Display driver not responding is a common issue among the users of Windows 10. Due to this error, your system might turn unresponsive temporarily, until you troubleshoot this problem. Here’s what you can do to resolve this problem on your own. And before that, we will tell you why you might be facing this problem.
The Reason Behind The Issue
If you are seeing a message saying display driver stopped responding and has recovered in windows 10, it means the TDR feature, or the Timeout Detection and Recovery feature of your system has detected that the Graphics card is not responding within the permitted time. And so, it has restarted the display driver to prevent the requirement of the restarting of the system. You might face the issue due to-
- Issues in Display Drivers.
- Running of specific or too many programs.
- Overheating Graphics Processing Unit.
- GPU timeout issues.
Among these reasons, GPU timeout issue is the most common reason for display driver not responding.
Ways To Fix The Issue
You can fix this issue in a number of ways. We are listing down some that will work for you.
Uninstall Graphics Driver
Here’s how you can uninstall the Graphics Driver.
- Press Windows key and R together for launching the Run Box.
- In the Run box, type devmgmt.msc and hit enter to go to the Device manager.
- Expand the Display adapters option, right-click on the display drivers and select uninstall.
After the uninstallation is complete, restart your system and see if the issue is fixed.
Download And Install The Latest Graphics Driver
If you are still experiencing the issue, you will have to download and install the latest graphics driver. You can either do this manually or automatically. For manually downloading the driver, go to the website of the manufacturer of your laptop and click on the driver tab. Enter the model number and the details of the drivers you are looking for. Find the driver compatible with your system, download and install it.
You can also find a third-party app for updating the drivers. Download the tool, install it and launch it. Click on scan now and the tool will find all the drivers that are missing or needs an update. Click on update all and all the drivers will be updated.
Increase The GPU Processing Time
By modifying the Timeout Detection and Recovery registry value, you can increase the GPU processing time, thus fixing this issue. Before moving ahead with this process, make sure you take the backup of the registry in case something goes wrong.
- Press Windows key and R together for launching the Run Command.
- Type regedit and click OK.
- You will be taken to the Registry Editor.
- Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers and click on it.
- On the Edit menu in the right pane, right-click on the blank place and then click New. select the version specific registry value from the drop-down menu by following ways.
For 32-bit OS
- Select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Type TdrDelay as the Name and click Enter.
- Double-click TdrDelay and add “8” for the Value data.
- Click OK.
For 64-Bit
- Select QWORD (64-bit) Value.
- Type TdrDelay as the Name and click Enter.
- Double-click TdrDelay and add “8” for the Value data
- Click OK.
Now, restart your system and see if the issue is fixed.
Close The Programs Running In The Background
The performance of your PC will be affected if too many programs are running in the background. Use the task manager and close the programs that you are not using. Sometimes, you will see that using a specific application might cause this error.
It could be due to the corrupt files. To be sure, close the program and see if the issue is resolved. If yes, you will have to do the clean uninstall of this program by deleting all the files and folders you can find on your system that has the name of this particular application. Install the program, restart the system and see if the issue is resolved?
Clean GPU Radiator
You might also face this issue due to the overheating of the GPU. And the GPU can easily get overheated if the radiator has dust accumulated on it. Hence, clean the radiator if you are facing this problem.
One of these solutions or a combination of these will surely resolve the issue with the display driver. Though it isn’t a big problem, it is annoying nonetheless. Treating any issue arising in your system as soon as possible is vital for keeping your system functioning smoothly for a long time. It is more like treating your body for some ailment quickly so you can live a long and a healthy life.
