New Intel GPU Driver For Windows 10 Is Borking Displays On Some PCs, Here's How To Fix It
An Intel display driver update being pushed out to Windows 10 PCs via Windows Update is causing a handful of visual anomalies, including Chrome being blacked out, crossed out images and links in Edge, and some weird pixelation issues, according to spattering of complaints. It's not clear how widespread the problem is or if there is a common denominator among affected machines.
According to posts on Microsoft's support forums, the issue lies with the Intel Display Driver version 26i.20.100.7157. The problematic driver is packaged with KB4517389.
One user reports seeing several visual issues on "multiple HP ProBook 450 G6" laptops after applying the update. Yet another user claims to have run into trouble with the driver on around 10-15 devices on a batch of 50 PCs that could potentially be affected.
@MicrosoftHelps After installing KB4517389, my PC display is going bonkers. It's all blank pages on Google Chrome. Transparency effect on the start menu, title bars and any window borders is pixelated.
— Sai Harish (@saiharish_k) October 14, 2019
Another person affected by the driver update brought the issue to the attention of Microsoft, through a Twitter post. So, Microsoft is at least aware of the situation, but has not indicated if it has verified the problem or is planning roll out a fix (it ultimately falls on Intel's shoulders to provide Microsoft with a fixed driver release).
If you are using Intel's integrated graphics and have run into wonky display issues after applying the latest driver, a temporary workaround is to roll back the driver to version 25.20.100.6519—some users have reported success doing this.
We can add this situation to a growing list of problems caused by patches pushed through Windows Update. Just a few days ago, for example, Microsoft acknowledged an issue causing the Start menu to break (again), while other recent updates have wreaked havoc with Wi-Fi on some PCs, and VMWare Workstation on others.
Fortunately, all of the issues have a limited reach in the grand scheme of things. For those affected, however, that comes as little consolation.
