Graphics Cards

[nec_v20]

There are three things that you HAVE to do before you install an AMD graphic driver and I think I know the reason why you have to do this.

1) Download the latest WHQL GPU driver. DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY DRIVER MARKED AS "OPTIONAL".

2) Unplug the PC from the Internet and run DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller).

3) After the reboot and with the system still disconnected from the internet, install the driver and at the opening screen, click on "Additional Options" and put a checkmark into "Factory Reset".

Your AMD driver will now run perfectly.

Until I hit on doing it this way I ran into a number of issues, but since adopting this method I have not had a single CTD, BSOD, or Black Screen in games due to my 6900XT.

The reason why I think this is happening is that AMD seems to be bringing out a lot of GPU driver updates and going from one to the other I think that there are artefacts being left in the Registry that screw up a subsequent installation.

After the DDU one would think that the "Factory Reset" option would be superfluous - BUT IT ISN'T!!

I think that there are things that DDU doesn't catch (even if run in Safe Mode) which the Factory Reset does - and vice versa.

[audley]

I have a number of driver-related issues too when it comes to installing them. Do you know how to make it so Windows does not think it knows better than me and installs its own version of AMD's drivers over the ones I just installed? I'm running a 6900XT and the latest Windows 10 (21H2). I was having so many problems with the current "Optional" drivers (Adrenalin 22.2.3) that I thought I'd try your advice and install the "Recommended" drivers cleanly. It worked find, aside from one massively annoying issue.

Upon rebooting after cleanly installing the Recommended drivers (Adrenalin 21.10.2), Windows automatically downloaded some obscure version of the AMD drivers from last year and installed them OVER the clean install  I just did. Like what???

The only time it doesn't do this, is if I install the drivers that are labeled as Optional - the Non-WHQL - 21.10.2 drivers. This is far from ideal. This means I cannot use the stable version of the AMD drivers without pausing Windows updates.

I would use the Optional drivers, except they keep crashing on the AMD software to the point its nearly unusable. Every time I change settings it just crashes, even on a clean DDU install. Anyone have any ideas for this?

P.S. DDU has an option to disable automatic Windows drivers update. This normally works, but Windows seems to have bypassed this anyway and installed the older version by itself without even asking me.

UPDATE: I did some investigating. You can stop Windows Update from driver updates automatically by using the Group Policy Editor if you are on Windows 10 or 11 Pro. This is easy enough to do and solves the issue. If you are on Windows 10 or 11 Home, you'll need to use a tool Microsoft stopped hosting that allows you to hide specific updates. I won't link it here because Microsoft doesn't host it anymore, but you can find it on various forums and such. 

[ThunderBeaver]

For Windows Home you have to use a Registry Editor.

It does the same thing as a GPE just takes different steps to get the same result.

Also you can use both Group Policy Editor and Regedit on Windows Pro.