BleepingComputer.com: NVIDIA driver Update

I am wondering about the correct procedure to follow when updating an NVIDIA Video driver in a windows Vista PC. I have the driver ready to install. I already tried to do this, but didn't seem to work. I uninstalled the old driver through add/remove programs and then deleted it from device manager. The problem was when I rebooted I failed to realize that Vista updates the driver automatically. This prevents me from installing the video driver that I wanted to. In XP you can choose not to update and then install your own. Should I have installed the new driver before rebooting.

Do you really have to uninstall the old one first, or just update the current one. What's the step by step best way to do this. Thanks.

That's a tough call and opinions vary. Some say you should uninstall the old drivers and then use a utility to ensure they are gone but...........

The nVidia drivers COME with an uninstaller. You run the program and it says "uninstalling old driver........" and when it finishes that it reboots and then "installing new driver......"


I use Driver Sweeper and then install. LOL that's not what the directions say to do though.

About the automatic install....... SUPPOSEDLY to turn it off you follow the following instructions (I say supposedly because I have had it work and not work. When it didn't work I repeated the steps until it did. I reboot after doing it, but I don't think it's necessary):

To turn off automatic driver installation:

Hit Start> Control Panel> System> Advanced System Settings> Hardware (when you hit advanced system settings, the box that opens says system properties) > Windows Update Driver Settings. There you have three options. Automatic, ask, and never. Click the one you want and hit apply.

It occurs to me you should be able to right click computer and then select properties and get there as well. I'll try it after I post lol.

EDIT: nope, that didn't work (right click computer), but I KNOW there is shorter way to get to system properties.........

Thanks for your detailed description. It seems that everyone has a slightly different opinion on driver install. You mentioned NVIDIA having a built in driver uninstall. What do you mean by that. When I go to install the new driver, does it automatically uninstall the old driver. What exactly needs to be removed : REmove all NVIDIA drivers, except display, including display remove only the following Nvidia Display drivers, Nvidia NForce PCI SYS MAN DRiver, Nvidia SMU. When you uninstall a driver where do I start. Do I go to device manager and uninstall it there, add/remove programs, do I need to go to program files and delete it there, and is a reboot really required in b/w uninstalling old drive and installing the new driver. Is there any danger in using software like Driver sweeper to make sure that all of the driver left overs are out of the system. I hope I am making sense. I think I will experiment with a few different way's to do this. Hope to hear more from the guys in the tech world or anyone that can offer some advice.

From Nvidia's site::

http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nvidia....amp;p_topview=1

Wow. You must have a PC that has a combined motherboard (and chipset) and onboard video, like a 630i/Geforce 7150. I have only dealt with a few of those (I have a seperate nVidia Mobo and GFX cards). That answer varies as the drivers for the chipset don't update as often as the video drivers. If you downloaded the combo, and have never updated the drivers, I would install ALL the drivers. The ones you don't need obviously won't be installed. After you reboot, then go back to nVidia and see if there aren't updated drivers JUST for the video. In that instance just do video.

The last one of those I worked with (just a couple of weeks ago) had a more recent version of the video than the chipset, so that is what I had to do. If that is confusing to you, let me know and I'll see if I can explain it better. If you don't know what type of motherboard you have, download CPUID and run it. It will tell you what your motherboard is (they call it mainboard) and I THINK the date of your drivers. If I know what MoBo you have I can be more definitive.

I know you asked about video drivers, but what you described in your last post was a combined deal. If you downloaded JUST a video driver, it would have all that other stuff download with it. Or did you go to the computer manufacturers site for the drivers? What make and model computer do you have?

Garmanma, That was an interesting instruction on Forceware Display Driver Manual Installation. Is this a different driver that you would use when you get the error message or just the right way to manually install the driver.

A friend of mine has had many Blue Screens with a windows Vista PC. It is always saying NVIDIA driver issue and seems to be when she uses Mozilla, Itunes and Mulit-tasked. Her PC is an Inspiron 531S Dell. Her Video Card is the NVIDIA Ge Force 6150SE n Force 430 that originally came with the computer. I think I found the right driver to install http://www.nvidia.com/object/win7_winvista...86.18_whql.html

My question is: Is this the right driver to update to. Going back to my original question. What is the best way to Install the new driver from start to finish. Thanks for the help.

How I would do that computer:

Boot to safe mode.
I would click my driver sweeper shortcut icon.
When the program opened I would select nVidia-Display and nVidia- chipset. Analyze then clean. (It will run stop on certain items, hit clean each time and it will continue).
Reboot to safe mode.
Click your driver folder.
Follow the prompts.
Select ALL drivers (I forget the specific list). Where there is a feature that is not supported by the chipset/video card, it will not be installed. You will be informed of this.
Reboot.

BTW: How did you get to that driver? I couldn't find it when i looked lol. It's definately the correct one though, I saw info for it at PCpitstop, i just couldn't seem to find it on the nVidia site. Oh and thanks, while I was there I checked for and found new drivers for my nVidia vid card.