What to do if the laptop does not see the video card

Video cards in laptops are integrated and discrete. The former are built directly into the processor and are needed to ensure “minimal life”. You won’t be able to play on them — well, except for something very old and not too demanding on resources.

Much more interesting are discrete graphics cards in laptops. They are a separate chip on the motherboard, which is needed to process «heavy» graphics. On laptops with discrete graphics accelerators, you can play, and work in AutoCAD with 3D, and do other visualization.

However, there are situations when the laptop does not «see» one of the video cards. This does not always indicate a breakdown of the device; in some cases, you can get by with independent manipulations. The procedure is as follows:

1. Reinstall the drivers by removing the old ones and installing the new ones;

2. Reinstall Windows.

However, each of these actions has certain nuances.

How to uninstall old video card drivers

Very often, the laptop does not «see» the video card, because the drivers for it do not work correctly. So the solution is to reinstall them. But first you need to remove the old ones.

Instruction:

1. Open «My Computer» (or «This PC» depending on the operating system you are using) and right-click anywhere;

2. Select «Properties» in the context menu that appears;

3. In the panel on the left, click on the link «Device Manager»;

4. In the Device Manager window that opens, open the Display adapters item. You will see your video cards;

5. Double left click on one of them. The properties window will open. In it, go to the «Driver» tab;

6. At the bottom there will be a «Delete» button. Click on it. Click on «OK» in the warning that after that the device may not work or work incorrectly;

7. Repeat steps 5-6 for the second video adapter;

8. Restart your computer.

After that, it will go into the «minimum vital activity» mode. The image on the screen may be too large or too small. Be patient a little.

How to install video card drivers on a laptop

Now connect to the internet and open a browser. Go to your laptop manufacturer’s website and look for support or downloads there.

Better yet, just google for “driver laptop manufacturer”. Replace «laptop_manufacturer» with your brand. For example, for HP laptops, the query will sound like «HP drivers». Most likely, the first option offered by Google will lead you to the manufacturer’s website.

Instruction:

1. Open the download section of the mobile computer manufacturer’s website;

2. Specify your model (its name can be found on the box or a sticker on the bottom of the laptop case). Also, if necessary, indicate the operating system used and the preferred language;

3. In the proposed list of software, select the section «Video», «Video cards», Display or something like that;

4. Download the latest versions of applications for integrated and discrete graphics cards;

5. Install the integrated video adapter software first (most likely it will be some kind of Intel HD Graphics), and then the discrete one, rebooting after each installation.

What should I do if the laptop manufacturer does not have video card drivers on the site?

If the laptop manufacturer does not offer compatible software, or if you have an operating system different from the proposed one, then you can try using DriverPack. This program will automatically find the necessary drivers and install them.

Instruction:

1. Connect to the Internet and run DriverPack;

2. Wait while the program collects data about installed and available programs;

3. Enable — on new versions of DriverPack — the so-called «Expert Mode». The switch is somewhere at the bottom of the screen;

4. When a list of drivers appears, select only those offered for video adapters;

5. Install them and restart your computer.

If this does not help, then there is only one thing left — to reinstall Windows.

Features of reinstalling Windows on a laptop

It makes no sense to write a long instruction on reinstalling Windows. This is done quite easily. However, if you need to restore the operation of video cards on a laptop, it is worth considering a few subtleties.

1. When installing drivers, first install the one intended for the integrated video adapter (most likely, this is some kind of Intel HD Graphics), then for the discrete one;

2. If you are installing Windows 10, then immediately after launch, simply run the built-in update tool (Settings — Update and Security — Check for Updates) and do not touch anything. Windows 10 will install everything you need and even in the correct order;

3. If you have a discrete AMD graphics accelerator installed in your laptop, then the installation order is as follows — first for the integrated one, then for the discrete one, and finally for everything else. Otherwise, peripheral devices such as Bluetooth or USB 3.0 ports may not work. Reboot after each installation.

And most importantly — back up all important data before reinstalling.

What to do if everything has been tried, but the laptop still does not “see” the video card?

And now the bad news. Most likely, this indicates a breakdown of the graphic. And this means that you have a direct path to the service center.

At the same time, it is advisable to think — is it worth it to carry a laptop for repair at all? The fact is that damage to discrete video adapters is a serious problem, and serious solutions are also required. In the best case, you will need to reball (solder) the graphics chip, which, depending on the region and model of the mobile computer, will cost 40-100 $.

At worst, you will need to install a new graphics accelerator. Added to the cost of the reball is the price of the chip, which — even if you manage to find the right one for your model — will cost at least a lot.

Thus, if you carry a laptop to a service center, be prepared to give a considerable amount of money, which in some cases is comparable to the cost of a new laptop.