The GPU performance counters can be made accessible to other programs via the NVIDIA Control Panel. We will be showing you how to get rid of the error message in question with a number of solutions in this article, so let us get started.
1. Enable Developer Mode in NVIDIA Control Panel
You should start off with enabling developer mode in your NVIDIA Control Panel when troubleshooting the error message in question. This is because enabling developer mode results in additional GPU being made available for the users on your computer. This can help in resolving any barriers that are caused by other apps trying to access your GPU details. Enabling the developer mode in NVIDIA Control Panel is quite simple, follow the instructions below:
2. Enable Automatic Tuning (if available)
In some instances, you can get around the error message by enabling the automatic tuning option in the GeForce Experience app. This is a feature from NVIDIA that also enables you to overclock your GPU with a simple click. The overclock is applied automatically, thus the automatic tuning name. To enable this, you will need to ensure that you have the latest NVIDIA Game Ready drivers installed on your computer. In addition, ensure you have the latest version of GeForce Experience installed. Follow the instructions below to enable automatic tuning:
3. Allow GPU Performance Counters Access
MSI Afterburner requires access to the GPU counters on your computer to be able to run the OC scan. These counters are restricted by default by the NVIDIA Control Panel for normal users on your system. In such a case, you will need to allow access to the GPU performance counters to other users and apps on your PC. To do this, you will need the developer mode in NVIDIA Control Panel. Once you have allowed access to the performance counters, MSI Afterburner should be able to run the OC scan without any issues. Follow the instructions below to do this:
4. Use Legacy OC Scanner
Another potential cause for the error message can be the version of the OC scanner that you are using in the MSI Afterburner. The newer versions of the OC scanner have an issue with older cards and require 30 series or above cards to function properly. As such, if you are using the new OC scanner on an old card, you will have to revert to the legacy OC scanner. This can be done by editing the config file of MSI Afterburner. Follow the instructions below:
5. Clean Boot Windows
In some instances, the background services on your computer can interfere with MSI Afterburner which can result in the “Failed to start scanning” error message. This can be triggered by various apps on your PC, such as the Wallpaper Engine, and more. In this case, you will have to execute a clean boot. This will only start the needed Windows services when booting your computer. As such, any other background and third-party service will be disabled so there is no interference. If the problem goes away when you do this, the problem will be evident and you will need to find the culprit app that is causing the issue. One way of achieving this would be to enable the services one by one. Follow the instructions below to do this:
6. Downgrade MSI Afterburner
If reverting to the legacy OC scanner does not fix the issue for you, the issue is likely due to the version of MSI Afterburner you are using. Newer versions of the app have been facing issues with the old Pascal series graphics card, which prevents the app from running the scan. In such an instance, you will have to downgrade to an older version of MSI Afterburner to see if that resolves the issue. To do this, follow the instructions below: You should be able to resolve the error message in question with the solutions above. The problem, in most cases, occurs due to the MSI Afterburner not being able to access the performance counters or the use of the incorrect OC scanner. You can overcome the issue by rectifying these inconsistencies and the error message should go away.
