[Solved] NVIDIA Installer Failed Error

May 15, 2023 / Shayne Sherman

There are many reasons why an NVIDIA installation may fail, the most common being when upgrading the Operating System to Windows 10. During that time, Windows Update simultaneously tries downloading GPU drivers in the background, which takes about 10 minutes. If you attempt to launch a driver installation within those 10 minutes, you’ll likely get the error.

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It also happens when an incorrect driver for the respective GPU is installed. The error shows which elements of the driver package failed the installation and gives an option of closing that installer dialogue.

The error is common with Windows 10 PCs, but thankfully, there are ways of efficiently dealing with the problem. We will outline those methods below so that you can resume your smooth Windows experience.

If you’re having an issue with opening Geforce experience after you’ve installed it, check out our detailed guide here.

Common Reasons for Nvidia Installer Failed Issues

Various factors can contribute to the occurrence of Nvidia Installer Failed issues. Understanding these reasons can help you better diagnose and resolve the problem. Below are some of the most common causes for these issues:

Incompatible or outdated drivers: One of the primary reasons for Nvidia Installer Failed issues is having an incompatible or outdated graphics driver. This can happen when you haven’t updated your driver in a while or have accidentally installed the wrong driver version for your GPU.
Windows Update interference: When updating your Operating System to Windows 10, the Windows Update may simultaneously try to download GPU drivers in the background. If you attempt to install a driver during this process, it can lead to the Nvidia Installer Failed error.
Antivirus software interference: Some antivirus programs may misinterpret the graphics driver package as a potential threat, leading to the installer being blocked. This can cause the installation process to fail.
Corrupted or missing system files: If your Windows system files are corrupted or missing, they may prevent the Nvidia driver from being installed correctly, leading to the error.
Conflicting background processes: Running background processes, especially those related to Nvidia, can interfere with the installation process and result in the Nvidia Installer Failed error.
Improper installation: In some cases, users may have not followed the correct steps during the installation process, leading to incomplete or incorrect installations and causing the error.

By identifying the root cause of the Nvidia Installer Failed issue, you can apply the appropriate fix to resolve the problem and ensure a smooth driver installation process.

Fix #1: Update the Graphic Drivers

If incompatible drivers cause the error, the best solution would be to update the Graphics Driver to the newest version. You can accomplish this by either updating manually or automatically.

To update manually;

Step #1

Open the “Device Manager” and locate the “Display Adapters.” Expand the tab.

Step #2

Right-click the “NVIDIA Drivers” and select “Update driver software.”

Step #3

On the window that appears, choose Search automatically for updated driver software.

The system will search online for any available driver updates. If they are available, the driver installation will commence automatically.

For automatic installation:

Step #1

Go to the official NVIDIA Corporation website. Once there, the website will automatically begin scanning your system. After scanning is complete, any drivers available for installation will be provided, or they will automatically be installed.

Optional

You can download and install the NVIDIA GeForce Experience on your computer to notify you of any latest driver updates. GeForce Experience is one of many NVIDIA programs that you can use to download and install new graphics card drivers. Do not confuse GeForce Experience with the NVIDIA control panel, as it is a different NVIDIA software.

The installation process is relatively easy. It will not only install drivers for your graphics card but also let you use the GeForce Experience to record and stream your gameplay, optimize your games, and more. Follow these steps to install GeForce Experience:

Step #1

Visit the NVIDIA Corporation official website and download a fresh copy of the GeForce Experience installer file.

Step #2

After downloading a fresh copy of GeForce Experience, double-click the executable file to install GeForce Experience. Follow the installation wizard as usual and confirm if the problem has been fixed.

Step #3

Once GeForce Experience has been successfully installed on your computer, open the application, click “Drivers” in the upper left corner of the window, and click “Check for Updates.”

The program will then scan for any new updates for the drivers installed on your computer, and if it finds one, you will be notified. However, if there are no updates for you, it will send the message, “You have the latest GeForce Game Ready Driver.”

If you are experiencing the same problem, move on to the following method.

This post will teach you how to uninstall Geforce Experience for Windows.

Fix #2: Disable your anti-virus software

It is possible that your system’s antivirus might have interpreted the Graphics driver packages as a foreign entity. If that’s the case, the installer will be blocked.

A reliable antivirus is good but will stop any action it cannot logically comprehend if it’s sensitive enough. To solve this problem, close the software before beginning the installation.

Step #1

Open “Task Manager” by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC.

Step #2

Under the “Process” tab, locate all the running processes initiated by the antivirus and close them one by one.

Step #3

Close them by clicking “End Task.”

Step #4

Reboot the PC.

Fix #3: Stopping all NVIDIA processes

Many different factors can bring on NVIDIA Graphic driver error. A DLL error could easily be the culprit, but it could also be another. Additionally, unnecessary files in the system could cause problems. Therefore a sensible solution would be to remove any redundant files and kill all processes running in the background.

Step #1

Open “Task Manager” by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC.

Step #2

Navigate to the “Processes” tab in the task manager.

Step #3

Select all processes related to NVIDIA.

Step #4

On each, right-click and select the “end task.”

Step #5

Go to C drive and remove the following NVIDIA files;

C:WindowsSystem32DriverStoreFileRepositorynv_lh file
C:WindowsSystem32DriverStoreFileRepositorynvoclock file
C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation
C:\Program Files (x86)\NVIDIA Corporation

Step #6

Restart the system, and install the driver again.

Step #7

Select “Custom” installation and click “Next.”

Step #8

Ensure all driver components are selected, check “Perform a clean installation,” and click on Next.

See Also: How to Fix: Display Driver has Stopped Responding and has Recovered

Fix #4: Reinstall Your Graphics Card Drivers

If you are using GeForce Experience to handle the updates of your graphics card, we suggest you remove the current version of the program from your computer and install a fresh new copy.

Step #1

Hold down the “Windows” and “R” keys at the same time, then type “appwiz.cpl” in the command line and click “OK.” The Programs and Features window will come up.

Step #2

Look for the “NVIDIA GeForce Experience” and click “Uninstall/Change.” Follow the prompts to uninstall the program from your computer.

Step #3

Once you uninstalled GeForce Experience from your computer, you can go to their official website and download a fresh copy of their installer file and install it as usual.

Fix #5: Clean Windows Installation

Reinstalling Windows should be your last attempt; after all, methods have been unsuccessful. If there are any damaged Windows files in the system, they could be preventing NVIDIA from installing. Always back up all critical data and files before reinstalling the Operating System.

Step #1

After, install the driver again and restart the PC.

Step #2

Download the latest compatible version of the NVIDIA driver, and install it.

Step #3

Temporarily disable all other programs, including the anti-virus (you may also perform these steps through Safe Mode.

Step #4

Save the driver on the desktop only and nowhere else.

Step #5

Run as Administrator.

Step #6

Choose the destination location and click “OK.”

Step #7

Check “Agree and Continue” to accept the terms and conditions.

Step #8

Under “installation options,” select the “Custom” option and click “Next.”

Step #9

On the list of components, check “Perform a Clean Installation.” A clean install will remove the previous version of the driver in your computer that may have gone missing or corrupt.