GeForce Experience Error Code 0x0003 [6 Solutions]

Many Windows users have reported continuously facing the NVIDIA GeForce Error Code 0x0003. This error disrupts your ability to use any feature associated with NVIDIA experience. It causes software crashes, leaving you with a dialog box and the option to close it.

This error is familiar to Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 users. However, sometimes fixing this error code may take time, but you can do it. In this article, I will show you some useful troubleshooting tips to help you fix the GeForce Experience Error Code 0x0003.

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What is the GeForce Experience Error Code 0x0003

The NVIDIA GeForce experience error code 0x0003 is one of the most common NVIDIA experience errors you may encounter. The error message reads; Something went wrong. Try rebooting your PC and then launch GeForce Experience. Error Code: 0x0003.Once a dialog box with this message pops up on your screen, you will only have an option to close it and look for a solution.

What Is The “NVIDIA GeForce Experience, Something Went Wrong” Error?

This is a relatively new error that popped up after the company launched its GeForce Experience 3.0 update. It contained performance-enhancing technology as well as new features. As with many programs and driver updates, this one contained some bugs. The corruption will cause the GeForce Experience application to not run properly. 

What Causes the “NVIDIA GeForce Experience, Something Went Wrong” Error?

When you buy a computer with an NVIDIA graphics card, you have to make sure the proper drivers are installed. Each driver contains the NVIDIA GeForce Experience and a variety of errors can come with it. The main cause of the error has to do with a faulty user configuration of the NVIDIA application or program corruption. Additionally, the error may pop up because some of the NVIDIA services failed to start. Unfortunately, each computer has its own configuration for this program. Here are some of the most common causes for the error: 

  • Incompatibility
  • Faulty configuration
  • Missing system files
  • Out of date drivers
  • Corrupt files

What Causes It?

Looking at user reports and the repair strategies used to fix this specific issue, you will find out that it can be a result of several reasons. Therefore, I have compiled a couple of these reasons below. 

NVIDIA Telemetry container is not permitted to interact with the desktop: You will encounter the GeForce experience error when NVIDIA Telemetry container is not allowed to interact with the desktop. When this happens, you should fix the error by using the Services screen to permit interaction with this service.
Mandatory NVIDIA Services are not running: You will encounter the GeForce experience error when you disable services like the NVIDIA Display Service, NVIDIA Local System Container, and NVIDIA Network Service Container. When this happens, you should be able to fix the error by force starting the services.
NVIDIA driver is corrupt: You will encounter the GeForce experience error when one or more drivers used by your GPU are corrupt. When this happens, you should be able to fix the error by reinstalling every NVIDIA Component.
Some kind of Network adapter glitch: You will encounter the GeForce experience error when the network adapter gets stuck in a state of limbo. When this happens, you need to fix the error by performing a comms reinstall which is also known as a Winsock reset.
Windows update is interfering with your GPU driver: Sometimes the GeForce experience error starts occurring when Windows Update has installed an update automatically. If this case applies to you, you can fix the error by uninstalling the NVIDIA drivers that you are currently using and then installing the newest version automatically.

Nonetheless, whatever the case may be, once you encounter the GeForce error code 0x0003, you should opt for a solution to fix it immediately.

NVIDIA Control Panel Missing

The NVIDIA control panel is a hardware control panel that enables users to adjust graphics driver settings. Through this control panel, you can enable or disable the driver, check updates, and ensure that you don’t overclock your PC. Therefore, the NVIDIA control panel plays a vital role in fixing the GeForce error code 0x0003.

While using the GeForce Experience software, you may find out that your NVIDIA control panel is missing. Windows may hide your NVIDIA Control Panel during the upgrade from a previous version. It could also be hidden by software that has mistakenly changed the graphics settings. 

You can unhide the NVIDIA Control Panel by opening it in Windows Control Panel and then show it in your desktop context menu. To perform this operation, follow these steps so:

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R simultaneously on your keyboard. This operation will invoke the Run dialog box.
Step 2: Type “control” in the Run dialog and hit the Enter button on your keyboard. This operation will open the Control Panel of Windows.
Step 3: In the Control Panel, access the View By option, and click on Large Icons.
Step 4: Click on the NVIDIA Control Panel.
Step 5: Once you have opened the NVIDIA Control Panel, click on View or Desktop
Step 6: Now check the Add Desktop Context Menu.
Step 7: Right-click on anywhere on your desktop and check if your NVIDIA control panel will reappear in the desktop context menu. The NVIDIA control panel should now be revealed and easily accessible to you.

With your control panel handy, you are now ready to tackle the GeForce Experience Error Code 0x0003. You can fix this error with the list of potential solutions that I have detailed in the next section.

How to Fix the GeForce Error Code 0x0003

Fortunately, fixing the GeForce Experience Error Code 0x0003 does not require any complicated operation. Sometimes you may need to reinstall every NVIDIA component on your PC to fix it. Every solution is dependent on what caused the error. Troubleshooting the GeForce Experience Error Code 0x0003 may take a lot of your time before you succeed.

Nonetheless, no matter what caused the error, you can simply fix it by carefully following a few guidelines that I will show you. To fix the GeForce Experience Error Code 0x0003, you need to follow the guidelines below carefully.

Solution 1: Allow the NVIDIA Telemetry container to communicate with the desktop

Many affected users reported that they were able to resolve the GeForce error code 0x0003 by performing this solution. You can also fix it by using the Services screen to ensure that you allow NVIDIA Telemetry service to interact with the desktop. Also, make sure you start the service.

After performing this solution, most people that were previously battling with this error in NVIDIA Experience reported that they fixed the issue. Here is a quick guide on permitting the NVIDIA Telemetry container to interact with the desktop.

Step 1: Press the Windows logo key + R simultaneously to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “services.msc” in the dialog box and press Enter. This operation will open up the Services Screen. If the User Account Control prompts (UAC) you, click on Yes to give administrative privileges.
Step 2: Access the Services screen by scrolling down through the list of services to find NIVIDIA Telemetry Container. When you find it, right-click on it and select Properties.
Step 3: In the Properties screen of the NVIDIA Telemetry Container, select the Log On tab. Ensure that you check the box associated with Allow service to interact with desktop. Click on Apply to enable the changes you made.
Step 4: Go back to the former screen with the list of services and find the following services:

NVIDIA Display Service

NVIDIA Local System Container

NVIDIA Network Service Container

Step 5: Right-click on all of them and click on Start to make sure that they are all running.
Step 6: When you are done enabling every service, once again perform the operation that was previously triggering the Error Code 0x0003 and check if you have fixed the error.

If the error is still occurring after you allowed the NVIDIA Telemetry container to interact with the desktop, move down to the next potential solution below.

Solution 2: Reinstall every NVIDIA Component

Many users who are affected by the GeForce error code 0x0003 have reported that they only resolved the issue after reinstalling GeForce Experience and every NVIDIA driver. After performing this operation and restarting their PC, some users reported that the GeForce Experience Error Code 0x0003 was no longer popping up.

Here are some guidelines on reinstalling every NVIDIA component to help you resolve the error:

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R simultaneously to open up a Run dialog box. 
Step 2: Type “appwiz.cpl” and hit the Enter button on your keyboard. This operation will open up the Programs and Features screen.
Step 3: Type appwiz.cpl and hit the Enter button on your keyboard. This operation will open the Installed Programs List.
Step 4: In the Programs and Features window, click on Publisher. This operation will order every installed application by its Publisher.
Step 5: When the publisher orders all the applications, right-click on the first listing that is published by NVIDIA Corporation and click on Uninstall.
Step 6: Repeat the process in step 5 for every item that is published by NVIDIA Corporation from this list.
Step 7: Repeat steps 5 to 6 for every NVIDIA application that you have installed on your PC.
Step 8: Restart your PC and wait until the next startup sequence is complete.
Step 9: Once the next system startup is complete, visit the NVIDIA official website. Locate and click on Download Now. 
Step 10: Now, follow the on-screen prompts to download the GeForce Experience software completely. 
Step 11: Once you have finished downloading the software, install the software. The NVIDIA experience software will automatically install all the missing drivers. 
Step 12: Once the new drivers are completely installed, restart your PC again and see if you have resolved the error.

If the error is still occurring after reinstalling every NVIDIA component, you have to move down to the next potential solution below.

Solution 3: Reset the Network Adapter

Many users who are affected by the GeForce error code 0x0003 have reported that they only resolved the issue after resetting their network adapter’s software to its default configuration. This operation is known as a Winsock reset or a comms reinstall. This operation can be applied on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

Here are some guidelines on resetting the network adapter that will help you resolve the error:

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R simultaneously. This operation will open up a Run dialog box. 
Step 2: Type in “cmd” and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter simultaneously. This operation will open up an elevated Command prompt. 
Step 3: When you are prompted by the User Account Control (UAC), click on Yes to give Admin privileges.
Step 4: Type the following command in the elevated Command Prompt and press Enter to reset the network adapter driver:

netsh winsock reset

Step 5: Once this command has been successfully processed, restart your PC and check if the error has been fixed at the next system startup.

If the error is still occurring after resetting your network adapter driver, you have to move down to the next potential solution below.

Solution 4: Install the latest Graphics driver manually

When you have performed all the solutions above and the error is still not resolved, then the issue is probably due to a corrupted GPU driver. In this scenario, you can fix the error by reinstalling the graphics driver manually. Many users who are affected by the GeForce experience error code 0x0003 have reported that they were able to fix the error by performing this solution.

Here are some guidelines on manually reinstalling your graphics driver in order to help you resolve the error:

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R simultaneously. This operation will open up a Run dialog box. 
Step 2: Type “appwiz.cpl” and hit the Enter button on your keyboard. This operation will open the Programs and Features screen.
Step 3: Type appwiz.cpl and hit the Enter button on your keyboard.  This operation will open the Installed Programs List.
Step 4: On the Programs and Features screen, find every installation published by NVIDIA and right-click on it and click on Uninstall. This operation will remove every driver that is associated with your system’s GPU. 
Step 5: Now, follow the on-screen prompts to get rid of the driver.
Step 6: Once you are done uninstalling all the NVIDIA products, restart your PC.

Step 7: Once the next system startup is complete, visit the NVIDIA website, and set your GPU model, operating system version, series, and language. 
Step 8: Click on Search to locate the latest driver version that is available for your GPU configuration.

Step 9: Once you have completely downloaded the new driver, install it by following the on-screen prompts.
Step 10: Now, check if the error has been resolved.

Alternatively, you can reinstall your graphics driers using third-party updater tools such as Driver Booster, DriverPack Solution, or Driver Hub. Always make sure that you do not overclock your GPU. Overclocking your GPU is an excellent way to improve the performance of your PC. But it could also lead to numerous errors occurring on your computer. 

If the error is still occurring after installing the latest graphics driver, you have to move down to the next potential solution below.

Update Graphics Driver Manually

If the above methods have failed, then you could always try to update the graphics driver. It’s very possible that your graphics driver isn’t configured properly or is out of date. Before you install the new driver you have to make sure the old ones are deleted first. You will need to use the Display Driver Uninstaller to do this properly. 

  • Install Display Driver Uninstaller
  • Launch your computer in Safe mode
  • After you boot into safe mode, launch Display Driver Uninstaller and choose Safe Mode
  • After you launch DDU, select Clean and restart
  • Wait for the program to perform its actions and then start your computer normally
  • Launch the application again and open Drivers
  • Click on Driver Download
  • Enter your specification and click Start Search
  • The application will now scan and select the right drivers for your PC
  • After the driver has been updated, restart you PC and check to see if the problem is resolved

Solution 5: Create a New User Account

When you have performed all the solutions above and the error is still not resolved, your last resort should be to create a new user account with administrative privileges. Before you create the new account, you need to delete all the NVIDIA related applications and drivers first. After deleting the drivers and applications, you can now install the drivers.

Here are some guidelines on creating a new user account in order to help you resolve the error:

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R simultaneously. This operation will open up a Run dialog box. 
Step 2: Type “appwiz.cpl” and hit the Enter button on your keyboard. This operation will open the Programs and Features screen.
Step 3: Type appwiz.cpl and hit the Enter button on your keyboard.  This operation will open the Installed Programs List.
Step 4: On the Programs and Features screen, find every installation published by NVIDIA and right-click on it and click on Uninstall. This operation will remove every driver that is associated with your system’s GPU. 
Step 5: Now, follow the on-screen prompts to get rid of the driver.
Step 6: Once you are done uninstalling all the NVIDIA products, restart your PC.

Step 7: Once the next system startup is complete, visit the NVIDIA website, and set your GPU model, operating system version, series, and language. 
Step 8: Click on Search to locate the latest driver version that is available for your GPU configuration.

Step 9: Once you have completely downloaded the new driver, install it by following the on-screen prompts.
Step 10: Once the new drivers are completely installed, restart your PC again and create a new user account with administrative privileges.
Step 10: Now, check if the error has been resolved.

After performing all these solutions, you should be able to fix the NVIDIA GeForce Error Code 0x0003. If by now the error is still there, visit the official NIDIA support page.

Solution 6: Change Compatibility 

If you have recently installed the GeForce Experience program on your PC, then it’s quite possible that it’s not compatible. This means that it can’t run on your computer, which is why you’re getting the error message. We can try to alter this by changing the compatibility settings of the GeForce application. Here’s how to do it: 

  • Right-click on the GeForce application and choose Properties
  • Locate the Compatibility tab
  • Check “Run this program in compatibility mode for:” and “Run this program as an administrator”
  • When you choose the compatibility mode, make sure you go through the list and select one then try the program again before moving on to the next solution
  • You can click on Windows 8 and then try the program, Windows 7, and try again, etc.

Solution 7: Reinstall Microsoft C++ Redistributable Packages

There’s a good possibility that there are some important files missing from your computer that help your PC run. Without these files, you may see the “NVIDIA GeForce Experience, something went wrong” error pop up. Luckily, there’s a way you can replace the missing files. You will need to download the redistributable package and install it. Don’t use a non-official website as the files could be infected with a virus or malware that can take over your PC. 

Additionally, you should ensure that Windows is up to date before installing anything else. If you’re ready to install the Microsoft C++ Redistributable package, follow these instructions: 

  • Go to the official Microsoft download center
  • Locate the most recent version of Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio
  • Click on Download after selecting the language
  • Choose vc_redistx64.exe and press Next
  • Save the file in an easily accessible location and run the .exe file
  • After everything has finished installing, restart you PC and check if the problem is resolved

Note: If you have a 64 bit Windows OS, install both vredist_x64.exe and vredist_x86.exe. If you only have a 32 bit, only install the x86.exe file. 

Method 4: Change NVIDIA Display Container LS Settings

All of the main features of NVIDIA are in a display container service. These features are required to run all applications and services correctly without flaws. It has been reported by multiple users that it was because of this service not stating that they were unable to open the GeForce Experience. The startup for this application is disabled by default. So we’re going to change the settings to see if it changes anything and lets it start for you: 

    • Press Win + R
    • Type Services
    • Look through the services until you find NVIDIA Display Container LS
    • Right-click and select Properties
    • Click Startup Type
    • Select Automatic and press Apply
  • Right-click on Services to force start
  • Press Win + R and type msconfig
  • Look for Services
  • Check the box that says Hide all Microsoft services
  • Restart your computer and try to run GeForce Experience once more

Conclusion

The NVIDIA GeForce Error Code 0x0003 is a common error encountered by many users of Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. It is quite easy to fix. Sometimes you would have to install the latest NVIDIA graphics driver to fix it. In this article, I have provided you with the solutions to help you fix it. Now it’s your turn to perform these solutions and conquer this error. c