How do I Fix a Video Card Problem?
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Written By Harsha Alamchandani -
Approved By Tanushree Chatterjee
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Updated on 2 Jan, 2023 -
Min Reading 6 Min - Share
Summary: This post will guide you with potential solutions for the various video card driver/graphics card/GPU errors, display screen issues, video playing issues, and sluggish computer performance while playing/processing HD videos, etc. If your graphic card is fine still video not playing, then your video might be corrupt. Use Stellar Repair for Video to repair various issues related to visual and audio corruption in damaged videos.
A video card (a graphics card, GPU, video driver, display card, or graphics adapter) is an important part of your computer. Any problem with the video card can affect your PC/laptop performance, spoil your gaming experience, hamper the movie time experience, or slow down 3-D graphics-intensive tasks.
We will cover the problem in the context of both system’s integrated video cards (attached to the motherboard) and dedicated graphics cards like NVidia GeForce, ATI Radeon, and others.
How do you know if your graphics card is damaged or not working?
Distorted visuals typically indicate a damaged or corrupt video card. The following are a few visual indicators and causes of graphics card problems:
- Computer crash
- Overheating of CPU
- Black screen as you turn on the computer
- Blue screen when you start playing games or watching movies
- Stuttering or freezing of PC screen or videos
- Strange colors in checkboard patterns called artifacts appear on the screen
- Receive errors like ‘Display driver stopped responding and has recovered error in Windows 7
- Loud fan noise from your PC or laptop
Also read:
How to Fix Green Screen Problems While Viewing Videos?
How to Fix Black Screen while Trying to Play Videos?
How to fix ‘Video not playing’ issues
Physical checks before troubleshooting video card problems
A graphics card is not always the cause of video problems; sometimes, the problems are caused due to other hardware-related aspects, as follows:
1. Loose connection:
Visual issues can be caused due to a loose connection between the computer and the graphics card. Ensure that the video cable is fine and plugged in properly. Replace the faulty cable.
2. Swap graphics card slot:
The problem might be due to a faulty PCI card slot. Insert your external graphics card in a different slot and see if this resolves the problem.
3. Check the PC monitor:
Video display problems could be monitor-related issues instead of the graphics card. Replacing the monitor may fix the problem.
4. Test another graphics card:
If you use a dedicated NVidia GeForce or AMD card, replace it with another card of similar specifications. If the display problem gets fixed, your old graphics card needs repair or replacement.
5. Check your Sound Drivers:
Is the computer crashing only while playing games? It may be due to the sound hardware. To check this possibility, disable the sound hardware temporarily via Device Manager on your PC. If your computer doesn’t crash now, it’s a sound system issue. Download sound card drivers from the manufacturer’s website.
6. Check the ‘Device Status’ of your graphic card:
Go to Device Manager> Display adapters. Right-click on your graphic card and click Properties. See the Device Status If it shows a video card error like Code 43 or Code 12, it indicates a video card problem. Follow the given troubleshooting methods to fix the video card error.
If your videos are not playing and the Device Status of your graphic card reads – ‘The device is working properly,’ the video might be corrupt. In this case, you would need software like Stellar Repair for Video, which can repair visual and sound corruption in damaged videos. The software fixes video glitches, stuttering, missing sound, video lag, and other problems.
Try the free version of the software:
How to fix video card problems
After the physical checks and fix, if the computer display problem continues, move to the below troubleshooting methods:
- Upgrade video card drivers
- Disable and enable the device
- Uninstall and reinstall the drivers
- Cool and clean video card
- Replace your video card
1. Upgrade video card drivers
Video card driver update fixes bugs and adds new features. It helps to play high-definition videos and games seamlessly. The video stuttering and display problems get resolved after updating your NVidia/Intel HD/AMD card drivers.
Automatically update PC drivers:
Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates
Or
Visit the below link for steps to update Windows drivers:
2. Disable/Enable the graphics card
To repair the graphics card ‘no display’ problem, disable/enable the card driver. This method can fix integrated video cards and dedicated (external) graphics cards.
To disable video card drives, follow the below steps:
- Go to My Computer/ This PC and right-click on it
- Click on Manage > Device Manager
- Double-click Display Adapters from the list
- Right-click on the name of your graphic driver
- Click Disable device
- Next, reboot your computer.
Now, enable the graphics card again by visiting the Device Manager on your PC or laptop and following these steps:
- Click Display Adapters
- Double-click on your graphic card
- Click on properties.
- Go to the Driver tab and click the Enable button.
3. Uninstall and reinstall the drivers
Uninstall the graphic drivers and then reboot your PC. Windows will automatically install the drivers after Windows Update.
To uninstall the driver, follow the below steps:
- Go to My Computer/ This PC and right-click on it
- Click on Manage > Device Manager
- Double-click Display Adapters from the list
- Right-click on the graphic driver, click Uninstall
- Click OK
- Next, reboot your computer
Uninstalling display drivers and then reinstalling fixes most of the video card problems. It also fixes the improper display driver installation problem.
Note: NVidia and AMD provide specific tools to uninstall and reinstall graphic drivers. However, these should be only used when the Windows normal uninstall/ reinstall process fails.
4. Cool and clean video card
Does your CPU turn hot after some time? Or do your videos and games stop playing properly after a few minutes? It may be because of overheating of the motherboard or video card.
A computer generates heat while it is switched on. If this heat is not dissipated properly, it may damage the motherboard and graphics cards due to overheating. Overheating can cause video card crashes, stuttering, or corrupt video display.
You must open the machine and check the desk fan to fix the graphics card. It is recommended to seek the help of a PC/laptop technician who may clean the dust inside the fans and install a case fan or component-specific fans to cool down the machine.
If the motherboard or the dedicated graphic card is damaged due to overheating, you would need to replace them.
5. Replace your video card
Buying a new video card is the only option when the existing card is damaged due to overheating or overclocking or has become outdated. If you are using an integrated video card, replace the whole motherboard.
Before buying, consider the specific use of graphics cards. Gamers or video editing professionals need a more powerful GPU to process intense graphics.
To Sum Up
Graphics card problems can be related to hardware or software. The blog highlighted a few quick symptoms that identify corruption or damage in your graphics card.
It recommended physical checks before moving on to the troubleshooting methods. Your graphics card may not always be the cause of poor video quality or performance. It may be due to a faulty cable or display monitor, or the video itself may have become corrupt and needs repair software.
The troubleshooting methods addressed both hardware and software aspects of video card problems. Hardware issues can be fixed after physically examining the graphics card and maintaining optimal temperature. The video card software issues are resolved by updating or reinstalling the drivers or disabling/enabling the graphics cards.
If none of these methods works, your graphics card is probably damaged and needs replacement.
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NO About The Author
Harsha is a technical expert who loves Mondays, technology and is a big time Apple fan. She knows her way around the data loss problems and is always looking for ways to help out people.
16 comments
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I do it all and it seems my GPU still good, but when I always play a game it crashes or sometimes the game is not responding. Sometimes when my screen freezing it has a small green box everywhere.
Hi John, I’m sorry to hear that you’re still experiencing issues with your GPU, despite trying the troubleshooting steps mentioned in the article. Based on the symptoms you’ve described, it’s possible that your GPU might still be experiencing some problems. Here are a few additional suggestions you could try:
1. Update your graphics drivers: Ensure that you have the latest drivers installed for your GPU. Visit the manufacturer’s website or use their official software to check for updates and install them if available. Outdated or incompatible drivers can sometimes cause crashes or display issues.
2. Check for overheating: Monitor your GPU’s temperature while playing games using software like MSI Afterburner or GPU-Z. Excessive heat can lead to instability and crashes. If the temperature is consistently high, make sure your graphics card’s cooling system is functioning properly. Clean any dust from the fans or heatsinks, and consider improving airflow in your computer case.
3. Adjust game settings: Lowering the graphics settings in the games you play can help reduce the workload on your GPU. Try lowering the resolution, disabling anti-aliasing, or reducing other graphics options to see if it improves stability.
4. Test with a different game or benchmark: It’s worth trying out different games or running a GPU benchmarking tool to see if the issue is specific to a particular game or more widespread. If the problem occurs consistently across various games or benchmarks, it may indicate a hardware problem with your GPU.
5. Consider hardware diagnostics: If the issue persists, it might be beneficial to run hardware diagnostics on your GPU. Some manufacturers provide diagnostic tools or have customer support resources that can assist you in diagnosing potential hardware problems.
If none of these suggestions help resolve the issue, it might be worth seeking professional assistance from a computer technician or contacting the GPU manufacturer’s support for further guidance. They may be able to provide specific troubleshooting steps or advise on potential repairs or replacements.
I’ve an issue with graphics card that doesn’t detect in device manager a week before it was working well but I did plug in and plug out frequently in pcie slot then it’s not working anymore. I tried 2 to 3 motherboards alternatively same result, Glowing blue light for additional power fans also not spinning, I suspect might be hardware issue. Plz help me to fix it, Thanks in advance.
Hi Madih,
Thank you for reaching us. I understand your situation where the graphics card is not detected by the motherboard. There can be a lot of reasons for this problem. The problem might be because of faulty drivers or can be due to incorrect BIOS settings or hardware issues or GPU slot issues. The problem can also be caused by a faulty graphics card as well. Still, if the issue persists then you need to connect with the authorized service center of the Graphics Card manufacturing company.
I hope it helps!
It’s happen on my windows 10, I’m getting the error code 43 and windows has stopped video. I have attempt each and every thing including update drivers but still unable to fix it. Any help would be appreciated!
Hi Nikolay, This error comes when the hardware fails and the driver failed to update. The best way you can move GPU to another slot to rule out motherboard failure. And check GPU in another machine. For more information, you can contact our support through email support[@]stellarinfo.com or call at +1-877-778-6087. Thanks!
As a Newbie, I am constantly searching online for articles that can benefit me. Thank you!
Glad you found it helpful, Vallie! More is on the way
I had using Windows 7 after upgrading the windows 10 most of the video typical formats problematic with MM codec pack is .FLV videos playing issue. Any suggestion would be appreciated!
Hi Michel, I suggest you can update the drivers on your system or laptop then play. If the problem is still same you can our software demo version and see the preview of repaired files.
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Hi Kaley, Thanks for your appreciation!
This information is helpful for me when I upgrade win 7 to win 10 graphics driver issues I can see the device has been stopped because a problem has been reported (code 43). Now I found your blog and follow the given steps as you mentioned on that blog. Thank you very much!
Hi Pauly, Thanks for reading our blog and sharing your experience with us!
I had a similar problem with my graphics card is not display to monitor. I found your blog, Thanks for giving the ways to fix graphics/video card problem.
Hi Sarah, Thanks for reading our blog. Keep reading for the next update!