If you are having problems with your graphics card in Windows, there are several steps you can take to identify and solve the issue.
1. Check device drivers
The first step is to check that you have the latest driver installed for your graphics card. To do this, you’ll need to know the make and model of your graphics card. If you don’t know what it is, you can find out by going to the Device Manager in Windows. Once you’ve located the graphics card, you should be able to identify the make and model. With this information, you can head over to the website of the manufacturer of your graphics card and see if there’s a newer driver available. You can then download and install it.
2. Reset display settings
Another simple fix that can be tried is to reset the display settings. To do this, head to the Control Panel and select ‘Display’. Under the ‘Settings’ tab, click the ‘Advanced’ button. Here, you’ll find an option to reset the display settings. This sometimes helps to resolve issues with graphics cards.
3. Perform a clean boot
A clean boot helps minimize the services and programs running to allow Windows to start as quickly and efficiently as possible. This can be useful to help identify which services or programs may be causing a conflict with your graphics card. To perform a clean boot, open the System Configuration utility by typing ‘msconfig’ into the search box. In the General tab, select ‘Selective startup’ and uncheck all the boxes, apart from ‘Load system services’ and ‘Load startup items’. Then, click ‘OK’ and restart your computer.
4. Run a hardware diagnostic test
Another option is to run a hardware diagnostic test. You can either go to the website of the manufacturer of your computer or motherboard and look for a diagnostics tool, or use a third-party tool such as PC Doctor. These tools should be able to detect and identify any issues with your hardware, including your graphics card.
5. Roll back your graphics card driver
If you suspect that an updated driver is causing a problem with your graphics card, you can try rolling back the driver to the previous version. To access the device driver, go to the Device Manager (Control Panel > System > Device Manager) and locate your graphics card. Right click on it and select ‘Properties’. Under the ‘Driver’ tab, select ‘Roll Back Driver’ and follow the on-screen prompts.
6. Reinstall Windows
If all else fails, you may need to reinstall Windows. This will replace any corrupted files and settings, as well as reset all drivers so that you’re using the most up-to-date versions. Before doing this, ensure you have a backup of any important data and files that you’ll need.
These are some of the steps you can take to troubleshoot your graphics card in Windows. If you’re still having problems, it may be worth contacting the manufacturer of your graphics card for further advice.