I've been dealing with some frustrating blue screen issues on my gaming laptop and could really use some advice. Here are the specs: Intel Core i7-9750H processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card (6GB VRAM), and 8GB of RAM. In the past few days, I've encountered two blue screens with the stop code VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE related to nvlddmkm.sys. I've had some problems with the graphics card before, where games wouldn't load, but then it seemed to fix itself. Now, out of nowhere, I'm getting BSODs even when I haven't been gaming for a bit. It restarts just fine after those crashes and during intense gaming sessions, the GPU doesn't hit above 60 degrees Celsius. Since I bought this laptop second-hand in early 2022, I'm worried the graphics card might be failing or maybe in need of re-pasting. I'm planning to take it to a technician for a check-up but would appreciate any thoughts on what might be going wrong. Thanks!
2 Answers
It sounds like your GPU might be failing, which is pretty common with those error codes. A good first step is to try using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU). This tool can help remove old drivers completely before you reinstall the latest ones from NVIDIA. Make sure to follow the laptop-specific instructions if there are any. Also, keep an eye on your GPU temperature; overheating can cause crashes, but if you're not hitting high temps, it could just be a hardware issue.
I'm leaning towards your GPU possibly being on its last legs. Have you installed the latest NVIDIA drivers from their official site? Also, since Windows 10 is reaching its end of life, consider upgrading to Windows 11 to avoid security risks and keep everything running smoothly.
Yeah, I've updated the drivers already. As for Windows 11, I'm putting it off as long as I can. Not a fan of the new layout!
So, what exactly does using DDU do for the GPU? Is it safe?