Solve problems with GPU in W10 that came from a W7 or lower

With the upgrade to Windows 10 your laptop is giving you problems with the GPU, such as backlight, video playback, etc. And the brand of your laptop has not released a new version to work properly? We’re going to take a few steps to fix it. In my case I have touched an Asus but works with other brands but the symptoms may vary.

 

The first thing you need to check is whether your laptop has a GPU or has a switchable. What do you mean? Your laptop has two graphics cards, one Intel and one AMD/nvidia. This you have to find out in the specifications of your laptop on the manufacturer’s page.

One of the reasons that has two GPU is for consumption and performance, when you are on the desktop uses only the Intel and so the other shuts down so you get your laptop lasts more than two hours (I do not know how long it lasted when you bought , but a laptop that does not have this feature is the maximum that comes to last in its day of purchase), and when you play video with high quality, games, graphics programs like Photoshop, video editing, etc.

That’s when the AMD/Nvidia comes in to deliver power.

In addition, there is something that laptop manufacturers like to modify the GPU so that you have to use the drivers of the brand and leave them shortly to update and thus preventing updating the operating system. And as W8/W10 looking for the latest official drivers causes them to give problems in these cases.

Before you start doing something, the first questions, when you try to watch videos on YouTube, downloaded, etc. (without using VLC, because this can use the CPU instead of the GPU) do not work, is it? or the quality of the screen is less than usual? Does the backlight turn on with a higher brightness than usual?

From experience with several laptops, we will try first with the original drivers that despite being old, we have the guarantee that if they are more or less “compatible” with Windows 10, will operate all functions (in my case problems with the backlight). and read the whole tutorial before you start, to know all the cases.

 

* * Check that drivers are installed * *

-Press right button on the button “Start ”
-In the displayed sub-menu, click on “Device Manager ”
In the open window, search for “screen adapters ” and deploy your subbranchs and it will show you the GPUs you have. Whether there is one or two, enter each of them (double click or Right button, properties).

-In the Open window, click on the tab “Driver ”
-In the content that shows you look at the controller provider if it is AMD/Intel or if you put Microsoft (this case would mean that it has no drivers installed at all). and also on the date of the driver and version. In the case of Microsoft, the driver version would be 10.10240…. More or less.

* * Test Original drivers * *

As I said it can work all right, more or less well or not be compatible. So if it was something wrong, I’ll later indicate the steps to undo it.

-Download the two drivers discussed above, the official page
-We close all unnecessary programs
-We launch the installer corresponding to Intel HD… If your GPU is switchable, otherwise it advances to the next installation
-Follow the steps indicated on the screen
-Restart the laptop once it is finished.

Once rebooted
-We run the installer corresponding to AMD/Nvidia
-We follow the steps… restart

Once rebooted
-We have to check if it works video playback, in Web, downloaded videos, in the App, etc.
-We have to check if adjusting the brightness of the screen works
In my experience of 3 laptops that I have touched, 2 of them has worked everything correctly and only one has not worked.
-Check the Device Manager (what we have done at the beginning) if the graphics cards are identified and if they correspond to the version number of the package that appears on the web.

 

* * If something goes wrong, like uninstall * *

-click right button in the Start menu
-In the dropdown menu, we entered the control Panel
-we entered the “Uninstall a program ”
-We order by installation date (more comfortable)
-We uninstall everything related to the two packages that we have just installed.
-Restart If you ask us (is most likely). Otherwise, once the two packages have been uninstalled, we reboot to load the basic drivers.

If you had newer drivers installed and that were not Microsoft (basic drivers) continues with these steps:
To continue download the drivers that I mentioned, download this other program DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller Download version 15.4.1.1) and leave the laptop without Internet.

* * Clean up traces of GPU drivers * *

-Follow the steps that you comment to uninstall drivers.
-Restart and run the program DDU that I have indicated before.
-You will be skipped a warning that it is best to run it in safe mode, say no. To run in normal mode. Select AMD, nvidia, Intel (depending on what you have) and “Clean and restart ”
Restarts.

Now by not having internet will have configured the basic driver of Microsoft, you can check.
And therefore, you can continue with the steps I mentioned to install the original drivers.

Once you have installed the two drivers and have rebooted, connect the laptop to the Internet and check that you play YouTube videos, etc. If all goes well, enter menu start > Settings > Update and security > and look for updates. I mention it, because it will try to download the modern version of the drivers to install everything new. And you restart again (you will ask) and you check again if everything works well. Otherwise, you will have to uninstall the drivers. Some brands prevent them from updating to official drivers but they may not have done so and are updated. So we’ll have to do a few more steps to prevent this from happening.

Let’s finish fixing it:

 

* * Avoid downloading anything without authorization (valid in W10 Pro) * *

Since we have to monitor that drivers are available to not find surprises, we will recover the notification to download.

-Windows + R
-Write “GPEdit. msc” and press ENTER

In the open window, we walk the tree:
-Local Computer Policy
-Administrative Templates
-Windows Components
-Windows Update

In the list shown:
-We want to “Configure Automatic Updates”, right button, edit.
-Enable the configuration and options available below, select “2-Notify download and notify Installation”.
-Disable “Install during automatic maintenance”
-we apply, accept and close.
-Restart the computer or W + R and type GPUpdate. exe/force for changes to apply.
and logically in Settings (Start menu) > Update and Security > Advanced options > Active–> updates for other products… and–> postpone updates

Now you will be thinking, well now decide when to install, when downloading but… as hidden some update, in this case those corresponding to AMD. Download Http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/2/2/F22D5FDB-59CD-4275-8C95-1BE17BF70B21/wushowhide.diagcab an application made by Microsoft to solve this kind of problems. But before you use it.. Leave the laptop again without Internet access.

-Cleans all drivers again as you’ve done before
-Install the original drivers again

And now once you have everything ready:
-Activates the internet
-Run the tool that I’ve spent
-click on advanced options and disable automatic repairs
-click Next, it takes a bit, since it will look for the available updates of drivers
-click on Hide Updates
-Select those that are from AMD/NVIDIA/IntelHD, in my case are two, AMD driver… and AMD HDMI audio. I don’t know which ones will come out.
-Click Next.

 

Ready, from now you should not update the driver but! When you take out AMD/nvidia/Intel A new version, this will be available and try to install, so you may have to repeat this procedure, hence we have to notify us that there is to download/install. I shouldn’t but there’s a bug or there was until recently. And also I must warn you that you should not look for updates, you should do the computer alone, because if you do not skip the restriction of the drivers. There is a way that you avoid this happening and you can be completely carefree, I leave the steps if you want to do it. The downside is that you have to bother looking for the drives for printers, mobile, etc. because you may not download them: I leave the steps:

* * Block Windows Update driver installation * *

-Control Panel (right button on the Start menu)
-click on System and Security
-click System
-Click Change settings

In the open window..
-click on the Hardware tab
-click on setup of Device setup

In the new window..
-select “No, let me choose” and “Never install Windows Update driver software”

I hope you find it useful these steps, if you have doubts here we are to help