How to Fix a Display Driver Crashing After a Windows Update
Windows updates tend to bring new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes. That said, some computers tend to run into issues after installing a major update. Among the common issue after a Windows update is the display driver crashing problem.
Your display driver can crash due to an outdated driver, compatibility issues with the new update, and Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) conflict. As such, here are a few things you may try to troubleshoot and fix a crashing display driver after an update.
1. Remove and Clean Install Display Driver
Often the display driver problems are due to the display driver itself. So a quick fix for the issue is to uninstall the display driver and then clean install it from the manufacturer’s website.
There are many ways toclean install the display driver on a Windows computer. For this guide, we will use the Display Driver Uninstaller to remove the driver and install it from the manufacturer’s website.
If you can’t boot into Windows due to severe crashing, make sure to download the DDU app to a USB drive and then connect it to your PC. Next,boot into safe mode on Windowsand follow the steps below.
Additionally, take note of a few more things before you begin:
To clean install the display driver:
DDU will create a restore point before it starts to uninstall the display driver. you may use it to restore your PC to its current state if something goes wrong during the process.
2. Disable Multiplane Overlay Using the Registry Editor
If your display driver crash also has a black screen and stuttering issue, you can disable Multiplane Overly (MPO) to fix the problem. MPO is a Windows feature associated with the Windows Display Driver Model that checks details for the multiplane overlay capabilities.
However, MPO seems to be a common contributing factor for both AMD and Nvidia drivers crashing issues, such as the AMD driver time-out error. To fix the problem, try to disable the feature using Registry Editor.
Note that incorrect modifications to the Windows Registry can cause system malfunction. check that totake a registry backupandcreate a restore pointas a recovery option.
To disable multiplane overlay:
3. Roll Back to a Previous Version of Windows
Windows 10 and 11 feature a handy “go back” feature. It lets you roll back to the previous version of Windows to undo any changes the new update made to your PC.
However, this is not an indefinite feature. You have only ten days window to perform a rollback. After ten days, Windows will delete the old backup, and thus the “Go back” option will become inaccessible.
Follow these steps to perform a Windows update rollback:
If you see the “This option is no longer available on this PC” message, you won’t be able to use this feature to perform a restore. That said, for future updates, you canextend the 10 days rollback period to 60 days in Windows 11using a registry hack to get a longer rollback window.
4. Disable Fast Startup
Fast Startup helps your PC boot faster than a conventional shutdown. However, occasionally the feature can affect the normal startup behavior and may cause issues with the display driver.
To fix the issue, try to disable fast Startup on your computer. Here’s how to do it.
Not All Crashes Are Caused by Software
Issues with the display driver and incompatible Windows updates are what normally cause the display driver to crash. But, in most cases, the solution is easy and doesn’t involves repair cost.
However, if the issue persists, consider the possibility of a dying graphics processor. The signs often include worsening glitches, strange fan noise, frequent crashes, and a drastic decrease in performance.
Graphics cards, like any other PC component, can die down the road. Learning to spot the signs can help you plan accordingly.
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