Updating GPU Drivers

[Wiizimov]

Quick question, so I have a friend that seems to think it's necessary to uninstall his GPU drivers when updating them rather than just hitting the download driver and express/custom installation on the geforce client.
I was just wondering, is this necessary or is it him just being OCD in regards to any sort of errors that may occur.

[JH275]

It is not necessary. I do not know anyone who does this and I also do not know anyone with GPU driver issues.

[don_svetlio]

Don't update Nvidia drivers past 361.75. All of the later ones are bad in one way or another (crashes, BSODs, memory leak, even some bricked GPUs)

[AverageHardware]

Sometimes leftover files from previous drivers can cause issues, and in that case, it's best to completely uninstall them. However, most of the time, updating through Geforce experience is just fine.

[don_svetlio]

1 minute ago, AverageHardware said:

Sometimes leftover files from previous drivers can cause issues, and in that case, it's best to completely uninstall them. However, most of the time, updating through Geforce experience is just fine.

I'd disagree. I did that last year on my laptop and the whole OS shit itself. Had to reinstall it.

[HPWebcamAble]

1 minute ago, don_svetlio said:

I'd disagree. I did that last year on my laptop and the whole OS shit itself. Had to reinstall it.

Do you disagree with the 'uninstall' part or the 'just upgrade no uninstall' part?

[Tieox]

I only do a full uninstall and re-install when on the initial setup of Windows, due to Windows downloading really crappy drivers, and uninstalling them can cause issues. So I use Guru3D Driver Sweeper, reboot into clunky resolution, and install latest drivers.

 

From there I just update. 

[don_svetlio]

1 minute ago, HPWebcamAble said:

Do you disagree with the 'uninstall' part or the 'just upgrade no uninstall' part?

I disagree with using GFE. It's not good at cleaning up old driver parts and can cause serious issues

[Wiizimov]

Thanks

[AverageHardware]

Just now, don_svetlio said:

I disagree with using GFE. It's not good at cleaning up old driver parts and can cause serious issues

I only say that based on personal experience. I've never had a problem with GeForce experience. I use it on multiple systems

[don_svetlio]

1 minute ago, AverageHardware said:

I only say that based on personal experience. I've never had a problem with GeForce experience. I use it on multiple systems

It was fine the first 3 months. Then every time I used it, the OS would brick itself (tested it and once it completed the update, the next time I boot up I'd get a BSOD).

[JH275]

4 minutes ago, don_svetlio said:

I'd disagree. I did that last year on my laptop and the whole OS shit itself. Had to reinstall it.

Well some people have bad luck with drivers. Some people also win the lottery. I don't think that most people have had any problems with geforce driver updates (at least not serious ones).

[don_svetlio]

1 minute ago, JH275 said:

Well some people have bad luck with drivers. Some people also win the lottery. I don't think that most people have had any problems with geforce driver updates (at least not serious ones).

Every time there is a report of Nvidia driver issues associated with GFE people just say "it's bad luck" - 1 time it's bad luck, 2 times it's a coincidence, 8 times it's a pattern.

[Prysin]

14 minutes ago, Wiizimov said:

Quick question, so I have a friend that seems to think it's necessary to uninstall his GPU drivers when updating them rather than just hitting the download driver and express/custom installation on the geforce client.
I was just wondering, is this necessary or is it him just being OCD in regards to any sort of errors that may occur.

@don_svetlio@Dackzy

 

 

 

[MentalBlank]

It is not necessary, i've been updating my drivers without uninstalling them for years. 

[JH275]

10 minutes ago, AverageHardware said:

I only say that based on personal experience. I've never had a problem with GeForce experience. I use it on multiple systems

 

2 minutes ago, MentalBlank said:

It is not necessary, i've been updating my drivers without uninstalling them for years. 

 

7 minutes ago, don_svetlio said:

Every time there is a report of Nvidia driver issues associated with GFE people just say "it's bad luck" - 1 time it's bad luck, 2 times it's a coincidence, 8 times it's a pattern.

Well I don't know too much about fixing driver problems but you seem to have a serious one. But definitely bad luck on some level since most people don't have a problem with the drivers. It might be a repetitive pattern on your PC but it is not a general problem. I had a problem with windows 10 last year and I had to reinstall because no one knew what it was about and no one seemed to have the same problem. I'm not saying that you are the only one with this problem. Only that most people don't have problems like these and the chances of this happening are like the chances like an aio water cooler leaking. It might happen to some but it is so rare that people still buy aio coolers and people still use geforce to update their drivers.

[don_svetlio]

4 minutes ago, JH275 said:

 

 

Well I don't know too much about fixing driver problems but you seem to have a serious one. But definitely bad luck on some level since most people don't have a problem with the drivers. It might be a repetitive pattern on your PC but it is not a general problem. I had a problem with windows 10 last year and I had to reinstall because no one knew what it was about and no one seemed to have the same problem. I'm not saying that you are the only one with this problem. Only that most people don't have problems like these and the chances of this happening are like the chances like an aio water cooler leaking. It might happen to some but it is so rare that people still buy aio coolers and people still use geforce to update their drivers.

Removed GFE - not a care in the world. It was GFE - am sure of it

[JH275]

11 minutes ago, don_svetlio said:

Removed GFE - not a care in the world. It was GFE - am sure of it

I never said your problem wasn't related to GFE. all I said is that a large majority of people will NOT have the same problem. That means that you should not make it sound as if OP would have the same problem and as if it would be dangerous to use GFE because it would brick your windows. hence my example of AIO water cooling there is a small chance of leakage (a very small one) and there is also a very small chance that you will have so severe problems with GFE. You might have them but I think it's kind of extreme to say that all new Nvidia drivers are bad.

[App4that]

45 minutes ago, don_svetlio said:

Every time there is a report of Nvidia driver issues associated with GFE people just say "it's bad luck" - 1 time it's bad luck, 2 times it's a coincidence, 8 times it's a pattern.

No one I know of has serious issues with updating their drivers, and every time there is a problem, including mine, it's a Windows 10 issue. Not Nvidia.

 

My wife's Apache Pro with a 970m is months old now and no issues with drivers.

 

Good news though, there is a solution to your problem. Get Good