Fix: CRC Error When Installing NVIDIA Drivers (7-Zip Extraction Failed)

When installing or extracting NVIDIA display drivers, you may encounter a “CRC error” (Cyclic Redundancy Check) in 7-Zip. This error occurs when the extracted file’s integrity check fails, usually because the downloaded archive is incomplete or damaged. When this happens, the extraction process stops, causing the installer to fail. As a result, you cannot proceed with the driver installation, leaving your GPU outdated and potentially unusable.

Several factors can cause CRC and extraction failures, including incomplete or corrupted downloads (sometimes reported more frequently with browsers like Edge), hardware issues such as unstable CPU cores on newer Intel processors, disk read/write errors or insufficient storage space, incorrect temporary folder paths, and viruses or malware that may alter downloaded files, especially when obtained from unofficial sources. These issues ultimately corrupt the archive, preventing proper extraction and installation.

Below we look at solutions to resolve this issue.

1. Install the Driver Using the NVIDIA App (GeForce Experience)

If manual extraction of the driver archive keeps failing, try installing the drivers through the NVIDIA App (GeForce Experience). This tool downloads and installs drivers directly without requiring manual extraction, which helps avoid CRC errors caused by corrupted archives or failed 7-Zip extractions.

1. Open your browser and go to the official NVIDIA GeForce Experience download page.
   
2. Download and install the NVIDIA App by following the on-screen instructions.
   
3. Launch GeForce Experience and sign in (or create an account if required).
4. Go to the Drivers tab and click Check for updates.
5. Once a new driver is found, click Download and then Express Installation.

This method uses NVIDIA’s own installer system, reducing the risk of corrupted extractions and ensuring a cleaner installation process.

2. Use Chrome & Install the Driver Manually

Incomplete or corrupted downloads are one of the most common causes of CRC errors. Switching to Google Chrome for downloading the driver can help, as Chrome’s download manager handles large files more reliably than some Microsoft browsers. This reduces the risk of broken or partially downloaded archives, ensuring the file remains intact for extraction and installation.

1. Launch your browser.
2. Visit the Google Chrome official website.
3. Select your operating system and click the Download button.
4. Install Google Chrome by following the on-screen instructions.
5. After installation, launch Google Chrome.
6. Go to the official NVIDIA Driver Download page and download the drivers.
7. Create a new folder on your PC.
8. Right-click the downloaded .exe file and select 7-Zip.
9. Extract the file to the newly created folder.
10. Run the “setup.exe” located in that folder.

3. Limit CPU Cores

On some multi-core Intel processors, unstable or misbehaving cores can cause corruption when performing CPU-intensive tasks like file extraction. Temporarily limiting the number of active CPU cores forces the system to use fewer, more stable cores, which may prevent CRC errors during extraction and installation.

1. Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog.
2. Type “msconfig” and press Enter.
3. Click the Boot tab > Advanced options.
4. Check the box next to “Number of processors”.
5. Select 1 or 2 from the dropdown.
6. Restart your PC (Windows will now use fewer cores).
7. Run the NVIDIA setup file again.
8. Once installed, revert these settings to restore normal CPU usage.

4. Change the Temp File Path

Windows’ default temporary directory often uses long file paths and may have permission restrictions that can interfere with installer operations. These limitations sometimes cause CRC errors when handling large archives. Changing the temporary directory to a short, simple path (such as C:\Temp) creates a cleaner, more accessible, and installer-friendly location for 7-Zip and similar programs.

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type “sysdm.cpl” and press Enter.
3. Go to the Advanced tab and click Environment Variables.
4. Under User Variables, select TEMP and click Edit.
5. Change the variable value to:

   C:\Temp

   

6. Repeat the same process for TMP and set it to the same path.
7. Create the C:\Temp folder if it doesn’t exist.
8. Click OK to save changes.
9. Restart your PC.
10. Try extracting the NVIDIA drivers again using 7-Zip and run the setup.