nVidia driver update - BIG problems

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History:
OS - XP SP2. All of a sudden, my computer started crashing (blue screen)
with problems pointing to file name "nv4_disp". Apparently this is a driver
issue for my GeForce 5200 card.

Problem:
Monitor works fine in safe mode, but not in regular mode.
Monitor works fine (no digital noise) if I disable the nVidia GeForce 5200
device (via Device Manager)
Default drivers (not nVidia) apparently support VGA only. I am now forced to
not use the DVI cable.

Strangely, I am not able to uninstall the nVidia drivers. Each time I
uninstall the drivers, it asks me to restart the computer, which I do, and
then it's right there. It's like the uninstall did not do anything at all.

I even tried "Uninstalling the device". Predictably, when the computer
restarts, it automatically recognizes the nvidia card.

I tried updating the latest drivers from the nvidia site, and also from
Dell's site. No help.

I *think* this started happening after I upgraded Real Player. I may be
wrong... but I have no reason to believe this problem just cropped up.

Please HELP!! I am at my wit's end!!
 
Allow me to clarify something for you: Windows XP has a driver for your
video card. Not the most recent driver, and not the same driver you
would get from nVidia...it's XP's default driver for your video card.
Understand that your video card needs to have a driver or it (and your
computer) won't work.

So...presuming that you correctly uninstalled nVidia's driver, you would
have then restarted your computer, and XP would have installed its own,
default driver for your video card. XP's driver was written by - you
guessed it - nVidia. That's why you see a driver installed and why it
may carry nVidia's name.

Now what you do is go directly to nVidia's website and install the
driver from their website. Be sure to follow nVidia's instructions
exactly. And always read the Release Notes for a driver before
installing, to avoid problems.

All this again is presuming that you originally followed nVidia's
uninstall directions exactly.
 
Hi Ted, Thanks for the detailed note.

I *think* the uninstall is the problem. This is what I did:

1. Log on to safe mode
2. Device Manager --> Disable NVIDIA GeForce 5200
3. Shut down and log on normally.

PS: I need to do the 3 steps above even to use my computer. Or else, it
crashes.

4. Downloaded latest drivers from NVIDIA
5. Uninstall NVIDIA drivers (from Add/Remove Programs)
6. It prompts me to restart
7. The computer restarts (normal mode, not safe mode)
8. I see the resolution drop to 800 x 600. BTW, Safe Mode resolution is 1400
x1050. Isn't that strange?
9. Anyway, I still log on, monitor acts flaky and then blue screen of death.

10. I repeat steps 1-3 (to use the computer)

11. I uninstall the drivers again.
12. I DO NOT restart
13. I install the NVIDIA drivers I downloaded.
14. Same problems exist.

15. I repeat steps 1-3. Stalemate :(

I read on the web that the NVIDIA drivers don't get cleaned out properly.
There is a utility on Guru 3D -
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=582. I am wondering if I should
use this. Anyone had any problems with this?

Regards
Bald Eagle
 
Somewhere along the way you, may I say, screwed up an install or
uninstall of an nVidia driver.

nVidia technical support can show you how to correctly uninstall their
driver and software...they may even have an automated tool you can use.

When you correctly uninstall a video driver - and 'disabling' a video
card is not correct - Windows detects your video card on reboot and
install its own driver. Then you can go to nVidia and install their
software.
 
Thanks man... You're right, I must've acrewed up... I will give your approach
a try.

Regards
BE
 
What version is it saying the nVidia driver is?
My card is nVidia GeForce MX 440 with AGP8X.
I installed nVidia driver version 6.14.10.9371, and it seems to have
problems. I was running a program I wrote, after installing that driver,
and the computer rebooted itself. I think it was because of that driver.
The computer came with 5.6.5.6 which had bugs.
Version 7.1.8.9 seems to work.
 
If you head over to www.guru3d.com
The forums recommend downloading Driver Cleaner Pro, which clean up the
left-over files/settings that nVidia uninstall does not remove correctly. I
have used this several times with great success.
 
Yves, What is the process then? Perform the uninstall, restart the system and
then run Driver Cleaner Pro? Or Perform the uninstall, run the Driver Cleaner
Pro and then restart the system?
Either way, I feel that once the system is restarted, XP automatically
installs a default driver for nVidia.

Merci...Regards
 
I downloaded and installed 6.14.10.9371. But I had problems even before I
installed it. Where did you download 7.1.8.9 from?

Regards
BE
 
Run the uninstall, go to safe mode, run DC Pro. Then restart and try again.
XP will come up with a VGA default driver.
 
I just clicked to download the latest driver, and saved the 7.1.8.9 from
4/21/05. I don't know if the older drivers are available for download
online anywhere. If you can't find it on their website, you might try
calling nVidia and asking about it.
 
Bald Eagle said:
I downloaded and installed 6.14.10.9371. But I had problems even before I
installed it. Where did you download 7.1.8.9 from?

Regards
BE
Click to expand...

Try here for 7.1.8.9
HTH, s
 
History:
OS - XP SP2. All of a sudden, my computer started crashing (blue screen)
with problems pointing to file name "nv4_disp". Apparently this is a driver
issue for my GeForce 5200 card.

Problem:
Monitor works fine in safe mode, but not in regular mode.
Monitor works fine (no digital noise) if I disable the nVidia GeForce 5200
device (via Device Manager)
Default drivers (not nVidia) apparently support VGA only. I am now forced to
not use the DVI cable.

Strangely, I am not able to uninstall the nVidia drivers. Each time I
uninstall the drivers, it asks me to restart the computer, which I do, and
then it's right there. It's like the uninstall did not do anything at all.

I even tried "Uninstalling the device". Predictably, when the computer
restarts, it automatically recognizes the nvidia card.

I tried updating the latest drivers from the nvidia site, and also from
Dell's site. No help.

I *think* this started happening after I upgraded Real Player. I may be
wrong... but I have no reason to believe this problem just cropped up.

Please HELP!! I am at my wit's end!!
Click to expand...

I don't know what's going on with the driver but I've seen that nuke
it and it returns bit. What happens is that when Windows is looking
for a driver for the hardware that doesn't have it it finds the driver
all nice and sitting there and uses it.

A few years back I had a few boxes (office--I was the only IT guy in
the company at the time.) that once in a while would mess up the video
driver. Nuke both drivers (the boxes had two cards), reboot, windows
would come up saying it needed to reboot to finish the installation,
reboot again and the drivers were reinstalled fine. I never did find
out what was going on.
 
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