14 DAY TRIAL // A recent driver that showed up on Windows Update caused headaches for AMD users, as it pushed devices into a BSOD loop making it impossible to boot.
A reddit user first reported the problem earlier this week, explaining that a new AMD driver that showed up on Windows Update was offered automatically to their device and was pending a system reboot to install.
But after the restart, the device could no longer boot and the process failed with a BSOD indicating no boot devices were available. After rebooting several times, the Windows recovery system kicked in and restored the device to a previous working version, therefore getting rid of the driver.
While there’s no information as to how many devices have been impacted, there is two good news about the whole thing.
Update pulled from Windows Update
First and foremost, it’s the aforementioned tidbit – Windows 10’s automatic recovery system actually does the trick on all devices and helps restore every computer to a working state if BSODs are caused by this AMD driver. There’s nothing users need to do, as the system actually comes into play after three failed boots, eventually resetting the computer to the last known configuration that worked.
And second of all, it’s Microsoft taking action against the driver. As MakeUseOf reported, a Microsoft engineer responded on reddit to inform that the driver has been pulled from Windows Update, so in theory, no other devices should receive it.
What this means is that computers that did not receive the bad update are fully safe now, and the driver would only return when a working version is available.
On the other hand, owners of systems where the driver has already been restored can manually remove the driver or leave it to Windows 10, as the system automatically deletes it after the three failed uninstalls, with no re-installation then taking place given Windows Update no longer offers the update.