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0x0000010EPATCH 2026.10.16

How to Fix Error 0x0000010E (VIDEO_MEMORY_MANAGEMENT_INTERNAL) on Windows 11 and 10

By VGSources Team 8 min read

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Error 0x0000010E is the Windows stop code VIDEO_MEMORY_MANAGEMENT_INTERNAL. It means the video-memory manager reached a state it could not recover from, most often because a graphics driver behaved improperly. Start with Windows Update, then roll back or reinstall the display driver if the blue screen began after an update. If that does not stop the crashes, use Safe Mode, Event Viewer, Windows Memory Diagnostic and hardware checks before considering a graphics-card replacement.

What 0x0000010E means

Windows shows 0x0000010E when its video-memory manager encounters an unrecoverable condition. The text may appear as VIDEO_MEMORY_MANAGEMENT_INTERNAL. They are two names for the same bug check. The first parameter identifies a subtype when Microsoft documents a value for that parameter, so record every parameter shown on the blue screen or in the crash dump.

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The screen can also name a module such as dxgmms2.sys. Treat that as a clue about the graphics-memory path, not proof that the file itself is defective. A driver, a conflict with a Windows update, unstable memory, power or temperature problems, and less commonly a failing adapter can all lead to the same stop code.

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Windows 10 and Windows 11 may restart automatically after a serious error. The restart does not remove the cause; it only clears the current failed session. Before changing anything, write down the exact stop code, parameter values, displayed module name, and what the computer was doing.

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What to record before changing the system

Capture the crash details

  • Stop code: 0x0000010E and the text VIDEO_MEMORY_MANAGEMENT_INTERNAL.
  • All parameter values shown on the blue screen or in a dump viewer.
  • Any named module, such as dxgmms2.sys.
  • The workload: a particular game, video playback, waking from sleep, plugging in an external monitor, or ordinary desktop use.
  • Whether the first crash followed a Windows, graphics-driver, game or firmware change.

This history makes later testing meaningful. A failure only during a game points you toward the graphics workload and its driver path; a failure during idle use, sleep/wake or monitor changes suggests a different trigger even though the stop code is identical.

First fix: install the current display driver through Windows Update

Microsoft identifies an improperly behaving video driver as the usual cause and names Windows Update as the first driver-remediation path. Use it before downloading a package from an unfamiliar site.

  1. Save work and disconnect unnecessary displays or docks so the test has fewer variables.
  2. Open Settings with Windows + I.
  3. In Windows 11, choose Windows Update. In Windows 10, choose Update & Security, then Windows Update.
  4. Select Check for updates. Install all compatible updates offered for the machine, including a display-driver update if one is listed.
  5. Restart when Windows requests it. A driver is not fully tested until the system has restarted.
  6. Repeat the workload that previously caused the blue screen. Test the same game, video, monitor arrangement or sleep/wake action rather than changing several things at once.

If Windows Update reports that the system is current but the crash continues, proceed to the rollback or reinstall path below. Do not assume “no updates available” means the installed driver is healthy; it only means Windows Update has no newer compatible package to offer at that moment.

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If the crash began after a driver update

Roll back in Device Manager

  1. Right-click the Start button and open Device Manager.
  2. Expand Display adapters and note the exact adapter model.
  3. Right-click the adapter, choose Properties, and open the Driver tab. Record the driver provider, date and version.
  4. If Roll Back Driver is available, select it, choose a reason, and confirm.
  5. Restart Windows and repeat the same workload test.

The rollback button may be unavailable when Windows has no previous package retained. In that case, use the device maker’s supported reinstall instructions for the exact adapter and Windows edition. Obtain the package from the computer or graphics-adapter manufacturer, not from a random driver-download site. Keep the original driver package until the new installation has been tested.

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Reinstall through the supported manufacturer path

A reinstall is appropriate when the crash persists after an update, the driver files appear damaged, or Device Manager shows a warning icon. Follow the manufacturer’s documented removal and installation sequence for your model. Record the existing version first, disconnect nonessential displays, install the package, restart, and then test the original trigger. A “clean” installation can remove custom profiles, so export or note game-specific settings you need to restore.

Use Safe Mode or Windows Recovery Environment when the desktop is unstable

Repeated blue screens can make normal troubleshooting impossible. Safe Mode starts Windows with a minimal driver set; Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) provides repair options when Windows cannot reach the desktop.

Reach the recovery tools from Windows

  1. Open Settings > System > Recovery in Windows 11. In Windows 10, open Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.
  2. Under Advanced startup, choose Restart now. Save work first.
  3. Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
  4. After the restart, press the number for Enable Safe Mode or Enable Safe Mode with Networking if you need network access.

If Windows never reaches Settings, interrupt startup twice by holding the power button during the spinning-logo phase; on the next boot Windows should enter automatic repair. From WinRE choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings and continue to Safe Mode. Use Safe Mode to inspect Device Manager, remove a recently installed display driver through the supported path, or apply a rollback. Restart normally before judging whether the change worked.

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Inspect the adapter and driver state

  1. Open Device Manager > Display adapters.
  2. Check the adapter’s exact model, driver provider, driver date and version.
  3. Look for a yellow warning icon or a device status message under Properties > General.
  4. Open Events in the adapter’s Properties window and note recent installation or start failures.
  5. Compare the recorded driver date with the time the blue screens began.

Do not uninstall a device simply because its date looks old. Windows may be using the newest package available for that hardware. Change one variable at a time and preserve the version information so you can reverse the change.

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Find related errors in Event Viewer

Event Viewer can show errors immediately before or after the bug check, including display-driver resets, power transitions and device-start failures.

  1. Press Windows + X and choose Event Viewer, or search for “Event Viewer” from Start.
  2. Open Windows Logs > System.
  3. Choose Filter Current Log and select Critical and Error levels. Set a time range around the crash.
  4. Read entries at the crash time and copy the provider name, event ID and general message into your notes.
  5. Look for a pattern across several crashes rather than treating one unrelated warning as the cause.

Event Viewer does not automatically identify a defective graphics card. Its value is correlation: a repeated display-driver or power event at the same time as 0x0000010E is stronger evidence for a driver or power-state problem than an isolated warning from another component.

Run Windows Memory Diagnostic

System memory errors can corrupt data used by graphics components and produce apparently unrelated stop codes. Microsoft’s blue-screen guidance recommends Windows Memory Diagnostic as part of the investigation.

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  1. Save open files and close applications.
  2. Press Windows + R, enter mdsched.exe, and press Enter.
  3. Choose Restart now and check for problems, or schedule the check for the next restart.
  4. Let the test complete. Windows restarts automatically.
  5. After Windows loads, open Event Viewer and go to Windows Logs > System. Use Find for MemoryDiagnostics-Results to read the result.

A reported memory error warrants addressing the system-memory configuration before blaming the GPU. If the result is clean, it narrows the investigation but does not certify every graphics component.

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Check the trigger conditions

Keep a short log for each test: date and time, driver version, application, display arrangement, sleep or wake state, and whether the system was hot or under heavy load. The pattern helps separate a driver regression from a broader system issue.

  • Gaming only: test the same title after the driver change, then a second 3D workload. A single-game failure may involve that game’s rendering path or settings.
  • Video playback: test a local clip and a browser video separately. Note whether hardware-accelerated playback is involved, but change that setting only after recording the original state.
  • Sleep/wake: test with external monitors and docks disconnected, then reconnect one device at a time.
  • External-monitor changes: record cable, port, adapter and refresh-rate changes. Reproduce with one monitor at its default settings.
  • Idle desktop: check Event Viewer and power-state events because the crash is not limited to a heavy graphics workload.

Temperature, power and physical checks

Driver work should come before hardware replacement, but physical conditions can expose a marginal adapter or unstable system. Shut down completely before opening a case or touching cables.

  • Confirm that the computer’s vents and graphics-card fans are not blocked by dust or an obstruction.
  • Verify that every required graphics-card power connector is firmly seated and that the power supply connections have not loosened.
  • Note whether crashes occur only after the system has been under load for several minutes or when the room is unusually warm.
  • Remove newly added USB graphics adapters, docks or capture hardware and test the built-in display path where practical.
  • If the system has another supported graphics adapter or a known-good computer, test the suspect adapter in that controlled setup. Make one hardware change at a time.

Temperature and power observations are evidence, not a diagnosis. Avoid disabling safety controls or applying an overclock while troubleshooting; those changes add variables and can damage hardware.

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When a graphics-card replacement is justified

Microsoft’s references do not name a particular GPU model, brand or replacement part as the remedy. A replacement is therefore premature after a single 0x0000010E crash.

Escalate to the computer or graphics-card manufacturer when all of the following are true:

  • Windows Update and the manufacturer-supported driver rollback or reinstall have been completed.
  • The crash still reproduces in the same or multiple workloads.
  • Event Viewer shows a repeatable graphics, power or device-start pattern.
  • Windows Memory Diagnostic does not explain the failure, or memory problems have been corrected.
  • Temperature, power connections and external devices have been checked.
  • Testing with another adapter, another system, or an available restore point points to the original hardware.

Keep the stop-code notes, driver versions, Event Viewer entries and test results for support. They let a technician distinguish a suspected adapter failure from a software regression and avoid repeating steps.

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Fixes to avoid

  • Do not download a display driver from an unverified “driver” site merely because it advertises a newer version.
  • Do not delete dxgmms2.sys or other Windows system files. A named module is not automatically the root cause.
  • Do not replace the GPU before testing the reversible software and diagnostic steps above.
  • Do not change several drivers, BIOS settings and game options simultaneously; you will lose the ability to identify the change that helped or hurt.
  • Do not treat one clean reboot as proof that the problem is solved. Re-test the original trigger and monitor the system over subsequent sessions.

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0x0000010Eblue screenGPU troubleshootinggraphics driverVIDEO_MEMORY_MANAGEMENT_INTERNALWindows 10Windows 11

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