How to CLEAN install Nvidia Drivers in W2K

[mr_yellow 0]

A lot of peoples problems with TNT cards in W2K has to do with the fact that you must Reinstall Windows 2000 then the drivers, or clean install the drivers. But what exactly is the best way to do this?

 

Here's how I do it.

 

During session,

Manage Computer->Device Manager:

Uninstall TNT card(i have a xentor32). Click yes to reboot

 

Reboot, go into Safemode, card redetects with WDM drivers). Say no to reboot.

manage computer->devicemanager:

Uninstall tnt card again, say no to reboot.

 

Delete all Nvidia files, nv* in system32 and dllcache, and where ever else on the system.

 

devicemanager->rescan for new cards.

Tnt is retected with wdm drivers. Say no to reboot. Update drivers via specify location. Point to desired driver directory.

say yes to warnings blah blah. Then reboot back into regular startup.

 

anyone else approach this problem in a different way? maybe a way that makes tnt cards work?(my tnt2u still causes crashes).

 

or am i just blowing smoke out my ass?

[euankirkhope 0]

thats way to much effort!

 

goto \winnt\inf and delete oem*.*

 

this then prevents win2k from finding other versions of drivers other that the original nv4 drivers in the driver library, and the one that you have selected to directly install. IE you didn't select "search". It also make the existing NV4 files reduntant. However extra tidy people can delete all nv4 files if they want.

[mr_yellow 0]

so what would your step by step process be?

1. delete all oem*(this of course also removes any traces of non-nvidia drivers that had been installed(not good))

 

2. just update driver files?

 

that's it? and everything's running great?

 

also, do you have a tnt or geforce?

[Awaxx 0]

Why so many question and why removing OEM drivers ???

I'be installed all my TNT drivers from 3.55 to 3.78 without any prob : just choose to update your driver and say you wanna choose your own driver at a precise location.

No prob and works fine.

Anyway, current drivers aren't perfect (AGP DD and OGL but no TV-Out and no tweak), but there're good.

 

Plez, try to find real question to real prob.

 

Awx

[JosefTor 0]

Hi again guys. Now, I am just telling you what I do to install the drivers. My way may not work with all computers but it will fix the lockup problems with a few computers.

 

All you have to do is....

1. Start menu-find

2. Find the file called "oem0.inf" (this should be your video card inf file but to make sure just double click it to view its contents.)

3. If it is the inf file for your video card then just delete it.

4. Go to the Device Manager and right click your video card and click on properties. Click update drivers and when it says where do you want to search for the new drivers select the location of your new drivers and everything should work great.

 

I hope this fixes all problems. My way seems long but it really isn't. I just had to dumbify it for the non technical users.

 

-joseftor@hamptons.com

Josef Torkelsen

[euankirkhope 0]

Personally speaking I never delete drivers, unless I've screwed things up my mixing and matching files, to try and get direct3d to work. Usually this ends up in a BSOD, with safe mode and VGA mode not working either. It usually says "can't start the VGA service, or NV4_disp blah blah...

 

To fix it I just delete the OEM*.* files and the NV4*.* files. Even though some of the oem files may be for other devices.

 

NB. OEM files are created when a user installs drivers from a location outwith the windows driver library, are newer versions, or have the same name. Of which the typical install is all of the above. When you goto install new drivers, it's because of the oem files the "search" part of the procedure always finds other drivers that windows insists are better, we of course like to think better so we remove them

 

I have a STB velocity 4400 TNT AGP, that's never worked with all versions of the win2k drivers, currenty I use the latest official WinNT 4 drivers which allows for Opengl and DDraw, which is good enough I suppose.

 

[This message has been edited by euankirkhope (edited 20 February 2000).]

[mr_yellow 0]

Quote:

Originally posted by Awaxx:
Plez, try to find real question to real prob.

Well the REAL problem is that if i don't "clean install" any TNT drivers, what happens is that dxdiag reports that agp and d3d are disabled, and the problems I already get with directdraw, where avi's, mpgs, winamp plugins, etc, will send the monitor to sleep or freeze my system all together, will occur MUCH more frequently. And i mean frequently as in, instead of a crash once every 5-10 reboots, a crash EVERY reboot.

So you got an solution for me?

Don't rag of other peoples threads just cause it doesn't apply to you. Clean installing DOES make a difference.

[Awaxx 0]

Sorry but I've spend months on this forum and it the first time I see clean install real needed.

 

What card do you have and what mobo ????

 

Awx

[mr_yellow 0]

Awaxx.. Sorry to be so defensive... I too have been going through the forums since ~RC1. I know you're pretty pissed with all the redundant win2k talk going around. I simply started this thread in the hopes that we can somehow come to a decision onto the Best way to 'clean' install drivers, tnt or not. We all know the fact that "if all else fails, clean install win2k"(which doesn't make anymore sense than wanting to clean install the drivers vs. regular installing).

 

To be perfectly honest, I've finally given up on figuring it out(my probs). I've decided that, having a xentor32 on a bp6(my setup since you asked) is pretty much a hopeless situation. too many variables come into play.

 

Is it the fact that xentors are clocked higher? is it my beta QQ bios? is it the Highpoint drivers? is it cause my HDDs are on the ata66 controller? is it becuase i overclock 366's to 550? Maybe a smp bug? or maybe a combination of all of these? Or maybe the Nvidia driver just Suck...

 

I am totally jealous of you people who do have TNT2s running w2k with no flaws and crashes because of it. I guess I'll just have to wait.

 

So there you have it.. Any thoughts?

[Da_G 0]

My clean install procedure:

 

1.) Boot into win2k, hit windows-break, go into device manager and uninstall the TNT drivers.

 

2.) reboot, F8, safe mode.. scrap nv*.* in /WINNT/SYSTEM32, nv*.* in /WINNT/SYSTEM32/DRIVERS and oemx.* in /WINNT/INF (x being whichever one is the NVIDIA driver)

 

3.) win-break, device manager.. do the 'scan for hardware changes' deal and point it to my drivers (show me a list/have disk yaddayadda)

 

4.) regedt32 and scrap /SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services/NV4 from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

 

5.) reboot, change video settings

 

as a side note, i've noticed hard-freezes nearly 100% of the time running a D3D app or playing a movie (including with hardware acceleration OFF in media player, oddly enough) with the distributed.net client running.. my system stats follow:

 

 

Abit BP6 (QQ BIOS, fresh install w/ACPI working, MPS 1.4)

366x2 @ 539MHz (98MHz bus)

384MB PC-133 SDRAM

Diamond V770 @ 185/160

Adaptec AHA-2930CU SCSI Adapter

Sony Spressa 140S CD-RW (8x4x32x)

FUNAI 8x CD-ROM

Western Digital AC26400B (6.4gb) UDMA33 C:

Samsung WU33205A (3.2gb) UDMA33 D:

MS Intellimouse Explorer (USB)

Generic 33.6 ISA Modem

Linksys LNE100TX 10/100 Eth Adapter

Creative SB PCI 128

Epson Stylus 900 Printer (USB)

 

 

------------------

-Da_G

[Nitsu 0]

Originally posted by Da_G:

 

RE Clean Install Procedure....

 

 

THANK YOU!!!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU

 

It worked Beautifully

 

I have AGP SUPPORT!!!!!!!!!

[Fozz 0]

Hey all.

I had the trial version (build 2195) of Win2000 insytalled and the 3.76 drivers installed for my CL TNT2U on a VIA based system board.

Now, everythingw as fine - no lockups, UT and DVD's fibne, but then i decided to instal Win2000 final release from withing Windows, i.e. to simply "upgrade" the trial version to the final version.

Sounds simple, but after a lot of errors during the install (IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL..etc) I eventually got back into Windows but I can now only use a VGA driver.

If I load up the 3.76 driver in the normal way (no fancy clean installs here!), it seems to instll fine BUT when I reboot I just get a black screen instead of a desktop.

So I can then go into Safe Mode (or Last Known Good) and load up the 3.76 driver from Device Manager.

However, if I change the res or colour at all, the screen just blanks out again?!

What's the story with that?

It was all working fine before.

 

I will attempt one of the suggestions above when i get home but does anyone have any other ideas?

Thanks.

[euankirkhope 0]

Check your IRQ's

disable acpi...

 

The last time I saw win2k drivers work on my setup (similar to yours) was with beta3.

 

Use the NT4 nvidia drivers as a emergency backup, they'll give you ddraw and hardware opengl. Nice!

[mr_yellow 0]

Dunno who cares, but a little update on my driver situation with the TNT2..

 

i just clean installed w2k. some mouse problems with the logitech drivers forced me to and i ended up installing the 3.78 drivers without going into safemode or anything like that... well, everything *seems* to be working but one thing perplexes me the most.

 

Pinball works! it NEVER worked for me after installing any other driver via safemode(and I don't remember lasting long enough after installing with out safemode to test if pinball worked).

 

I mean work as in the game works with out graphics glitches. before the screen would freeze but the sound and the "game" would still run.

 

This is really really confusing me. I've gone from stock w2k nvidia drivers to 3.78 with out safemode and boom. things are still working.

 

I guess i'll have to wait and update if i get errors with the age old media player/real player test and opengl/d3d..

[wallaby 0]

my 2 cents

my diamond v770 ultra does not run perfect with any driver.

unreal tournament will only run in a box

it starts up switches to full screen real fast then back to a windowed mode.

but with the new 3dfx voodoo2 hacked driver

i use 3dfx and UT runs great in full screen.

 

Wallaby

[mr_yellow 0]

well.. i still get random crashes and ****..

 

so i'm running verifier which prevents those. so.. well. i'm running a semi-stable system. yay..

 

there's my update.. the drivers still suck. but i'm impressed witht he pinball.. lol..

 

later

 

mr_yellow.