Recover Windows startup or sign-in after isolating a graphics adapter or driver

Windows reaches its loading or sign-in stage and then black-screens, freezes, restarts, or bug-checks when the normal graphics driver initializes. Safe Mode, Microsoft Basic Display Adapter, an integrated graphics path, or a known-good alternate graphics adapter allows Windows to start visibly.

This writeup distinguishes a bad/incompatible driver package from a switchable-graphics conflict and a failing physical adapter. Safe Mode success proves that the reduced startup path avoids the failure; it does not by itself prove the GPU hardware is defective.

Searchable Windows error codes and exact messages

Use this procedure when Windows 10 or Windows 11 fails at the display-driver/startup transition and at least one comparative test succeeds:

• Safe Mode reaches a usable desktop;
• normal Windows starts with Microsoft Basic Display Adapter after the vendor driver is rolled back or uninstalled;
• a hybrid-graphics laptop starts when the discrete adapter is disabled and its integrated adapter remains available;
• a desktop starts normally with integrated graphics or a known-good alternate adapter; or
• the problem began immediately after a display-driver installation and rolling back that package restores startup.

The Windows installation and system disk must otherwise be healthy and consistently detected.

Do not use this procedure for a display that is blank before the Windows logo, video routed to the wrong monitor, a working sign-in session with only Explorer missing, remote-desktop black screens, a monitor/cable/input failure, or a system that also fails in Safe Mode with the same timing.

It does not apply when the only evidence is a generic bug check with no graphics module, when the system disk disappears, when firmware shows artifacts before Windows starts, or when a laptop lacks an alternate display path and disabling its only adapter would remove local video.

Thermal shutdown, unstable RAM, an inadequate power supply, and motherboard/slot faults can mimic GPU failure. This procedure isolates them; it does not pre-label them.

The exact Windows build, why a particular package became incompatible, and whether the final defect is in the GPU silicon or its local memory may remain unknown during the first isolation pass.

Before driver removal or adapter disablement, the following may not remain unknown:

• the failure stage;
• whether Safe Mode works;
• every installed display adapter and its hardware ID;
• current provider, version, date, and published INF;
• whether another usable display adapter/output exists;
• which cable/output is connected; and
• the location of a known-good replacement driver.

For physical substitution, the card's power requirements, slot compatibility, and safe service procedure must be known.

• A verified file backup and, when Windows still starts, a restore point
• Access to WinRE Startup Settings or installation media
• An administrator account
• One display connected directly to a known output, without docks or USB display adapters during isolation
• Exact-model OEM graphics packages for laptops and OEM systems, downloaded before network disconnection
• The current and prior driver packages when available
• Device Manager, Reliability Monitor, Event Viewer, and dxdiag
• A known-good alternate graphics path for disablement or physical-substitution branches
• Antistatic precautions and service instructions for desktop card removal

Third-party display-driver removal tools are not a first requirement and are not the first branch.

1. Disconnect docks, USB graphics adapters, capture devices, VR headsets, and extra displays.

2. Connect one known-working display and cable directly to the expected Windows graphics output.

3. If a sign-in session may exist behind the black screen, press:

   Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B
   

   A beep or display reset supports a graphics-stack hang but does not identify its cause.

4. Enter WinRE and select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart > Enable Safe Mode.

5. In Safe Mode, create an evidence folder:

   md C:\GraphicsStartupEvidence
   msinfo32 /nfo C:\GraphicsStartupEvidence\msinfo32-before.nfo
   dxdiag /t C:\GraphicsStartupEvidence\dxdiag-before.txt
   pnputil /enum-drivers /files > C:\GraphicsStartupEvidence\drivers-before.txt
   

6. Download the exact replacement driver while networking is available, then disconnect networking before uninstalling so Windows Update cannot immediately replace the package during the test.

1. Record the exact visible sequence: firmware logo, Windows spinner, sign-in screen, mouse pointer, black screen, restart, or stop code.
2. Confirm that Safe Mode reaches a stable desktop for at least ten minutes. If the same failure occurs at the same stage, stop; the reduced driver path did not isolate graphics.
3. Open Device Manager > Display adapters. For each adapter record:
   • full name;
   • Device status and problem code;
   • Driver Provider, Date, Version, and Digital Signer;
   • Details > Hardware Ids; and
   • Details > Inf name when available.
4. Save or photograph these properties before changing anything.
5. Open Reliability Monitor with perfmon /rel. Correlate the first failure with display-driver installation, Windows update, LiveKernelEvent, or hardware error.
6. Open Event Viewer and inspect Windows Logs > System around the failed startup for display, Display, nvlddmkm, amdkmdag, igfx, Kernel-PnP, or WHEA-Logger events. An event name alone is not proof; match time and adapter.
7. Preserve minidumps from %SystemRoot%\Minidump and any kernel dump. Record the actual bug-check code and named module if analysis provides one.
8. Use this evidence ladder:
   • Driver package supported: normal mode fails with vendor package; Safe Mode works; rolling back/uninstalling the package restores visible normal boot.
   • Discrete-path supported: integrated graphics works repeatedly while enabling the discrete path reproduces failure.
   • Physical adapter supported: the same Windows/driver baseline fails with the suspect card but works with a compatible known-good card, or the suspect card fails comparatively in another compatible system.
9. Do not label hardware failed solely because Safe Mode works. Safe Mode changes resolution, acceleration, services, power behavior, and driver stack.

Use the least invasive branch that the evidence supports.

Branch A — Roll back a recently changed driver

1. In Safe Mode, open Device Manager > Display adapters.
2. Right-click the identified adapter and select Properties > Driver.
3. Record the current version again, then select Roll Back Driver if available.
4. Choose the reason that accurately describes the failure and complete the rollback.
5. Restart into normal Windows with networking still disconnected.
6. If normal startup works, install the exact OEM-approved stable package only if the rolled-back version lacks required support. Do not immediately reinstall the package that reproduced failure.

Branch B — Remove the identified package and install a compatible package

1. Keep the replacement package local and confirm its model, operating-system version, and architecture.

2. In Safe Mode, uninstall the vendor's graphics application/package from Settings > Apps > Installed apps when it provides the normal removal path.

3. Open Device Manager, right-click the identified adapter, and select Uninstall device.

4. On the first attempt, leave Attempt to remove the driver for this device unchecked. This preserves a rollback package.

5. Restart normal Windows while offline and inspect what actually binds. Windows may select Microsoft Basic Display Adapter, a different compatible package, or the same vendor package still present in the Driver Store; do not predict the result.

6. If Basic Display or a different compatible package binds and a visible normal desktop appears, record that exact provider/version as the diagnostic checkpoint. If the same vendor package rebinds, reproduce the startup failure no more than once, then return to Safe Mode.

7. Before removing a rebinding Driver Store package, export the exact recorded INF into a fresh, package-specific attempt directory and enumerate every device using it. In this example, replace oem42.inf with the published name already proved for the failing adapter, and increment the attempt number if needed:

   set "BADINF=oem42.inf"
   set "DRVATT=C:\GraphicsStartupEvidence\FIX061-%BADINF%-Attempt-01"
   if exist "%DRVATT%\" (echo STOP: %DRVATT% already exists. Set DRVATT to the next unused attempt and rerun this block. & exit /b 1)
   md "%DRVATT%"
   if errorlevel 1 (echo STOP: Could not create %DRVATT%. & exit /b 1)
   echo FIX-061 package export for %BADINF%>"%DRVATT%\attempt-marker.txt"
   set "EXPORTDIR=%DRVATT%\ExportedPackage"
   md "%EXPORTDIR%"
   if errorlevel 1 (echo STOP: Could not create the empty export directory. & exit /b 1)
   pnputil /enum-drivers /files > "%DRVATT%\drivers-before-delete.txt"
   pnputil /enum-devices /drivers > "%DRVATT%\devices-drivers-before-delete.txt"
   pnputil /export-driver "%BADINF%" "%EXPORTDIR%"
   if errorlevel 1 (echo STOP: PnPUtil did not export %BADINF%. & exit /b 1)
   set "INFCOUNT="
   for /f %C in ('powershell -NoProfile -Command "(Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $env:EXPORTDIR -Recurse -File -Filter *.inf).Count"') do set "INFCOUNT=%C"
   if not "%INFCOUNT%"=="1" (echo STOP: Expected exactly one exported INF but found %INFCOUNT%. & exit /b 1)
   set "EXPORTEDINF="
   for /f "delims=" %I in ('powershell -NoProfile -Command "(Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $env:EXPORTDIR -Recurse -File -Filter *.inf).FullName"') do set "EXPORTEDINF=%I"
   if not defined EXPORTEDINF (echo STOP: The exact exported INF path was not resolved. & exit /b 1)
   echo %EXPORTEDINF%>"%DRVATT%\exported-inf-path.txt"
   findstr /i /n /l /c:"Provider" /c:"Class" /c:"ClassGuid" /c:"DriverVer" /c:"CatalogFile" /c:"PCI\VEN_" "%EXPORTEDINF%" > "%DRVATT%\exported-inf-identity.txt"
   

   Require PnPUtil to report a successful export, and require exported-inf-path.txt to contain exactly one INF path. Open drivers-before-delete.txt, exported-inf-identity.txt, and that exact exported INF. The published name, original INF name, provider, Display class/ClassGuid, DriverVer, catalog, and supported hardware ID must agree with the Device Manager record for the intended adapter. An empty file, multiple exported INF paths, a shared directory containing an older export, or an identity mismatch is a stop condition. Require a local, signed, hardware-ID-compatible replacement as well. On Windows builds lacking /enum-devices /drivers, use Device Manager plus Get-CimInstance Win32_PnPSignedDriver to identify every device using that INF. Stop if another required device would lose its only driver.

8. Only when those gates pass and the same package demonstrably keeps rebinding, remove that exact package:

   pnputil /delete-driver "%BADINF%" /uninstall
   

9. Restart offline and confirm whether Basic Display or another compatible package now binds. This is the controlled checkpoint; persistent failure without the removed package weakens the driver-package diagnosis.

10. Install the predownloaded OEM/vendor package. On hybrid laptops, install the OEM's integrated-graphics package before its matched discrete-graphics package when the OEM specifies that order.

11. Restart and test again.

12. If the normal uninstall and exact-package branch do not resolve a corrupted vendor package, use a third-party cleanup utility only when the GPU/OEM vendor supports it for this case, a restore path exists, and its exact scope is understood.

Branch C — Temporarily isolate a discrete adapter on a hybrid-graphics laptop

1. Confirm Device Manager shows both an integrated and a discrete adapter and the internal display can use the integrated path.
2. In Safe Mode, right-click only the discrete adapter and select Disable device. Do not uninstall it yet.
3. Restart normally on AC power, then test once on battery.
4. If both start visibly, record the result. Re-enable the discrete adapter only after installing the OEM-matched package or obtaining OEM guidance.
5. Treat permanent disablement as a workaround that sacrifices performance, not proof of repair.

Branch D — Compare physical adapters on a serviceable desktop

1. Shut down, switch off the PSU, unplug AC power, and discharge residual power.
2. Photograph the card, power connectors, display cable, and slot.
3. Use antistatic precautions. Remove the suspect card according to the system service instructions.
4. Connect the display to supported integrated graphics, or install a compatible known-good low-risk test adapter and its required power connection.
5. Start Windows using the same system disk and otherwise unchanged configuration.
6. If Windows starts repeatedly, reinstall/replace the suspect card once to rule out poor seating. If failure follows the suspect card and not the alternate path, hardware confidence increases.
7. Do not install a higher-power substitute that exceeds PSU, connector, cooling, or slot limits.

• Normal boot works with the previous driver: retain that version and block only the known-bad optional driver update until a corrected package exists.
• Normal boot works with Basic Display Adapter or a different compatible package but fails after the same vendor package: driver/package compatibility is strongly supported.
• Integrated graphics works on AC and battery while the discrete adapter reproduces failure: isolate OEM hybrid-driver, power, firmware, or discrete-hardware causes next.
• Known-good adapter works and suspect adapter fails after reseating: physical GPU/card confidence is high.
• Both adapters fail: investigate PSU, motherboard slot, RAM, Windows components, and the common driver baseline.
• Safe Mode also fails: leave this procedure and route by the actual boot stage or stop code.
• Display is visible but Explorer is absent: use the shell/profile black-screen procedure instead.

• Do not disable the only available display adapter.
• Do not remove every display package from the driver store at once.
• Do not download drivers from unaffiliated driver sites.
• Do not use TDR registry-delay changes as a repair; they can hide symptoms without correcting the driver or hardware.
• Do not flash firmware or change PCIe generation, voltages, clocks, or power limits as a first-line experiment.
• Do not physically remove a laptop GPU or open a device without its service procedure.
• Do not conclude hardware failure from Safe Mode alone.
• Do not stress-test a card that shows burning odor, electrical noise, extreme heat, or visible damage.

1. If a new package fails, return to Safe Mode and use Roll Back Driver, or uninstall that failed package before restoring the recorded prior package.

2. If Branch B deleted the exported Driver Store package, use only its exact recorded attempt and exact single INF path. For example, when the recorded package was oem42.inf and the recorded attempt was 01:

   set "DRVATT=C:\GraphicsStartupEvidence\FIX061-oem42.inf-Attempt-01"
   type "%DRVATT%\attempt-marker.txt"
   type "%DRVATT%\exported-inf-path.txt"
   type "%DRVATT%\exported-inf-identity.txt"
   set "EXPORTEDINF="
   set /p "EXPORTEDINF=" < "%DRVATT%\exported-inf-path.txt"
   if not defined EXPORTEDINF (echo STOP: The recorded exact INF path is missing. & exit /b 1)
   if not exist "%EXPORTEDINF%" (echo STOP: The recorded exact INF file is unavailable. & exit /b 1)
   dir "%EXPORTEDINF%"
   pnputil /add-driver "%EXPORTEDINF%" /install
   

   Substitute the exact package and attempt recorded before deletion. Before /add-driver, recheck that the marker, identity ledger, and INF path all belong to that same package and adapter. Do not use *.inf, the shared GraphicsStartupEvidence folder, or an export from another attempt. Continue only after PnPUtil reports that the exact package was added; then verify the bound provider, version, published INF, and hardware ID in Device Manager. If the package is staged but does not bind, do not force it over a better-ranked driver; use Roll Back Driver, Device Manager's compatible-driver selection, or the recorded OEM installer.

3. Re-enable a temporarily disabled adapter in Device Manager after a stable replacement package is ready.

4. Reconnect network access only after a stable package is installed. If Windows Update lists the known-bad driver as optional, leave that item unchecked. If it is installed automatically, use only a supported organizational driver-update/device-install policy or the OEM's documented control. Windows Update's general pause is not a per-driver pause and also delays quality/security updates.

5. For a physical test, power down and restore the original card, power connectors, slot, and display cable from the photographs.

6. If no visible path remains, use WinRE Startup Settings to return to Safe Mode and undo the last package/adapter change.

1. Perform three normal restarts and two full shutdown/start cycles.

2. On a laptop, test once on AC power and once on battery.

3. Test sign-out/sign-in and one sleep/resume cycle.

4. Confirm Device Manager reports the intended adapter, provider, version, and This device is working properly, with no unexpected disabled adapter.

5. Run:

   dxdiag /t C:\GraphicsStartupEvidence\dxdiag-after.txt
   pnputil /enum-drivers /files > C:\GraphicsStartupEvidence\drivers-after.txt
   

6. Check Reliability Monitor and Event Viewer for new display resets, LiveKernelEvent, WHEA, or bug checks.

7. Test an ordinary accelerated workload for a reasonable period. Do not begin with a maximum thermal stress test.

8. Retain the before/after driver versions and the result for each graphics path.

Confidence is approximately 80% for a driver repair when Safe Mode or Basic Display Adapter works, one identified vendor package reproducibly causes failure, and a known-compatible package restores repeated normal starts. Confidence is approximately 80% for physical adapter failure only when comparative hardware testing makes the failure follow the suspect adapter.

The three underlying records confirm three variations: a hybrid laptop that booted on battery after disabling its discrete NVIDIA adapter, a black screen corrected by removing an NVIDIA package and installing a compatible one, and a desktop that booted normally with an alternate graphics path. These outcomes support the branches but do not establish one universal NVIDIA or GPU defect.

Stop if Safe Mode fails, no alternate video path exists, artifacts occur before Windows starts, WHEA or memory evidence points elsewhere, the card shows electrical/thermal danger, or the device must be disassembled beyond a supported service procedure. Escalate with the exact stage, hardware IDs, driver versions, dumps, event timestamps, and comparative test results.