Troubleshooting NVIDIA Driver Rollback: A Step-by-Step Guide to Booting in Safe Mode

Updating drivers is an essential part of maintaining your computer’s performance, but sometimes the latest versions can cause unexpected issues. If you find yourself needing to revert to an older NVIDIA driver, you’re not alone. Many users encounter challenges when attempting to navigate their operating systems’ safe mode for this purpose. In this post, we will outline a straightforward method to help you boot into safe mode and successfully roll back your NVIDIA drivers.

Understanding the Issue

After updating your NVIDIA drivers, you may have experienced performance problems or compatibility issues. In such cases, rolling back to a previous version can often resolve these frustrations. However, accessing safe mode can sometimes be tricky, especially if you encounter obstacles such as BitLocker prompts that lead to unexpected reboots.

Step-by-Step Guide to Booting in Safe Mode

Here’s how you can safely boot your device in safe mode, so you can proceed with rolling back your drivers:

Step 1: Access Recovery Options
1. Start by clicking the Start Menu.
2. Select Settings (the gear icon).
3. Navigate to Update & Security.
4. Click on Recovery from the side menu.

Step 2: Restart into Advanced Startup
1. Under the Advanced Startup section, click Restart Now.
2. Your PC will reboot into a blue screen with several options.

Step 3: Select Safe Mode
1. Choose Troubleshoot from the options.
2. Next, click on Advanced options.
3. Opt for Startup Settings and then select Restart.
4. Once your PC reboots again, you’ll see a list of options. Press the appropriate number key for Safe Mode (usually, it’s option 4 or 5).

Step 4: Disable BitLocker Temporarily (if necessary)
If your device prompts for a BitLocker code:
– Enter your recovery key if displayed. If you are unable to bypass the BitLocker screen and continue to face issues, you may need to suspend BitLocker temporarily from another device or at the command prompt.

Step 5: Roll Back Your NVIDIA Drivers
1. Once in Safe Mode, right-click the Start Menu and select Device Manager.
2. Look for Display Adapters and expand this section.
3. Right-click on your NVIDIA

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One Comment

  1. Thank you for sharing your situation. Rolling back your NVIDIA drivers after an update can sometimes be a bit tricky, especially if you encounter issues booting into Safe Mode. Here’s a concise overview to assist you:

    • Accessing Safe Mode: Follow the steps outlined in the guide to navigate through Windows Recovery Options. If you’re unable to access Safe Mode via normal methods, you can also try interrupting the normal boot process three times to trigger Automatic Repair, then select “Advanced options” > “Troubleshoot” > “Advanced options” > “Startup Settings” and select Restart. From there, choose Safe Mode.
    • Disabling BitLocker: If you encounter BitLocker prompts, ensure you have your recovery key ready. You can pause or suspend BitLocker encryption via the Control Panel or Command Prompt if necessary, but do so with caution.
    • Rolling Back NVIDIA Drivers: Once in Safe Mode, open Device Manager, locate your NVIDIA display adapter, right-click, select “Properties,” go to the “Driver” tab, and choose “Roll Back Driver” if available. If rollback isn’t an option, you can uninstall the driver and then install a previous version manually from the NVIDIA website.

    Always remember to create a system restore point before making significant changes, and ensure your data is backed up. If issues persist, consult NVIDIA’s official support or Windows

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