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Fix DXGI Device Removed Crashes After the 25H2 Update

DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED crashes after 25H2 are caused by GPU driver timeouts. Extend the TDR delay and clean install the GPU driver.

by@guidox updated:10/26/26 time:20 min level:Advanced works on:Windows 11 25H2 tools:Display Driver Uninstaller
⚠ Safety notice

Editing the registry carries a small risk of system instability. Create a System Restore point before modifying registry values.

TL;DR

The **DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED** crash means the GPU stopped responding and Windows reset it. The 25H2 update can trigger this with incompatible drivers. **Extend the TDR timeout** and **clean install the GPU driver** to fix it.

Before you start

Requirements

  • Admin rights
  • Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) from https://www.guru3d.com/download/display-driver-uninstaller-download/
  • Latest GPU driver installer downloaded before starting
Step by step

Instructions

01

Confirm the error in Event Viewer

Open **Event Viewer** and go to **Windows Logs > System**. Filter for **Source: Display** and look for Event ID 4101 with the text 'Display driver stopped responding and has recovered'. This confirms a TDR event.

eventvwr.msc
02

Extend the TDR delay in the registry

Windows resets the GPU after 2 seconds by default. Extend this to 8 seconds to give the driver more time to recover during heavy workloads.

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers" /v TdrDelay /t REG_DWORD /d 8 /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers" /v TdrDdiDelay /t REG_DWORD /d 8 /f
⚠ warningRestart your PC after adding these values. The TDR fix prevents the reset but does not address the root cause — continue to step 3.
03

Clean install the GPU driver with DDU

Boot into **Safe Mode**, run **DDU**, and select **Clean and restart**. After the reboot, install the GPU driver you downloaded earlier. Choose a clean install if the installer offers the option.

tipFor NVIDIA, use the driver from https://www.nvidia.com/drivers. For AMD, use https://www.amd.com/en/support. Avoid the optional/beta branch unless the stable branch also crashes.
04

Disable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling

Open **Settings > System > Display > Graphics > Change default graphics settings** and turn off **Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling**. This feature can conflict with certain driver versions after 25H2.

05

Verify in-game stability

Launch the game that was crashing and play for at least 30 minutes. Check **Event Viewer > System** for new Display warnings. No Event ID 4101 entries means the fix worked.

Troubleshooting

Common issues

TDR fix does not stop the crashes

The GPU may be overheating or failing. Monitor temperatures with HWiNFO and run a stress test. If crashes persist at safe temperatures, test the GPU in another PC to rule out hardware failure.

DDU fails to boot into Safe Mode

Hold Shift while clicking Restart in the Start menu, then navigate to **Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart** and press 4 for Safe Mode.

FAQ

Frequently asked

Will the TDR registry fix affect performance?

No. It only changes how long Windows waits before resetting an unresponsive GPU. Frame rates and input latency are unaffected.

Should I roll back to Windows 11 24H2?

Try the driver clean install first. Rolling back the OS is a last resort and only delays the problem until the next update.

Does this fix apply to AMD GPUs?

Yes. The TDR mechanism is a Windows feature, not GPU-specific. The same registry values apply to AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel GPUs.

How to undo this

Delete the TDR values with `reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers" /v TdrDelay /f` and `reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers" /v TdrDdiDelay /f`. Re-enable **Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling** in Settings. Restart.

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