An ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 owner discovered that Windows 11's driver management tools delete GPU drivers after extended Eco Mode usage. Reddit user u/OK-Horse-3169 found their NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti driver removed after switching back to performance mode following weeks in Eco Mode. Windows 11 treats disabled dGPUs like disconnected peripherals, triggering automatic driver removal via pnpclean.dll maintenance tasks.

ASUS confirms this as expected behavior for laptops with MUX switches that disable discrete GPUs entirely. The driver deletion occurs after 15-30 days of disconnection, causing Windows to recognize the GPU as a generic display adapter until reinstallation.