Fix 'Display driver stopped responding and has recovered' error in Windows 10 / 8.1 / 7

Sometimes you may notice the display window suddenly flashing and not responding for a second. And a pop-up window displaying the content "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered" will appear. Especially after Windows 10 1809 upgrade or work with heavy graphics applications like 3D Max, Photoshop and gaming.

The Display driver stopped working error mostly occurs when the Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) feature detects that the graphics card is not responding within the time allowed.

If you're having the error 'Display driver stopped responding and has recovered', your PC may be temporarily suspended and unresponsive. Here are some effective solutions you can apply.

Note:

First, check and make sure your PC has the latest Windows updates installed and that may contain a fix for this problem. To check and install the latest updates, open Settings> Update and Security , click the Check for updates button .

Temporarily disable security software (antivirus) if available. Perform a clean Windows boot and check if the error appears again or not.

Reinstall the display driver

This problem is most likely related to the display driver. If the installed display driver is damaged during an upgrade of Windows 1809 or is incompatible with the current version of Windows, this will cause various problems, including display driver stopping working. Install the latest version of the display driver and check to see if the problem is fixed.

Click Win+ R, type devmgmt.msc and click OK to open Device Manager window.

Expand Display adapters.

Right-click on the display driver and select Uninstall.

After uninstalling the driver, restart the PC.

Now, go to your device manufacturer's website and download the latest display driver software for your PC.

Install display driver. Restart Windows and check to see if the problem is resolved.

Note : If the problem is not resolved, try installing the driver in Compatibility mode.

1. Download the driver from the manufacturer's website.
2. Right-click on the setup file.
3. Click on Properties.
4. Click the Compatibility tab .
5. Check Run this program in compatibility mode for .
6. Select Windows 8 .
7. Check Run this program as an administrator in PrivilegeLevel.
8. Restart Windows and check to see if the problem is resolved.

Increase GPU processing time

Timeout Detection and Recovery is a Windows feature that detects when the hardware video adapter or driver on the computer takes longer than expected to complete an operation.

When this happens, Windows tries to restore and reset the graphics hardware. If the GPU cannot recover and reset the graphics hardware within the time limit (2 seconds), the system may not respond and display an "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered" error message. Give Timeout Detection and Recovery more time to complete this operation by adjusting the registry value, which can solve this problem.

To do this, follow these steps:

Press Win+ R, type regedit and click OK to open Windows Registry Editor.

Back up the registry database and locate the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlGraphicsDrivers

On the Edit menu , select New , then select the following registry value from the drop-down menu specific to your version of Windows (32-bit or 64-bit):

1. For 32-bit Windows:
   1. Select DWORD (32-bit)
   2. Enter TdrDelay in Name.
   3. Double-click TdrDelay and enter 8 in Value data , and then click OK
2. For 64-bit Windows:
   1. Select DWORD (64-bit)
   2. Enter TdrDelay in Name.
   3. Double-click TdrDelay and enter 8 in Value data , then select OK.

Close Registry Editor and then restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

Restart Windows and check to see if the problem is resolved.

Disable visual effects

You can also adjust your PC for better performance by disabling some visual effects. Here's how to adjust all visual effects for best performance:

Press the Win+ key Xand click Control Panel.

In the search box, type Performance Information and Tools , then, in the list of results, click Performance Information and Tools .

Click Adjust visual effects . If you are prompted for an admin password, provide the necessary confirmation.

Click the Visual Effects tab , select Adjust for best performance , and then click OK.

Note : If you accept a less drastic option, choose Let Windows choose what's best for my computer .