NVIDIA driver blocking Safe Mode after 1903 update

A few days ago, I updated both my laptop and desktop machines. The laptop was done with Windows Update Assistant and took about 3 hours. So far, it seems like a faultless update.
However the desktop PC was done with Windows Update, took over 8 hours and seemed successful until I tried to go into Safe Mode using Shift+Restart. After the second-level restart, all I got was a black screen. If I left that running for about 5 minutes, a normal sign-in screen would appear. The only way I found to enter Safe Mode was through Safe Boot in msconfig.
I did a lot of research but could find nothing decribing this situation. Then I discovered, by accident, that the NVIDIA driver for my GT710 card had been installed and was apparently working fine. Previously, this driver has refused to install and I was obliged to use the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter, which worked perfectly well for my non-gaming situation..
I then wondered if, by any chance, the NVIDIA driver was at the root of the Safe Mode access problem so I uninstalled it and, sure enough, was able to get into Safe Mode with Shift+Restart. Of course, the NVIDIA driver reinstalls on reboot but I did try it a few times and confirmed that the NVIDIA driver is indeed blocking access to Safe Mode.
Both sfc and DSIM say there are no system errors.
It's a pity but I suppose the only answer is to switch back to the Microsoft driver - unless anyone has an alternative solution.

bro67 said:

It is a known issue not resolved. Best to stay with 1809 until if 20h1 resolves this. NVIDIA GPU’s and Windows 10 has been an issue since the introduction of Windows 10.

Thanks for that information. I'm at least pleased to hear that it's a known issue. In fact, I never had 1809; I updated directly from 1803 to 1903, not that it makes any difference.

I suspected my Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti prevented me from upgrading to windows 1809/1903. How do I remove the Nvidia driver and install with Microsoft Driver?
I wanted to make sure the display card was the culprit before proceed to purchase a new card. Thanks.

cyliyu said:

I suspected my Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti prevented me from upgrading to windows 1809/1903. How do I remove the Nvidia driver and install with Microsoft Driver?
I wanted to make sure the display card was the culprit before proceed to purchase a new card. Thanks.

It's not the card that's blocking you; it's the NVIDIA driver. I have a Dell Dimension 3100 on Windows 10 1803 with the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter and it runs fine, although a bit slow. If I try to upgade to 1809 or 1903, it reboots to a black screen. I have to power cycle three times and I then get the recovery options screen. Choose 'Troubleshoot' >'Advanced' >'Restart' and it reboots into the restart options screen. Hit 4 or 5 and the machine starts in Safe Mode. Right click the Start button and select Device Manager > Display Adapter and it shows which driver is being used. If it's the NVIDIA, uninstall it and reboot. The PC should then start in 1803 with the MS driver.
It also sometimes happens that the upgrade process recognises the driver incompatibility and aborts the upgrade process, returning the PC to 1803 automatically and with the MS driver. This is very frustrating as it has taken about 4 hours to reach that point.

TopGeek said:

It's not the card that's blocking you; it's the NVIDIA driver. I have a Dell Dimension 3100 on Windows 10 1803 with the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter and it runs fine, although a bit slow. If I try to upgade to 1809 or 1903, it reboots to a black screen. I have to power cycle three times and I then get the recovery options screen. Choose 'Troubleshoot' >'Advanced' >'Restart' and it reboots into the restart options screen. Hit 4 or 5 and the machine starts in Safe Mode. Right click the Start button and select Device Manager > Display Adapter and it shows which driver is being used. If it's the NVIDIA, uninstall it and reboot. The PC should then start in 1803 with the MS driver.
It also sometimes happens that the upgrade process recognises the driver incompatibility and aborts the upgrade process, returning the PC to 1803 automatically and with the MS driver. This is very frustrating as it has taken about 4 hours to reach that point.

Thanks. Tried. But the system don’t allow me to uninstall the driver in safe mode.
As I don’t have any spare display card, not sure if I proceed to purchase a new graphic card will it help?
I have been upgrading and perform restore for the past 3 week just to find out what could be the causes. Sigh...

cyliyu said:

Thanks. Tried. But the system don’t allow me to uninstall the driver in safe mode.
As I don’t have any spare display card, not sure if I proceed to purchase a new graphic card will it help?
I have been upgrading and perform restore for the past 3 week just to find out what could be the causes. Sigh...

Have you tried removing the graphics card and connecting your monitor to the onboard graphics output? Rebooting in Safe Mode should then allow you to remove the NVIDIA driver. You should also modify Windows Update settings to prevent the automatic installation of graphics drivers in the future.

Unfortunately, my Asus MB doesnÂ’t come with on board graphics. I have removed all my devices and left only the MB and Display card but no success.
I took a spare SSD to perform a fresh windows installation ok but when trying to update the display driver if hang. So can confirm could be the graphic card causing the issues.
Any recommendations for a cheap and good card? I donÂ’t play games or watch 4K video. And hopefully can last me for few years.

cyliyu said:

Unfortunately, my Asus MB doesnÂ’t come with on board graphics. I have removed all my devices and left only the MB and Display card but no success.
I took a spare SSD to perform a fresh windows installation ok but when trying to update the display driver if hang. So can confirm could be the graphic card causing the issues.
Any recommendations for a cheap and good card? I donÂ’t play games or watch 4K video. And hopefully can last me for few years.

When I changed to a wide-screen monitor, I went looking for the most basic card and I found the GeForce GT710, which I now use in two desktop PCs. However, NVIDIA drivers seem to be imposed on virtually all graphics cards. So the essential trick is to try to force the use of the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter in cases whee the NVIDIA driver is incompatible. I'm no expert in this field so I hope another contributor may be better able to advise you on this matter.

You might find this useful:
Uninstall Graphics Drivers

TopGeek said:

When I changed to a wide-screen monitor, I went looking for the most basic card and I found the GeForce GT710, which I now use in two desktop PCs. However, NVIDIA drivers seem to be imposed on virtually all graphics cards. So the essential trick is to try to force the use of the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter in cases whee the NVIDIA driver is incompatible. I'm no expert in this field so I hope another contributor may be better able to advise you on this matter.

You might find this useful:
Uninstall Graphics Drivers

Thanks for the link.
I have gone into the control panel to try to uninstall the driver but unfortunately, no NVIDIA Windows Display Drivers found.
It may be due to some upgrading from Windows 7 to 10 a few years back.
Look like I may need to perform a fresh windows 10 installation when time permits.
Once again, thanks for the help.