Mar 26, 2025 • Filed to: Photo/Video/Audio Solutions • Proven solutions
Graphics cards are a fine piece of technology responsible for handling and outputting images on your system's screen. While they enhance your computer's graphics by speeding up the overall graphics processing time, they may not be necessary if you do not carry out activities that require heavy graphics processing (such as modern gaming or 3D modeling) on your device.
Graphics card errors could cause your device to periodically malfunction –especially while playing heavy games. You may have experiences of your computer freezing, hanging, crashing, and abnormal screen color display or weird color patterns on your screen.
These are some symptoms to take note of:
All these are symptoms of a bad graphics card. This guide provides several ways of fixing these errors, but before jumping into the fixes available for bad graphics cards, here are a few things you should know:
A graphics card is a graphics-enhancing technology; It may be a display adapter or video card within a computer's motherboard or installed and connected to the motherboard externally. The graphics card is a piece dedicated to providing very clear or high definition graphics data. In most cases, large games or software for 3D modeling will require a high GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), which may not come originally built into your device. In such cases, a graphics card will be required for optimal user experience.
Numerous errors can cause your graphics or video card to fail. Here's a summary of what leads to a broken graphics card:
The causes of graphics card failure are numerous, but those listed above are usually the case. Generally, overheating and power supply issues are the major causes. The effects of overheating can be severe and immediate (usually the cause of the video card error 43). Your graphics card is an electronic device made of tiny electronic components such as resistors and capacitors; an increase in temperature beyond your card's limit can result in these components physically damaged.
Your GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) requires a constant and sufficient power supply, especially when playing games that heavily utilize your GPU.
The symptoms of graphics or video card errors are numerous. It would help if you were mindful of your graphics card whenever you notice any of these symptoms. Here's a summary:
There's no distinction between graphics cards and video cards –they mean the same things. However, there's a distinction between the symptoms of graphics card errors and video errors, and this is not to be mistaken for normal video errors. Symptoms of graphics card errors have been listed above under the 'Symptoms of Bad Graphics Card' while symptoms of video errors as a result of bad graphics card includes:
Okay, let's dive straight into the various known ways of solving graphics card errors without wasting more time.
Before running to a technician or disassembling it yourself to go real technical on it, here are a few things to try to fix your graphics card errors the easy way. First, recall that there are some symptoms of bad graphics card errors, as mentioned earlier in this post. Recalling these symptoms may make it easier for you. A poorly ventilated graphics card, for instance, may need good ventilation to work again. So, try these things:
Overheating is one of the most common causes of graphics card errors. Whether the graphics card came with its cooling system or depends on the main device's cooling system requires proper ventilation.
One way to know if your motherboard or graphics card is overheating is if you hear a sudden roaring fan sound in your device after launching a video game that utilizes lots of your GPU. Always use your device in well-ventilated places –especially when playing games. All the heat generated by your computer's motherboard needs to be dissipated.
Apart from the possibility that your graphics or video card drivers are outdated, it is always good to check and update your drivers. Updating your graphics card drivers is a good way to keep up with the ever-changing gaming technologies.
Check the link that corresponds to your graphic card's manufacturers;
Better still, you can automatically update drivers on Windows using the following steps:
Step 1. Launch Device Manager
Hold down the Windows Key + R on your keyboard, type cmd into the dialogue that pops up, and launch the Windows command prompt.
Step 2. Type 'devmgmt. msc' into the window and hit the Enter key on your keyboard.
Alternatively, you can click the Windows icon at the bottom left corner of your screen and type "Device Manager" into the search box to find and launch it.
Step 3. Expand "Display Adaptors"
Step 4.Select the name of your graphics card and click the "Update" icon.
Step 5. Select the search method
It is unlikely that your graphics card is disabled, but why wonder if you can easily check to confirm?
You can disable or enable your graphics card from the Device Manager on Windows. You can open the device manager on windows by typing 'devmgmt. msc' into the Windows command prompt. Launch Device Manager and double-click on the "Display Adaptors" option, and right-click on your graphics driver to enable or disable it. You should restart your device for your action to take effect properly.
Revisit your Device manager under the Display adaptors option and right-click on your graphics card, and view properties. From the properties page, you'll be able to view the device status. Error codes like code 43 or 12 could be displayed. Any error code denotes an error on your graphics card. The next step (if you find an error code) will follow the troubleshooting methods and guide to fix the graphics or video card error.
If your graphics card issues persist, you should probably take out your graphics card and wipe the dust out of it. This process should be left for a computer technician if you aren't one. Since most graphics drivers have their cooling system (fans), it is also necessary to check and confirm if they are working. Non-functional cooling fans will lead to overheating of the graphics card and probably affect your system's motherboard.
It is effortless for a bad computer screen to display colors or periodically go blank –which can be easily mistaken for a graphics card error! One way to confirm the fault is from your graphics card and not from your device itself is to replace your graphics card with another. You can use a friend's or purchase one. If the newer graphics card does not work, then the fault is probably from your main device. However, if the newer graphics card works, you've probably been working with a damaged graphics card. In which case, you'll have to get a replacement for it.
Your graphic card manufacturers will know exactly what's wrong with your card if you contact them and explain the symptoms to them. Most manufacturers will issue a replacement for cases such as a broken cooling system or offer a more detailed explanation to you and what next to do.
Graphics cards must be properly connected to all terminals or PCI slots before they'll function as expected. You should check if it is well seated or not.
Wondershare Repairit Video Repair is easy to use and understand. The video repair tool is capable and very efficient when it comes to corrupt videos playing on chrome.
To fix your video file (the MOV, MP4, M2TS, MKV, MTS, 3GP, AVI, FLV, and 3GP) with the Wondershare Repairit, follow the steps below. Download and install this software if you do not have it installed on your system.
Step 1: Add Corrupted Video
Open the folder/location where you have the corrupt video. Next, you drag and drop the corrupt file on the "Add videos and start repairing" panel. Alternatively, you can also click the "Add" button located on the software's interface's bottom-left corner.
Step 2: Repair Video
Do you see that blue "Repair" button to the bottom-right of the software? Click it. When the repair process is complete, a window will pop up and ask you to save and preview the video you repaired. Click on the "OK" button to save the video to a location.
Step 3: Preview the Repaired Video
Look to the edge of the software on the right. There's a little black button that looks like a traditional "play" button. Click on it to preview the video. This is optional, but it is advised because it enables you to confirm if the repair process was a success or not before saving it. But don't worry, be rest assured that your video file will probably work fine.
The Advanced Repair is the feature you use when your video is particularly damaged. In the preview window, look to the bottom-right of Wondershare's interface, and you'll see "Preview failed? Try Advanced Repair". Click it.
Step 4: Add Sample Video
A smaller window will open up. Click the folder icon as highlighted with the red box in the image below, "Adding Sample Video to Repair," then choose the sample video. If you don't know what it is, a sample video is a working video or file recorded with the same device and in the same format as the damaged video.
The Advanced Repair mode can take the sample video's information and use it to repair the corrupt video. You have to admit, that's quite innovative, no?
Click the "Repair" button at the bottom of the small window. It will close and take you back to the previous window. But have it at the back of your mind that the video you repaired in Quick Repair won't be saved if you initiate Advanced Repair. So, save the video if you want by clicking "Yes" on the window that pops up or clicks "No" if you want to proceed.
Step 5: Save Video
Click on the "Save" button on the interface's upper-right section, and another dialogue box will pop up. You'll see this prompt on it: "Select a location to save the recovered files. Please do not save files to the path where you lost them." Doing this could prevent certain persistent issues.
You can choose any location or drive, as long as you have enough space. Choose drive "D" or "E," but it's not advised you to choose "C." You will now be presented with two options: If you click the "Recover" button, the repaired video will be saved in the drive you chose, but if you click on the "New Folder" button before the "Recover" one, the repaired video will be saved in the "New Folder." Quite simple, right?
It's advised to give the new folder a name, so searching or locating it will be easier. This is especially important if you have a large bunch of files in your drive. Just wait for a few seconds, and the repaired video will be saved.
That's all for the Wondershare Repairit Video Repair tool. You're surprised at how simple and user-friendly it is, aren't you? As long as you follow these steps properly, your video will be working fine again!
Graphics cards produce quality and high definition graphics, videos, and images. However, graphics cards are delicate as any form of overheating, or poor ventilation could cause serious damages to them. This guide has provided details of everything that could go wrong with graphics cards, prevention tips, and how to fix bad graphics cards.
Over the years, there have been certain misconceptions and questions about graphics cards. Here are a few things you should know.
How long do graphics cards last?
How do I test my graphics card?
How do I upgrade my graphics card?
How can I protect my computer videos?
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Eleanor Reed
staff Editor