SOLVED: NVIDIA Drivers Constantly Crash on Windows 10
Graphics matters are not also spared when upgrading to Windows 10. After a successful upgrade to Windows 10 from a previous Windows installation, you may experience problems with the graphics. Depending on the graphics drivers for your PC, you may experience periodical freezes and crashing of the drivers. Worse yet, these crashes also affect other programs such as browsers, program window pop ups, and general dialogues e.g. printing, etc.). Sometimes you just experience the screen blacking out repeatedly for no reason whatsoever. This definitely has something to do with the current graphics drivers’ installation.
SIDENOTE: It is always a good idea to ensure that all software, drivers and devices are up to date before upgrading to Windows 10. It eliminates so many issues during later stages of Windows 10 usage.
The steps below will help in correcting the NVIDIA crashing error.
Custom installation of Latest Drivers
Download the latest copy of the NVIDIA graphics drivers that your computer has. If you so wish, you can do it from another PC and then save it in the flash drive. It is advisable to check compatibility of the new driver with your system before proceeding with the installation. If your graphics card is not supported by the latest version of drivers you will not solve anything. On the drivers website a summary of supported devices will usually be highlighted. Latest NVIDIA drivers can be accessed here. (Warning: if prompted by your browser whether to Run or Save the driver file, select save. This allows you to store the program on your drive and you can access it easily.
Close all the programs that are open on your PC. (Also temporarily disable antivirus programs to avoid interference with the display driver installation).
Ensure that you are logged in as an Administrator. Otherwise, have the Administrator credentials with you but it’s best practice to do the installation with full privileges. Right click the downloaded file and choose “Run as administrator”.
The installation will begin and you will be prompted for a location where to save the NVIDIA files. There is usually a default path. Leave it as it is or specify a location of your liking. Click “Proceed”.
After accepting the license agreement, a window will appear with options for the kind of installation you require (Express or Custom). If express installation was your choice, the installation will continue. Then you will be prompted to reboot the computer. However if you chose advanced/custom install, additional options will be provided to you and you can choose your preferred components. Just select all the components listed. The custom installation is recommended because here you are capable of performing a “clean install”. At the bottom of the installation window, check the box that says “perform clean install”. It allows you to restore the display system’s defaults and removes any previous profiles in the system registry. NOTE: This step is very important because it eliminates any issues caused by a mismatch between the old and new drivers.
Click NEXT.
The installation proceeds and afterwards then you will be prompted to restart the PC. Click on RESTART NOW. Your installation is complete.
Now the graphics driver crashing error has been dealt with. The secret lies in Cleaning all previous driver installations irons out any disparities in system registry. If this doesn’t solve your issue then most probably, the new and updated driver is not compatible with your version of Windows 10 as it is likely to be a buggy release. If this is the case, then try downgrading your driver to an older version which you can find on the nVidia site.
