Ddu what is it and how to uninstall drivers correctly

What is DDU ?

DDU is a simple program created by several users on the Guru3D.com website designed exclusively to uninstall graphics card drivers. Not too long ago it was created and uploaded, but it is already well known on the net. It may sound like banal and unnecessary functionality, but don't believe it.

In general, graphics card driver updates add and change some system files. However, these updates are not very comprehensive, as they often leave unnecessary files unused instead of deleting them.

On the other hand, installation failures and other similar problems can cause files to remain in the limbo of our computer. DDU was created just to combat this problem, as it explores the standard places where drivers are installed and uninstalls them.

In other words, remove the unnecessary files to make it look like we have installed the drivers for the first time. With this we eradicate all the unnecessary and residual data that we have accumulated and we can enjoy more space and fewer errors in future installations.

The program is quite direct and has a simple interface. Also, it works perfectly with both Nvidia drivers and AMD drivers, so it will work for anyone.

Finally we tell you that it is totally free software, so you can install it now at this link.

Install the program

To install the Display Driver Uninstaller you will have to download the file from any of the options that you will find at the bottom of the page that we have given you. The closer the reference country is, the faster the download will be, most of the time. It could change, but the downloaded file will be named "-DDU.zip" in most cases.

To begin, you will have to unzip the file. Choose the route that you prefer and once it is decompressed, you will see that you will have two files:

A folder that contains some information about the Guru3D.com website. An executable.exe

The first file is only web advertising. If we enter the folder we will see a.nfo file with the name "downloaded_from_www.guru3d.com.nfo" , nothing relevant. When executing the file it simply informs us that we cannot open the file and when accepting it will open a window with all the information of our team.

To install the program, we will have to run the second file (DDU v18.0.1.6.exe, for example) and select the path where it will be installed. On the web they recommend us not to install the program in any folder related to the system to avoid problems with administrator permissions.

Once installed, a folder will appear in the path in which we have indicated . Inside we will have all the necessary files for the program to work and an executable file to start it.

We will also have two.txt files with information that can be useful where they are: a readme to use DDU and a document with solutions to common errors.

Once this is done, we recommend creating a shortcut of the executable on the desktop. In this way you can use the program with agility and at any time.

How does DDU work?

When opening the program, a small window will appear with all the options that we can activate. We will start by talking about the most banal things of the program, but we will tell you everything we have in it.

Secondary options

Below all we will have a permanent bar with advertising to help the DDU project. Being a free program they need some kind of sustenance to continue developing the software.

If you are interested in collaborating with the project, you have a button to donate money via Paypal and another to help on Patreon . In this second you have some advantages as a user if you collaborate such as receiving updates before or being mentioned as an assistant on your website.

We will also have a permanent announcement about another program that sponsors DDU called Update Display Driver . It is exactly the opposite version of this program, since it looks for updates and installs drivers for any peripheral that we have.

Finally, comment on the language selector that we always have on the main screen. We will be able to choose between more than 25 languages, which seems wonderful to us.

Main options

The first thing we will see are the three buttons located in the upper left part of the window.

Each of the options has a text and are quite self explanatory. They are used to select how to clean the equipment, although for it to work we must first choose which drivers we want to clean.

To do this we have to go to the two selection bars located on the right side. The first is used to choose what type of hardware we will do the search for and the second to choose the brand of the device we have.

The Audio option is still in beta, but we can use it now. If you want to try it, we further recommend that you go safe and create a Windows restore point.

Then, we have the main option and attraction of the program: the graphics. In the second bar the options AMD, Nvidia and Intel will appear, in case we have a laptop with integrated Intel graphics.

Finally, we have a record that informs us of all the things that the program is doing.

By pressing one of the three main buttons, the program will take the chosen set of options and will prepare to clean the equipment accordingly. Normally, when opening the program for the first time it opens the cleaning options, but if it does not happen, we can access it through the upper bar that we will see in a second.

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We warn you that when you start cleaning drivers, it is likely that the screen will turn off several times. On the other hand, it is also common for you to restart your video settings and change it to 1024 × 768. You just have to go to the screen resolution and change these values back.

Top bar buttons

The first button is used to choose the set of options that the program will seek to analyze and delete. We have quite a few already marked as standard, but we recommend you read them carefully and activate only those you want.

The links tab offers us a series of links to web pages that may interest us. Among them we have the Guru3D website, the Update Display Driver website and the one of the three main threads about AMD and Nvidia drivers in Guru3D and the official Nvidia GeForce forum .

Continuing, we have Extended Registration . Pressing the button will automatically open a larger window where more detailed program information will be shown. Here we will see warnings, recommendations and information such as important routes where some programs are stored.

We can slightly edit this screen to show us one or the other information depending on the options in the upper bar. In general, it is quite simple and has no complications other than that.

Last but not least, the Info button. It is a fairly common option in almost any program and offers us some information that may interest us.

The options are what you see in the image, something quite simple.

We can know the Terms of Service of the program and also know more about the program itself, its purpose and creation in the About. Finally, we can collaborate with the creator by translating the program or sponsoring it.

Last words on DDU

As you can see, the Display Driver Uninstaller is a simple, direct and quite useful program. Created and maintained by a small group of people, it is a program that takes care of those little things we forget, the waste of updates.

Although it may be a little rough and not very adapted to be visually attractive, the program is very intuitive and does its job. In addition, the options that it offers us are not concise, rather the opposite.

At the time of uninstalling drivers we don't need to edit many things, however the program offers us to change enough variables in its Options panel. We can choose between a very varied set of features to uninstall and not only that, since we also have the mentioned languages.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that it is a program that is receiving a good set of updates. At first it only supported uninstalling the graphics card driver and with reduced options. Now we have more options and we can also uninstall audio software drivers. Possibly, in the future we have even more things to change.

We totally recommend that you try the program and improve the health of your equipment a little. Maybe you do not notice it in your day to day or your tower is really powerful, but it never hurts to take a little better care of your partner.

What do you think about DDU ? What do you think should be improved? Share your ideas below.