Solved (Windows 11) Windows Update Breaks AMD Graphics Driver

I'm running an AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT graphics card on a fresh install of Windows 11 Home for a new desktop.
When Windows updates, my graphics driver stops working properly (games become unplayable). When I try to run the AMD software it gives me this error message: "Windows Update may have automatically replaced your AMD Graphics driver. Hence, the version of AMD Software you have launched is not compatible with your currently installed AMD Graphics driver." Looking at the Device Manager, my display adapter is the correct one and nothing looks wrong.

Here are things I have tried:
I deferred optional Windows updates until a month from now. This did not stop security updates from happening. These updates also break my graphics driver.
I turned off the option that allows Windows Update to update/replace my drivers, but this did not fix the problem.

Here is what I do to fix it whenever it happens:
Using the Device Manager, I right-click the AMD Display adapter and click "Uninstall device". I then check the box that says "Attempt to remove the driver for this device". I then restart my computer. After restarting, a basic display adapter will have taken its place. I then download the automatic installer from AMD, and download the driver like I had before it broke. I restart my computer a second time and it works.

Here are my guesses as to what is causing the problem:
A) Windows Update is duplicating my graphics driver
B) The graphics driver is duplicating itself
C) Windows Update is affecting the driver in some other way

Can anyone help me with this issue? I appreciate it.

cue said:

Here is what I do to fix it whenever it happens:
Using the Device Manager, I right-click the AMD Display adapter and click "Uninstall device". I then check the box that says "Attempt to remove the driver for this device". I then restart my computer. After restarting, a basic display adapter will have taken its place. I then download the automatic installer from AMD, and download the driver like I had before it broke. I restart my computer a second time and it works.

Click to expand...

Welcome to Eleven Forum.

My System One in 'My Computers' below has an Athlon Silver 3050U with Radeon graphics, and I've had the same issue. Windows Update replaces the AMD display driver with an earlier one and my AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition refuses to open with the wrong driver installed.

What I did to fix it was to open Device Manager, as you did, but I did not uninstall the device. Instead I rolled back the driver. The first screenshot below was the correct AMD-supplied driver, the second was the (older) one Windows Update replaced it with. After having rolled back the driver Windows Update has never tried to replace it again, even after many more driver updates through the Adrenalin software.

cue said:

I'm running an AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT graphics card on a fresh install of Windows 11 Home for a new desktop.
When Windows updates, my graphics driver stops working properly (games become unplayable). When I try to run the AMD software it gives me this error message: "Windows Update may have automatically replaced your AMD Graphics driver. Hence, the version of AMD Software you have launched is not compatible with your currently installed AMD Graphics driver." Looking at the Device Manager, my display adapter is the correct one and nothing looks wrong.

Here are things I have tried:
I deferred optional Windows updates until a month from now. This did not stop security updates from happening. These updates also break my graphics driver.
I turned off the option that allows Windows Update to update/replace my drivers, but this did not fix the problem.

Here is what I do to fix it whenever it happens:
Using the Device Manager, I right-click the AMD Display adapter and click "Uninstall device". I then check the box that says "Attempt to remove the driver for this device". I then restart my computer. After restarting, a basic display adapter will have taken its place. I then download the automatic installer from AMD, and download the driver like I had before it broke. I restart my computer a second time and it works.

Here are my guesses as to what is causing the problem:
A) Windows Update is duplicating my graphics driver
B) The graphics driver is duplicating itself
C) Windows Update is affecting the driver in some other way

Can anyone help me with this issue? I appreciate it.

Click to expand...

Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open Registry Editor. Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DriverSearching.
Double-click DriverUpdateWizardWuSearchEnabled and set its value to 0.
This will stop Windows 11 automatic driver updates.

Try DDU for a clean install:


You said you already downloaded the AMD driver - so download the above tool which works best in Safe Mode, as in:

Press Win Key + R and type msconfig - click on the Boot tab and check Safe Bot - then restart in Safe Mode. Unplug or Disable your Network Cable or Wi-Fi (that way Windows can't download and install its own set of drivers). While in Safe Mode - run msconfig again - go to the same tab and uncheck Safe Bot - "but do not restart" Next, run DDU - select nVidia GPU and clean/remove all AMD content (this will remove All proprietary drivers stored - be it released through Windows Update or instaled manually from AMD site) - while selecting to restart after completion. Again, the Network capable should be unpluged - presuming you downloaded the offline driver installer from AMD (596 MB size) - you won't need internet to install the driver package. After it installs and you reboot the PC again - after all it's fine - now and only now you can reconnect to the internet.

It's a not a duplicate driver - that's causing issue from a Windows Update (there's none that comes with this updates) - it's the AMD drivers. Can't really say for sure - why the drivers brake. As wiled guess - AMD seems to have its own specific settings for the driver to be stable - and a given Windows update introduces some changes - which seem to overlap this changes. I say this because - reinstalling the same driver (ever a year old if it's a legacy GPU) - GPU wise - windows seems stable, again. Anyway, from my experience - while having the latest WHQL signed driver - Windows never overlapped the installed drivers with its own (even older version - as i keep hearing from on IT Forums). The driver would have to be faulty or obsolete for Windows to get triggered into installing its own version of drivers - deemed stable for a given system.

Everybody STOP!

All needed to do is to uninstall Radeon Software and the driver! then reinstall the driver grabbed from AMD. This will install matching driver and software.

I have this issue all the time on my laptop. The error here is that Radeon Software and driver versions don't match leading to the message when trying to launch Adrenalin.

The driver works fine though.

EDIT: The reason I do it this way is because it's tricky to figure out the version numbers as Adrenalin Software and the drivers use different versioning scheme.

SlicEnDicE said:

Everybody STOP!

All needed to do is to uninstall Radeon Software and the driver! then reinstall the driver grabbed from AMD.

Click to expand...

All that's needed is to roll back the driver if Windows ever replaces the one Adrenalin installed with a wrong version. After that Windows Update seems to get the message and never tries to replace it again. At least, that's how it has worked for me and my Adrenalin software.

Bree said:

Welcome to Eleven Forum.

My System One in 'My Computers' below has an Athlon Silver 3050U with Radeon graphics, and I've had the same issue. Windows Update replaces the AMD display driver with an earlier one and my AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition refuses to open with the wrong driver installed.

What I did to fix it was to open Device Manager, as you did, but I did not uninstall the device. Instead I rolled back the driver. The first screenshot below was the correct AMD-supplied driver, the second was the (older) one Windows Update replaced it with. After having rolled back the driver Windows Update has never tried to replace it again, even after many more driver updates through the Adrenalin software.

View attachment 60049View attachment 60050

Click to expand...

Thanks! And thank you to everyone else for your replies. I tried this and it worked. If Windows Update tries to replace it again I'll return to this thread and try some of the other suggestions.

cue said:

I'm running an AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT graphics card on a fresh install of Windows 11 Home for a new desktop.
When Windows updates, my graphics driver stops working properly (games become unplayable). When I try to run the AMD software it gives me this error message: "Windows Update may have automatically replaced your AMD Graphics driver. Hence, the version of AMD Software you have launched is not compatible with your currently installed AMD Graphics driver." Looking at the Device Manager, my display adapter is the correct one and nothing looks wrong.

Click to expand...

This tutorial definitely stops Windows from updating your GPU drivers. I've been using it for years and it's never not worked....


I'm running Windows 11 Pro. Have an AMD graphics card in a Radeon VII which uses the same drivers as your RX 6650XT and my drivers don't get updated via Windows Update using the above tutorial.

People can say what they want, but for GPU driver updates... the above definitely works!!! Been using it for years, using it now. No GPU updates. This can also be checked via Windows's Update History driver tab as it will show when and what drivers got installed.

I can't speak for other drivers per se, but for AMD GPU drivers, the tutorial works - I have the same OS and GPU using the same drivers.

Bree said:

All that's needed is to roll back the driver if Windows ever replaces the one Adrenalin installed with a wrong version. After that Windows Update seems to get the message and never tries to replace it again. At least, that's how it has worked for me and my Adrenalin software.

Click to expand...

Well I can rarely do that...because I clean up after me quite often and at the time I notice the driver version is wrong, it is too late.

Hello, this just happened to me but the problem is after trying to do all the videos and everything that the tutorials said my display is black but the computer turn on and works fine even the GPU but is still in black any advise?

Thanks in advance,

from Neowin several days ago:

The only sure way of stopping MS from forcing drivers on to the user is when installing new drivers disconnect the PC from the internet for a few minutes. I always to this if reinstalling video cards drivers.

FWIW, Just ran into this problem on my wife's Dell 7090. Didn't show up until she tried starting an old game. DXDIAG highlighted the issue. Google found this thread. Device Manager said Win11 had the correct driver. 31.0.12020.1. I downloaded the driver from Dell that was released July 10. Install ok, Device Manager ok, DXDIAG ok, wife's game starts ok. I used gpedit to disable including drivers. We'll see what the future holds.

Specifically on custom built PCs (not sure about all laptops), but....

Lots of people claim this and that, but unless you see it in Driver Updates, Microsoft didn't download and install anything. Suggest user look beyond Microsoft as some apps such as AMD Adrenalin will auto update drivers if allowed or settings not changed. Right is my current driver installed which is far from the last driver installed via Windows Update as explained below.



In short it may NOT be Microsoft updating the drivers, but the GPU software package itself. And especially if purported "driver update" isn't showing in Driver updates under Update History > Driver Updates. Here the last time Windows Updated my drivers is when I first installed the OS, after that, using this tutorial - Enable or Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates in Windows 11 Tutorial (Option One for me as I have Windows 11 Pro)....


Lots

Update to my post earlier this morning. To make a long story short, the install of Dell's latest AMD driver appeared to work [including the install log]. Unfortunately it failed completely at the next warmstart. Black screen, ctlaltdel didn't register, had to hard stop and cold start. DXDIAG not happy. Decided to install the previous Dell/AMD driver from Aug 5 2022. Dell installer said it was a June 29 driver. So far everything seems ok. Dev Mgr says it is a Aug 1 driver. DXDIAG says it is a Aug 1 driver but it has a version of 31.0.12020.1 instead of the 30.0.13018.1101.A00 that Dell says they previously installed. All of the drivers show AMD as the provider even though the downloads and installs were from Dell. Rollback is still greyed out.