Fix 0XC0262328: Display adapter needs video source

Quick answer

Run this PowerShell command as admin to force the GPU to reinitialize its video present network: Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPEntity | Where-Object {$_.PNPClass -eq 'Display'} | ForEach-Object { Disable-PnpDevice -InstanceId $_.PNPDeviceID -Confirm:$false; Start-Sleep -Seconds 5; Enable-PnpDevice -InstanceId $_.PNPDeviceID -Confirm:$false }

If that doesn't work, roll back your display driver or reinstall it in Safe Mode.

Why you're seeing this

Error 0XC0262328 means Windows can't find a valid video present source (VidPN) path for your GPU. That's the internal wiring the graphics driver uses to connect a monitor to a render output. It's like having a TV with no input cable plugged in—the system knows the TV exists but can't show anything on it.

I've seen this most often after a driver update that didn't complete properly, or when someone unplugged a monitor while the system was asleep. It also pops up on laptops with hybrid graphics (Intel + Nvidia/AMD) after Windows Update half-heartedly installs a new driver. One customer triggered it by hot-plugging a DisplayPort monitor while the PC was in a power-saving state.

Fix steps

Restart your PC. I know it sounds dumb, but I've seen this error vanish after a clean reboot. Don't skip this. If it comes back, move to step 2.
Check your monitor connections. Unplug the cable from both ends, wait 10 seconds, plug it back in. For DisplayPort, try a different cable—those connectors are fragile and a bad pin can cause this. If you're using an adapter (HDMI to DVI, DisplayPort to VGA), remove the adapter and go direct.
Force a GPU reset via Device Manager. Press Win + X, select Device Manager. Expand 'Display adapters.' Right-click your GPU and choose 'Disable device.' Wait 10 seconds. Right-click again and choose 'Enable device.' After enabling, you should see your screen flicker and the error should clear. If it doesn't, proceed. (If you're using a laptop with two GPUs, disable and re-enable BOTH, one at a time.)
Run the PowerShell command from Quick Answer if you didn't already. Open PowerShell as admin, paste the command, press Enter. You'll see your screen go black for a moment when each GPU disables, then come back. After the command finishes, check Event Viewer for errors.
Roll back your display driver. In Device Manager, right-click your GPU, select Properties, go to the Driver tab, and click 'Roll Back Driver.' Windows will restore the previous driver. You'll need to reboot after this. Roll back works only if Windows kept a copy of the old driver—if the button is greyed out, move to step 6.
DDU your driver in Safe Mode. Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) from Guru3D. Boot into Safe Mode (hold Shift while clicking Restart, then Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart > press 4). Run DDU, select 'Clean and restart.' After reboot, download the correct driver from your GPU maker's site (Nvidia, AMD, Intel) and install it fresh. Don't let Windows Update install it—use the manufacturer's installer.
Check for corrupted system files. Run sfc /scannow in an admin Command Prompt. If it finds issues, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth next. Reboot.

Alternative fix if the above fails

If you're still stuck, the problem might be in the registry. Open regedit as admin, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers. Look for a DWORD called TdrLevel. If it's set to 3 or higher, set it to 0. If it's not there, create it as a DWORD and set it to 0. Reboot. This disables the timeout detection and recovery (TDR) that sometimes nukes the VidPN path when a driver hangs.

Another edge case: if you're using Remote Desktop and get this error, the remote session might be missing a virtual display. Install a dummy plug (like a headless ghost adapter) or add a registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\RemoteDesktopSession — create a DWORD fEnableVirtualGraphics set to 1. Reboot.

Prevention tips

Don't let Windows Update install GPU drivers. Use Show or Hide Updates tool to block driver updates. Always install drivers using the manufacturer's installer. If you unplug monitors, do it while the PC is awake and logged in. If you use a KVM switch, make sure it's powered and the cable is rated for your resolution.

Also, keep your chipset drivers up to date—I've seen mismatched chipset drivers cause this on Ryzen laptops with Nvidia GPUs. And if you overclock your GPU, back off the memory clock by 50 MHz; unstable memory can drop the video present source.