TDR

Timeout Detection and Recovery is the Windows safeguard that watches for a graphics processor that has stopped completing work. If the GPU remains unresponsive beyond the allowed interval, Windows resets the graphics stack instead of letting the whole desktop stay frozen. The screen may blink, an application may close, and Event Viewer can record display event 4101. Repeated resets can come from a faulty graphics release, overheating, unstable overclocking, or a workload that genuinely hangs the GPU. Return clock settings to normal, check temperatures, and compare the event time with a recent package change. Extending the timeout in the registry can hide the reset but does not repair the underlying instability.