The fastidiously sequestered, rock-solid-reliable PC I exploit to check graphics playing cards turned fully and totally hosed this week. I couldn’t even get the system besides into Windows restore mode to attempt to troubleshoot it. The offender? A uncommon bug in the best way Windows interacts with AMD’s newest WQHL-certified Radeon drivers, Adrenalin 23.2.2. Some fast Googling revealed that this has been happening to a small handful of other users since Adrenalin 23.2.1 landed in mid-February, with equally devastating results.
This expertise could be an absolute catastrophe for anybody who isn’t the chief editor of a pc publication with a deep rolodex available (although AMD representatives are very responsive to driver feedback on social media). But luckily, I used to be in a position to work intently with AMD on on the difficulty.
AMD engineers not solely managed to diagnose the potential root reason for this unique bug, but additionally found a just-as-exotic troubleshooting workaround that helped revive my PC. A everlasting repair is being investigated, however affected customers can hopefully use this workaround to restore their programs with out resorting to a full-blown contemporary Windows set up.
Here’s what occurred, how it occurred, how one can keep away from it, and how one can repair it if an analogous catastrophe strikes your PC.
How AMD’s Radeon drivers destroyed my Windows set up
I acquired a brand new customized Radeon RX 7900 XT for testing this week, so I went about my standard strict course of for ensuring the PC is up-to-date and able to benchmark. Before swapping in a brand new graphics card or new drivers, whereas my current steady setup remains to be intact, I carry out a number of steps to make the system as “like new” as doable, to keep away from potential points brought on by swapping in several GPUs from totally different manufacturers. (The system {hardware} stays static, with minimal software program put in past benchmarking instruments, to make sure consistency.)
This is a rig from AMD’s Radeon RX 7900-series reveal, not my take a look at system.
Adam Patrick Murray / IDG
I already had a GeForce RTX 4070 Ti set as much as give Nvidia’s awesome RTX Video Super Resolution a whirl. With it put in, I manually up to date Windows 10. Then, I powered down the system and changed the 4070 Ti with the Radeon RX 7900 XT. It booted up usually. I then used Windows 10’s Add and Remove Programs instrument to uninstall all Nvidia software program from my PC and rebooted. Standard stuff. I then used the unbelievable DDU Uninstaller tool to make sure that Nvidia’s bits have been actually and fully eradicated, and rebooted. Everything went fantastic.
Then the issues began.
I opened up Chrome, navigated to AMD’s web site, and downloaded the WQHL-certified Adrenalin 23.2.2 drivers that the positioning advisable for a 7900 XT. Then I put in the motive force, checking the field to carry out a “factory reset” clear set up slightly than an upgrade-in-place. It seems that checking that field, carried out along side a silent Windows replace occurring within the background with out my data, in all probability led to my rig’s downfall.
Everything went nicely—till the software program mentioned I wanted to reboot my PC to complete the motive force set up. After restarting, my system hit the MSI BIOS splash web page like regular, however the second it tried loading Windows it instantly suffered a Blue Screen of Death, flashing the “Inaccessible Boot Device” error code proven within the picture within the tweet under (which is unrelated to this AMD difficulty). Ugh. The system then began an limitless cycle of BSOD > reboot > BSOD > reboot with out kicking off computerized restore makes an attempt or presenting me the standard Windows troubleshooting choices.
I didn’t have time to troubleshoot it so I powered down the system and tried once more the subsequent day. Same deal. I yanked out the customized Radeon RX 7900 XT I would like to check and changed it with AMD’s reference Radeon RX 7900 XT. This time, after two BSOD > reboot cycles, Windows tried to routinely restore the system after the BIOS splash display. Success! …or so I assumed. But I used to be terribly, terribly flawed.
Instead of correcting the difficulty, deciding on Startup Repair made it even worse. When it was carried out, the display went darkish and fully unresponsive (whereas nonetheless powered on). Now, at any time when I attempted besides the pc, I noticed the little “Windows thinking about it” circle spinning after the BIOS display for a short second, then a return to the infinite blackness. My Windows set up was hosed so exhausting that the BSOD crashes didn’t even happen anymore, and I had no likelihood to strive normal Windows troubleshooting efforts.
In desperation I attempted changing the Radeon RX 7900 XT with the RTX 4070 Ti and an Intel Arc A750—GPUs I’ve examined prior to now two weeks, that labored reliably—however to no avail.
Googling the difficulty surfaced this WCCFTech article from mid-February together with loads of different protection, citing quite a few person stories of Adrenalin 23.2.1 destroying their Windows installs. It is a deeply irritating expertise, and one that will be disastrous for the standard PC gamer. I tweeted about my woes and an AMD consultant emailed me inside minutes. Obviously, being the chief editor of PCWorld might fast-track me for a fast response (although once more, AMD representatives are very responsive to driver feedback on social media). In this case, my high-profile complications managed to assist AMD probe the core difficulty, so I can present troubleshooting steps that labored for me and fortunately report {that a} everlasting repair is being investigated.
How to repair Radeon drivers corrupting your Windows set up
We spent two days going by numerous troubleshooting fixes whereas AMD engineers tried reproducing and diagnosing the issue. Swapping GPUs, attempting new screens, yanking the show cable out at totally different instances, clearing the CMOS, and guaranteeing UEFI was chosen as an alternative of CSM within the BIOS (it was!) all proved fruitless.
But this morning, AMD’s workforce bought 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 Windows into forcing an computerized restoration try. I attempted it 4 instances to no avail. I used to be informed to stick with it, that it would work ultimately. And after fifteen whole tries, it did!
I’m unsure what brought about it to lastly catch, however timing appeared to play an element in it. Hitting the facility button whereas the BIOS keypress choices have been up merely turned off my PC instantly. Hitting it as soon as the spinning “Windows thinking” icon appeared stored the PC on, however did nothing—my system merely black-screened once more. But ultimately, I managed to hit the facility button within the cut up second between the BIOS choices disappearing and the Windows circle showing, and that managed to kickstart an computerized restoration try.
You need to choose the System Restore choice and choose a restore level from previous to the Windows corruption. Windows ought to routinely have created one simply earlier than putting in the brand new GPU drivers.
IDG
Success!
After Windows did its factor for a bit, I finally wound up within the 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 Repair 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. If you’ve suffered from the latest Adrenalin drivers corrupting your Windows set up, do this course of to hopefully get again in your ft.
But how did this occur, and how will you stop it from occurring to you?
How to keep away from Radeon drivers breaking your Windows set up
AMD tells me it took dozens of makes an attempt to recreate the difficulty of their labs attributable to its excessive rarity. On a name, one consultant really referred to as me “patient zero.” The firm supplied me with the next assertion whereas its investigation is ongoing:
“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” choice is unchecked throughout the AMD driver set up course of. We are dedicated to resolve points as rapidly as doable and strongly encourage customers to submit points with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition by way of the Bug Report Tool.”
It’s value noting that my model of Windows 10 was up to date previous to trying the Adrenalin Software set up, however the Game Bar or another a part of Windows might have been silently updating within the background to kickstart this catastrophe.
DO NOT click on “additional options” and test the “factory reset” field till the core difficulty is mounted!
AMD
As a workaround, merely don’t test that manufacturing facility reset field in case you’re putting in new Radeon drivers. There’s no purpose to take action in case you’ve already bought a working Radeon GPU arrange and are merely updating to the most recent drivers anyway. Simple 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 appeal.
A damned disgrace
It’s a damned disgrace this occurred. Most excruciatingly for myself and different players who had their Windows set up deeply corrupted, in fact, but additionally 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. People slammed the iffy state of Radeon drivers for years. AMD listened and poured great funding and energy into sprucing them up. Now, Team Red’s drivers are even higher than Nvidia’s common Game Ready 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 users experiencing no crashes when AMD Software is installed.”
There’s little question that AMD’s driver stability and general stability at the moment are proper up there with one of the best of them after years of intense refinement. This is an especially uncommon edge case. It positive sucks being in that 0.05%! But points this catastrophic harm the trigger to rebuild Radeon software program’s picture, irrespective of how uncommon they’re. Regardless of whether or not Windows or AMD is guilty ultimately, this expertise is the kind of factor that will instantly make many PC players swear off Radeon GPUs ceaselessly, and inform all their mates why. And that’s a disgrace.
Several Radeon GPUs maintain spots in our roundup of the best graphics cards. I’m not going to take away them regardless of my private catastrophe. This extreme difficulty 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 by the roof. And sure, AMD’s drivers are certainly rock-solid the huge majority of the time. This specific situation might have been catastrophic with out AMD’s direct assist, however no software program is ideal—particularly within the complicated PC ecosystem—and whereas I bought caught in a deeply irritating scenario, there’s solely a microscopic likelihood of it affecting you. (And hopefully this text may also help you if it does.)
Most individuals don’t test the manufacturing facility set up field anyway. Just make sure you don’t both till a everlasting repair is launched.