Troubleshooting a Non-Responsive Nvidia 3060 GPU: A Frustrated IT Technician’s Dilemma

As an IT professional, it’s not uncommon to encounter perplexing issues that test your problem-solving skills. Recently, I faced a situation that has left me scratching my head. After purchasing a used laptop from my employer—a machine equipped with an Nvidia 3060 graphics card—I was pleased to enjoy its robust performance for a brief two-week period. However, just a couple of days ago, the GPU seemingly stopped functioning entirely.

In an effort to resolve the issue, I have meticulously approached the problem from multiple angles. I started with the standard protocol: reinstalling the latest drivers, performing BIOS updates, and if that didn’t help, rolling back any recent updates made to the BIOS or Windows itself. I also uninstalled the drivers to see if I could get a fresh start by reverting to older versions. As a last resort, I even reinstalled Windows but attempted to revert back to a previous version—still to no avail.

While Device Manager acknowledges the presence of the graphics card without any errors, the GPU remains undetectable by any other applications. This has left me feeling a bit lost, and I’m reaching out to the community for insights. Have any of you faced a similar conundrum? What additional steps or troubleshooting methods would you recommend to bring this GPU back to life? Your expertise could prove invaluable in shedding light on this frustrating situation.