What to Do If You’ve Accidentally Deleted Your Graphics Card Drivers
Accidentally deleting important system drivers can be a frustrating experience, especially when it comes to graphics cards that are essential for gaming and other visual applications. If you find yourself in a situation where your graphics card drivers have vanished, here’s a comprehensive guide on how to troubleshoot and possibly resolve the issue.
Understanding the Scenario
Recently, I faced an unexpected challenge while attempting to troubleshoot a gaming issue. Following advice from Tech Support, I was instructed to perform a “clean install” of my graphics drivers. Misinterpreting the guidance, I uninstalled my existing drivers, believing that was the correct method to start fresh. Unfortunately, this led to my graphics card becoming unrecognized when I attempted to reinstall drivers.
When I tried to install the new drivers, a message appeared stating, “sorry we can’t find a graphics card to install these to.” Subsequent attempts to reinstall the original drivers from the manufacturer’s website were also unsuccessful. This left me wondering what could be the underlying issue.
Troubleshooting Steps Taken
In my quest for a solution, I explored various troubleshooting options:
-
System Restore Attempt: I attempted a system restore to revert my laptop to a prior state. However, after two hours of waiting, the process froze, and upon rebooting, the restore point was unavailable. Not only was the restoration ineffective, but my graphics card was still undetectable.
-
Checking Device Manager: A thorough examination of Device Manager revealed a hidden entry listed as “Video Controller (VGA Compatible)” under “Other Devices.” This entry indicated a connection error with the device, marked by: “Currently, this hardware device is not connected to the computer. (Code 45).” The challenge? My laptop has a soldered graphics card, making manual reconnection impossible.
-
Driver Attempts: I attempted to automatically search for updated driver Software, which briefly found the drivers for my GTX 1070. However, after a reboot, the drivers seemed to vanish again.
-
BIOS Inspection: I also rummaged through the BIOS settings, only to find nothing that seemed relevant to my graphics card issue.
Seeking Help
Despite trying various methods, progress stalled, and I was left feeling quite helpless. Reaching out for assistance was my final recourse. I posted my predicament on a community forum to seek guidance from fellow tech enthusiasts.
Resolution
Thanks to
Share this content:
