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How to perform a clean graphics card driver installation

Updated

A common problem for many Windows users is the presence of multiple/incomplete graphics card drivers. This can occur when...

  • You have changed the brand of graphics card you are using (e.g. AMD or Nvidia). 

  • Installed the wrong driver, or interrupted a driver installation. 

This can lead to crashes and performance issues, which may appear as hardware/software faults.

Often it is not enough to uninstall/reinstall/update your drivers to resolve the problem, as this can leave behind files, folders and registry entries. Therefore, it may be necessary to thoroughly remove all traces of the previous driver with a specialized tool called Display Driver Uninstaller.

How to use Display Driver Uninstaller

  1. Next, we need to download Display Driver Uninstaller which is a free, third-party app which is used to completely remove all traces of graphics card drivers on your computer.
  2. Open the download and extract the files to a folder on your desktop.
  3. Follow the instructions provided for either Nvidia or AMD, depending on your brand of graphics card. You may need to run the tool multiple times if you have used or accidentally installed drivers for both brands in the past.
  4. Now we will need to download the latest WHQL approved driver for your graphics card, while being sure not to download drivers marked as "beta/optional". Please make sure you are confident that you are downloading the correct driver for your brand and model of graphics card. Both websites provide an automated option, if you are unsure of which model you are using.
    1. Nvidia: https://www.nvidia.com/en-gb/geforce/drivers/
    2. AMD: https://www.amd.com/en/support
  5. Open the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the driver.

Important: Do not interrupt the installation process and then restart your computer once it has been completed.

 

 

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