I recently watched a Gamers Nexus video that talked about the instability of the latest NVIDIA GPU drivers, so I decided to downgrade my drivers to version 566.36, as many users recommended it for stability. I used DDU to thoroughly uninstall the previous drivers. However, I've been experiencing consistent crashes ever since! I even went back to the latest drivers, but the crashes continue. I've used DDU again and opted for NVIDIA's official driver installer instead of the NVIDIA App, but nothing seems to work. The crashes happen during gaming, browsing Discord, and even just watching YouTube. I've tried running the System File Checker, which showed no issues, and I'm currently running Windows Memory Diagnostics to check my RAM. I slightly overclocked my RAM but it's not causing the problem because I've tested it both ways, and the crashes persist. I've attempted reseating the RAM sticks, checked background processes, and updated my BIOS, all to no avail. I'm also getting an air pump to clean my system, just in case dust is messing things up, possibly even in the PSU. I'm at a loss and would really appreciate any suggestions to get my gaming sessions back on track without my PC crashing all the time! I'll update this post with the results from the memory diagnostics once I have them.
2 Answers
First off, it sounds like you’re doing all the right troubleshooting steps. The fact that you're still crashing after reinstalling the drivers suggests something might be wrong at a deeper level. Have you checked for minidump files in WindowsMinidump? They can give clues about what's causing the BSODs. If you find any, zip them up and upload them to a file-sharing site. That way, we can analyze them better for any issues.
One thing to try is a system restore to a point before you downgraded the drivers. This could revert any changes that might be causing problems without losing your files. Just remember to back up important stuff before you do it, just in case!
I’ve been hesitant about a system restore because I don’t want to risk losing some files, but I might need to consider it!
I’ll definitely check for those dump files and share them for a closer look!