Editing Openai/69492970-fd84-8012-81ad-fad51507b9fe (section)

=== Assistant: Hey! ===
Hey! Yeah, eGPU + handhelds can be finicky, so you’re not crazy. Let’s break this down calmly.

First, a quick sanity check, because this matters a lot:
* When you say “9070 XT”, do you mean RX 7900 XT (or 7900 XTX)? There isn’t an AMD GPU officially called 9070 XT yet. If it is something newer or custom, that could change the diagnosis a bit.

That said, based on what you’re describing — works initially, breaks after reboot — this is a very common Thunderbolt + AMD driver behavior, especially on AMD iGPU systems like the Z1 Extreme.

==== ### ====

Windows “Fast Startup” basically half-hibernates the system, and Thunderbolt devices hate that.

Fix:
# Control Panel → Power Options
# “Choose what the power buttons do”
# Click Change settings that are currently unavailable
# Disable “Turn on fast startup”
# Full shutdown → cold boot (not restart)

A restart is often worse than a full shutdown for eGPUs.

===== On reboot, the TB controller sometimes doesn’t re-enumerate the eGPU. =====

Things to try:
* Boot with the eGPU already connected and powered on
* If that fails, try: - Boot without eGPU → log into Windows → then plug it in
* Check Thunderbolt Control Center: - Make sure the eGPU is listed and marked as “Always Connect” or Authorized

===== The Legion Go’s Z1 Extreme iGPU + AMD desktop GPU is a known pain point. =====

Symptoms match what you’re seeing: works once, reboot breaks it.

Try this:
# Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in Safe Mode
# Install ONE unified AMD driver, not separate iGPU/eGPU drivers - Usually the Adrenalin WHQL, not beta
# After install: - Plug in eGPU - Let Windows finish detecting before rebooting

If Windows Update sneaks in a driver afterward, it can silently break this again.

===== Windows loves to overwrite AMD drivers after reboot. =====

Check:
* Device Manager → Display Adapters - If you see Microsoft Basic Display Adapter or a mismatched driver version, that’s your smoking gun.

You may need to:
* Disable automatic driver updates (at least temporarily)

===== This happens with some enclosures + TB4. =====

Quick test:
* After reboot (when it “doesn’t work”): - Is the GPU still visible in Device Manager? - Yes, but error code (like Code 43)? → driver issue - No at all? → Thunderbolt enumeration / firmware issue

==== - BIOS update for the Legion Go S (Lenovo has fixed TB quirks in past updates) ====
* eGPU enclosure firmware
* Try a different Thunderbolt cable (seriously — reboot failures are often cable-related)

==== If I had to bet: ====
# Disable Fast Startup
# Cold boot only (no restart)
# Clean AMD driver install (DDU)
# Make sure Thunderbolt device is authorized

If you can tell me:
* Exact GPU model
* Windows 10 or 11
* Does the GPU show up in Device Manager after reboot?
* Any error codes?

…I can zero in on this pretty fast. You’re definitely not alone with this setup 😅