Sometimes our incredibly complex computers can run into problems related to coordinating internal tasks. This error indicates that the display driver has stopped responding and has been restored. It can occur when Windows believes that your graphics card (or its driver) has taken too long to complete its task.
Technically, a display driver has stopped displaying and has a recovered bug. This indicates that your graphics card caused a Windows timeout detection and recovery error and Windows tried unsuccessfully to perform a reset. This could be the result of an extremely unusual circumstance and may not happen again after you restart your computer.
If it does happen again or you want to take proactive steps to prevent it from happening again, here are some steps you can take to make sure your graphics card responds in a timely manner.
Fix # 1: Running too many applications can cause the display driver to stop responding and fix an error.
Quit all applications except those that were running when the error occurred.
If there are applications that have been minimized, move the mouse pointer over the icon in the system tray at the bottom (minimized applications are indicated by underlining the icon in Windows 10).
Step 1: Right click on each underlined icon
Step 2: Then click “close window”
Save any work you want to save when the window closes (you will be asked if you want to save it).
If the error doesn’t recur, you may have temporarily fixed the problem. However, it may come back if you run multiple applications again and minimize them like you did before.
If you need to have multiple applications running and / or minimized at the same time, consider doing one of the more permanent fixes below.
Fix # 2: You may be running a highly graphics-intensive application
Realistic games can place high demands on your graphics card. If the requirement gets too high, a display driver may become unresponsive and an error has been fixed. Close the most graphics-oriented application you are currently running to see if the error no longer occurs.
Engineering and science software can also be very graphics-intensive, even if it doesn’t display graphics (some use the much faster graphics processor to handle math calculations).
If this works, but you still need to use the graphics-intensive application, then you can consider one of the following methods to fix it more permanently.
See also: Geforce Experience does not open
Fix 3: Try changing Windows Visual Effects settings
You can also try turning off some of the Windows visual effects to reduce the demands on your graphics card:
Step 1: Click Start. Then click Settings.
Step 2: Find the search box, in the dialog box that appears, type: Adjust the look and feel of Windows, then click the same sentence in the results box below.
Step 3: Click the Visual Effects tab
Step 4: Click the circle next to Adjust for best performance
If you don’t like the effects of this setting, you can try checking some of the features below for a custom configuration. Remember that each and every one increases the demand for the graphics card again.
Fix # 4: Change the timeout detection and recovery settings
For a more technical solution to the display driver stop responding and receiving a “Recovered” error message, you can change the registry settings.
Change the time-out setting in your registry so that Windows gives the graphics card more time before triggering this error. Since this setting is usually set as the default, a new configuration must be added to the registry as follows.
CAUTION: Incorrect changes to your registry can permanently and seriously damage your Windows operating system. You could lose all of your work and all of your files. Unless you are qualified to do this, have a professional do this. Always back up your registry before making such a change, especially after a display driver has stopped responding and fixed a bug.
Step 1: Quit all Windows applications.
Step 2: Click on Start and look for the “SearchBox:
Step 3: Enter “regedit” in the search box. A search will be performed as you type.
Step 4: Find regedit.exe in the search results and double-click it to bring up the Registry Editor:
Step 5: Find the graphics driver registry subkey by clicking the path below:
Step 6: While the video driver is highlighted (as shown), click the Edit menu and then continue New.
Step 7: In the drop-down menu, click the correct selection (for your operating system) as follows:
For 32 bit Windows
Click (so that a tick appears) on the rectangle next to DWORD (32-bit) value.
Type TdrDelay as the name and then choose Enter.
Double click on TdrDelay and add 8 for the value data, then select OK.
For 64 bit Windows
Click (so that a checkmark appears) on the rectangle next to QWORD (64-bit) value.
Type TdrDelay as the name and then choose Enter.
Double click on TdrDelay and add 8 for the value data, then select OK.
Step 8: Double click on the new “TdrDelay” entry and select Modify.
Step 9: Close RegEdit and restart your computer.
Fix # 5: There may be a problem with your graphics card
Update your display driver to the latest version. This is an extremely common cause of the dreaded display driver stop responding and fix a bug. This can happen when you neglected to update your card drivers for too long.
Step 1: Determine the manufacturer of your graphics card and the model number.
If your graphics card is a separate card installed in an expansion or upgrade socket, check the part of the card that you can see from the outside (the monitor will likely plug into it) for labels, Stamping or printing.
Check Windows Device Manager for information about the graphics card (AKA display adapter in Device Manager).
Click on Start and type “Device Manager” in the search field:
Step 2: Click on “Device Manager” (subheading “Control Panel”) to start Device Manager.
Step 3: Click “Display Adapters” and see what is expanded below. Your graphics card make and model are often listed here.
Step 4: Visit the manufacturer’s website and search for “Downloads” or “Drivers” or “Support”
Step 5: Download the latest driver for your graphics card.
Step 6: Install the driver by double-clicking the downloaded driver file. Follow all instructions during driver installation. This should remove the display driver that has stopped responding and fixed an error
If your installation fails, here’s how to fix it.
Fix # 6: Your graphics card hardware may be faulty
It happens. A faulty graphics card is not surprising, as it often runs at high temperatures and an astonishing number of numbers “crunches” during normal operation. A display driver has stopped responding and received a “Recovered” error message that may indicate a burnout card. In this situation, you may have no choice but to replace your graphics card or upgrade to a new graphics card.
Hopefully after reading this article you will have a better idea of what caused your display driver to stop responding and recover an error message and how to fix the problem. If you still need help drop us a comment below!