Drivers & Software

[BigBeard]

During the month of April 2024, my Radeon RX 6900 XT developed a critical issue where it turns itself off during start-up, leaving a blank screen.

Since about February, I had the problem of Windows changing the AMD driver version, which was annoying enough. It escalated into the blank screen problem after the latest round of Windows updates.

I have tried clean installs of both Windows 10 and Windows 11 but as soon as I install any AMD Adrenalin driver, the screen goes blank. Before that, when I run on the Microsoft Basic Display driver, it works but obviously there's no real graphics on that. I have tried every AMD driver from the last two years but there's no difference.

To solve the issue, I have swapped the 6900 XT for an older Nvidia card, which runs fine (but slow). I have read about many people having variations of these issues but the complete incompatibility between the card, the driver and Windows seems like an extreme version of this problem. Anyone with any ideas?

[432hz]

1. Run DISM and SFC to repair broken Windows core files. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/using-system-file-checker-in-windows-365e0031-36b1-6031-...
2. Disable Windows Update from automatically updating your drivers. There are guides out there on how to do this.
3. Use DDU / AMD Cleanup Utility to remove your AMD and NVIDIA drivers in safe mode. Use a DisplayPort cable before attempting to boot into safe mode due to HDMI compatibility issues that will likely result in a black screen.
4. From here you're free to try to install any version of the AMD drivers you wish. I would start with latest 24.4.1. If that doesn't work, DDU / ACU again and try "Drivers Only".
5. If #4 doesn't work or you want Adrenalin, repeat DDU/ACU and try 23.12.1 or 23.11.x (there have been lots of issues with 24.x.x reported here). Personally, I had to disable ReBAR in BIOS and install 23.12.1 for good stability on my RX 6800.

[BigBeard]

Thank you for your reply. Please see my response below, I posted it wrongly as a reply to myself.

[BigBeard]

Thank you. I did actually try all those steps, as I read a lot of comments on similar issues. Nothing could cure the black screen. When the black screen problem started, it was possible to get out of it by doing two or three hard shutdowns but that stopped working. I spent the best part of last weekend installing, uninstalling, cleaning, repairing and changing settings. The results are the same: as soon as any AMD graphics driver is installed, the screen goes black. There seems to be a pretty widespread problem right now on several different cards and it seems to have started with recent Windows updates.

[martinphilip]

Experiencing a black screen on startup with an XFX RX 6900 XT graphics card can be frustrating but may have several potential causes. cheap cable and internet packages First, ensure that all connections are secure and that the card is properly seated in the motherboard. Next, check for any driver conflicts or issues by booting into safe mode. Additionally, updating or rolling back graphics drivers, checking for overheating, and testing the card in another system can help diagnose and resolve the problem. If the issue persists, contacting XFX support or seeking assistance from a professional technician may be necessary.

[BigBeard]

Thank you for the suggestions.

The 6900 XT does show a picture in safe mode and without a driver but that is pointless.

I have tried every AMD driver from the past two years to no avail. I can't get hold of an old version of Windows 10 or 11 so I can't check that, but uninstalling the removable Windows updates has no effect.

I did speak to a good technician but he said he didn't know how to solve it.

After sleeping on the matter, I decided to solve the problem by throwing cash at it. A new graphics card is arriving on Monday, at the cost of $1,000.