How to Fix the Video Engine Timeout Error on Windows
If you are a Windows user who is constantly getting this error, it may be a sign that your video card is not working properly. If so, this article will walk you through some of the best ways to resolve this error.
One of the most common causes of this error is an incompatible driver. In this case, you can try downloading the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website.
System File Checker
Windows provides a utility known as the System File Checker, which is used to check for corruption in protected system files. It repairs corrupted or missing system files automatically or manually, depending on the severity of the problem.
This tool can be very helpful to resolve a wide variety of issues related to the integrity of the Windows operating system. Often, system errors can be attributed to damaged or changed system files.
The Windows operating system attempts to detect situations in which computers appear to be completely frozen and then attempt to dynamically recover from these “frozen” situations so that desktops remain responsive. This process is formally called timeout detection and recovery, abbreviated as TDR.
TDR involves the OS-based GPU scheduler calling the display miniport driver’s DxgkDdiResetFromTimeout function to reinitialize the driver and reset the GPU. The OS returns either VIDEO_TDR_TIMEOUT_DETECTED or VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE to indicate the successful completion of this process.
DISM
If you haven’t already, try running a scan with DISM (deployment image service) and SFC (system file checker). Both utilities are a must-have for every Windows user, as they’re relatively easy to use and detect most system faults.
DISM is a command-line tool that allows you to check the health of an OS image, including its files and components. It can be used to repair issues like nvlddmkm.sys, which can be caused by corrupted system files.
In the case of Microsoft Windows, DISM is installed with the operating system, and it’s also distributed in the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit. It’s a powerful utility that can be used to repair Windows images, and it works well with a variety of platforms.
To fix this error, you can disable applications that use hardware acceleration, which renders graphics via your video card rather than the CPU. For example, some web browsers use hardware acceleration to improve the speed of your browsing experience.
Reinstalling the Graphics Driver
Graphics drivers are software that let your computer’s graphics card operate. In other words, a driver tells your computer how to turn digital code (zeros and ones) into images, pictures and videos.
The first fix you can try is to install the latest NVIDIA drivers from the NVIDIA website. You can use their free drivers, but if you’re using a more advanced graphics card or want to take advantage of other features, you might want to consider downloading their Pro version.
Alternatively, you can use Windows Device Manager to automatically download and install the latest drivers for your graphics card. Just navigate to the device manager, and select your graphics card from the list.
Another possible reason your NVIDIA driver might be failing to install is that there are other applications on your system that are preventing it from launching. These might include GPU monitoring utilities and antivirus programs.
Resetting the Bios Settings
The BIOS is the part of your computer that tests and activates everything you need to start up. It then hands over responsibility for program operation to your CPU.
Often, the BIOS reset option can help you fix boot issues and other errors. This process is usually straightforward and can be done quickly from the startup screen.
Reseting your BIOS settings will erase all the specific setting data in RAM / flash / EEPROM chips and reset them back to the default values used by your hardware. This isn’t something you should do routinely but it may be needed when you have a computer with problems that aren’t related to software or malware.
If you’re experiencing this problem, try modifying the timeout delay that Windows uses for GPU drivers in the Windows Registry. By adding/updating the TdrDelay registry value, you can increase the amount of time that a GPU driver waits before it reports a ‘Timeout Detection and Recovery’ failure (TDR). This should resolve the issue.