Jun. 24, 2022 / Updated by Bessie Shaw to Windows Driver Solutions
From time to time, users are encountering display adapters driver issue - “The device cannot start (Code 10)”. The code 10 error is one of the several device manager error codes such as code 43, code 52, code 31 and so on. It could apply to any devices but mostly appears on USB devices, network adapters, and sound cards. And it could appear on any system including Windows 10, Windows 8.1 / 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.
1. The driver generates an error that the device manager cannot understand.
2. Outdated or corrupted drivers.
3. Conflicting devices.
4. Improper settings in BIOS.
Given the causes demonstrated above, you have the following solutions to fix the “The device cannot start (Code 10)" error of graphics/video card.
You can do the uninstall and reinstall manually or automatically using driver updating software like Driver Talent.
Manual guide:
1. Click Start menu and search "device manager" then press Enter to open the Device Manager.
2. Locate and expand "Display adapters".
3. Right click your graphics card, choose Properties.
4. Locate the Driver tab, then you have 5 options listed on the buttons: Driver Details, Update Driver, Roll Back Driver, Disable, Uninstall. Here we choose "Unisntall" to remove the driver.
5. In the confirmation box, click OK to continue.
Now you have completed the driver uninstall. Let's reinstall with the official driver by the following steps:
1. If you own a laptop, go to the laptop manufacture's website. The drivers are mostly located under Support. Then choose your laptop model, Windows system, and your device to locate the driver. Download it and install it on your laptop.
2. If you own a desktop, please check your display adapter manufacture, and go to the manufacture's website. Do as similarly in step 1.
After the driver reinstall, you need to restart your computer to let the driver change take effect.
Automatic guide:
To Uninstall and Reinstall display driver automatically, you need the help of driver update software. Let's take Driver Talent as the example to illustrate the steps.
Step 1: You need to download Driver Talent from the official website. Install it on your computer.
Step 2: Launch it and click Scan. When done, it will list your drivers and corresponding status.
Step 3: Click Rescue Center, and choose Uninstall Drivers.
Step 4: Choose Display adaptersand click Uninstall.
Now you have removed the video card driver.Let's click Driver Status tab and click Rescan.Then it will identify the display driver as "Need to be repaired".Click Repair, then Driver Talent will install the display driver automatically. You can try several versions of the display driver from the driver list. Sometimes, the old driver could fix the code 10 error.
Follow the steps below:
Step 1. Press Windows + R to launch Run box.
Step 2. Type “regedit”into the Run dialog box and hit Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
Step 3. Navigate to: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class.
Step 4. Find {4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} under the Class and click it to expand it.
Step 5. Find the registry values titled UpperFilters and LowerFilters in the right pane, then right click them and select Delete from the pop-up menu to delete them. Select Yes when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.
Note: If you don't see the UpperFilters registry value or the LowerFilters registry value, this method is not for you. And if there is just one of them on your registry, delete that one and move on.
Step 6. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
The Code 10 error is sometimes a result of not having the option "Assign IRQ to VGA" enabled in your motherboard system BIOS. So you can enable this option in your BIOS to fix the code 10 error.
Note: Making changes to your system BIOS can cause your computer to malfunction or become inoperable. If you are unsure how to make BIOS changes, please seek assistance from technician or your friends. If you are familiar with changing BIOS, please try to follow the steps below to proceed.
Step 1: Repeatedly click the “F1” or “Del” key on your keyboard as soon as you turn on your computer until it brings you to the system BIOS.If it failed to enter your system BIOS with this method, please consult your motherboard manufacturer for help.
Step 2: After you entered the system BIOS, search for the option “Assign IRQ to VGA”. Make sure it is enabled and save these settings.
Step 3: Exit the system BIOS and boot back into Windows.
System reinstall should troubleshoot nearly all computer issues except the broken hardware issues. Please make a backup before doing system reinstall/restore to prevent data loss.
If reinstalling system cannot fix this code 10 error, you may consider replacing the video card. Or you can take your computer to a repair store for help.
If you fixed “The device cannot start (Code 10)” error with the method above or a method that I don't mention on the above, please share it in the comment. It would help more people. Thank you for your sharing in advance.
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