Troubleshooting Graphics Issues: A Common Dilemma for IT Professionals

As an IT professional, encountering a technical roadblock can be frustrating, especially when you least expect it. I recently purchased a used laptop from my previous employer, which features an Nvidia 3060 notebook GPU. For two weeks, everything was functioning perfectly. However, a couple of days ago, the graphics card suddenly stopped working.

In my attempts to resolve the issue, I’ve exhausted several troubleshooting avenues. Here’s a quick summary of what I’ve tried:

1. Driver Reinstallation: I have attempted to reinstall the latest graphics drivers multiple times, as well as reverting to previous versions to see if compatibility was an issue.

2. BIOS Updates: I made sure to check for any available BIOS updates and applied those as needed. I even reverted to earlier BIOS versions to see if that would make a difference.

3. Windows Reinstallations: I took the drastic step of reinstalling Windows entirely and experimented by reverting to an older version in hopes of restoring functionality.

Despite these efforts, while the graphics card appears in the Device Manager, it remains unrecognized by any other applications or games. This indicates that the hardware itself may still be functioning, but something is preventing it from communicating effectively with the software.

I’m reaching out to the community for insights and suggestions. Have any of you experienced similar issues with graphics cards, especially in used laptops? What solutions worked for you? Your input could be invaluable as I navigate this technical challenge. Thank you in advance!