It has been almost a month since some AMD users began reporting that their PCs were unable to boot following a driver update to Adrenalin Edition 23.2.1 and now team red has offered a possible explanation for the cause along with a preventative workaround. PCWorld Executive Editor and reviewer Brad Chacos reached out to AMD who acknowledges the issue and offered guidance to recover from it. Apparently, the root of the cause could be a Windows update running in the background when the driver works on completing a factory reset. The solution, or workaround, is to leave the factory reset box unchecked.
From AMD (via PCWorld):
“We have reproduced an issue that can occur in an extremely small number of instances if a PC update occurs during the installation of AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, and we are actively investigating. We recommend users ensure all system updates are applied or paused before installing the driver, and that the “Factory Reset” option is unchecked during the AMD driver installation process. We are committed to resolving issues as quickly as possible and strongly encourage users to submit issues with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition via the Bug Report Tool.”
Another option is System Restore
Although AMD acknowledges the issue, some users may have already been left with bricked systems that could have inevitably led to a complete reinstall of Windows in order to get back up and running. However, Brad wasn’t willing to give up, and AMD continued to give support. AMD said that it took dozens of attempts to recreate the issue in its labs and as Brad was committed to getting his PC back AMD also provided a potential solution for recovery, essentially attempting to force Windows to restore. This method may not work for everyone, especially if a user doesn’t have a restore point, and it’s not without its own risks, but it is known to be an effective solution for a number of BSOD-related problems. Theoretically, if nothing else prevented it, Windows should have created a restore point before installing the new GPU driver.
“But this morning, AMD’s team got back to me with another suggestion: When the BIOS splash screen is up right after turning on the PC, slam the power button to try to coax Windows into forcing an automatic recovery attempt. I tried it four times to no avail. I was told to keep it up, and that it would work eventually. And after fifteen total tries, it did!”
Discussion (13 replies)
Join Discussion →That's not a solution if your windows has already been bricked, is it?
I have not experienced windows getting bricked by a VGA driver since windows 95.
Oh I've seen it with windows 10 and Nvidia deivere. Having to roll back to a pre patch shadow copy. Ald is far from the only culprit here.
Yeah, it's less than optimal to say the least.
Crashing windows ain't bricking ( even if you lose all your data) lets not extend the use of the term. Its very specific and a very effective term. Bricking means its dead permanently hardware and all. You don't brick software. I blame windows update, pos has updated itself to oblivion several times for me.
Yes, i had nvidia drivers crash my pc, and I only updated twice ( i don't really game on it, no point to update really.. , its a 1650 super or some such), no not like in the article, but had to deal with a bit of recovery and removal or whatever don't care to remember ( or repeat so i don't update). I don't know if AMD can do this but having a windows process checker should do the trick as to stop any installation until windows does its crap, and maybe crashes itself first before you install and blame AMD.
Complex as it was, they revived the system if I understood the article correctly. I don't even see the point, maybe they did it for curiosity, fun and profit but really for a test rig should have been faster to wipe and start over.
I think you are wrong on that one. Bricking means the device no longer functions, because it cannot be turned on. Even if it's just a boot-loop it is still bricked. It doesn't have to be hardware damage. The only criteria for being bricked is if it is not fixable without additional tools.
If you can boot into safe mode and fix it, then that does not qualify as being bricked. If you need to re-install windows from install media, then it is bricked.
Bricking" essentially means a device has turned into a brick. It may be an electronic device worth hundreds of dollars, but it's now as useful as a brick (or perhaps a paperweight). A bricked device won't power on and function normally. A bricked device cannot be fixed through normal means.
If a clean install is not a normal means, then you'll be right. But it is. A not normal means would be flashing chip in the hardware, sending the system to the manufacturer to do so or some such. A boot loop needing a reinstall or a clean install is not bricking. But whatever. I happen to like the term I would like it to be not diluted, obviously I don't control anything about, other than talking about it.
I don't understand how they have been around this long and something like this can still happen. Their drivers were iffy going back to the ATI days, and I see things really haven't changed.
I don't think this is fair. It's an opinion, I'll grant you, so you can think what you wanna think -- but the days of "ATI drivers" are way over, and anytime I hear that old trope I automatically think "Well, here's another dude that has no clue what he's talking about".
AMD has come a long long way from the ATI driver days. I would dare say that for most people, AMD drivers are as good, if not better, than nVidia any more. I have issues with nVidia drivers all the damn time and it drives me batty.
nVidia has these same driver issues from time to time, they are complicated things. Sure, you don't really want it to happen at all when you can help it, but it doesn't happen regularly, it's acknowledged when it does happen, and the fix is out and about in a fast manner - what else can you really ask for? I mean, it's not like AMD is out blaming it on user errorafter all.
Only wang users have bricked systems is if they don't have a pre install restore point. Still they can get info safe mode. Remove the problem drivers. Reboot and install following AMDs guidelines. Not an bricking at all.
And I'm surprised ghnshot didn't post a 3 page historical dissertation on every time AMD has had a driver issue. Probably because they don't want to draw egg on their face for NVIDIA drivers.
I debated about my post after the fact, but yeah maybe I was to harsh. Still I haven't had a major issue with Nvidia drivers since I switched from ATI/AMD years ago, at least not to this magnitude.
As far as the connector issue with the 40 series cards I think everyone needs to let that go and I'm not saying that because I like Nvidia. Seems like people who don't like Nvidia just keep coming back to that like it's a safe haven. Again, could they have done things better? Yes. Could people have just plugged them in all the way? Yes. Just like were are discussing AMD here. Could have been better, but we can say that about a lot of things in the PC world.
Again I was a bit harsh and respect your opinion here as I have on a lot of your other posts.
I'll bow out and move on.:):censored:
Thank you. You, sir, are a class act.
Yup, that's exactly how I feel about AMD. This is coming from a guy with an nVidia card in his computer currently (although i have a couple of rigs with AMDs). Except this has been going on with AMD for years, although to be fair I guess we could go back to Kepler Hitler and Woodscrews and other things on the nVidia side if we really wanted to go to tired tropes.