TDR
Definition
Timeout Detection and Recovery, Windows graphics hang detection and reset behavior.
Detailed explanation
TDR means Timeout Detection and Recovery, the Windows graphics mechanism that watches for work taking too long on the GPU. The display scheduler can reset the graphics stack so the desktop continues instead of immediately stopping the system. A TDR event describes a missed response deadline and can involve software, workload, power, temperature, or hardware. The timeout threshold protects desktop availability, while repeated recovery failures can lead to a VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE bug check. Long shaders, unstable clocks, thermal or power problems, defective memory, and synchronization defects can all delay completion, so the mechanism does not identify one universal cause.
Where you are likely to see it
This term commonly appears while Windows is installing, recovering, or configuring a display adapter, monitor, or graphics application. The definition above gives the short meaning; the detailed explanation describes the term's role in the operating system and hardware stack.
The surrounding event and device model determine whether the term refers to Windows, an application, device software, or hardware. This glossary is informational and does not provide repair, installation, or technical-support services.
Related vocabulary
Explore connected concepts and nearby entries in the Windows hardware vocabulary.
- DCHDeclarative, Componentized, Hardware Support App, a modern Windows driver-package model.
- VRAMVideo random-access memory used by a GPU for rendering data.
- ThunderboltA high-bandwidth interconnect tunneling PCIe and DisplayPort.
- TPMTrusted Platform Module, a protected cryptographic and measurement component.