One of the most frequently experienced issues by Windows users is that the Nvidia driver keeps uninstalling itself.
You may notice that it works properly after installing the driver, but after a few days, you see it’s gone.
Some users even have a more severe problem and see it uninstalls itself after every reboot.
This post will explain the possible causes for this issue and how you can fix it.
Nvidia Driver Keeps Uninstalling Itself (Causes, Fixes)
Before going through any of the following steps, it’s better to perform a backup and set a restore point to avoid losing things if anything goes wrong.
1. Uninstall The Latest Updates
During regular OS updates, Windows automatically downloads and installs drivers.
That may be the source of your Nvidia driver crashes because these updates replace your properly functioning drivers with faulty ones.
You can uninstall the updates and revert your system to a previous setting.
If you don’t know which update caused the problem, you can find it in the list of installed updates.
Go to Settings > Update and History > Windows Update > Update History.
Then, detect the problematic update and uninstall it.
If a new update is problematic, simply uninstalling it can’t solve the problem because Windows will automatically update it again.
Therefore, you should block Windows from doing so, although there’s no way to hide or block updates inside Windows.
You could delay getting updates for seven days or give Microsoft a specific date to download the updates.
Go to Start > Settings > Update and Security > Windows Update.
Choose “Pause Updates for Seven Days” or go to “Advanced Options” and select “Pause Updates.”
You will need to select a date from the dropdown menu.
You could also stop Windows from automatically downloading new updates for hardware, although Microsoft doesn’t recommend it because you may lose some security patches.
To change the installation settings on your device:
Open the “Run” box by pressing the Windows key and R simultaneously.
Type “Control” in the box and press “Enter.”
This will take you to the Control Panel, where you should find and select “System and Security.”
Locate “System” and click on it.
Select “Advanced System Settings.”
Find the “Hardware” tab and click on it.
Select “Device Installation Settings.”
Click “No” and save changes.
Click “OK.”
After reverting to previous updates, you may need to reinstall Nvidia drivers.
Download the driver you need for your Nvidia graphic card by visiting the Nvidia Driver Downloads page.
After downloading the driver, open the file and install the driver by following the on-screen instructions.
Restart the system and check if the issue is fixed.
2. Remove The Logging File From The Windows Registry
First, stop all the Nvidia services.
Open the Run box by pressing the Windows key and R.
Type “Services.msc” in the box and press “OK.”
Locate all Nvidia services, select them, and clock “Stop the Service.”
Now, stop all of the Nvidia programs:
Open the Task Manager by pressing CTRL + Shift + Esc.
See if there are any open Nvidia Programs and end them.
Now, you can remove the Nvidia logging file in the Windows Registry.
Open the Run box again.
Type in Regedit and click OK.
Navigate this path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\NVIDIA Corporation\Logging
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\NVIDIA Corporation\Logging
Now delete the logging file.
3. Check If Your Nvidia Driver Is Updated
When your Nvidia driver isn’t updated, it could go missing, get corrupted, or become improperly installed.
These issues may lead to the Nvidia driver uninstalling itself whenever you reboot.
You can upload Nvidia in different ways.
A. Update Nvidia Driver Manually
Manually updating the Nvidia driver requires downloading the latest driver from the Nvidia website.
Then, you should run the installer to overwrite the old driver:
First, check which Nvidia graphic card version you have installed on your computer.
The model’s name is usually on the box that the card came in.
You could also find the exact graphic card’s model through the Diagnostic Tool.
Open the Windows Run box and type in dxdiag.
To check your operating system, click on “System” and then “Operating System.”
Check your graphics card model by clicking on “Display” and “Chip Type.”
Visit the Nvidia GeForce Driver Download page.
Perform a manual search for the driver using the dropdown menu.
Find the driver you need and download its latest version.
When the download is complete, launch the installer to start updating.
B. Update Nvidia Using The GeForce Experience
GeForce Experience is a complimentary program that comes with your Nvidia driver.
It can perform many tasks, including capturing videos, live streams, screenshots, and updating drivers.
Go to Nvidia’s official website and download GeForce Experience.
After installing the program, you need to create an account and fill out the online form.
After logging in, click on the “Drivers” tab and download the drivers that you need.
C. Update Nvidia Using Windows Updates
Sometimes, Nvidia releases updates with Windows updates.
It’s a straightforward way that can help you get other updates together with Nvidia.
Press Windows key + I together to go to windows settings.
Find Update and Security and then Windows Update.
Click on “Check for Updates” to look for any available updates for windows or Nvidia.
If there are updates available, click “Download.”
Some Windows updates can take a long time to finish, and you need to reboot your system after the update is complete.
Make sure to save your work while the updates are installed.
4. Reinstall The Nvidia Driver
Sometimes a corrupt or badly installed driver causes your Nvidia driver to keep uninstalling itself.
Therefore, you will need to reinstall it to make sure everything is okay.
Go to the control pane by typing “Control” in the Run box.
Select “Uninstall a program.”
Choose all Nvidia programs and delete all of them.
Restart your system, and when you get your system on again, delete the logging files from the registry.
5. Clean Uninstall And Reinstall Using Third-Party Programs
If you uninstall the driver and clean all the registries, but the issue persists, you may need to use other programs to remove the entire software with all its components.
One of these applications is Display Driver Uninstaller, which ensures there are no software remnants.
Download the latest version of DDU by searching it on Google and install it on your PC.
When you run the program for the first time, it gives you a prompt to remind you that it changes registry settings and values.
As we stated earlier, it’s best to set a restore point to avoid any data losses.
DDU deletes any corrupt drivers or binaries, but it doesn’t guarantee that everything gets fixed.
Therefore, after setting a backup point, you can proceed by clicking OK in the window that opens after running DDU.
It may ask you to open the Safe Mode before running the software, but you can also run it in Normal Mode.
After opening the program, click on the dropdown menu and find GPU under the “Device Type.”
Select Nvidia from the next dropdown menu.
Click “Clean and Restart” to start cleaning all the drivers from your system.
After the program finishes cleaning the drivers, the device restarts.
When the system turns back on, download the latest Nvidia driver on its official website.
To have a clean installation, click on “Custom Settings” when you see the “Options” step.
Before clicking “Next,” Select “Perform a Clean Install” and then click “Next”.
After the installation finishes, your device will reboot, and after that, you should be able to run your Nvidia driver without issues.
6. Check For Proper PC Maintenance
If you continue to have issues despite taking the above steps, you need to make sure all your hardware components are working properly.
Desktop users should clean their systems’ internals every year or every six months because dust buildup can increase temperature, affecting the cards and components’ functions.
However, if you haven’t cleaned your PC’s internals before or aren’t familiar with the internal parts and components, it’s better to take it to a PC shop.
To perform the cleaning, you need compressed air available at PC hardware shops.
To clean your PC’s internals:
Turn off and unplug your computer.
Move the PC outdoors (if possible) or to a clean place.
Blow all the components using compressed air to remove all the dust completely.
Don’t get too close to the motherboard, processors, and expansion cards, keeping a few inches of distance.
Ensure all parts, including power supplies and fans, are completely clean and then replace the case.
Notes
- Before replacing the case, make sure all wires and connectors are firmly in place because the blowing and vibrations may loosen the connections.
- If any wire is loose, make sure you know where it goes before reconnecting it.
- Don’t reconnect the PC to the electrical cord before closing the case.
7. Rollback To A Previous Version
Sometimes new updates are the real culprits behind software issues.
Instead of updating to the latest versions, it may be better to do the exact opposite and go back to the older versions.
This is especially the case if you didn’t have any problems before, and the problems seem to have started after a new update.
To roll back to a previous version:
Find “Device Manager” on your PC by typing the phrase in the search bar.
In the Device Manager section, click on “Display Adapter.”
Find the Nvidia graphic device, right-click on it, select “Properties,” and then the Driver tab.
Type the driver version that worked for your system and the date.
Click on the “Roll Back Driver” button.
In the new window that opens, select a reason and click “Yes” to get Windows to roll back the driver to your intended version.
After the process is complete, go to the Driver tab to make sure the date and driver version are what you wanted.
If Windows can’t do the rollback process correctly, it may be because your Windows can’t find the previously installed drivers.
In this case, you need to do the rollback process manually.
It involves manually deleting the newly updated driver and installing the older version.
If rolling back to a previous version doesn’t work, you should go through the process again and continue installing older versions until you get it right.
Here’s how to go about the manual rollback:
First, uninstall the existing driver by finding it in Control Panel > Programs and Features > Nvidia Graphics Driver.
Click Uninstall and complete the process by following the on-screen instructions.
You may want to clear the registry through the steps previously described.
After the uninstall process is complete, go to the Nvidia website and download your intended older driver.
To make sure you can successfully install the driver, close any programs running in the background before installing the driver.
These programs, particularly GPU monitoring utilities, may interfere with the installation process and corrupt the files.
Plus, disable any aggressive anti-malware or antivirus tool to make sure the installation goes smoothly.
The above solutions should be able to fix the problem with your Nvidia driver.
If your problem persists, it could be a technical issue caused by the latest updates.
Therefore, you will need to wait until the Nvidia team comes up with permanent fixes to the problems.
8. Other Problems With Nvidia And How To Fix Them
In addition to repeated uninstalling issues, Nvidia may have other issues that plague your system and reduce the quality of your gaming experience.
These problems can range from game crashes to video glitches and slowing down your PC, although Nvidia cards generally enhance PC performance and boost your gaming experience.
These issues may happen due to software or hardware problems that you hadn’t noticed before.
If you notice your computer gets hot after some time, videos suddenly stop playing, games crash, or your computer makes a funny noise, the following solutions can help fix the issues.
A. Make Sure The Problem Isn’t With The Video
In case of video crashes, first, you need to make sure the video file is okay.
If only some specific video or game files crash, chances are your Nvidia driver is okay.
You should repair or replace the file and try again.
Many useful video-repair tools can help you fix these issues.
In the case of a corrupted game file, you can reinstall it from the source.
If the problem persists, try to troubleshoot it by fixing Nvidia issues.
B. Stop Background Programs
When you’re playing games or watching videos, having several applications running in the background can affect your machine’s performance.
It could even cause your games to crash.
It’s better to disable any programs that aren’t necessary for running videos and games and stop them from automatically running in the background.
C. Check The Hardware
Although it rarely happens, the graphics card may be placed incorrectly in the PCI slot.
Check if it fits properly and isn’t loose.
Plus, try to put it in another PCI slot to make sure there’s no slot issue.
To move the graphics card, make sure you know what you’re doing and where everything goes.
Otherwise, you’ll end up mishandling the hardware and causing more serious issues.
Another piece that you should check is the GPU fans to make sure they work properly and aren’t full of dust.
If your computer overheats with use, it may be due to dust buildup, or you may have overclocked the graphics card to boost its performance.
In such cases, clean up the internals using the method mentioned before and revert the overclocked graphics card to its original settings.
An overclocked GPU can also lead to excessive noise.
Try to lower the CPU or GPU speeds to boost their performance.
D. Change Nvidia Settings In Control Panel
If your Nvidia driver constantly crashes, it might be due to its control panel settings.
Go to the control panel, find Nvidia Control Panel, and open it.
Select Manage 3D Settings > Power Management Mode > Prefer Maximum Performance.
Select Vertical Sync and turn it off.
Then click Apply.
E. Disable The Nvidia Graphics Card
You can fix the bugs that lead to a black screen or other display problems by disabling your graphic card and enabling it again.
Right-click on “This PC” or “My Computer.”
Click Manage > Device Manager > Display Adapters > Nvidia Graphics > Disable Device.
Restart your computer.
Go to Device Manager > Display Adapters.
Find the Nvidia graphics card, double click on it, and select Properties.
Click on the “Driver” tab and then on “Enable.”
F. Upgrade Your Nvidia Graphics Card
If none of the above methods works, you may need to change your graphics card.
Nvidia is constantly upgrading its graphics cards to support new technologies, improve your computer’s performance, and make it faster.
If you play games that need new graphics card versions, you can upgrade the graphics card and see a performance boost.
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