Nvidia graphics cards are quite common due to their aggressive price to performance ratio. But, what if your system does not detect your shiny new GeForce RTX card after you plug it into your system? There can be a lot of reasons, including some extremely silly ones for this issue. It can be fixed with some very simple solutions unless you are completely out of luck. Let us look at some of these fixes.
How to Fix Nvidia Graphics Hardware Not Found?
While there can be a lot of reasons why your Nvidia graphics hardware won’t be detected by your system, the most common ones are due to the lack of updated drivers, update VGA BIOS versions and an outdated Windows installation. Most of the time, a single reinstallation can fix the issue too. Let us look at the most common fixes in more detail.
1. Reinstall Your Graphics Card
Most of the time, a single glitch or just dust accumulated on the PCIe x16 slot can cause issues as far as your graphics being not detected. So, in case you boot up your perfectly fine computer only to see that your graphics card is not being detected, try a quick reinstall. Clean the PCIe x16 slot if required. Reinstalling your card can fix the issue in a large number of scenarios.
2. Download Graphics Card Drivers
Drivers are a very essential bit of software to run any piece of hardware. Every component, starting from keyboards and mice to your GPU needs drivers. In the early days of personal computing, all drivers had to be downloaded and installed manually. But, Windows takes care of that part these days. But, still, you should head over to the official Nvidia website, and download the latest Game Ready Drivers for your graphics card.
Download the latest Nvidia drivers: https://www.nvidia.com/download/index.aspx
3. Update Windows
An outdated version of Windows might not be compatible with the latest graphics cards released on the market. Thus, it is absolutely necessary to keep Windows updated. To check for updates, head over to Settings → Windows Update → Check for Updates. Download and install any available updates.
4. Enable the Graphics Card
Although graphics cards are enabled by default, some other setting or the user himself or herself can end up disabling it. This can cause some issues with the proper functioning of the card. To enable the graphics card, follow these steps.
- Open Windows search by hitting Windows+S, and then type in “Device Manager”. Hit Enter.
- Head over to Display Adapters. Right-click on your Nvidia GeForce card, and hit “Enable Device” in case it is disabled from the menu that appears.
5. Update Your BIOS
Sometimes newer graphics cards need a BIOS update before you can enjoy them in the latest games. Updating your BIOS is a bit of a risk because a power loss midway can end up bricking your board. So, make sure you are connected to a backup UPS.
To check your current BIOS version, follow these steps:
- Hit Windows+R to open up Run, then type this command:
msinfo32
Then, hit Enter. - Your BIOS date and version will be listed in the highlighted row.
Now, check the latest BIOS version from your motherboard manufacturer’s page, and download it if there has been any release. Move the BIOS installer to a flash drive, and install it by rebooting your system, and entering the BIOS.
These are a bunch of fixes that can help you to get your graphics card to show up in Windows.