An ultra-rare Radeon driver bug is breaking PCs. This unique repair revived mine

Googling the problem surfaced this WCCFTech article from mid-February together with loads of different protection, citing quite a few person experiences of Adrenalin 23.2.1 destroying their Home windows installs. It’s a deeply irritating expertise, and one that may be disastrous for the standard PC gamer. I tweeted about my woes and an AMD consultant emailed me inside minutes. Clearly, being the chief editor of PCWorld could fast-track me for a fast response (although once more, AMD representatives are very attentive to driver suggestions on social media). On this case, my high-profile complications managed to assist AMD probe the core challenge, so I can present troubleshooting steps that labored for me and fortunately report {that a} everlasting repair is being investigated.

Tips on how to repair Radeon drivers breaking your Home windows set up

I might’ve merely slapped in a brand new SSD with a clear Home windows set up, however we spent two days going via varied troubleshooting fixes whereas AMD engineers tried reproducing and diagnosing the issue. Swapping GPUs, making an attempt new screens, yanking the show cable out at completely different occasions, clearing the CMOS, and making certain UEFI was chosen as a substitute of CSM within the BIOS (it was!) all proved fruitless.

However this morning, AMD’s crew obtained again to me with one other suggestion: When the BIOS splash display is up proper after turning on the PC, slam the facility button to attempt to coax Home windows into forcing an computerized restoration try. I attempted it 4 occasions to no avail. I used to be informed to stick with it, that it would work finally. And after fifteen complete tries, it did!

I’m unsure what induced it to lastly catch, however timing appeared to play a component in it. Hitting the facility button whereas the BIOS keypress choices had been up merely turned off my PC instantly. Hitting it as soon as the spinning “Home windows pondering” icon appeared stored the PC on, however did nothing—my system merely black-screened once more. Ultimately, I managed to hit the facility button within the cut up second between the BIOS choices disappearing and the Home windows circle showing, and that managed to kickstart an computerized restoration try.

IDG

Success!

After Home windows did its factor for a bit, I ultimately wound up within the Home windows restoration instruments menu, in a position to restart my PC or choose superior choices. I went into the superior choices’ troubleshooting menu and chosen System Restore, since Startup Restore hosed my PC even worse earlier than. I chosen a restore level from mid-February, loaded it up, and after two agonizingly irritating days, my take a look at rig was again in motion.

When you’ve suffered from the latest Adrenalin drivers corrupting your Home windows set up, do that course of to hopefully get again in your ft. You also needs to making an attempt the same old arcane technique for summoning the Home windows restoration instrument, discovered within the “Use the Startup Restore perform” part right here. (Don’t use Startup Restore although! Use a restore level! Simply use this course of to get you to the menu with each choices.)

However how did this occur, and how are you going to forestall it from occurring to you?

Tips on how to keep away from Radeon drivers breaking your Home windows set up

AMD tells me it took dozens of makes an attempt to recreate the problem of their labs as a consequence of its excessive rarity. On a name, one consultant really referred to as me “affected person zero.” The corporate supplied me with the next assertion whereas its investigation is ongoing:

“We’ve reproduced a difficulty that may happen in a particularly small variety of cases if a PC replace happens through the set up of AMD Software program: Adrenalin Version, and we’re actively investigating. We advocate customers guarantee all system updates are utilized or paused earlier than putting in the motive force, and that the “Manufacturing facility Reset” choice is unchecked through the AMD driver set up course of. We’re dedicated to resolve points as shortly as potential and strongly encourage customers to submit points with AMD Software program: Adrenalin Version through the Bug Report Device.”

It’s price noting that my model of Home windows 10 was up to date previous to trying the Adrenalin Software program set up, however the Sport Bar or another a part of Home windows could have been silently updating within the background to kickstart this catastrophe.

AMD

As a workaround, merely don’t verify that manufacturing unit reset field in the event you’re putting in new Radeon drivers. There’s no cause to take action in the event you’ve already obtained a working Radeon GPU arrange and are merely updating to the most recent drivers anyway. Easy as that. It labored for me after my take a look at system was revived and I now have Adrenalin 23.2.2 put in and dealing like a allure.

A damned disgrace

It’s a damned disgrace this occurred. Most excruciatingly for myself and different players who had their Home windows set up deeply damaged, in fact, but in addition for AMD.

I’ve been a vocal advocate for the intense driver and software program enhancements AMD has been making during the last half-decade or so. Folks slammed the iffy state of Radeon drivers for years. AMD listened and poured great funding and energy into sharpening them up. Now, Crew Purple’s drivers are even higher than Nvidia’s in style Sport Prepared drivers in some ways, and in June 2022 AMD felt assured sufficient about its software program to declare that it provides “industry-leading stability” with “99.95% of customers experiencing no crashes when AMD Software program is put in.”

There’s little question that AMD’s driver stability and total stability are actually proper up there with the very best of them after years of intense refinement. That is a particularly uncommon edge case. It positive sucks being in that 0.05%! However points this catastrophic harm the trigger to rebuild Radeon software program’s picture, irrespective of how uncommon they’re. No matter whether or not Home windows or AMD is accountable ultimately, this expertise is the form of factor that may instantly make many PC players swear off Radeon GPUs eternally, and inform all their mates why. And that’s a disgrace.

A number of Radeon GPUs maintain spots in our roundup of the very best graphics playing cards. I’m not going to take away them regardless of my private catastrophe. This extreme challenge isn’t widespread, solely occurring in ultra-rare circumstances, whereas AMD provides actually compelling worth up and down the stack with Nvidia mountain climbing GeForce costs via the roof. And sure, AMD’s drivers are certainly rock-solid the huge majority of the time. This specific state of affairs might have been catastrophic with out AMD’s direct assist, however no software program is ideal—particularly within the advanced PC ecosystem—and whereas I obtained caught in a deeply irritating scenario, there’s solely a microscopic probability of it affecting you. (And hopefully this text might help you if it does.)

Most individuals don’t verify the manufacturing unit set up field anyway. Simply make sure you don’t both till a everlasting repair is launched.