Troubleshooting a Disappearing GPU: A Techie’s Dilemma

As an IT professional, encountering challenges with hardware is part of the job, but when a reliable component suddenly falters, it can be quite perplexing. Recently, I purchased a used laptop from my previous employer featuring an Nvidia 3060 GPU, which was running smoothly for a solid two weeks. However, out of the blue, it stopped functioning properly, leaving me scratching my head in confusion.

In an attempt to diagnose the issue, I employed several troubleshooting strategies. I started by reinstalling the latest graphics drivers I could find and proceeded to update the BIOS. When the problem persisted, I rolled back these updates, hoping to restore functionality. I even took the drastic step of uninstalling drivers and reverting to previous versions. In a last-ditch effort, I reinstalled Windows entirely, opting to restore an earlier OS version as well.

Despite these exhaustive efforts, the device manager still recognizes the GPU without issue; however, it remains unacknowledged by any other software. This has left me seeking new insights or alternative solutions.

Has anyone else encountered a similar issue with their graphics card? Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated as I navigate this perplexing situation!