How to Fix This DCH Driver Package is Not Compatible Nvidia Error?

If you’re installing or updating an NVIDIA graphics card driver, you might see an error message:

NVIDIA Installer cannot continue

This DCH driver package is not compatible with the currently installed version of Windows. This system is configured to require a Standard driver package.

This article is about the installation of the NVIDIA driver on Windows 10 or 11 when the installer returns a compatibility error.

What is NVIDIA DCH and Standard Display Drivers?

NVIDIA currently offers two display driver distribution formats:

• Standard;
• DCH (Declarative Componentized Hardware supported apps).

Core display driver component files in DCH and standard packages are the same. The key difference is that DCH package doesn’t include the Nvidia Control Panel. This makes the DCH driver package smaller and faster to install.

The DCH drivers can only be installed on new builds of Windows 10 (starting with build 1803 and higher), on computers with Intel 6th gen (or newer) CPUs. This means that the NVIDIA DCH driver cannot be installed on older versions of Windows 10 (including LTSB), as well as Windows 8.1 and 7.

In simple terms, the “DCH Driver Package is not compatible” error indicates that you’re attempting to install the wrong driver type. Your hardware is fine, and there’s no need to reinstall Windows.

You can check your graphic driver type using the Nvidia Control Panel:

1. On your desktop, press the right mouse button, and select Nvidia Control Panel;
2. Click the System Information link in the bottom-left corner;
   
3. Look for the Driver Type field in the Details section. Note what driver type you have.
   

Fix: This DCH Driver Package is Not Compatible

If you get an error when installing the NVIDIA driver saying that the DCH driver is not compatible, this probably means that you have an old build of Windows 10 installed.

You can check the Windows 10 build number on your computer by running the command:

Win + R > winver

If your Windows 10 build is below 1803, you won’t be able to install the NVIDIA DCH driver package on your computer.

To resolve this, you can either update your Windows to a newer build (22H2 or 23H2) or download and install the Standard NVIDIA driver package.

You can download a proper driver for your NVIDIA GPU from the official vendor ‘s website:

1. Go to the Nvidia drivers search page and select your product. For example, Geforce MX250.
2. Select your drive type in the Windows Driver Type field. That can be either DCH or Standard;
3. Press the Search button and select the driver you need (make sure you select the correct version and bitness of Windows);
4. Download the installer and run it.

It’s important to note that NVIDIA has discontinued updates for standard driver packages for certain graphics card models. For instance, the most recent standard driver for my GeForce MX250 is dated 2021.

For optimal performance and fewer issues with your GPU, it’s advisable to use the latest graphics drivers. In our case, the DCH driver version from 2023/11/14 is available. To install this driver version, you’ll need to upgrade your Windows 10 build to 22H2 or 22H3 through Windows Update or by using the Media Creation Tool or Windows 10 Update Assistance.

You can also use the GeForce Experience application to update your NVIDIA drivers:

1. Download and install GeForce Experience (https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/geforce-experience/);
2. Open the GeForce Experience app, go to the Drivers tab, and click Check for updates;
3. If an update is available, click Download Driver;
4. Click on “Express Installation” to install the most up-to-date compatible driver for your graphics card and operating system.

Install Nvidia Control Panel from Microsoft Store on Windows 10 and 11

Since the NVIDIA Control Panel is not included in the NVIDIA DCH display driver package, you’ll need to install it manually from the Microsoft Store.

You can run the MS-Store app with the command ms-windows-store: and search for NVIDIA Control Panel app manually.

Or go directly to the link https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9NF8H0H7WMLT.

Click the “Install” button (you must be signed in with a Microsoft account).

Note that the NVIDIA Control Panel must be installed in the (C:) drive to install the NVIDIA DCH display driver. If you have changed the default paths or locations where the Windows Store app is installed, you may encounter an error when you try to open the NVIDIA Control Panel.

In some cases, when you launch the NVIDIA Control Panel app from the Microsoft Store, you may receive an error:

Supported NVIDIA Driver is not installed on your system.
To use the NVIDIA Control Panel, install the latest NVIDIA driver.

To resolve this issue, you can use a registry trick. Open the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\nvlddmkm\FTS, and create a Dword parameter named EnableRID69527 with a value of 1.

You can create this registry parameter with the command prompt:

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\nvlddmkm\FTS" /v "EnableRID69527" /d 1 /t REG_DWORD /f

Now you can launch the Nvidia Control Panel app.