Several users have noticed that Windows 10 and 11 force the installation of AMD and Nvidia graphics drivers. These users have however disabled the automatic installation of these drivers which can cause problems on computers.
On Windows 11 and 10, users can configure the installation of OS updates. Via the GPMC (Group Policy Management Console), they can in particular choose to activate or deactivate automatic installation of graphics drivers with Windows updates. Indeed, in addition to the novelties of the OS such as support for file sharing in the WSA, Microsoft can also automatically install drivers such as those from Nvidia, AMD and Realtek when it deems appropriate. But here it is, Windows apparently ignored user settings to force install AMD and Nvidia drivers.
Similar to the Nvidia GeForce Game Ready 535.98 graphics driver which caused a screen flickering bug, not all graphics drivers are free from bugs and issues. This is often the reason why users prefer not to install them immediately. Several users apparently had no say in installing a few AMD and Nvidia drivers.
A PC crashed after forcibly installing a driver for an AMD graphics card
On Twitter, user “@ghost_motley” was among the first to share his discovery. It shows screenshots proving that I enabled the option to not include drivers with Windows Update downloads. However, ” Microsoft is lying again, Windows 11 now ignores the Group Policy editor and will install driver updates through Windows Update, even if you have disabled it “, he explains. In his case, it’s an Nvidia driver that installed automatically for its GeForce RTX 3090. The problem also seems to concern only the graphics drivers, whether those from AMD or Nvidia.
Our colleagues from Neowin have also checked the problem on their side. Even with the automatic installation option manually disabled, Windows forced installing a driver for a Radeon RX 6800 XT. No problems were reported with the installation of this driver, but user “@adi6293” was not so lucky. After the automatic installation of a driver for his AMD graphics card, Windows displayed an error message and his PC was no longer usable. He ended up reinstalling the operating system to fix the problem. It apparently failed to just reinstall the old drivers.
To avoid similar situations in the future, AMD recommended a fix. He advises to open the system properties by typing “sysdm.cpl” in the search box on the taskbar. You must then go to the “System properties”, then select the “Hardware” tab. Click “Device Installation Settings” and check “No”. Save changes and restart the computer to apply the changes.
Source : Neowin
