Microsoft's Windows operating system is known for its very interesting glitches. Either a device disappears, or a "blue screen of death" appears for no apparent reason. However, the sudden disappearance of the video card from the “Device Manager” is a particular headache for users and gamers. If the video card is not displayed in the device manager, there can be several reasons for this: from the banal "glitch" of the operating system to a hardware malfunction. You need to correctly determine the type of problem and solve it. That's all.
Possible causes of the malfunction
So, why the video card is not displayed in the "Device Manager"? Perhaps the reason is that the system is using the wrong driver for this device. Also, this OS behavior is possible in the absence of drivers for the video card. Such an option is not ruled out: the chipset and motherboard drivers are incorrectly installed. But the worst reason is the failure of the video adapter itself. This computer component is quite expensive. Therefore, its failure is usually accompanied by panic from the user. This is especially noticeable for PC owners with one video card.
Things are slightly different with hybrid graphics laptops (integrated card along with a discrete one). Most often, a discrete video card is not displayed in the "Device Manager". Everything is in order with the integrated one, since drivers for the chipset are responsible for it. This configuration of the laptop plays a positive role in the event that the discrete adapter fails due to a hardware failure. There is always the opportunity to run a laptop on the integrated graphics. However, let's try to solve the problem of the disappearance of the video card.
If there are no drivers needed
This is the most common cause of problems. Some operating systems (such as Windows 10) spontaneously install outdated device drivers that reside on Microsoft servers. The use of such drivers leads to the fact that in the "Device Manager" does not display the video card. You need to download the latest version of software from the manufacturer's website of the video adapter. And install only her. Sometimes this option is not suitable due to the inability to install. In this case, the operating system encountered errors that need to be fixed. It is required to launch the Run program by pressing Win and E. On the line, enter the sfc / scannow command and press Enter. After the process is completed, you need to restart the computer or laptop and repeat the procedure for installing new drivers. Everything should go well.
BIOS Manipulation
It often happens that the "Device Manager" does not display the video card (discrete on laptops with hybrid graphics) simply because it is disabled in the BIOS. Digging into the settings of this complex interface is not worth it. Unknowingly, you can easily "kill" a computer. It will be enough to reset the BIOS to factory settings. There are several ways to do this. The easiest is to remove the tablet battery from the motherboard. This will reset all BIOS values to standard. If such drastic measures are not suitable, then you need to enter the BIOS when the machine boots up (different buttons use different buttons, but most often Del, F2, F11 or Enter), select Load Fail-safe defaults and press the F10 button. The last action will save the changes to the BIOS and restart the computer. After rebooting, the video card should appear in the "Device Manager".
Using System Restore
Windows has a great option that can roll back the operating system to the point where everything worked. However, this option only works if system recovery is included in the OS, and Windows creates breakpoints before each dubious action. If the AMD graphics card is not displayed in the "Device Manager", then go to the "Start" menu, select the "Service" folder and click on the "Backup and Restore" item. The system recovery wizard launches, which prompts you to "roll back" it using several control points. You need to choose those that are known for sure that the video card was detected. After the recovery process is complete, the program will require you to restart the computer. Must agree. After a reboot, a video card should appear in the "Device Manager".
Virus Cleanup
Often this behavior of a computer can be caused by the activity of viruses and various malicious programs. If the NVidia graphics card is not displayed in the “Device Manager” for this reason, then all that is needed is to install a good antivirus product and comprehensively scan your computer for viruses and other malicious software. Such antiviruses as Dr Web CureIT, Kaspersky and NOD32 from ESET have proven themselves very well. Just keep in mind that you need to check not only hard drives, but also the startup area. It is there that many viruses like to "encrypt". After completing the scanning process, which may take quite a while, it is recommended that you restart your PC or laptop. After rebooting, you can try reinstalling the drivers on the video card. Everything should work.
Checking the connection of the video adapter
This method is suitable only for owners of full-fledged PCs. It is in them that it is possible to get to the video card, check its connection and clean contacts. If the video card is not displayed in the device manager, you need to completely turn off the computer and turn off its power. Then you should open the side cover, find the video adapter and examine it for connection quality. If visually everything is fine, then just remove and insert the video card back. It will not be superfluous to also wipe the contacts of the video adapter board with alcohol. This will help organize a more stable connection. Now you need to insert the video card back, close the cover, turn on the computer in the electrical network and start it. After loading the operating system, you need to start the "Device Manager" and look for the video card in the list of devices. If it is, then the problems were with the connection.
If the graphics card is built-in
If the integrated video card is not displayed in the device manager, then this may be due to improperly installed drivers on the chipset or motherboard. You must download the latest drivers on the device manufacturer’s website, remove old versions and install new ones. After performing this process, you must restart your computer or laptop. If the integrated card is still not displayed, then this means that it is completely out of order and needs to be replaced.
Finally
So, if the video card is not displayed in the "Device Manager", then there can be many reasons for this. The main thing is to correctly determine the cause of the breakdown. Then it will be possible to eliminate it. However, not all so simple. If the video adapter fails, then no tricks will help here. In this case, you will have to change the video card. This applies to both integrated and discrete video adapters. But in most cases, the causes of such malfunctions are “crooked” drivers or the results of viruses and other malicious software. And this is easy to figure out. You just need to clearly follow the instructions.