Windows 7: Display Driver Stopped responding

Saurabh A · 19 Feb 2013

Hi Plater,

Please run a 'stress test' on the 'display adapter' to check performance: Video Card - Stress Test with Furmark
Note: Check performance with the latest drivers installed

Would also like to know if you have tried running an 'anti-virus scan'. If not, please scan the system to check for virus/malware.

If no issues are observed, you may run SFC Diagnostic Tool to see if that helps: SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker
- Please share the SFC logs as mentioned in 'Option 3' in the above referred tutorial.

Plater · 20 Feb 2013

Quote: Originally Posted by Saurabh A

Hi Plater,

Please run a 'stress test' on the 'display adapter' to check performance: Video Card - Stress Test with Furmark
Note: Check performance with the latest drivers installed

Would also like to know if you have tried running an 'anti-virus scan'. If not, please scan the system to check for virus/malware.

If no issues are observed, you may run SFC Diagnostic Tool to see if that helps: SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker
- Please share the SFC logs as mentioned in 'Option 3' in the above referred tutorial.

Hello, thank you for your information. But my computer have real-time protection from Windows Security Essentials. Is that not suffice as an internet security suite?

Also, I have ran the furmark test until the temperature have leveled and I do not see any artifacts/problems during the test. I have yet to run the RAM test because I do not know which one is more creditable/better.

VistaKing · 20 Feb 2013

Use this memory test . RAM - Test with Memtest86+ . If you're using Firefox might want to update it to a recent version . I know 19.0 is out . Mozilla Download

Plater · 20 Feb 2013

Quote: Originally Posted by VistaKing

Use this memory test . RAM - Test with Memtest86+ . If you're using Firefox might want to update it to a recent version . I know 19.0 is out . Mozilla Download

Thank you, I'll leave this over night and report back the results.

Saurabh A · 20 Feb 2013

Quote: Originally Posted by Plater

Hello, thank you for your information. But my computer have real-time protection from Windows Security Essentials. Is that not suffice as an internet security suite?

Also, I have ran the furmark test until the temperature have leveled and I do not see any artifacts/problems during the test. I have yet to run the RAM test because I do not know which one is more creditable/better.

Hi Plater,

Good that the 'Video Card' diagnostics passed successfully. Memtest results should also be useful; thank you 'VistaKing' for the inputs.

'Security Essentials' tries to guard your PC from 'viruses, spyware & other malicious software'. 'Software problems' in the system may arise due to various other issues. 'SFC Diagnostics' detects and attempts automatic repair in 'Windows'; and its report may give some useful information: SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker

Do reply with the findings; will be glad to assist.

dorian hawkmoon · 22 Feb 2013

You passed Furmark successfully, that almost rules out gpu failure. Keep an eye on the temperature using gpu-z. Try to play games that stresses the gpu for a fair bit. Did you try Driver Fusion (previously Driver Sweeper) to clean the remnants of the display driver after its uninstall? You can give that a try, although be very careful while choosing the right category in the program (http://treexy.com/products/driver-fusion) :-
Nvidia DISPLAY DRIVERS ONLY-
Don't clean any Nvidia entries except for the Nvidia Display Driver entries.

jroot · 25 Feb 2013

Hi Plater

I have had this problem on several different PCs with both NVIDIA and AMD cards.
A Post on geforceForums about TDR problems obtains lots of information and often could help me out:

forums.geforce.com - Troubleshooting TDR problems (Sorry for Link to External site / forum

)

here the essential Information:

Quote:

Common issues that can cause a TDR:

Incorrect memory timings or voltages
Insufficient/problematic PSU
Corrupt driver install
Overheating
Unstable overclocks (GPU or CPU)
Incorrect MB voltages (generally NB/SB)
Faulty graphics card
A badly written driver or piece of software, but this is an unlikely cause in most cases
Driver conflicts
Another possibility that people tend not to like to hear, is that you are simply asking too much of your graphics card. What I mean by this, is that if you have your settings too high and the graphics card struggles and falls to very low FPS, then something graphically complex occurs, the GPU may not be able to respond and a TDR error may occur
Some users have experienced TDR errors whilst browsing the web with the 280.xx, 285.xx and 290.xx drivers. Please head to this link to clarify if this is relevant to you - this is quite a specific issue which seems to predominantly affect web browsing as opposed to gaming. There are no categoric fixes but some users have found that changing the power management mode to 'Prefer Maximum Performance' has helped.

Examples of specific TDR causes:

Conflict with Realtek drivers causing TDR errors
Driver conflict with Logitech webcam drivers
Unstable overclock on the graphics card
Insufficient PSU
RAM problems (faulty, badly seated or not configured correctly)
Cleaning out dust resolved issue
AMD/ATI cards also have TDR problems

Things to check or consider initially in your troubleshooting:

Check for newer driver version or cleanly uninstall/re-install your drivers. Great description of how to do this here (full credit to DJNOOB for this).
If you have multiple 'GPU tools' like EVGA Precision and MSI Afterburner installed, consider that it is only advisable to have one tool such as this at any one time.
If the issue is only with a specific game, check for patches.
If this is a new problem for you, have you just added any new hardware or updated/installed any new drivers? Consider rolling them back.
Check temperatures. Its important you check these at load, which is generally when a TDR event will occur. Everest Ultimate Edition is a good tool for this, or OCCT's GPU stress test. If things are too hot, you can use tools such as EVGA Precision to increase GPU fan speeds on graphics cards. Cleaning your system of dust can help temperatures significantly. Common sense will normally tell you if something is too hot, but if you aren't sure, the information is generally available online.
Check that your RAM is running at the correct settings as defined by the manufacturer.
Remove any overclocks on your system and test with stock clocks. This includes memory, CPU and GPU (even factory OC'd cards). Best to try each separately so you can be sure if one solves the issue.
Attempt a CMOS reset to return all BIOS settings to default. This is a good hardware troubleshooting step as it also resets the IRQ assignments - you can normally reset the CMOS either through a jumper on the motherboard (see manual), or by disconnecting the mains power and taking out the motherboard battery for 5 minutes. You will likely need to go in to the BIOS after this reset to check the memory timings/voltages are correct, as these will not always do so automatically.

Additional steps:

Run memtest (memtest.org). This should complete with NO errors.
If you have just installed a new graphics card, check your PSU ratings. Is it providing enough power, and most importantly enough Amps on the 12V rail.
If you are using SLI, try each card separately to see if the fault lies with one.
Try graphics card/cards in another computer if you can.

Some of this you already have tried out, other steps might become useful to you.

As side note: While running A VM with VMware Player this error also occured once - only solution which worked, was disabling 3D visualization.

Sorry for the long post, but I hope you can filter something useful out of it.

Regards,
jroot

Windows 7: Display Driver Stopped responding

Display Driver Stopped responding problems?