NVidia Display drivers - fuk!n up my system - need help!

FRGT/10 · October 2005

Hello.

Im having problems with video card drivers.
My graphics card is NVIDIA GeForce4 MX440 64MB.

I downloaded the latest (or tried the older) drivers, but it seems that Windows XP has some problems with it. Sometimes (everytime, after an hour or so) I get a STOP error with DRIVER_ICRQ_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, reffering to a file dv4_mini.sys, which is one of nvidia display drivers files. So 85% the reason why this message shows up is the graphics driver.

This error pops-up totally unperiodically, you cannot guess when it will show up again, has already blown me a few CDs away (Stop message while burning) and also an hour of installing.

I would be very grateful if anyone could please provide any info on how to get rid of this error or someother experience/solution/hint.

Cheers

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[ This Message was edited by: FRGT/10 on 2005-10-01 23:33 ]

VincentAC · October 2005

I had that exact same error and thought it was my gfx card (although I hadn't updated the drivers). But it turned out to be my memory failing (what's new ;) ).

There's a memory tester somewhere on the m$ site. You put it onto floppy and boot from it. It checks all the simms that're installed and gives you understandable feedback.

It might be called Windows memory diagnostic.

Might not be your problem, but it's worth eliminating.

dekh · October 2005

Windows update had me download new drivers for my nv card. It screwed the system, had to reboot in safe mode and reinstall original drivers. OK now but windows update keeps tempting me to update my drivers again ... not.
Does that help?

FRGT/10 · October 2005

I tried the memory program, nope, RAM clear.

I know now it's 101% graphics card.

In the computer repair they updated the graphics driver (fucking wankers!)

Today I was totally unable to boot up XP, always stuck on where the Users screen should show up.

On Win98 I can't get a good resolution (it always tells me an error that someting is wrong with my videocard drivers), tried reinstalling XYZ times, still nothing.
I ended up on a 640x480x256 resulution on win98.

Basically I boot-up a windows 1 out of 5 times, so I'm lucky I'm posting this message :)
I'll try reinstalling and repairing XP...

Thanks so far.
Cheers

[ This Message was edited by: FRGT/10 on 2005-10-02 13:40 ]

The Starglider · October 2005

What you have is what's called in infinity loop error (do a google for it).

It's happened to a lot of Nvidia users (me included) ever since the latest driver update.

Nvidia seem unwilling to accept that their drivers are the cause. Any version of the drivers 77.72 or earlier should work, but I've found that a simple uninstall/reinstall doesn't remove the problem. A clean install of windows seems the only solution.

You will probably find the error occuring when playing games, or some other GFX intense scenario.

http://www.viaarena.com has a very good article about this problem.

You will also find that the Stop errors you are getting won't be the same, some referring to a USB_BUGCODE and others.

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[ This Message was edited by: The Starglider on 2005-10-02 13:46 ]

FRGT/10 · October 2005

Yes, sometimes I got that INFINITY_LOOP_ERROR once.

Hmm...seems that I really gotta reinstall Windows.

WIll I have to install a clean version, that means with formatting and everything?
backing everything up is gonna take long. Can Windows (XP) be installed without formatting the HDD and keeping its previous content?

The Starglider · October 2005

No idea, someone else did that and said it worked, but I've not got around to doing it yet.

FRGT/10 · October 2005

OK, I'll give it a reinstall.

If you won't hear from me in a week, consider me lying drunk under the bridge because of loosing my data waiting for alien polar bears to pick me up shopping to DisneyLand ;)

Lee Fogarty · October 2005

I know you can re-install windows XP over a previous version.

I think you might have a problem if you do that though. I believe the drivers for the new installation will just be the ones already installed. I may be wrong. My reason for thinking this is that the new installation will pick up on previously installed software so why not the drivers?

Like I said - don't take my word for it cos I might be wrong.

FRGT/10 · October 2005

I'm now burning every piece of priceless shit I have on my HDD.

I better leave the formatting/installing to a pro

For better knowledge of what I have now and what I want it to look like:

I have my HHD split into 2 partitions.
on C: is Win98
on D: is WinXPprof.

Both are now corrupt.
If I format only C to get rid of Win98, I would automatically crack-up XP too cuz there are files pointing to XP on C:

So I need to format both partitions, install XP on C: and put some backups on D:

And please don't comment that why Win98...it just saved my ass today, when XP was unaccesible, I logged-in on 98 :)

Timppa · October 2005

Have you tried to do 'system restore'? Just select a date before you installed new drivers. This feature has helped me several times.

I had also problems with nvidia drivers, windows update detected my card wrongly and installed wrong nvidia drivers. But then I noticed in 'display properties' 'restore previous drivers'-button or something similar. It restored my prev. working driver. (I cannot give you exact procedure where to find the button as my WinXP is Finnish.)

Timppa

FRGT/10 · October 2005

I tried system restore, but that didn't help

But somehow I managed (after at least 35times) to SOMEHOW install the pervious driver (dated 10.12.2003) and XP looks quite stable now (infact the system "surprised" me with a driver installation program that just popped-up on startup :) ). I just hope I will be able to run WorldOfWarcraft without needing to reinstall the drivers ;)
No Stop BSOD errors so far, lets just hope it stays this way.

Although Win98 is still left un-fixed, I am not using it anymore anyway, so ... maybe when I will have spare time :)

If anything goes wrong, I got the installation and backup CDs "in emergency position" so Im giving XP last chance to behave, OR ELSE! :)

Thank you everyone for your help.
Cheers

[ This Message was edited by: FRGT/10 on 2005-10-02 21:38 ]

Arm73 · October 2005

There is a program which is designed to completly remove nVidia drivers from your system allowing you to re-install an older driver or a new one without interference from previous ones.
I don't remember the name, but I know that it came with the Omega drivers for nVidia.
You should defenetly check that out, it could save your ass.....

FRGT/10 · October 2005

Thanks, Ill try to search it out.

FRGT/10 · October 2005

Hurrah!

After almost 2 weeks of XP stability, I finally got a STOP error (again it was DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL), now pointing out to ftser2k.sys in the Windows\System32\drivers folder.
Product description is FT8U232AX and the name of the company is FTDI Ltd.

I tried searching for some info on the internet, much I haven't found much.

I never got this Stop msg pointing out to his file before...
Seems it's some sort of USB driver or chipset controller.

One more thing...
After the crash occured and the computer rebooted, the system recodnized a new hardware (something called BallPoint or whatever)

I think I'd beter run for a scan :)

VincentAC · October 2005

Check out this page (just before the dos piccy).

Someone else has seen this file.

"...it's a driver that provides a virtual serial port interface for USB devices so that applications that aren't USB-aware can interact with USB devices."

--edit--
damn those people for using non-standard quotes ( ’ )!
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[ This Message was edited by: VincentAC on 2005-10-16 15:23 ]

[ This Message was edited by: VincentAC on 2005-10-16 20:19 ]

KeepGood · October 2005

Hi,

A few things, just general things....

It might not be your graphics drivers, I've had this problem loads of times in the past when installing my nvidia drivers. It was usually my SB Live that was causing the problems.

One thing to always try but seems like such a stupid thing, is to make sure the card is seated correctly. AGP cards can function when a few of the pins arent making contact, and only when the card switches into a certain mode will it cause a problem.

Yes you can re-install XP without losing your hard drive contents. Just run the installation as normal (by booting from the xp disc) and when it finds your xp installation press 'escape' to install a fresh copy. Then when it comes to the format hard drive, choose 'leave current filesystem intact'. It will then run the installation over the top of the old one. The only good thing that will do though is it will replace the main system files with the original ones from the XP disc. If it is another file thats causing the problem it will still be there.

Nvidia are right when they say the drivers arent the cause. Remember Nvidia dont actually make graphics cards, they make chip technologies. Other companies make the actual cards, so those companies make changes the the original 'reference board' by nvidia. Those changes can make all the difference when it comes to something working or not.

FRGT/10: You said you have Win98 on you C drive and XP on the D drive? What are you doing man!! lol Windows of any version doesnt like living with another one. Its alright doing that with say linux and windows because windows cant see the linux partitions, linux is basically completely invisible to windows. And mr linux doesnt care if windows is there because he is a sound guy. You can install windows to a drive other than the C but its not recommended. Put XP on your C drive and keep you D drive for the priceless shit. That WHEN windows freaks out, you can just format the C knowing all your good stuff is living on the D drive.

Windows will fail at some point, it cant be helped. Its nothing to do with windows being shit, the system will get lagged with crap as time goes. If you know how to keep it under control, the system will stay running. If you know how to do it, or let it get out of control...its format time. :)

When trying to diagnose whats going on in your machine. Sit back and look at it for a sec. If the machine starts up and gets to the login screen and will happily sit there until you log in. Then you know the graphics drivers are 99% ok. That also means your storage drivers are running fine. The graphics drivers initialise during startup before you see any graphics. If the problems arise after the login it could be anything thats causing the problem.

One thing to keep in mind is the order you install drivers after a fresh format.

Always put the chipset drivers in first. And keep them upto date. The graphics, sound and really any other drivers rely on the chipset drivers to be installed and running properly. People tend to forget to put software in for their motherboard, even though its the heart of the system and connects all of the devices in the computer.

Avoid using the microsoft drivers that come with XP. They are there for compatibility, they arent really optimized for performance or acceleration. If the hardware manufacturer has a newer driver, use that one.

Install your drivers in the correct order...

Motherboard Chipset drivers + any USB patches.
Graphics drivers
Sound and other peripherals

The order is important (although you usually can get away with doing it in another order)

When you install a device it is registerred (in the registry) in a certain class and is linked to certain other devices in the machine. If you install the chipset drivers first it will setup the lowest level of devices in the machine for all of the other devices to link to.

Every time you install some software, make sure it hasnt put in something that runs in the background. A sure fire way to see if there is too much background crap is to look at the clock in windows. If there is more than four or five icons down by the clock, there is too much running in the background. Run 'msconfig' and have a look at everything thats loading on startup and give it a good clear out.

If your computer starts freaking out, consider that it might not be a software problem. All it takes is a power connector inside the machine to fall against your graphics card fan and stop it running. Heat is one of the most common causes of computer failure. A build up of dust in your CPU's heatsink/fan can cause alot of bother.

Another major cause of windows going mental is cheap hardware. Buy good hardware, always buy good hardware. Dont buy a Dell! Just dont do it. If you see a new processor and its 100% quid cheaper than the equivelant Intel version, wait and save up the pennies and get the good one. You are asking for trouble by buying crap hardware. My worst buy was the Creative range of sound cards. Creative were always said to be the best. No they arent the best, they were the first, not the best. In fact, their cards suck big time. All of their technologies are ripped off from someone else. Just because almost every computer store stocks them doesnt mean its a good bit of hardware, it means they are cheap for the store to get.

Right I think I've dribbled on for waaaaayyy too long now.

KeepGood · October 2005

Ooohh thats a big post lol.

Just as a note. Thats just general stuff about computing with windows in mind. Not direct answers to problems.

FRGT/10 · October 2005

So...the file is used for USB...
the only thing that uses the USB is my modem
(EDGE Zadacom)...maybe Ill try reinstalling the modem drivers...

@Vincent: Wrong link dude :)

VincentAC · October 2005

On 2005-10-16 18:45, FRGT/10 wrote:
@Vincent: Wrong link dude :)

:lol:

Not anymore :D

( corrected now! )

FRGT/10 · October 2005

Hmm...yees, but I have no Satelite or WMVare or anything rinstalled, only my edge modem...

Stay tuned for any more crap going on in my computer.

*Emergency Broadcast System launched*

VincentAC · October 2005

I didn't know that at the time of the original post ;)

Vertigo · October 2005

Hey!
I often get this error after a high CPU/RAM load, and a blue screen crash with memory dump to disk (which is pointless coz it takes about 10 years and tells you nothing).
I either get IRQ NOT LESS OR EQUAL, or MEMORY MANAGEMENT.
I've tested my RAM with a proper bootable memory tester disk that checks each section with words of different lengths and it says it's all fine. However, I downloaded a temperature and hard disk health prog yesterday that says my HDs both run at over 50 degrees C and the limit's around 60, which is scary. Could that be what's causing the errors?
Also, I recently updated my version of Kaspersky AV and now it checks every single file that Windows opens, which is shit because it takes ages to do anything so I have to disable it any time I want to do anything. Entirely useless so I need to find a new AV prog.
But what's causing this blue screen error?
I also have nVidia card with the newest (but one because that adds nothing for me) drivers.
512MB RAM, Athlon XP1600+ running Win XP Pro with SP1.
Also, our comp has two installs of XP, running on seperate disks that are for mine and my girlfriend's OSs, because we don't want joined information and running under profiles coz we want to keep our data completely seperate. We get BSOD under both boots, so it doesn't appear to be just a specific app under one boot that does it.

By the way, with regard to startup apps, my comp starts up Photoshop Elements and there doesn't seem to be a way either inside the app or in msconfig to stop it running on boot. Any ideas?

[ This Message was edited by: Vertigo on 2005-10-17 13:13 ]

Woody · October 2005

On 2005-10-17 13:01, Vertigo wrote:
Hey!
I often get this error after a high CPU/RAM load, and a blue screen crash with memory dump to disk (which is pointless coz it takes about 10 years and tells you nothing).

Start Menu->Settings->Control Panel->System->Startup and Recovery Settings->Write Debugging Information->"(none)" ;)

FRGT/10 · October 2005

@Vertigo:

I use AVG Free edition

About the photoshop: You should try checking msconfig and searching it there
or try downloading System Mechanic from www.iolo.com
It is a great program for keeping maintaince in your computer, including cleaning obsolete files, invalid shortcuts, junk in system registry, removing internet cache and also "tuning" your system, which includes startup program disabling ;)

Lloyd · October 2005

Just because software says your RAM is fine, don't take it as gospel. On the machine I'm using now (Win 98SE, AMD 2400xp, 512Mb RAM 120Gb storage etc etc) I was getting all kinds of unpredictable and varied crashes. Sometimes I would get the blue screen, sometimes the mouse pointer would just lock up, sometimes it would just lock up on various tasks. If I burnt a CD ROM and got Nero to verify the data - would ALWAYS fail. The number of times I re-installed Windows. The number of times I downloaded diagnostic software and let it run all night. The number of hours I wasted thinking I had a virus infection that Norton couldn't find. The number of friends I tried to borrow another copy of Windows 98SE CD ROM from because I thought mine must be corrupt somehow (unlikley as it's a "Proper" laser etched top surface jobbie). The number of times I ran software to test the memory. Ages spent thinking "It can't be RAM, SimmChecker (or whatever) said it was fine. Must be the HD. Spent all night scandisking, pattern matching 50 times etc etc only to find the drives were fine. Must be the motherboard - after all, the on board sound doesn't work so that must be it. Spent 60 quid on this new board, only to get exactly the same problem. So I changed the graphics card (It's an Nvidia MX440!!!) and still kept getting the same random crashing. Nothing would work until a friend lent me a strip of RAM - because after all, there was nothing left to change now, it was either RAM (which was supposed to be ok) or it was the CPU. All my problems vanished the instant I switched on the "new" system after changing the RAM boards. Never again will I believe any program that tells me that my RAM is okay!!

Oh, and you may have an overheat problem too - my card has a small fan which is quite weak, I wonder if yours may be weaker still :)

I have never had problems with it but I have added some white silicone grease heatsink compound to the heatsink/graphics chip.

If you want some older Nvidea drivers for an MX440, let me know. I know my drivers are stable under Windows 98 SE, never tried them on XP, I hate XP with a passion.

Another thing never to discount is overheating. I have had my system running at 105 degrees C before now - yes, that's Centigrade! Basically, the heatsink compound (the white grease) had dried up like paint and simply wasn't doing its job. I fixed that pretty quickly. I was lucky my processor survived, I know that - just don't discount the possibility is all I'm saying.

The Starglider · October 2005

Lloyd is correct. I have had memory problems before that wouldn't show itself in memory checkers (memtest86 etc...).

Again, on www.viaarena.com , the article about the infinity loop problem does mention that memory can cause the problem. I do advise anyone with various BSOD's please read the article there.

FRGT/10 · January 2006

Teehee, it turned out that the stupid BSOD-s were because of some burned wire inside my PC :D

When they replaced it, I had no BSOD since then :)

NVidia Display drivers - fuk!n up my system - need help!

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