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How to: Remove Your NVIDIA GPU Drivers (New - 2016)

565K views 579 replies 182 participants last post by  BradleyW 
#1 ·
UPDATED 19/01/2016 (DD/MM/YYYY)

GUIDE: Remove NVIDIA GPU Driver

Why was this guide created?

3rd Party software uninstallers (DDU, CCleaner, Nvidia Uninstall Utility) have been known to cause software corruption by removing essential chipset, audio and system library files. This may cause system instability, OS corruption or personal data loss.

Why should I use this guide?

If you suspect software issues with the GPU driver or plan to up/downgrade GPU/driver version, you could benefit from the guide. The posts show that around 95% of the users gave positive feedback, as it fixed short and long term issues ranging from error messages, in-game stuttering, poor SLI scaling, missing features, low FPS and driver induced system crashes.

Is this guide compatible?

Chipsets; Intel, AMD.
OS; Windows 7 / 8.1 / 10.
GPU; GTX 400 or higher.

Remove Drivers:

1. Access Programs and Features via the Windows Control Panel

2. Remove Any Nvidia Associated Software

3. Restart the PC

Remove left over files/folders:

1. Access Folder Options from Windows Control Panel

2. Click the view tab and select "Show hidden files/ folders and drives" (Apply Settings)

3. Access Drive "C" (OS Drive)

4. Delete the folder named "NVIDIA"

5. Go to "Program Files" and delete all NVIDIA associated folders

6. Go to "Program Files (x86)" and delete all NVIDIA associated folders

7. Go to "ProgramData" and delete all NVIDIA associated folders

8. Go to "Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local" and delete all NVIDIA associated folders

9. Go to "Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming" and delete all NVIDIA associated folders

Remove left over registry entries:

1. Click start and type "regedit.exe", then preess enter.

2. Click "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" and extend the folder

3. Click "Software" and extend the folder

4. Delete NVIDIA associated folders

5. Click "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" and extend the folder

6. Click "SOFTWARE" and extend the folder

7. Delete NVIDIA associated folders

8. Click "Wow6432Node" and extend the folder

9. Delete NVIDIA associated folders

10. Click "HKEY_USERS" and extend the folder

11. Click ".DEFAULT" and extend the folder

12. Click "Software" and extend the folder

13. Delete NVIDIA associated folders

14. Click "S-1-5-18" and extend the folder

15. Click "Software" and extend the folder

16. Delete NVIDIA associated folders

17. Feel free to check the remaining "S-1-5" / "Software" folders for NVIDIA folders (and remove them)

18. Restart the PC

Disclaimer, use at your own risk
 
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#2 ·
repped...but pls do tell why driver removers can cause problem in long run(i use driver sweeper).......ur method is quite lengthy and for a lazy guy like me it seems too much...thats why i wanna know why its bad to use driver sweeper in safe mode.......
 
#3 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghost_z;15432516
repped...but pls do tell why driver removers can cause problem in long run(i use driver sweeper).......ur method is quite lengthy and for a lazy guy like me it seems too much...thats why i wanna know why its bad to use driver sweeper in safe mode.......
They don't remove all the files and registry entires. They can also cause issues to the system INF folder.

I've tried and tested all these methods. Manual deletion via my steps is the best way to fix issues and prevent issues. (Tested on both AMD and Nvidia systems)

Thank you!
btw: Once you have done this methoda few times, it will take you less than a minute to do.
 
  • Rep+
Reactions: Regent Square
#4 ·
+rep
 
#6 ·
It's prolly better to do it as you say, but I have to agree with ghost_z
biggrin.gif

Quote:
for a lazy guy like me it seems too much...
 
#7 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ASUSfreak;15432594
It's prolly better to do it as you say, but I have to agree with ghost_z
biggrin.gif
From experience, this is the better option. Take a few minutes to study it and it will only take a minute or two to complete, with great results at the end of it.
 
#9 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghost_z;15432645
thnx will try it out when i install new drivers...subscribed
biggrin.gif
Let me know how you get on or if you run into issues. Like i said, i've used my method for a long time with both AMD and Nvidia cards. It works perfectly. Also, people with AMD issues tried my method and it fixed problems for people. The method is the same for Nvidia
wink.gif


Enjoy!
 
#11 ·
I had some BSODs with latest nv drivers... Never before I had them, only with the latest 2 or 3. I rolled back 1 by 1 still having BSODs (via uninstall and install, not by windows itself). Eventually I took the driver from ASUS website... No more BSODs

Do you think there might be a link with your post? Like something didn't remove correctly?

I did use driver sweeper and when installing I put a check on: Perform Clean Install (or something like that)
 
#13 ·
#14 ·
#15 ·
@ 78@pwnt4lif3
pls don't crap the threads..even if the info has been taken from other source or correlates to it then it does not mean that sharing of information is bad....

its like blaming the book publishers for publishing knowledge n distributing to many even though it was meant for some specific university written by some specific user........
 
#16 ·
My method is great to try for the new Nvidia WQHL drivers that have come out for BF3
wink.gif

I've also requested "sticly" status on this thread.
 
#17 ·
From horses mouth:

Q: Do I need to uninstall my older driver first?
A: No. It used to be the case that an uninstall was first required. Today the recommended method is to overinstall the newer driver on top of your older driver. This will allow you to maintain any current NVIDIA Control Panel settings or profiles.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/drivers_faq.html#installing
 
#19 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pandora's BOx;15433279
From horses mouth:

Q: Do I need to uninstall my older driver first?
A: No. It used to be the case that an uninstall was first required. Today the recommended method is to overinstall the newer driver on top of your older driver. This will allow you to maintain any current NVIDIA Control Panel settings or profiles.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/drivers_faq.html#installing
I remember when i did this for both Nvidia and AMD. It was utter fail!
 
#21 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarbingerOfLive;15434083
Is this good for just updating drivers as well?
It is the main reason why i made the guide, for when someone wants to update drivers with a clean install.
 
#24 ·
Here's my instructions for updating drivers in any scenario except when you swap ATI/NV cards, or rollback to old drivers:

1) Run the latest driver package, selecting 'Clean Install' option,
2) Reboot when it's done, even though you may not be told to,
3) Game On!

I been doing this for like 10 years (which means literally hundreds and hundreds of times) every time I install newer drivers (and prior to the 'Clean Install' option in the Forceware, I simply uninstalled the current drivers first via CP and restarted before installing the newest drivers).

It has literally never failed to work 100% perfectly for me.

The only reason I'd ever resort to anything more complicated (such as the instructions in this thread) is if I was switching from ATI to nV, OR if I wanted to install an OLD driver package, one that I knew was fundamentally different like a 100-series driver vs. a 200-series driver.

And Bradley, it's the forum Editors that decide stickies, not the Moderators. I don't recall who's section this is, but I believe it's this gentleman.

Edit: I would also add that if you REALLY and truly want to get rid of your nV drivers completely from a particular install (call it install 1), you ALSO need to have a separate install (install 2) that you can boot into. From install 2, you then have to go into the system32 folder of install 1 and remove the all the files named nv* that have nVidia corporation as their author.

In my experience, these files, which are your ACTUAL in-use driver files, cannot be removed if you're actually logged into the same install, not even in safe mode, and not even by driver sweeper
wink.gif


There's also I believe a drivercache folder somewhere in the Windows folder hierarchy that you'd have to remove the driver files from as well if you want to be 100% rid of them, but I believe if you do the uninstall through Forceware you remove the registry pointers to these files, so they should be basically rendered useless even w/o physically deleting them.
 
#25 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by brettjv;15439160
Here's my instructions for updating drivers in any scenario except when you swap ATI/NV cards, or rollback to old drivers:

1) Run the latest driver package, selecting 'Clean Install' option,
2) Reboot when it's done, even though you may not be told to,
3) Game On!

I been doing this for like 10 years (which means literally hundreds and hundreds of times) every time I install newer drivers (and prior to the 'Clean Install' option in the Forceware, I simply uninstalled the current drivers first via CP and restarted before installing the newest drivers).

It has literally never failed to work 100% perfectly for me.

The only reason I'd ever resort to anything more complicated (such as the instructions in this thread) is if I was switching from ATI to nV, OR if I wanted to install an OLD driver package, one that I knew was fundamentally different like a 100-series driver vs. a 200-series driver.

And Bradley, it's the forum Editors that decide stickies, not the Moderators. I don't recall who's section this is, but I believe it's this gentleman.

Edit: I would also add that if you REALLY and truly want to get rid of your nV drivers completely from a particular install (call it install 1), you ALSO need to have a separate install (install 2) that you can boot into. From install 2, you then have to go into the system32 folder of install 1 and remove the all the files named nv* that have nVidia corporation as their author.

In my experience, these files, which are your ACTUAL in-use driver files, cannot be removed if you're actually logged into the same install, not even in safe mode, and not even by driver sweeper
wink.gif


There's also I believe a drivercache folder somewhere in the Windows folder hierarchy that you'd have to remove the driver files from as well if you want to be 100% rid of them, but I believe if you do the uninstall through Forceware you remove the registry pointers to these files, so they should be basically rendered useless even w/o physically deleting them.
My method has been proven to fix some peoples issues so it's up to who ever wants to give my method a shot.
 
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