NVIDIA graphics driver poblem

[wr]

When my computer boots up it always complains about having recovered from some
serious problem and wants to send a message about it. So lately I've been
letting it and trying get over the problem. It takes me to this page:

http://tinyurl.com/ylfqdm6

where it says:
_________________________________________________________
Address a problem with NVIDIA Graphics Driver

NVIDIA Graphics Driver has stopped working properly.

A driver update, if available, might prevent this problem from recurring.

There are several ways of locating and installing driver updates, but it is best
to let Windows do this for you. Try the first step below, which describes the
process. If it doesn't produce a driver update that solves the problem, then try
the remaining steps in the order given.

1. Check for optional third-party updates

2. Try updating NVIDIA Graphics Driver manually

3. Check the NVIDIA Corporation website for driver updates

4. Check your computer manufacturer's website for driver updates
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
so I tried everything but the last thing. I downloaded the latest version:

71.89_win2kxp_english.exe

which it appears I already had to begin with, and then searched for it on my
hard drive. I found several other copies in a few different folders, so I copied
versions of the new one into every folder that had a copy already. I don't
remember it asking me if I wanted to replace the ones that were already there,
so could I still be having trouble with an old screwed up copy that it keeps
bumping into without knowing there's a hopefully better copy right in the same
folder? Or what? I got this computer used, and it has some stuff on it I don't
need or even want. Is there a way to find out what programs are using that
driver and remove everything associated with it if I don't want it, or maybe
remove and reload it if I do?

 

[John Doe]

When my computer boots up it always complains about having
recovered from some serious problem

Address a problem with NVIDIA Graphics Driver

71.89_win2kxp_english.exe

Witch Microsoft operating system and NVIDIA video card do you
have? The driver versions are up to about 191.

which it appears I already had to begin with, and then searched
for it on my hard drive.

That is unnecessary.

I found several other copies in a few different folders, so I
copied versions of the new one into every folder that had a copy
already.

That should not be done, whatever it is.

To upgrade NVIDIA drivers, you just download and run the
program/package. You should not and do not need to mess with
files. I used to mess with Windows files, constantly, for years.
With very few exceptions, trying to manually remove files on your
hard drive is a waste of time or worse (even for an advanced
user).

I don't remember it asking me if I wanted to replace the ones
that were already there, so could I still be having trouble with
an old screwed up copy that it keeps bumping into without
knowing there's a hopefully better copy right in the same
folder? Or what?

You are in over your head.

I got this computer used, and it has some stuff on it I don't
need or even want. Is there a way to find out what programs are
using that driver and remove everything associated with it if I
don't want it, or maybe remove and reload it if I do?

Try downloading/installing the most recent NVIDIA drivers. If that
does not work, format the hard drive and do a clean installation
of Windows XP (or higher).

Good luck.

 

[Paul]

When my computer boots up it always complains about having recovered from some
serious problem and wants to send a message about it. So lately I've been
letting it and trying get over the problem. It takes me to this page:

http://tinyurl.com/ylfqdm6

where it says:
_________________________________________________________
Address a problem with NVIDIA Graphics Driver

NVIDIA Graphics Driver has stopped working properly.

A driver update, if available, might prevent this problem from recurring.

There are several ways of locating and installing driver updates, but it is best
to let Windows do this for you. Try the first step below, which describes the
process. If it doesn't produce a driver update that solves the problem, then try
the remaining steps in the order given.

1. Check for optional third-party updates

2. Try updating NVIDIA Graphics Driver manually

3. Check the NVIDIA Corporation website for driver updates

4. Check your computer manufacturer's website for driver updates
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
so I tried everything but the last thing. I downloaded the latest version:

71.89_win2kxp_english.exe

which it appears I already had to begin with, and then searched for it on my
hard drive. I found several other copies in a few different folders, so I copied
versions of the new one into every folder that had a copy already. I don't
remember it asking me if I wanted to replace the ones that were already there,
so could I still be having trouble with an old screwed up copy that it keeps
bumping into without knowing there's a hopefully better copy right in the same
folder? Or what? I got this computer used, and it has some stuff on it I don't
need or even want. Is there a way to find out what programs are using that
driver and remove everything associated with it if I don't want it, or maybe
remove and reload it if I do?

Have you recorded any of the actual error messages ?

The "71.89_win2kxp_english.exe" file is only referenced, at the instant
you install it. After that, the smaller files stored in OS folders, are the
ones that are used on every reboot.

Fixing driver issues is not always easy. I had one case, where no
matter how much research and fiddling with files I did, I could not
get acceleration enabled on my video card. The eventual solution
was to reinstall the OS, to clean up the mess. So while there
can be plenty of well meaning suggestions from people, it
might turn out that no one knows what the problem is. So
that is the "solution of last resort".

But before doing that, at least a thorough listing of the
symptoms, with plenty of details, will help people answering
your question decide whether it is hardware or software. It
helps if there is exact error text from the crash, error
numbers in hexadecimal and so on.

Once the "serious problem" message is gone, does the computer
work properly after that ? Can you play games, and do the 3D
games render properly and at full speed ? Sometimes a problem
is serious enough, that the computer will immediately reboot.
Is that what is happening ?

What is the make and model number of the computer ? An example
of a make would be "Dell" and a model number would be "Inspiron 1525".
That gives the readers some idea of what vintage of computer it
is. Since you're using a relatively old driver (71.89), that
suggests the video card must be an older one, or that your
OS is something older than WinXP. The last driver for Win98,
was something like 81.98.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/win9x_81.98.html

This is the hardware supported by that driver version.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/81.98_9x_supported.html

Other OSes may have newer drivers, but they stopped supporting
some of the cards on that list. For example, the most recent
WinXP driver wouldn't support FX5200 but would support a
Geforce 6200.

But at this point, there isn't enough evidence to say whether
a driver change will make any difference at all.

Paul

 

[wr]

Have you recorded any of the actual error messages ?

One time it said:
_________________________________________________________
BCCode : 100000ea BCP1 : 83158020 BCP2 : 83168F60 BCP3 : F8C68CB4
BCP4 : 00000001 OSVer : 5_1_2600 SP : 2_0 Product : 768_1

C:\DOCUME~1\MIKEWA~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERb07f.dir00\Mini092409-02.dmp
C:\DOCUME~1\MIKEWA~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERb07f.dir00\sysdata.xml
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
and another time it said:
_________________________________________________________
BCCode : 100000ea BCP1 : 831A6DA8 BCP2 : 8321A340 BCP3 : F8C64CB4
BCP4 : 00000001 OSVer : 5_1_2600 SP : 3_0 Product : 768_1

C:\DOCUME~1\MIKEWA~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERb4de.dir00\Mini100409-07.dmp
C:\DOCUME~1\MIKEWA~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERb4de.dir00\sysdata.xml
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

The "71.89_win2kxp_english.exe" file is only referenced, at the instant
you install it. After that, the smaller files stored in OS folders, are the
ones that are used on every reboot.

So does that mean this particular driver is necessary in order for the computer
to run, so I can't just delete it and whatever program it's associated with?

Fixing driver issues is not always easy. I had one case, where no
matter how much research and fiddling with files I did, I could not
get acceleration enabled on my video card. The eventual solution
was to reinstall the OS, to clean up the mess. So while there
can be plenty of well meaning suggestions from people, it
might turn out that no one knows what the problem is. So
that is the "solution of last resort".

But before doing that, at least a thorough listing of the
symptoms, with plenty of details, will help people answering
your question decide whether it is hardware or software. It
helps if there is exact error text from the crash, error
numbers in hexadecimal and so on.

Once the "serious problem" message is gone, does the computer
work properly after that ?

I haven't had any problem with it after it finally gets going, and I leave it
on for days at a time.

Can you play games, and do the 3D
games render properly and at full speed ? Sometimes a problem
is serious enough, that the computer will immediately reboot.
Is that what is happening ?

I don't play any games with it.

What is the make and model number of the computer ? An example
of a make would be "Dell" and a model number would be "Inspiron 1525".
That gives the readers some idea of what vintage of computer it
is. Since you're using a relatively old driver (71.89), that
suggests the video card must be an older one, or that your
OS is something older than WinXP. The last driver for Win98,
was something like 81.98.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/win9x_81.98.html

This is the hardware supported by that driver version.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/81.98_9x_supported.html

I searched my hard drive for anything named GeForce or Quadro, and all it came
up with is:

http://www.nvidia.com/content/Drive...cludes/us/images/driverpromo_quadro_adobe.jpg

If that's the only thing that cares about that driver and I find it and trash
it, might that end the problem? Come to think of it it has been several months
since this problem began, and it may have started in March 2009.

Other OSes may have newer drivers, but they stopped supporting
some of the cards on that list. For example, the most recent
WinXP driver wouldn't support FX5200 but would support a
Geforce 6200.

I don't want any stuff like that, so is there a way to find the program that's
using it and get rid of everything associated with it including the driver?

 

[Paul]

One time it said:
_________________________________________________________
BCCode : 100000ea BCP1 : 83158020 BCP2 : 83168F60 BCP3 : F8C68CB4
BCP4 : 00000001 OSVer : 5_1_2600 SP : 2_0 Product : 768_1

C:\DOCUME~1\MIKEWA~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERb07f.dir00\Mini092409-02.dmp
C:\DOCUME~1\MIKEWA~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERb07f.dir00\sysdata.xml
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
and another time it said:
_________________________________________________________
BCCode : 100000ea BCP1 : 831A6DA8 BCP2 : 8321A340 BCP3 : F8C64CB4
BCP4 : 00000001 OSVer : 5_1_2600 SP : 3_0 Product : 768_1

C:\DOCUME~1\MIKEWA~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERb4de.dir00\Mini100409-07.dmp
C:\DOCUME~1\MIKEWA~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERb4de.dir00\sysdata.xml
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

0x000000EA: THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER

http://aumha.org/a/stop.htm

So does that mean this particular driver is necessary in order for the computer
to run, so I can't just delete it and whatever program it's associated with?

The way Windows works, is it is prepared to work with no video driver.
Video cards have a default mode they (most all) support. It is something
like a VESA mode. The Windows OS has a pre-installed driver, that knows
how to talk to any video card using VESA mode. So, if you go to "Add/Remove"
and remove the Nvidia driver, then Windows will use the other driver instead,
on the next reboot. The resolution may drop to 640x480 when that happens, so
you don't have a full, high res screen to look at. Operating in that mode is
annoying. Then, you can install some other driver file you download
from Nvidia.

So, yes, you can delete the Nvidia driver. Use "Add or Remove Programs"
to get rid of it. But it is best, if you have a new candidate driver
downloaded all ready, because working in a 640x480 window in 16 colors
is pretty annoying.

I haven't had any problem with it after it finally gets going, and I leave it
on for days at a time.

That is a bit strange. Does that suggest to you, that perhaps some
other piece of software may be contributing to the problem ? If the
Nvidia driver is able to run for days at a time afterwards, without
getting THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER, then that suggests the
driver by itself, may not be at fault.

I don't play any games with it.

I searched my hard drive for anything named GeForce or Quadro, and all it came
up with is:

http://www.nvidia.com/content/Drive...cludes/us/images/driverpromo_quadro_adobe.jpg

If that's the only thing that cares about that driver and I find it and trash
it, might that end the problem? Come to think of it it has been several months
since this problem began, and it may have started in March 2009.

No, that isn't likely to be it.

I don't want any stuff like that, so is there a way to find the program that's
using it and get rid of everything associated with it including the driver?

I hesitate to suggest this, but I'll mention it anyway. If you go to the
driver download page, "Option 2" is a scanner for your hardware. It will
try to find the driver needed.

http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

*Always* save the driver you have currently, and keep track of which
ones you've installed, so you'll know later what is going on. If
the new driver doesn't work, you can uninstall that after you've tested
it. WinXP, in the Device Manager, has a "rollback" button for the video
card driver, but it only rolls back one driver version. You can manage
your video driver, just as easily, by using "Add or Remove Programs".
But so you won't be stuck in 640x480 forever, have the old driver
handy, just in case.

I recommend always uninstalling the old driver first, before installing
the new one.

What I cannot predict, is what the driver installers do with registry
entries. On the one hand, they will remove stuff related to the
card type perhaps, but if you had a problem, like the display
resolution was set to a too-high value, the installer doesn't
appear to change or delete that setting.

If you get in trouble, you can also press F8 at startup, and enter
Safe Mode. There are items like "Last Known Good Configuration". Take
a moment to test F8 at startup, so you know how it works, and what
menu options are available. One of the options should be
"start windows normally", so you can exit F8 without invoking any
of the Safe Mode features.

http://pcanand.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/safe_mode_01_01.jpg

Paul

 

[wr]

0x000000EA: THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER

http://aumha.org/a/stop.htm

Thanks for that link. Are the forums they mentioned helpful? I couldn't get
anything out of the NVIDIA forum I tried.

The way Windows works, is it is prepared to work with no video driver.
Video cards have a default mode they (most all) support. It is something
like a VESA mode. The Windows OS has a pre-installed driver, that knows
how to talk to any video card using VESA mode. So, if you go to "Add/Remove"
and remove the Nvidia driver, then Windows will use the other driver instead,
on the next reboot.

I didn't try to delete it but I looked in "Add/Remove" to see if I saw it listed
and I couldn't find it if it's there. Could it be under a different name or
something?

The resolution may drop to 640x480 when that happens, so
you don't have a full, high res screen to look at. Operating in that mode is
annoying. Then, you can install some other driver file you download
from Nvidia.

So, yes, you can delete the Nvidia driver. Use "Add or Remove Programs"
to get rid of it. But it is best, if you have a new candidate driver
downloaded all ready, because working in a 640x480 window in 16 colors
is pretty annoying.


That is a bit strange. Does that suggest to you, that perhaps some
other piece of software may be contributing to the problem ? If the
Nvidia driver is able to run for days at a time afterwards, without
getting THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER, then that suggests the
driver by itself, may not be at fault.

From my ignorant pov after reading their explanation this seems like it might be
the best approach:
_________________________________________________________
.. . .
This issue occurs if the graphics adapter is caught in an infinite loop while it
waits for the video hardware to become idle. This can indicate that there is a
problem with the video hardware, or that the graphics adapter cannot program the
hardware correctly.
.. . .
Method 2: Adjust the Hardware Acceleration

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Display.
2. On the Settings tab, click Advanced, and then click the Troubleshoot tab.
3. Move the Hardware Acceleration slider to None, and then click to clear the
Enable write combining check box.
4. Click OK, and then click OK.

Note This procedure prevents the graphics adapter from programming the hardware
incorrectly, but you may lose some display functionality and performance.
Although you can increase the hardware acceleration settings higher than None to
regain functionality and performance, these settings increase the possibility
that the issue will occur again. For maximum stability, leave hardware
acceleration off.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=293078&sd=RMVP
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Do you think I should try it? Will I have to restart that computer?

No, that isn't likely to be it.


I hesitate to suggest this, but I'll mention it anyway. If you go to the
driver download page, "Option 2" is a scanner for your hardware. It will
try to find the driver needed.

http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

*Always* save the driver you have currently, and keep track of which
ones you've installed, so you'll know later what is going on.

Should I make a list so I can do a search for them later? And how to know where
to put them after I download them? Do they all go in the same folder? I believe
there are three of four folders that contain that driver right now.

If
the new driver doesn't work, you can uninstall that after you've tested
it. WinXP, in the Device Manager, has a "rollback" button for the video
card driver, but it only rolls back one driver version. You can manage
your video driver, just as easily, by using "Add or Remove Programs".
But so you won't be stuck in 640x480 forever, have the old driver
handy, just in case.

I recommend always uninstalling the old driver first, before installing
the new one.

What I cannot predict, is what the driver installers do with registry
entries. On the one hand, they will remove stuff related to the
card type perhaps, but if you had a problem, like the display
resolution was set to a too-high value, the installer doesn't
appear to change or delete that setting.

If you get in trouble, you can also press F8 at startup, and enter
Safe Mode. There are items like "Last Known Good Configuration". Take
a moment to test F8 at startup, so you know how it works, and what
menu options are available. One of the options should be
"start windows normally", so you can exit F8 without invoking any
of the Safe Mode features.

http://pcanand.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/safe_mode_01_01.jpg

Paul

After it tries to boot up the first time and fails it brings up the option of
starting in Safe Mode or normally. When I choose to start normally it usually
brings up the Dell window or something, and then clicks and buzzes for a few
seconds with a black screen, then it shuts down entirely and the power light on
the monitor starts to blink. Then if I leave it alone for a bit the computer
will try again, and will go to the window giving the start mode options. If I
don't do anything it will try to start normally after so many seconds, fail, and
do the same thing over and over and over... But if I start in Safe Mode, then
shut down, then re-start that is when it will sometimes work okay. And sometimes
after it has been sitting unused for a day or more it will start okay the first
time on its own, and will give the error messages about having recovered from a
serious problem.

 

[wr]

FIRST YOU SAID:
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

AND ON THE ORIGINAL THREAD:

NVIDIA Graphics Driver has stopped working properly.

A driver update, if available, might prevent this problem from recurring.

There are several ways of locating and installing driver updates, but it is
best
to let Windows do this for you. Try the first step below, which describes
the
process. If it doesn't produce a driver update that solves the problem, then
try
the remaining steps in the order given.

1. Check for optional third-party updates
2. Try updating NVIDIA Graphics Driver manually
3. Check the NVIDIA Corporation website for driver updates
4. Check your computer manufacturer's website for driver updates
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
so I tried everything but the last thing. I downloaded the latest version:

71.89_win2kxp_english.exe

which it appears I already had to begin with, and then searched for it on my
hard drive. I found several other copies in a few different folders, so I
copied
versions of the new one into every folder that had a copy already. I don't
remember it asking me if I wanted to replace the ones that were already
there,
so could I still be having trouble with an old screwed up copy that it keeps
bumping into without knowing there's a hopefully better copy right in the
same
folder? Or what? I got this computer used, and it has some stuff on it I
don't
need or even want. Is there a way to find out what programs are using that
driver and remove everything associated with it if I don't want it, or maybe
remove and reload it if I do?

AND SO I WONDER:
Twice you reference putting the driver files into certain folders. Did you
actually install these drivers?

Maybe not...I don't know. Doing a search for
71.89_win2kxp_english.exe on the hard drive brings up two results
for a 19,382 KB Application. They are located in:

C:\cdj840\2kxpinf\enu\drivers\win2k_xp
C:\Documents and Settings\Mike Ward\Desktop\K

and both were created October 5, 2009. Both are File Version
2.11.15.0

Does the device show up in Device Manager?

I couldn't find Device Manager. I did a hard drive search and it
came up with 0 results.

If so, did you try to use the Update Driver function there?

You might also use Add/Remove Hardware to reinstall the device

I don't know which device it would be. How to find out?

 

[Paul]

I couldn't find Device Manager. I did a hard drive search and it
came up with 0 results.

There are different ways of accessing it, and this is just one.

Go to Start:Run dialog, and enter this as the command.

devmgmt.msc

The Device Manager should pop up. That shows the hardware
devices. There is info buried in each entry, with info
like drivers and so on.

For some more fun, use Start:Run again, and type this command

dxdiag

It will take up to 30 seconds for the window to fully load. Then,
use the "Display" tab, to learn more about your hardware.

Because there are so many numbers involved in driver versions,
it is very hard to tell, after the fact, what file was installed
to get the drivers that are currently there.

You might be better off looking in the Control Panel for
"Add or Remove Programs", to get some idea what driver
package you installed.

If you're still not sure, give this a try.

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1642/TechPowerUp_GPU-Z_v0.3.5.html

GPU-Z.0.3.5.exe

There is a driver version field on the GPU-Z window.

HTH,
Paul