Top 4 Ways to Fix Windows Keeps Installing Wrong or Old AMD Drivers

If your Windows PC or laptop has AMD CPU or GPU, it comes with the AMD Software: Adrenaline Edition app to handle driver updates, game statistics, and more. However, many have complained about the ‘Windows update has replaced your AMD driver’ error when they launch the app. Before the driver incompatibilities disrupt your work or gaming hours, read along to learn to fix the ‘Windows keeps installing wrong or old AMD drivers’ issue.

AMD regularly releases new drivers to keep meeting system requirements and take care of any graphical issues and performance vows. But when Windows OS installs incorrect AMD Radeon drivers on your PC, you may run into glitches and errors. It’s time to prevent Windows from auto-installing AMD drivers and reinstalls the current ones. Before we go through the troubleshooting steps, let’s understand the root cause of such problems.

Reasons Behind Windows Replacing Your AMD Graphics Drivers

Windows OS comes with the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter capable enough to deliver display graphics during setup. It also serves as a backup when the discrete GPU drivers act up during the update process or for any reason.

You run into such errors when a Windows update downloads your AMD GPU’s Universal Windows Platform (UWP) drivers. You have two different versions of the same driver installed on your PC. When you launch the AMD Adrenaline Edition software, the app throws an error like ‘Windows update may have automatically replaced your AMD graphics driver.’

1. Roll Back AMD Drivers Using the Device Manager

Using the default Device Manager app, you can simply roll back AMD drivers to the previous version. Let’s quickly go through it.

Step 1: Right-click on the Windows key and select the Device Manager from the Power User menu.

Step 2: Expand the Display Adapters menu.

Step 3: Right-click on AMD graphics and select Properties.

Step 4: Move to the Driver menu and select Roll Back Driver. Confirm your decision.  

After you have rolled back the AMD drivers, it’s time to stop Windows from automatically updating AMD drivers.

The Windows Update utility automatically installs the latest drivers and overwrites the old drivers on your computer. But when it installs the wrong drivers, you take a hit on GPU performance and lose FPS (Frames Per Second) in your favorite titles. You can stop the behavior using the steps below.

Step 1: Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to launch Settings.

Step 2: Go to System and open About.

Step 3: Select ‘Advanced system settings.’

Step 4: Move to the Hardware tab and open Device Installation Settings.

Step 5: Click the radio button beside No and save changes.

If the trick above doesn’t work, you need to use the Local Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor to stop automatic driver updates from Windows. You can read our dedicated post to learn more.

2. Uninstall the Current AMD Drivers

Sometimes, the ‘Roll Back Drivers’ option greyed out. If you face the same, use the Device Manager menu to uninstall the AMD drivers. Here’s what you need to do.

Step 1: Right-click on the Windows key and select the Device Manager from the Power User menu.

Step 2: Right-click on AMD graphics and select Uninstall Device.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. You can restart the PC to install relevant drivers during the reboot process. You can download the latest software from the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition too.

3. Repair and Reinstall the AMD Software Driver

It’s a temporary fix to take care of driver conflicts on your PC. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Press the Windows + E keyboard shortcut to open the File Explorer menu.

Step 2: Go to the C:/ drive and open the AMD folder.

Step 3: Open the AMD software folder.

Step 4: Double-click on the .exe file and follow the instructions to install the drivers.

4. Use System Restore

If you or the system has created a system restore, use the steps below to restore your computer to the state it was in before the selected event.

Step 1: Press Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open the run dialog. Type rstrui.exe and hit Enter.

Step 2: Click Next on the dialog box.

Step 3: Check date and time and select the system restore. Hit Next.

Step 4: Click Finish.

Wait for the system to restart the PC.

Install Relevant AMD Drivers on Windows

Windows installing old or wrong AMD drivers can confuse you. Instead of dealing with irregularities, use the tricks above to troubleshoot the problem. Which trick worked for you? Share it in the comments below.