How to Fix if the NVIDIA Driver Could Not Find Compatible Graphics Hardware

NVIDIA is the most reputed graphics card maker in the world, but there are some errors which are unique for its products. One such error is the “NVIDIA Installer cannot continue” error or the “NVIDIA driver could not find compatible graphic hardware” error. This error occurs when users are trying to install their new NVIDIA graphics card drivers on their computer. The solution for this error is lengthy and complicated, which is why most users don’t know how to implement it properly. Therefore, in this tutorial, we will tell you in simple steps how to fix “NVIDIA driver could not find compatible graphics hardware” error on your Windows computer.

Error 1: “NVIDIA Installer Cannot Continue. The graphic driver could not find compatible graphics hardware”

Error 2:“NVIDIA Installer Cannot Continue. The graphic driver could not find compatible with this version of Windows.”

Error 3: “NVIDIA Installer Failed.“

Why ‘NVIDIA Driver Could Not Find Compatible Graphics Hardware’ Error Occurs?

Most users think that this error occurs because they have downloaded the wrong driver, but that’s not the case. Therefore, before trying its solution you must know the actual cause behind this error. First, you should know that this error is caused due to a technical mistake from the NVIDIA’s side and there is no problem with your computer. This error is caused primarily due to two reasons:

• Wrong Device ID: Whenever you install a device driver on your computer, the driver software provides the Device ID to verify the device for which the driver is being installed. If this Device ID is wrong, then the driver is unable to recognize the device on your computer because of its wrong ID. This stops the installation of the driver and you receive errors which may say that your device is incompatible.
• Enforced Driver Signing: Enforced driver signing feature in Windows stops the installation of unverified drivers on your Windows computer. If this option is enabled, then it stops the driver signature enforcement during the driver installation. Therefore, Windows doesn’t complete the driver installation and you are shown errors which may say that your driver is incorrect.

Now that you know what the primary cause behind this NVIDIA error it’s time to look at its solution so that you can get rid of NVIDIA drivers that could not find compatible hardware errors.

How to Fix ‘NVIDIA Driver Could Not Find Compatible Graphics Hardware’?

The solution given below will require you to execute a lot of steps. Therefore, before starting to implement this solution you must carefully read all the steps and follow them in their correct order to get desired results.

1. Run the NVIDIA driver installation file.
   
2. Leave the default extraction path unchanged or note down the path if you change it, then click on the ‘OK’ button.
   
3. Wait for the driver files to self-extract on your computer.
   
4. Wait as the installer checks your system compatibility.
   
5. When you see the ‘NVIDIA Installer cannot continue’ error, then leave the installer running and don’t close it. This needs to be done because the NVIDIA folder will get deleted when you will close the installer.
   
6. Open C drive of your computer or the drive where you extracted the driver files in Step 2.
   
7. Copy the ‘NVIDIA’ folder by right-clicking it.
   
8. Paste the folder on your Windows Desktop.
   
9. Now that you have taken the backup of the NVIDIA folder you can click on the ‘CLOSE’ button to close the installer.
   
10. Type ‘Device Manager‘ in the search box and select ‘Device Manager’ from the results.
    
11. In the Device Manager window, expand ‘Display adapters’ option to see your graphics card. Right click your graphics card and select ‘Properties’ from the menu.
    
12. In the Properties window, select the ‘Details’ tab, then click on the ‘down’ arrow below Property field and choose ‘Hardware Ids’ option from the list.
    
13. Right click the first value in the list and select ‘Copy’ to copy it in your clipboard. You will need this value in future steps.
    
14. Click on the ‘OK’ button to close the Properties window.
    
15. Open the ‘NVIDIA’ folder you pasted on Windows Desktop in Step 8.
    
16. Inside the NVIDIA folder, open ‘DisplayDriver’ folder, then ‘430.86’ (or whatever version of your driver) folder, then ‘Win10_64’ (or your Windows version) folder, then ‘International’ folder, and finally ‘Display.Driver’ folder. In the Display.Driver folder, locate and open (in notepad) the ‘nvaci.inf’ file.
    
17. In the INF file, scroll down to ‘[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64…14310]’, then replace the value in the first line below with the value you copied in Step 13. Since that value is still in your clipboard you can select the old value as shown in the image below, then press ‘Crtl + V’ keys to paste the new value.
    
18. You will see the new value in the first line.
    
19. Now, scroll down to ‘[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64.10.0…16299]’, then select the old value in the first line (as shown in the image below) and press ‘Ctrl + V’ keys to paste the new value you copied in Step 13.
    
20. You should see the new value in the first line.
    
21. Now, scroll down to ‘[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64.10.0]’, then select the old value on the first line (as shown below) and press ‘Crtl +V’ keys to paste the new value you copied in Step 13.
    
22. You can see the new value in the first line.
    
23. Click the ‘File’ option on the top and select ‘Save’ to save the changes in nvaci.inf file.
    
24. Type ‘settings’ in the Windows search box and select ‘Settings’ from the results.
    
25. In the Settings page, select ‘Update & Security’ option.
    
26. Under Update & Security, choose ‘Recovery’ and click on ‘Restart now’ button below Advanced Startup.
    
27. Choose ‘Troubleshoot’ option.
    
28. Select ‘Advanced options’ to continue.
    
29. Choose ‘Startup Settings’ option to proceed.
    
30. In the Startup Settings, select ‘Disable driver signature enforcement’ option. Usually, its option ‘7’.
    
31. When you can see the Windows Desktop, then open the ‘NVIDIA’ folder.
    
32. Inside the NVIDIA folder, open ‘DisplayDriver’ folder, then ‘430.86’ (or whatever version of your driver) folder, then ‘Win10_64’ (or your Windows version) folder, and finally the ‘International’ folder. In the International folder, scroll to locate and run the ‘setup.exe’ file to start the installation of the NVIDIA graphics driver.
    
33. Wait for the driver installer to start.
    
34. Wait as the installer checks your system for compatibility.
    
35. Click on ‘AGREE AND CONTINUE’ button to accept the NVIDIA software license agreement.
    
36. Click ‘Next’ button to move to the next step.
    
37. Wait for the installer to prepare your computer for the driver installation.
    
38. Wait as the installer installs the graphics driver on your computer and follow the prompts to complete the driver installation process.
    

Once you have properly installed your new NVIDIA graphics driver, you can use your graphics card to its full potential.

Now you know how to fix NVIDIA drivers that could not find compatible hardware errors without changing your driver files or graphics hardware. In this guide, we have clearly described that the NVIDIA Installer cannot continue error doesn’t occur because of the wrong driver file or due to some hardware issues. Although the solution shared above may seem time consuming or complicated, it solves this NVIDIA error by addressing its actual causes.