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AMD Radeon RX Vega 56

Whether you lot're moving from an older driver to a newer one or replacing your video card altogether, properly uninstalling your drivers is a critical component of system maintenance. In this guide, we'll walk through using AMD's standard utility for commuter removal, besides as discussing whether or not yous need to utilize a third-party tool.

Information technology's best to download the new driver you intend to utilize before uninstalling the old one. While this isn't absolutely required, there's a necessary reboot between uninstalling one commuter and reinstalling the other (and nosotros recommend rebooting between the ii steps in any case). Once the system is rebooted, it'll typically be running at a lower resolution and menus may be harder to navigate as a effect. It's just easier to download the replacement driver commencement.

The kickoff uninstallation footstep is extremely simple. You can utilise either the "Add/Remove Programs" menu from the Windows Settings carte du jour or "Programs and Features" if y'all adopt to utilize the Windows 7-manner Control Console. Either fashion, find the "AMD Software" option and click "Uninstall." You'll exist asked to confirm this pick. Click aye, and your Radeon software installation will be removed, along with whatsoever other AMD drivers if you're likewise running on a Ryzen organisation. Unlike Nvidia, which has multiple pieces of software to remove, AMD uses a simplified uninstaller.

Once yous've uninstalled the former driver, you'll be prompted to reboot. It'south at this point that people typically ask "Is running the default uninstaller from AMD or Nvidia plenty, or exercise I need to employ a tertiary-political party product to perform a more than comprehensive organization sweep?"

How Third Party Uninstallers Work

The uninstallers that AMD and Nvidia employ don't really scrub everything they install to your system. Information technology's common for registry keys, folders, and installation files to be left backside. This speeds the reinstallation process, and it's part of why you can uninstall ane commuter, install the next, and still accept the same contour settings you lot were previously using. A tertiary-political party tool like Brandish Commuter Uninstaller (DDU) will remove even these elements, restoring your machine to a pristine state.

DDU-Drivers

15-xx years ago, using a tertiary-party tool to scrub brandish drivers was a practical requirement, especially when switching between an AMD and an Nvidia GPU. These days, the overall state of affairs is much improved. You can typically bandy from one commuter to the next with no problem, and Windows may non bat an eyelash if you pull an AMD menu out and drop an Nvidia GPU in. I've even tested GPU swapping without uninstalling the other vendor's software. You'll go error messages when vendor-dependent software attempts to initialize, but that'due south nigh it.

Do you need to run a 3rd-party commuter uninstaller? Probably non. Windows has gotten much ameliorate at treatment these kinds of swaps. Only if you lot're trying to troubleshoot a problem with your organisation, or want to make absolutely positive that there's no way leftover cruft from a previous AMD or Nvidia installation could exist mucking upwardly your operating organization, and then the best way to do that is to use a third-party utility similar DDU.

Once y'all run the application, information technology'll recommend that you reboot into Safe Mode (you can click on the "Options" menu and cull the "Enable Safe Mode dialog"). Exit the awarding and run it over again after doing this, and yous'll become a screen similar this one. Choose "Rubber Way" from the driblet-down carte, then hit "Launch" to reboot into Safe Mode:

ddu-launch

Nosotros recommend running DDU from Safe Mode. The application advises that you should unplug your computer'south Ethernet cable during the uninstallation and new driver installation process, to foreclose Windows ten from downloading new drivers for your GPU and attempting to install them. I don't usually notice that necessary, but YMMV. When y'all run it for the kickoff fourth dimension, DDU attempts to foreclose Microsoft from continually downloading its own commuter updates and overwriting the drivers distributed by AMD and Nvidia. If y'all don't want it to do this, yous can click the "Gear up Windows Device Installation settings to Default" button, as pictured to a higher place. This will restore Windows' default behavior.

If you only want to install a new driver, click "Clean and Restart." If y'all have other tasks to take care of while in Safe Mode, click "Clean and do NOT restart." If you demand to install a new GPU, choose "Clean and Shutdown." Once you kicking your arrangement dorsum upwards, you'll be able to install your new GPU driver without worrying that old crufty elements were left backside. And if you don't desire to carp with the extra steps of DDU, Windows is generally flexible enough these days to handle a switch without a problem, provided y'all use the vendor uninstall first.

Now read: Windows 10: The Best Hidden Features, Tips, and Tricks