After enabling SVM in the BIOS so I could use a game anti-cheat, Windows started behaving strangely. My display colors and refresh rate reset, AMD Adrenalin would not open because it said the driver and software versions did not match, and neither Brave nor Opera would launch. Device Manager showed my Radeon 9060 XT with Code 52, saying Windows could not verify the driver's digital signature.
I temporarily fixed the display settings by removing and reinstalling the driver, but the system then became very slow and my network connection started dropping. After restarting, the original problems returned: AMD Adrenalin stopped working, the refresh-rate settings disappeared, and the display adapter again showed Code 52. Disabling and re-enabling the adapter helps until the next reboot.
So far I have reverted the SVM setting, removed the display adapter, uninstalled AMD Adrenalin, and repeatedly removed and reinstalled Brave. I also tried a DDU cleanup and a network troubleshooter; the network fix only seems temporary. What is the proper way to permanently repair the signed GPU driver and determine whether Windows itself has become corrupted?
4 Answers
SVM itself normally should not break the graphics driver, so the timing may be coincidental. Start with a clean driver installation: disconnect from the internet temporarily so Windows Update cannot install its own driver, boot into Safe Mode, run DDU to remove the AMD display package, reboot, and install the correct chipset and graphics drivers downloaded directly from AMD. Make sure the driver matches your exact Windows version and card. Also check that Windows is not in test-signing mode, since that can cause signature errors. In an elevated Command Prompt, run `bcdedit /enum` and confirm `testsigning` is not enabled.
Code 52 after every restart suggests Windows is rejecting the driver rather than just Adrenalin being installed incorrectly. Check the driver details in Device Manager and look in Event Viewer for Code Integrity errors. Then run `sfc /scannow` followed by `DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth` from an administrator terminal. If those report repairs or cannot complete, use System Restore from before the BIOS change if a restore point exists.
Temporarily disabling driver-signature enforcement can confirm the diagnosis, but it should not be treated as the permanent fix. The final installation should work with normal signature enforcement enabled.
The browser failures, slow startup, display-driver resets, and unstable network together sound broader than a single AMD Adrenalin problem. Back up important files first, run a full Windows Security scan, and avoid random driver-fix utilities or more video tutorials that change boot settings. If the driver still returns with Code 52 after a proper DDU reinstall and system-file repair, the fastest reliable solution is an in-place Windows repair install. If that also fails, perform a clean Windows installation after backing up your data.
Before reinstalling Windows, check the motherboard BIOS settings and hardware diagnostics, especially if the network adapter also disappears or shows errors. But a clean OS install is reasonable if multiple unrelated Windows components remain broken.
Do not keep changing BIOS settings while troubleshooting. Restore the normal defaults, confirm the system boots in its usual UEFI mode, and then install the motherboard chipset package followed by the graphics driver. Once the display driver is stable, test the browser and network separately. If the network keeps dropping, reinstall its adapter driver too and check whether Device Manager shows another warning icon.
I would install the motherboard chipset driver as well as the GPU driver. A BIOS setting change can expose an old chipset or firmware problem even though SVM itself is not supposed to affect display output.