NVIDIA Graphics Card Disappeared

Question

Hi!

Up until a recent update on my Surface Pro 2, the NVIDIA graphics card was present and performing well. However, after an update, the card completely disappeared from my system. Or so it appears. I attempted to update my GeForce Experience because it was out of date, but instead, I received the following prompt: ("The NVIDIA graphics driver is not compatible with this version of Windows")

So then I looked up and tested dozens of solutions for an entire day instead of doing work and had no success. What am I doing wrong? Here are a few things I am doing along with info about my computer.

CPU: Intel Core i7-8650U (1.9 to 4.2 GHz)

GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 620 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060

I go to https://www.nvidia.com/Download/Find.aspx?lang=en-us to search for the appropriate driver for my computer.

• Product Type: GeForce
• Product Series: GeForce 10 Series
• Product: GeForce GTX 1060
• Operating System: Windows 11
• Windows Driver Type: Standard

Attempts I made:

1. Device Manager > View > Show Hidden Devices - Result: Didn't work. No NVIDIA graphics card is there.
2. Reset PC - Result: Didn't work. No NVIDIA graphics card to be seen. Device Manager looks exactly like the image from attempt #1 .
3. Tried updating the GPU via NVIDIA GeForce Experience then reinstall NVIDIA Drivers manually - Result: Didn't work. Obviously, Windows is not detecting the NVIDIA GPU.
4. Manually Install NVIDIA by copying the files onto my desktop - Result: Didn't work. "The DCH driver package is not compatible with the currently installed version of Windows. This system is configured to require a Standard Driver package. The correct driver can be downloaded from NVIDIA.com/drovers by selecting the 'Standard' option under the 'Windows Driver Type' menu." & "The graphics driver could not find compatible graphics hardware".
5. Reinstalled the DDU in safe mode, and attempted to install the graphics driver. Result: Didn't work. The graphics driver is still not compatible with Windows.
6. I updated the BIOS via .exe file and the BIOS flash tool 4 and also tried with the default settings of the BIOS. Result: Didn't work. The graphics driver is still not compatible with Windows.

Might anyone have any solutions? Please help me because I'm ready to rage. Thank you for any help.

Answer 1

Hi Marrion,

Thanks for the thorough response. Unfortunately, none of the steps you provided resolved my problem.

However, I did manage to solve it on my own. SOLUTION: I reset my computer and bam, my graphics card was back up and running.

Now, my graphics card is available without having to view hidden devices. All of my apps are working like normal.

TL;DR: To anyone else who has this problem in the future and none of the solutions outlined above help, including resetting your computer, your graphics card may be dead so take it to a get looked at by professionals.

Answer 2

Same problem here, have tried everything as well. This is incredibly irritating, and I hope this is solved. soon.

Answer 3

Hi TastyBrusselSprout,

We still have not received any response from you since our last follow up message. In case you need further assistance on the concern raised, please proceed in creating a new post.

Thank you for spending time here in the Community.

Kind regards,

Marrion

Answer 4

Hi TastyBrusselSprout,

Thank you for reaching Microsoft Community. I'm sorry to hear about what happened to the NVIDIA graphics of your surface Book 2 after an update on the device.

Kindly try running these steps first on your Surface then see if the issue persist:

1: Run Surface Diagnostic Toolkit

See: Fix common Surface problems using the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit (microsoft.com)

2: Check for Windows Update

Go to Windows Settings > Update & Security and select Check for updates

Make sure all updates need are installed including Optional updates

3: Update drivers and firmware

Check what is the current OS Build of your Windows version by going to Settings > System > About. 

Go to Download driver and firmware for Surface, choose Surface Book

Then click the link next to Surface Book 2 then click Download on the next page.

Choose the .msi file that matches your current OS Build and click Next.

After downloading, run and install the .msi then Restart. 

4: Run System File Checker Tool

See: Using System File Checker in Windows (microsoft.com)

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Marrion

Answer 5

Hi TastyBrusselSprout,

We have noticed that you haven’t replied to our first response yet. We would like to know if you still need some assistance on the concern raised. If yes, please reply back for us to further assist you.

Hope to hear from you.

Kind regards,

Marrion