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[FIXED] Video Driver Crashed and Was Reset

System crashes are among the most common causes of a poor gaming experience. If you are an avid gamer, “Video driver crashed and was reset!” is one error you will face at some point.

This article will guide you on how to fix the “Video driver crashed and was reset” issue. Our focus will be on situations where an AMD or Intel GPU is used.

We will start by answering some burning questions about the problem.

What does it mean if an Intel or AMD video driver crashed and was reset?

In full, the exact error message reads as follows: “Video driver crashed and was reset! Make sure your video drivers are up to date. Exiting…” That means the Intel or AMD graphics driver was having issues at the time the problem occurred.

Below are the most common scenarios that could prompt the crashed video driver message on your PC:

  • Viewing heavy video files with the in-built Media Player in the middle of playing a resource-intensive game like Fortnite or ARK on Steam
  • Playing Flash videos on the web

What other factors can cause the video driver crash and reset problem?

Aside from faulty display drivers, some users point to the following as potential sources of the problem:

1. Occasional system failure

The problem may not be as critical as feared. If the error appears once in a while, then it is just a random system glitch. Reboot the PC and continue with your activities.

2. CPU overloading

High CPU usage can cause several software drivers to fail. Excessive heating and the overall slow response time of your programs are usually the symptoms. In such cases, stop all the resource-intensive applications eating into the system’s memory.

3. An overstrained integrated GPU

Having an integrated GPU in place of a dedicated one while playing 4K games can also cause the issue. Therefore, check if your integrated GPU can adapt to graphically demanding apps. Otherwise, consider buying a dedicated GPU instead.

4. Inappropriate launch options

The wrong launch option can make a game start with incompatible video settings, thus prompting the display driver crash error message. We will show you how to configure the launch options on third-party gaming platforms like Steam.

5. GPU processing time issues

Your GPU’s slow processing time might cause the issue even if it meets the game’s graphic requirements. This article will show you how to use the Registry Editor to adjust the processing time of your GPU.

How to fix the “Video driver crashed and was reset” issue with an AMD or Intel GPU

1. Reinstall the display drivers

The previous installation of the display drivers might have gone wrong. Therefore, reinstalling them might resolve the video driver crash problem.

Follow the instructions below:

  1. First, press the Windows key + S shortcut.
  2. Then, type Device Manager into the search bar and select the matching option from the results.
  3. Next, expand the Display Adapters category and select your graphics device.
  4. After that, right-click on it and select the Uninstall option.
  5. Then, follow the on-screen instructions in the Uninstall wizard.
  6. Reboot the PC after the uninstall process is complete.
  7. Go to the Device Manager and click on Actions > Scan for hardware changes.
  8. The PC will automatically detect and replace the missing software drivers.

Try running a graphics-intensive program to see if the fix worked. If it didn’t, then you will need to download the updated version of the graphics driver. See details in the next method.

2. Update the video card driver

Updating your video card driver is a very effective way to resolve graphics-related issues. An out-of-date display driver creates issues, such as the “Video driver crashed and was reset” error, on your device.

To update the graphics driver, head to the manufacturer’s website (Intel or AMD) and download the appropriate version for your PC.

You can also do it directly from the Device Manager window. Here is how:

  1. In the Device Manager window, go to the Display Adapters section.
  2. Then, right-click on your graphics device and click on the Update Driver option.
  3. In the next window, you will see the option “Search automatically for drivers”. Click on it.
  4. Next, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Note: There might be more than one graphics device listed. Repeat the above steps to update them all.

  1. After updating all the drivers, reboot the computer and check to see if the fix worked.

3. Update the video driver automatically

The success of the above method is not guaranteed. Windows might not find available updates for your graphics driver.

Moreover, you risk installing an incompatible driver if you do it yourself. It takes considerable time and effort to find, download and install the correct driver version your PC needs. Therefore, we recommend using a driver updating tool for the task.

Auslogics Driver Updater is the option we recommend.

Here is how to use it:

  1. First, go here to download and install Auslogics Driver Updater.
  2. After that, launch the application.
  3. Run the scan operation on the Diagnostics screen.
  4. The scan results will highlight the drivers that need updating. You can decide to update them one by one or in batches.
  5. For batch installation, use the selection boxes to pick the drivers you want to update.
  6. To update all at once, click the green button on the left side of the screen.
  7. Lastly, reboot the PC to effect all the changes.

Note: If you go with this option, be sure to back up the drivers first. You can do that using the “Back up” menu.

Then, after all the driver updates have been installed, you will not be troubled again with the “Video driver crashed and was reset” error prompt.

4. Tweak some system settings

Active background processes might be overloading the GPU. To derive the best experience now that your drivers are updated, do the following:

  1. Close every unnecessary browser tab on your PC.
  2. Stop RAM-clogging background activities.
  3. Disable startup programs that you don’t need.
  4. Additionally, run a PC optimizer tool to free up significant memory space.

5. Adjust the GPU processing time

While updating your display drivers helps fix issues, having a lasting impact depends on your GPU configuration. However, it takes a registry operation to tweak the GPU processing speed.

System crashes, frustrating blue screen errors, and even the complete breakdown of your device are consequences of registry issues. Fortunately, you can correct such errors with Auslogics Registry Cleaner.

And here is how you can make your GPU work faster:

  1. First, press the Windows key and the R button simultaneously to invoke the Run dialog box.
  2. Copy the text below and paste it into the text entry field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor:

regedit

  1. In the Editor’s window, go to the Graphics Drivers folder using the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control > GraphicsDrivers

  1. On the right pane of the Graphics Drivers folder, right-click anywhere on the blank space.
  2. Then, from the pop-up menu, expand the New drop-down list and select the DWORD (32-bit) Value option.

Note: If your system’s architecture is 64-bit, select the DWORD (64-bit) option instead.

  1. For the new DWORD key, use “TdrDelay” as its name.
  2. Now, double-click on the key and edit the Value data from 2 to 8.
  3. Click on OK to apply the change, and exit the Registry Editor window.
  4. Lastly, restart the computer.

The GPU should start working faster now. Therefore, check if the video driver crash problem has stopped. If it hasn’t, then it’s time to check the launch settings.

6. Change the Game’s Launch Options

As explained earlier, launch issues are another source of the “Video driver crashed and was reset” problem. Launch settings help to control certain game features that might overstrain a computer’s system. Tweaking them is one good way to improve your PC’s performance.

Follow the instructions below to change your device’s current configuration:

Note: For this guide, we will focus on the Steam gaming platform. However, the procedures for changing the launch options on other platforms are more or less similar.

  1. First, open Steam and dive straight to the Library menu.
  2. Here, right-click on the title you wish to play and select the Properties option from the pop-up menu.
  3. Next, click on the Set Launch Options button.
  4. Into the box that appears, paste the text copied from below and click OK:

-USEALLAVAILABLECORES -sm4 -d3d10 -nomansky -lowmemory -novsync

  1. Now close the Properties window, then restart the game.

Hopefully, that will deal the final blow to the problem.

7. Change the visual effects

Visual effects are another graphics setting you should review on your computer.

Follow these procedures to optimize the effects of visuals on your GPU:

  1. Open the Run box.
  2. Type the text below and click OK:

SystemPropertiesAdvanced

That will bring you to the Advanced tab of the System Properties window.

  1. Click the Settings button under Performance.
  2. On the next menu, select the tab for Visual Effects.
  3. Next, click on “Adjust for best performance”.
  4. When done, click on the Apply button to effect the change.
  5. Lastly, click on OK to collapse the window.

8. Use the Video Playback Troubleshooter

If you encounter the video driver crash problem while playing videos with the in-built Media Player, you can try running the Video Playback Troubleshooter.

Here is how you can do that:

  1. Press the Windows key + I shortcut to open the Settings menu.
  2. Then, go to Updates & Security > Troubleshoot.
  3. Here, on the right pane, you will see the Video Playback option. Click the “Run the Troubleshooter” button.
  4. After that, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

The troubleshooter will attempt to find and fix the potential causes of the problem.

Conclusion

Not only does having your system drivers updated help to resolve crash issues like “Video driver crashed and was reset!”, but it also saves you from other problems as well.

We hope you find this post helpful. Kindly let us know in the comments box. Also, feel free to forward your questions to us. We are here to help you get the best experience on your PC.

Lastly, you can find similar informative content in our blog section.