Windows 10: Can only use "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter" as my graphics driver

Hi,

I'm having a really annoying issue where the only working driver I can use is the "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter". Every single other driver I have tried will all cause me to experience BSOD and the error message "Display Driver Has Stopped Responding". The issue appeared a month ago and it has took me up until yesterday to single it down to be a driver issue and not some kind of hardware fault.

My graphics card is a Sapphire R9 280x and so I use AMD Catalyst Drivers. The issue first came about when updating to 15.7.1 back when I was on Windows 7. I updated to Windows 10 to see if this would resolve my error but it still persisted exactly as it did before. So far I have tried using 15.7, 15.7.1, 15.8 beta and I have even tried just using the driver that Windows will install for my graphics card and all of these cause the errors I mentioned before. Using the basic driver allows me to watch videos and browse the internet fine however games are unplayable as the FPS is between 1-10 when usually it would be 60-120.

I am desperate to find a solution to this as I am just starting university tomorrow and I really miss being able to play games with my friends.

Any suggestions will be welcomed as I am willing to try anything at this point.

:)

 

Black Screen after downloading Windows 10

All right i did everything you said until i got to the choosing microsoft hd video adapter driver. There are only 2 things i can choose, either the intel HD graphics 4000 or microsoft basic display adapter? Those are the only 2 compatible hardware, i clicked
also uncompatible and couldnt find "microsoft hd video adapter driver"?

 

screen resolution windows 10 update

I am using windows 10 version 1703. My graphics card is Microsoft Basic Display Adapter. I already tried to update drivers but received message "using most update already".

 

Both of these articles say similar stuff you tried and some may have to try.
How old is the card ? Was it always in this PC listed in specs ? Nice motherboard and CPU, what size wattage PSU do you use, not listed ?

This the card, needs 750w PSU, wow ! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202061

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2665946


http://www.drivethelife.com/windows-...-xp-vista.html

 

Graphics card is about a year old now maybe a bit less. I have a Corsair 750W PSU, the specs on my profile are the same I've always had in this computer.

I have tried doing all of the things listed on both of those forums many times over. I have never seen the TdrDelay fix do anything. The latest drivers are the only 2 that are Windows 10 compatible anyway so outdated drivers definitely is not the issue

Also as more information the blue screen i would always recieve was "VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE(atikmpag.sys)" it would always be that exact same blue screen. Here is an image oh what I would get if I looked at the reports in bluescreenviewer:





These 3 files would always be listed as the cause of the issue regardless of which driver version I was using

 

I am almost 100% certain that it isn't a hardware issue because otherwise even with the basic driver I would still be getting the errors if it was a hardware fault.

 

First one on that list is showing part of AMD driver, some of others look like either part of it and DirectX.
Run DxDiag from the Run command check card there, probably a driver bug, fair chance though of bad GPU/RAM if look it up on internet( VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE(atikmpag.sys) ) many have issue with drivers and that error you get. May also needed to post this in BSOD area, they can analyze the crash dump or other files.

Seen many issues with AMD drivers in past an errors with this part atikmpag.sys

 

This is not necessarily true.
The Basic Display Driver does not use the higher functions of the graphics card, but the AMD driver will. If the card is defective in one of the higher functions then the problem would not show up until the AMD driver were installed.

It is always best when diagnosing this kind of graphics problem to try another card. Can you borrow one just long enough to do the test?

 

I was advised to post in this topic after having had a week long forum post in the BSOD section where "axe0" and I managed to narrow it down to being a driver issue. I tried plenty of different hardware tests and a graphics strain test which proved there to be no issue with the actual hardware. The I tried swapping out my RAM and regardless of RAM the problem still happened. I would say it was a hardware issue but I am able to use the basic driver and still use 1920x1080 resolution to watch 1080p videos which was the main thing that caused crashes before. So yeah, I am certain it is a driver issue.

Also as another thing to prove the graphics card isn't at fault, during my issue I was able to run high graphics games perfectly fine without causing the errors. They would only show up during basic tasks such as browsing webpages and watching videos but wouldn't show up at all whilst gaming.

Here's the DxDiag file if you think it will help:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/91146482/DxDiag.txt

 

That is good you did post it there because of BSOD error. I thought seemed like you mentioned you were not able to achieve 19280x1080 with Microsoft basic Display driver as even listed in your DXDiag, but now still able to use this resolution.

Went back on older drivers and same issue occurred, so if bug in one driver, not so. I meant basic GPU and it's memory not your RAM on your PC . Have you google that exact error with AMD .sys file next to it, see many results. As way of knowing like OP said trying another card, but i know not everyone has another card to use. Yeah, if passed those test maybe not the GPU, maybe a conflict with something else another hardware or its' driver.

What did you use to benchmark it ? Furmark, ValleyBenchmark ?

 

I used Furmark as the benchmark test and I ran it at the highest settings for 30 mins (as recommended) and it came up with no issues or problems. I already knew that it couldn't be a fault with the actual graphics as using those drivers allowed me to play high intensity games like GTA 5 and Borderlands: Pre Sequel with no errors or bluescreens.

I have tried looking up the atikmpag.sys error however the only solution I find is to expand the file using commands prompt, however I have already tried doing this and it gave me no success. I will keep looking for solutions for it. Could the other 2 files that showed up on the bluescreenviewer be causing it or do you think it is definitely the atikmpag.sys file?

 

How long ago where you using AMD drivers with no issues ? Playing those games. I would look it up exactly like this
VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE(atikmpag.sys) Not sure about other files as i am not a BSOD Analyzer or experienced with debugging BSOD, even if were cleared from that fault.

If highlighted pink means worse, mostly the driver for AMD, seen this similar type of AMD driver cause issues in posts here before number of times might of been a different atik .sys file not that specific one.

Question if left BSOD thread that means you are not experiencing Blue screen errors anymore ?

 

The following is a standard post I've been using over at SevenForums for years. While there may be minor differences in Windows 10 error messaging, the basic principles remain the same.
Check it out and you can use it as a checklist to test all possible causes of your TDR failures.
(When I have time I will update this post for TenForums)

****

"Display driver xxxxx stopped responding and was recovered"

Timeout Detection & Recovery (TDR) = "Display Driver Stopped Responding and was Recovered" is a useful feature that started in Vista and is also in W7 that allows the OS to try and recover from a video timeout so that the system does not crash to a bluescreen. Symptoms included a screen flash with the TDR message appearing one or more times or the screen blinking out to black. If the system cannot recover it will crash (Stop Error 116 typical). The issue is that the video card is not responding as expected. The solution is in the: why?

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to TDR errors. But the problem is usually found in the local environment (your computer). Finding the cause is a matter of checking every possible cause and uncovering the culprit through a simple process of elimination. By methodically running down a checklist of diagnostic procedures you should be able to find the cause and can correct it.

There are numerous reports of hardware solutions to TDR's. The most common are:

• Poor Cooling
• Problems with the power supply
• Overclocking Issues
• Bad System memory or incorrect memory timings
• Defective PC Components

The order you do the diagnostics is not all that important. My personal strategy is to do the cheap & easy stuff first, the cheap & harder stuff next, and then the stuff that costs last. But whatever order you do it in you need to check or confirm the following:

SOFTWARE
Poorly written software and games will cause TDRs. But if this were the case it would affect lots of people, not just a few. Check the game's website & forums for patches and tips.
See if other people in the forums are having the same problem and if they were able to solve it and how.
You could also be asking too much of your video card. Check to see if your video card is tested and recommended for the game/program. Test the game at reduced settings.

WHAT ACTIONS CAUSE THE PROBLEM
It helps if you can isolate the actions that trigger the TDR. Most often it will be an application using 3D graphics. But if the incidents occur constantly it would point more towards defective hardware. If it happens more specifically (just when running Game X) it points towards overheating, settings, software, or driver issues.

GENERAL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
You need to eliminate the possibility that your computer has a global problem. You can use a program like Prime95 to stress test your system. GIMPS - Free Prime95 software downloads - PrimeNet
You can run the "Stress Test" for a few hours or overnight. This will not tell you what the problem is, but it is helpful to uncover any issues your system has with instability and cooling.

OVERHEATING
Running a video intensive game for hours can generate some serious heat and overheating will cause video errors. You can check your temps by looking at your BIOS readings or use a free program like Speedfan SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer .
A real easy test is to just pull the side panel(s) off your case (You can also blow a house fan directly into the open case) and see if the problem goes away or gets better. If it does then the issue is definitely overheating. If you are overheating you need to look at installing some cooling upgrades. You want to look at ventilating the case (more or bigger fans), Upgrade your case to a larger gaming case (lots of fans, water-cooling), etc.
There are free utilities like BurninTest PassMark BurnInTest software - PC Reliability and Load Testing that you can use to test your system's cooling capability. Caution is recommended using these types of programs.

VIDEO DRIVERS
Bad drivers happen and they can get corrupted. Before installing or reinstalling any video drivers first completely uninstall all old video software and the drivers. (Some people say to run a cleaner program from safe mode, some say this is unnecessary). Never rely on the driver package to overwrite the old drivers. Also: Delete the video driver folder (ex: C:\NVIDIA) in Windows Explorer (or windows may install the same drivers again!).
After uninstalling the old drivers and rebooting Windows 7 will install it's own WDDM 1.1 driver. Check for the video problem while using this generic Windows driver.
You can then install the latest drivers for your card (or try older drivers).
See This Tutorial: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...tml#post414637

DEVICE MANAGER
Look in Device Manager and make sure there are no problem devices (yellow ! icon). Correct these by loading the correct drivers or disable the problem device and see if the video problem goes away.

POOR CONNECTIONS
Reseat video card and memory modules. Make sure the contacts are clean. Check all the electrical connections.

CHECK YOUR MOTHERBOARD VOLTAGES
In BIOS, check the listed voltages against the manufacturer recommended specs. Reset the voltages to factory defaults and see if the video problems disappear.

MEMORY
Memory errors can cause video problems. Run a program like Memtest86+ for at least 3 passes to see if there are any memory errors. Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool .
You can also test for a bad memory module by installing one stick in Slot 1 and testing, and then switch it out for the next stick, etc.
When populating all of the RAM slots on a motherboard it is sometimes necessary to go into the BIOS and increase the voltage to the RAM slightly to obtain a stable system.

OVERCLOCKING
Overclocking can be a trial and error process. The clocks and/or multipliers you set or change for CPU, Memory, or GPU could be unstable. Eliminate this as a possibility by resetting these to their BIOS defaults to see if that clears the video problems. The simplest way to do this is to "Restore Bios Defaults", or “Clear CMOS”.

UNDERCLOCKING
Some people have reported that by going into the video cards control panel and "down-clocking" the cards performance settings they were able to clear up the TDRs. Since W7 does not seem to tolerate any hiccups in the GPU, this would allow you to run a poor performing card in the W7 environment.
So for instance, you could set the GPU clock from a 777 MHz factory setting to 750MHz, and the ram clock from a 1126MHz factory setting to 1050Mhz, or similar small change for your particular card.

BIOS
Check you motherboard manufacturer’s website for an updated BIOS. An updated BIOS may correct an unstable condition, particularly if it says the newer BIOS corrects memory errors or has bug fixes. You could also try loading the BIOS defaults.
Caution is recommended when updating (flashing) a BIOS. The safest way to do so is from the update utility within the BIOS. Follow instructions carefully.
While you are there, check the motherboard manufacturers forums to see if others are having issues with the same board.

WINDOWS POWER MANAGEMENT
Eliminate Power Management settings as a possible cause, especially if you are working with a laptop. These settings could be particularly important if the issue is in playing games.
Go to Control Panel > Hardware & Sound > Power Options. Under "Select a Power Plan" you will find that "Balanced" is the default setting.
At the bottom you will see a Down arrow next to "Show Additional Plans". Click that and select "High Performance". See if the TDR issue is affected.
Alternately, you can click "Change Plan Settings" next to the "Balanced" plan and change the setting to "Never" put the computer to sleep (This is the default on a desktop) and/or change when the display is turned off as a test.

POWER SUPPLY
You need to know that your power supply is delivering sufficient power. Power supply problems are the most common cause of video problems, especially using high end cards.
Check the power supply's amperage ratings. Be sure it has the ample amperage for your video card and the rest of the system.
You can test the supply with multimeter to measure for a steady 12v to the card's power connectors. (The only true way to test a power supply would be to use the very expensive diagnostic equipment used in labs). But for us regular folks: I tested my power supply by hooking up my multimeter to the PCI-E connectors that I was using to power my video card (I used a spare pair from the power supply to run the card while I was testing). I then observed the meter while I used the computer, first watching the voltage, then the amps, to see if there was any drop-off or erratic behavior while booting or using the computer. My readings were rock solid. So I declared my power supply good.
Otherwise you need to replace the supply to eliminate this possibility. Or borrow one from another computer.

VIDEO CARD
I suspect that a video card must perform flawlessly to operate in a Windows 7 environment and run the most recent games. If you tried all the above diagnostics and no problems were found then that leaves you with only one possibility: a defective video card. Some brands and models have the problem more consistently than others. You could check their forums for clues.
You could try your card in another computer running W7 to see if the problem goes along with the card.
You could try a different card in your computer. I bought an inexpensive card to use. My TDR's disappeared using a "lesser" card. Or borrow a card from another computer.
Otherwise RMA or replace the card.

**********
TDR complaints have come from PC owners running virtually every PC configuration. They occur regardless of which video engine, manufacturer, driver, or system used. They are too numerous to write off as a random problem, but at the same time if people are getting their systems to run correctly using the same hardware and software that you are then it follows that your problem must be solvable.

More Info Here:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device...m_timeout.mspx
NVIDIA Statement on TDR Errors - NVIDIA Forums
http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles...rmessages.aspx

 

I will say I had a similar issue, that I resolved by using the Windows 10 Hide Update Utility to re-mediate.

I uninstalled the offending drivers, hid them, and installed the driver I knew my system would use.

Please do an image backup before doing this. On one of my attempts, my rig wouldn't boot back up.

I'm having a similar issue right now. Microsoft installed the generic disk controllers, and won't allow me to use the Intel Drivers I would prefer to use.

Installing the Intel Drivers blue screens my rig. Uninstalling the generic drivers leaves me with an unbootable system. Caught between a rock and a generic place.

 

I tried underclocking my GPU and the problem still resides. I'm not sure if this helps at all but when I'm watching videos and it is about to crash/BSOD the audio will buzz and freeze for a split second, as will the video.

Even tried resetting my bios settings to default but still no luck

When using the drivers It will crash extremely frequently (every few minutes/seconds) depending on the task I am running. Videos do it really quickly whilst web pages will do it spontaneously