Graphical card driver crashing is a common issue that can result in various display issues such as distorted images, errors on screen, or even the complete inability to access the graphical user interface of your computer. The most common cause of this issue is an outdated graphics card driver, but in some cases it can also be caused by a corrupted graphics driver or other hardware problems. There are several solutions available to help you fix this problem, depending on the cause.
1. Update your Graphics Card Driver
If the cause of your graphics card driver crashes is an outdated driver, then simply updating your driver should solve the problem. To start, you should check your manufacturer’s website for the most recent version of your graphics driver and then download and install it. If your graphics card is from AMD, you can access the official AMD driver page from the link below:
https://www.amd.com/en/support/graphics
If your graphics card is from NVIDIA, you can download the official driver for your card from the link below:
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx
If you have an Intel graphics card, you can download the latest driver from the link below:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/19044/Graphics-Drivers
If you don’t know which graphics card driver model you have, you can use a third party tool like GPU-Z to determine your graphics card model. Once you have downloaded and installed the correct driver, restart your computer and check if the issue has been resolved.
2. Reinstall the Graphics Card Driver
If updating the driver does not resolve the issue, you may need to completely uninstall and reinstall the driver. To start, press Windows + R to launch the Run window, enter “devmgmt.msc” and press OK to open the Device Manager. From here, expand the Display adapters category and select your graphics card. Right-click on it and select Uninstall device. You will be prompted to confirm that you want to uninstall the driver, so click Yes.
Once you have successfully uninstalled the driver, restart your computer and then download and install the latest driver from your manufacturer’s website. After installing the new driver, restart your computer again and check if the issue has been resolved.
3. Rollback the Driver
Rolling back an existing driver can also help resolve the issue if you have recently updated the driver. To rollback a driver, open the Device Manager and right-click on your graphics card. Select Properties and then go to the Driver tab. Click the Roll Back Driver button and follow the instructions to rollback the driver. After rolling back the driver, restart your computer and check if the issue has been resolved.
4. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Hardware acceleration can sometimes cause graphical driver crashes. To disable hardware acceleration, open the Control Panel and then go to System and Security. Select the Advanced system settings option from the left pane and then go to the Advanced tab. Under the Performance section, click the Settings button. Here you can uncheck the Enable hardware acceleration option and then click OK. After making these changes, restart your computer and check if the issue has been resolved.
5. Check for Corrupted Files
If none of the above solutions work, then you may have a corrupted file somewhere on your system. To check for corrupted files, press Windows + X to launch the Command Prompt and then enter the following command: “sfc /scannow”. This command will scan your system for any corrupted files and replace them with healthy copies from the Windows system directory. Once the scan is finished, restart your computer and check if the issue has been resolved.
Although graphical card driver crashes can be a frustrating problem to deal with, following the steps outlined in this article should help you get your system back in working order. If your graphics card driver continues to crash after trying all the fixes mentioned here, then you may need to take your computer to a technician to diagnose and repair the issue.