Info & Question: The AMD / GeForce / XP Problem

[cmaka]

Upgraded (not a fresh install) my system to Windows XP Home this weekend. While networking and multimedia functions were obviously stable (a good thing), I have been plagued by frequent redraw-caused crashes blamed on my graphics card, an Nvidia GeForce 2 mx/mx 400. I did all the usual stuff -- new drivers, old drivers, Win 2000 drivers, pulled sound card, unhooked every other peripheral, etc. -- to no avail. So I started looking around online only to discover that many people were having the same problem I was, only no two people agreed on a solution (most solutions involving stuff I already tried). So I bit the bullet and called Microsoft tech support.

From MS support I learned that the problem I am having is a known problem caused by a combination of an AMD Athlon processor (which of course I have), an Nvidia GeForce card (which of course I have), and Win XP. Apparently nearly any combo will cause the problem, it doesn't have to be a specific GeForce or AMD model. Microsoft knows about the problem and says it will be addressed in the first XP Service Pack -- due out August 15th. August 15th!

So if you are having the same problem I'm having, now you know: You're pretty screwed. Here are other steps I am taking:

1) E-mailed Nvidia. I know they don't do tech support (*sigh!*), but I'm hoping that they will be nice and tell me if they are planning on doing anything about the problem in the form of a new driver or something.

2) I am considering biting another bullet and reformatting my hard drive (after backing it up, of course! and then doing a fresh install of XP in the hopes that this magically solves the problem somehow.

3) Failing this I may end up having to get a new graphics card, which would of course suck. If I feel forced to go down this route I'm going to try to find one of those used/refurbished compuer places locally and see if I can work out some kind of trade, as that there is otherwise nothing wrong with my graphics card and it is only a few months old.

Does anyone else have any ideas/suggestions? I'd really rather not have to mess with getting a new video card (the time and expense both are not good) or have to wait until August. I don't want to go back to Me since I got XP as a fix to the problems I was having with Me. Any help is much appreciated!

--Chris M.
Denver, CO

 

[Yegolev]

"So if you are having the same problem I'm having, now you know: You're pretty screwed."

LOL. That might explain why dxdiag fails in the DirectX8 level of d3d, but not in DirectX7: MicroSoft is screwing with AMD and Nvidia? The d3d test still fails for me, but I am now able to play Morrowind which is very new.

If you have tried this already, sorry.

I deinstalled all Nvidia drivers (add/remove progs) and went about deleting any nvidia-related file I could find. I could not remove one file, system32/nv4.dll I think, because I don't know how to set XP to use a generic "standard VGA" driver and it would beat me to the punch after a reboot. That is because I'm a UNIX tech and am an idiot when it comes to Windows. However I was then able to install the latest non-leaked Nvidia reference drivers (28.32 I think) and that allowed me to delete the 12.xx driver dll (version shows in tip window during mouse hover, wacky!). I then ran dxdiag and, dangit, the d3d test failed again in dx8 (not dx7 though). Just for s+g I tried to run Morrowind again and it started up. Your info might explain that irregularity. I have an Athlon XP 1700+ and Gainward GeForce3.

No regedit required (yay!). Don't use the Detonator Destroyer prog in XP. A deinstall works well enough, but you may have to do some manual cleaning.

HTH, and if anyone has tips for me, please pass them along.

 

[HardwareGuys]

Here's what I did to solve the same promlem on multiple PCs with either an nVidia or ATI based video card...

Open display properties (by right-clicking on the background, and selecting properties). Select the "settings" tab, and click on "advanced". The no to the diplay adaptor tab, and click on "troubleshoot". There you will find a grahics acceleration slider bar. Drop it down about 2 notches (just above the one that disables Direct-3D function).

That has fixed the spontaneous reboot and subsequent "your display driver caused a problem" error message after reboot, on 90% of all teh PCs I've tried in with.

 

[pigsy]

i have a pentium 4 2.4
tried 2 nvidia geforce 4's
420 and 440 they both hang xp
now using tnt 32meg

 

[gargouille]

pigsy:
Start a new thread, the one you've pig-tailed onto is months old...and yours is a different problem.
Start the thread with the dialog box at the bottom of the page in the forum view (displaying all the threads already there)

 

[MGK]

I have Athlon XP1800+/ Nvidia GeForce 2 mx/mx 400 running XP Pro. This the 2nd AMD machine I have had (previous was a K6-2/350) and have been happy with the performance of the AMD-Intel over-priced and over-rated. Both machines have had 512Mb ram which I believe is a must. Graphics have been ok though I am not a gamer. In saying that, I had to replace my video card when new as it had corrupted memory and would not load Windows and now four months later I am waiting on a 2nd replacement as the cooling fan sounds like a concrete mixer-seriouly considering a different card.