STATUS_GRAPHICS_INVALID_ACTIVE_REGION: Fix 0xC01E030B
This error pops up when a video signal's active region exceeds what the display driver allows. Usually triggered by custom resolutions or EDID overrides.
When this error hits
You're either plugging in a secondary monitor, switching resolutions, or launching a game in fullscreen. The screen goes black for a second, then you get a notification: STATUS_GRAPHICS_INVALID_ACTIVE_REGION (0xC01E030B). It's common after you've set a custom resolution in NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Adrenalin, or after forcing an EDID override via CRU (Custom Resolution Utility). The culprit here is almost always a timing value that's out of spec — the active region (the visible pixel area) doesn't match what the monitor or GPU driver expects.
Root cause in plain English
The active region is the part of the video signal that carries the actual image pixels — everything inside the borders. The display driver has strict limits on that region's width and height. If you tell it to send 2560x1440 but the monitor's EDID says max is 1920x1080, the driver rejects the signal. Same thing if your custom resolution's horizontal or vertical blanking values push the active region beyond the GPU's internal limits. The driver returns 0xC01E030B instead of crashing — which is actually polite.
Fix: Step by step
- Reset your custom resolution — Open NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Adrenalin. Go to Display > Change Resolution. Click Customize (NVIDIA) or Create Custom Resolution (AMD). Delete any custom resolutions you've added. Apply. Reboot.
- Clear EDID overrides — If you used CRU, run it again. Click Reset-all.exe (comes with CRU). That wipes all overrides. Reboot. This is the nuclear option and it works 9 times out of 10.
- Check monitor timing — Set your resolution to the monitor's native one via Windows Display Settings. Right-click desktop > Display Settings > Advanced Display. Pick the recommended resolution. Don't touch custom timings unless you know what you're doing.
- Update or roll back GPU driver — Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in Safe Mode to completely remove the current driver. Install the latest stable driver from NVIDIA/AMD. If the problem started after a driver update, install the previous version instead.
- VGA cable check — If you're on HDMI or DisplayPort, swap cables. Old or damaged cables can send corrupted EDID data. Unlikely but cheap to rule out.
Still failing? Check these
- Multiple monitors — Disconnect all but one. Re-add them one at a time. Some monitors have buggy EDID that triggers this on hotplug.
- GPU BIOS update — Rare, but certain NVIDIA 30-series and AMD 6000-series cards shipped with buggy display controller firmware. Check your card manufacturer's support page.
- Windows HDR — Turn off HDR in Windows Display Settings. HDR can push timing values just past the driver's validation limits on older monitors.
Pro tip: If you need a custom resolution for an old game, use the in-game settings or a per-game profile in the GPU driver. Don't set a global custom resolution — that's what breaks everything.
Once the fix works, verify by running dxdiag from Start and checking the Display tab for any errors. Also test with a stress tool like GPU-Z render test — if it passes without the error popping up, you're done.
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