Display driver nvlddmkm or amdkmdag stopped responding and recovered
The graphics driver crashed and was restarted by Windows Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR), causing black screens and game crashes.
Internal desktop parts run on harmless 12V DC voltage and cannot shock you. Simply unplug the wall power cable first, then touch the unpainted metal case frame to ground static electricity.
Common Symptoms & Tells
- Screen turns black for 2-3 seconds during 3D gaming then returns to desktop
- Game crashes with error: 'DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED' or 'D3D Device Lost'
- Event Viewer logs Display Event ID 4101: 'Display driver nvlddmkm stopped responding'
Interactive Fix Checklist
0 of 5 steps completedPerform clean DDU driver wipe in Safe Mode
Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU). Boot into Safe Mode, run DDU, select (Nvidia/AMD/Intel) → 'Clean and restart'. Install the latest stable WHQL driver on normal boot.
Back up the registry before editing
Before making any registry changes, open Registry Editor (Win + R, type regedit, press Enter). Go to File > Export, set Export range to All, and save the .reg backup file to your Desktop. This allows a full restore if something goes wrong.
Increase TDR delay in Windows Registry
Open Regedit, navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers'. Create a DWORD (32-bit) named 'TdrDelay' and set decimal value to 8 (seconds) to prevent premature driver restarts.
Disable GPU factory overclock / undervolt slightly
Use MSI Afterburner to lower Core Clock by -50 MHz or power limit to 95%. Unstable factory overclocks or decaying silicon cause TDR crashes.
Disable Windows Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS)
In Settings → System → Display → Graphics → Change default graphics settings → toggle 'Hardware-accelerated scheduling' OFF and reboot.
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