Your Windows PC may stop responding or hang and the following message may appear on the screen:

“Display driver stopped responding and has recovered”

This error can occur when:

• latest updates for the Display Driver are not installed
• your PC is running slowly because too many programs are running concurrently in the background or because of visual effects (high demand programs or games)
• The GPU is unable to display graphics in the stipulated time

To fix the issue, perform the steps listed below in the order they are listed.

Display driver stopped responding and has recovered

Step 1 – Allocate more time to GPU by tweaking the registry value of the Timeout Detection and Recovery

The Timeout Detection and Recovery feature detects when a Video Driver takes more time than usual to execute an operation. In such cases, Windows tries to recover and reset the graphics hardware. Your system is likely to stop responding and throw the aforementioned error message when GPU is not able to recover and reset the hardware within the stipulated time (2 seconds).

Tweaking the relevant registry value allows this feature more time in which it can complete the operation and may fix the problem.

Important: Before making any changes in the Windows Registry make a backup.

1. Type regedit in the Search box and press Enter
2. Locate and click this subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlGraphicsDrivers
3. Go to the Edit menu and click New. Depending on whether you are using 32-bit or 64-bit Windows, choose the following value:

For 32 bit Windows

1. Choose DWORD (32-bit) value
2. In the Name box, type TdrDelay and then press Enter
3. Double-click TdrDelay and in the Value Data box enter 8
4. Click OK.

For 64 bit Windows

1. Choose QWORD (64-bit) value
2. In the Name box, type TdrDelay and then press Enter
3. Double-click TdrDelay and in the Value Data box enter 8
4. Click OK

Step 2 – Download the latest Driver

Download the latest updates to update Drivers and other software. In case the updates don’t contain a new Driver version, you can download the latest Display Driver directly from the manufacturer’s website. Another method, and a much easier one, is to use a driver update tool. A Driver Update Tool with automate your Driver Updates for display and other devices, leaving you one less thing to worry about.

Step 3 – Check out possible issues with background programs or visual effects

Running multiple programs may lead to performance issues. Close unnecessary opened programs and check if that helps.

Also see if the situation improves after adjusting visual effects for better performance.

1. Open the Control Panel window and locate and click Performance Information and Tools
2. Click Adjust visual effects in the left pane
3. Choose Adjust for best performance
4. Click OK

If you are still having problems with ‘Resolve Display Driver’ error, post some details below and we will endeavor to help.