Microsoft addresses issues of black screens and system hangs on Windows 11 preview with older Nvidia GPUs

After a lengthy wait, the Windows 11 Canary builds made their return in October. These updates not only introduced new features and improvements but also brought along several new bugs and significant issues. Recently, Microsoft issued an alert indicating that Windows Insiders using older NVIDIA graphics cards may encounter black screens, system freezes, and other serious problems with Windows 11 build 27723.

The release notes for build 27723 highlight the following addition:

[ADDED 10/10] Some Insiders who have PCs equipped with older NVIDIA GPUs, such as the GTX 970 or Quadro K620, have reported that their screens may be stuck on a black display or become unresponsive. Additionally, errors may be visible in Device Manager, indicating that the GPUs are not functioning as intended.

At this time, there are no known workarounds for these issues. If your PC is affected, the only solution is to revert to a prior build. Microsoft advises users to access Windows Recovery (WinRE) and utilize troubleshooting tools to uninstall build 27723. After rolling back, ensure you navigate to Settings > Windows Update and pause future updates to stop Windows 11 from automatically reinstalling build 27723.

Microsoft is actively addressing this issue and is hopeful for a resolution in upcoming updates, although no specific timeline has been provided. Other known bugs present in build 27723 include update error 0xc190010, unexpected rollbacks during updates, crashes upon game launch, issues with biometrics on Copilot+ devices, and additional problems.

In relation to older NVIDIA graphics cards, the problems linked to Windows 11 build 27723 might lead users to consider upgrading their GPU. Additionally, OBS Studio 31 Beta 1 has been released, and it now excludes support for the NVIDIA Encoder (NVENC) for Kepler-based graphics cards (GTX 600 and GTX 700 series).

Source