in Windows 10 above.
What causes Graphics Driver problems?
Graphics driver problems can stem from various causes, including outdated or corrupted software, hardware issues, and virus infection. If you’re experiencing problems with your graphics drivers, there are several steps you can take to attempt to resolve the issue.
First, try installing the latest version of your graphics driver from your manufacturer’s website. If that doesn’t solve the problem, you can try re-installing your entire graphics card and Windows operating system.
If that still doesn’t work, try a hardware reset on your computer.Lastly, scan your computer for viruses and update anti-virus software before continuing.
Symptoms of Graphics Driver problems
A few symptoms can occur when your graphics driver is not working correctly. These can range from simple problems like the inability to display images or videos to more serious issues like blue screens or crashes. In most cases, resolving the issue will require resetting your graphics driver. Here’s how:
If you’re experiencing a problem with video playback, try restarting your computer and then trying to play a video. If the problem persists, try reinstalling your video drivers.
If you’re having trouble displaying images or videos, ensure that your computer has sufficient memory and processor power. Try installing additional software, like an antivirus program or a browser plugin, and see if that resolves the issue.
If you’re experiencing crashes or blue screens, ensure that your computer has enough free space on its hard drive and that all its components are properly installed. Try uninstalling non-essential software, updating your drivers, and checking for recent software updates.
How to Troubleshoot Graphics Drivers
If you are having problems with your graphics drivers, there are a few things that you can do to troubleshoot the issue. First, make sure that all of your drivers are up-to-date. Sometimes an older driver can cause issues with newer graphics hardware.
Next, try uninstalling and reinstalling your graphics drivers if you are using a laptop. This will sometimes solve common issues. If these steps don’t work, you may need to go into Device Manager and disable and reenable your graphics card.
Lastly, suppose you’re still having issues. In that case, try running a diagnostic program like Nvidia Inspector or AMD Catalyst Control Center to see if there is an issue with your hardware or software.
Reasons to Reset Graphics Driver
Resetting a graphics driver can fix various issues with the display, such as artifacts or poor performance. If you are experiencing problems with your graphics card, resetting the driver may solve them. This is especially true if you are using an older graphics card not supported by the latest drivers.
Two ways to reset a graphics driver are through Windows Update and manually. You can roll back to an earlier version of the driver through Windows Update. Manual resetting will clear all the settings in the driver, including any preferences or profiles set up.
Before resetting your graphics driver, ensure you have backed up any important files, such as photos and videos. Also, resetting your graphics drivers may cause some applications to stop working or work differently.
Solution To Fix graphics driver crashes.
Graphics driver crashes are one of the most common issues on Windows. They can happen for a few reasons, but the most common is that your graphics drivers need to be updated.
Sometimes you can solve graphics driver crashes by resetting your computer and reinstalling your drivers, but other times you’ll need to go further. Here are four solutions for fixing graphics driver crashes:
1. Reset Your Computer
If resetting your computer doesn’t resolve the issue, your graphics drivers are likely not up to date. You’ll need to download and install the latest drivers from your manufacturer’s website to fix this. Be sure to back up any important files before doing this, so you can keep everything important.
2. Disable Unused Features
Some people find that disabling unused features in their graphics drivers resolves crashes. To do this, open your graphics driver folder (usually C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore), right-click on the appropriate graphic card file, and select “Disable.”
Then restart your computer. This should disable any unsupported features on that particular card and hopefully fix the issue.
3. Update Your Graphics Driver Software
If resetting or disabling features doesn’t work, it may be time to update your software. Most graphics manufacturers release updates for their software periodically (usually every 2-3 months).
If you last updated a while ago, it might be worth doing so now, just in case of something has changed, causing the crashes.
4. Troubleshoot Your Computer’s Hardware
If resetting or disabling features still don’t work, it may be time to troubleshoot your computer’s hardware. The issue can often be resolved by resolving driver conflicts or checking for any bad connections.
Tips for Resetting graphics drivers
Resetting graphics drivers can fix common issues, like missing or scrambled images, slow performance, and blue screens. Here are four tips for resetting your graphics driver:
1. Reset Your Graphics Card
If you’re experiencing problems with your graphics card, the first step is to reset it. To do this, turn off your computer and disconnect all cables from your graphics card. Next, hold the power button on your computer for 10 seconds to restart it.
Once it’s restarted, connect your graphics card to an open USB port on your computer. After it’s connected, release the power button and wait a few minutes while Windows loads the driver.
Lastly, click on Start > Control Panel > System > Device Manager (if available). If you see an entry for the graphics card under “Display adapters,” the driver has been loaded successfully, and you can start using your computer again!
2. Remove Hardware That May Be Affecting Graphics Performance
If you’re still experiencing problems after resetting your graphics driver and removing hardware that may be affecting performance, try running a diagnostic tool like GPU-Z or Gpu-Manager to see if there are any issues with specific devices on your card.
Sometimes updating drivers or installing new hardware can resolve these types of issues.
3. Try a Clean Boot
Another possible solution is a clean boot – which means starting up your computer in “safe mode.” To do this, turn on your computer without any cables connected, and then press and hold the power button until you see the “BIOS” screen.
From there, select “Restore defaults” and then select “Safe Mode.” If you still have problems, try reinstalling your graphics driver.
4. Contact Your Graphics Card Manufacturer
If resetting your graphics driver and removing hardware doesn’t help, or if you’re still experiencing problems after trying these solutions, you may need to contact your graphics card manufacturer for support.
Conclusion
If you’re having trouble with your graphics drivers, you can reset them without any data loss. This guide has shown you how to do just that. If you’re experiencing other computer issues, such as freezing or slowdowns, it might be worth checking out our list of fixes for common Windows problems.
