Fix 0x00000116 GPU Driver Crash on Startup

You're seeing a blue screen with VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE and the code 0x00000116, often right when a game loads. The real fix is usually a clean driver install with DDU, not just updating.

You're trying to play a game and Windows throws a blue screen with 0x00000116 before the menu even loads — that's frustrating, especially when everything worked yesterday.

The fix is a clean GPU driver reinstall using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in Safe Mode, then installing the latest driver from your GPU vendor's site. Don't just run GeForce Experience or AMD Adrenalin over the old driver; that leaves registry keys and leftover DLLs that can keep the crash alive.

What's actually happening with error 0x00000116

0x00000116 is the stop code for VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE. TDR stands for Timeout, Detection, and Recovery. Windows gives the GPU a couple of seconds to respond to a command. If the graphics driver doesn't answer in time, Windows resets the GPU. If the reset fails — or the driver crashes again immediately — you get the blue screen.

The crash usually shows up in one of two places: right at game launch (when DirectX creates the device) or a few seconds into gameplay (when the shader cache or VRAM gets hit). Common triggers: a half-installed driver after a Windows update, a corrupted shader cache, an experimental driver version, or a GPU that's just old enough that the latest driver dropped support.

The real fix: clean driver install with DDU

Skip the "update driver" button in Device Manager. It'll roll you back to a Microsoft-signed 2021 driver that's worse. Do this instead:

Download the latest driver installer for your GPU from Nvidia, AMD, or Intel. Save it to your Desktop. Don't run it yet.
Download DDU from Guru3D. Extract it to a folder.
Disconnect from the internet. Yes, really. Windows Update will try to shove a driver at you mid-process if you don't.
Boot into Safe Mode. Hold Shift while clicking Restart, then Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart → press 4.
Run DDU as Administrator. Select your GPU vendor from the dropdown, then click Clean and restart.
After the reboot, run the driver installer you downloaded. Choose "Custom install" and tick "Perform a clean installation" if you're on Nvidia.
Reboot once more, then reconnect the internet.

If you're on a laptop with switchable graphics, run DDU twice — once for your discrete GPU vendor and once for Intel. Skipping the Intel pass is the #1 reason people say DDU "didn't work" on a laptop.

Why step 3 works

The reason the internet disconnect matters is that Windows Update runs a driver search the moment it detects the GPU re-registering. On Windows 11 22H2 and later, this happens within about 30 seconds of the reboot. If it wins the race, you end up with two driver stacks fighting over the device — which is exactly the state that produces 0x00000116 in the first place.

DDU works because it doesn't just uninstall the driver. It removes the device entries, the INF packages, the shader cache under %LocalAppData%\NVIDIA\DXCache (or AMD\DxCache), and the driver store copies. The leftover shader cache is the sneaky one — a corrupted DXCache file will reproduce the crash even with a fresh driver, which is why people think the reinstall failed.

If the clean install didn't fix it

Then you're dealing with one of these:

1. A specific game is the trigger

Delete the game's config and shader cache. For Steam titles:

%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Steam\steamapps\shadercache\<appid>

For DirectX 12 games, also try DXVK isn't relevant here, but disabling "Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling" in Settings → System → Display → Graphics does help on some 20-series and 5000-series cards.

2. PSU or thermal issue

0x00000116 under load with a 3080 or 6800 XT often means transient power spikes are tripping the GPU. If your PSU is under 650W or older than 5 years, that's your suspect. Test with OCCT's power test for 10 minutes. If it crashes there too, it's not a driver problem.

3. Windows Update keeps overwriting

Block it. In gpedit.msc (Pro editions), go to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Windows Update → Manage updates offered from Windows Update, and set "Do not include drivers with Windows Updates" to Enabled. On Home editions, use the registry path:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
DWORD: ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate = 1

4. TDR delay too short

Long shot, but if you're doing heavy compute or running a game with a huge shader compile at launch (looking at you, UE5 titles), extend the TDR timeout:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers
DWORD: TdrDelay = 10 (decimal)

Reboot after. This doesn't fix a bad driver, it just hides the symptom. Use it as a diagnostic, not a permanent fix.

Preventing it from coming back

Stick to one driver branch. If you're on a 30-series Nvidia card, the Studio Driver is more stable than Game Ready for most people — the gaming perf difference is under 2% in everything except day-one titles. On AMD, avoid optional Adrenalin builds unless a specific game demands them.

Don't stack overclocking tools. MSI Afterburner + Nvidia App + RivaTuner all touching the same GPU is a recipe for TDR. Pick one.

Keep at least 15GB free on your C: drive — the driver store and shader caches live there, and Windows gets weird when it's tight.

And run sfc /scannow followed by DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth once a month. Corrupted system files will resurrect 0x00000116 after every driver update, and you'll blame the driver every time.