AMD confirms updating Radeon GPU drivers can brick your Windows installation

AMD has issued a warning to its graphics card customers that updating Radeon Software could cause severe issues and brick Windows installation in an "extremely small number of instances." The statement confirmed multiple user reports circulating the internet over the last few weeks.

According to AMD, using the "Factory Reset" option when updating Radeon Software causes the Inaccessible Boot Driver error, rendering the entire operating system completely bricked. The company says the issue occurs when the user updates the driver while installing Windows updates, such as the recently released Moment 2 update. Therefore, AMD recommends not using the Factory Reset option and ensuring Windows Update is not operating before installing a new driver.

We have reproduced an issue that can occur in an extremely small number of instances if a PC update occurs during the installation of AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, and we are actively investigating. We recommend users ensure all system updates are applied or paused before installing the driver, and that the “Factory Reset” option is unchecked during the AMD driver installation process. We are committed to resolve issues as quickly as possible and strongly encourage users to submit issues with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition via the Bug Report Tool.

PCWorld says Windows' automatic recovery tools should fix the issue and get affected computers back into the working state. Alternatively, users can try using a system restore point. If nothing helps, reinstalling Windows 10 or 11 is the only way out.

Source: PCWorld via VideoCardz

AMD confirms updating Radeon GPU drivers can brick your Windows installation