Installing vid drivers

[KiwiVenge]

What is the best way to install new graphics card drivers?
Have heard and tried different ways but could never really determine what was necessary and what is making it harder that it needs to be.
Not that it should make a difference, but I am talking Nvidia in particular.

[KiwiVenge]

What is the best way to install new graphics card drivers?
Have heard and tried different ways but could never really determine what was necessary and what is making it harder that it needs to be.
Not that it should make a difference, but I am talking Nvidia in particular.

[Tmarks25]

Proper driver uninstallation Guide for Windows XP
===================================

What video cards does this apply to?
Any video card touting an nVidia or ATi chipset.

How long does this take?
However long it takes to reboot your computer a couple of times.

Is there any real benefit in doing this?
The reassurance that you have installed your drivers properly, and the ability to pin your problems to something other than drivers should they persist.

Are there situations in which this is not necessary?
Yes. For example, if you are using 45.23 and you want to install Omega's 45.23's, then you dont need to go through all of this.


Ok - lets get down to business...

First, you'll need some tools. Get Driver Cleaner, Detonator R.I.P. or some other comparable cleaner program. I find Driver Cleaner to be helpful in saving time, but some people find it buggy. Since I havent experienced any bugs with it, I still recommend it.
Make sure you have these programs ready to run before you commence the process.

Obviously, you'll want the driver you wish to replace your current driver with, unarchived and ready to roll, as well. Optionally, Id recommend that "Refresh Force" be downloaded and unarchived and ready to go as well. It can be downloaded here.

With that all accounted for, we're ready to start.

Step 1: Control Panel Uninstall
By whatever means you chose to get there, open "Add/Remove Programs" - which resides in your control panel. Once there, peruse around a bit for "nVidia Display Adapter Drivers." Once found, double click on it and uninstall it. Click "ok" when done.

Reboot. Have your finger on the F8 key ready to press.

Step 2: Safe Mode
When your computer restarts, and the BIOS does its thing, start tapping the F8 key every couple of seconds. If you see the "Windows XP" logo with scrolling animation under it, you're too late and should reboot and try again. After initiating safe mode (and waiting a week for it to finish loading) navigate in windows to where you installed/unarchived Driver Cleaner or Detonator R.I.P. and run it. Proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: inf/pnf files.
*Note - steps [3-A] and [3-B] are unnecessary if you used Driver Cleaner version 2 or later, and step [3-C] is currently unnecessary for ATi adapters.

[3-A.]
Ok. This is where things get a little tricky - and also why I use Driver Cleaner. Click on your 'start' button. Then click on 'Run'. A nifty shortcut to do this is to press WindowsKey+R. Once there, type "c:\windows" and press enter. *Note - if you get an error message here, you have windows installed to a different directory. Try "c:\winnt" or "c:\winxp" or "d:\windows" or different variants thereof until you get to your root windows directory. Once there, make sure you can view hidden folders/directories. The way you can tell if you are able to see them is by looking for a folder named "INF." If you can see this folder, then proceed to section 3-B. If the INF folder appears not to exist, then, in your open window, click on "tools" -> "folder options." Look for and click on the "View" tab. You will notice a lot of checkboxes in the middle-bottom of this window. Scroll down until you see a box that says next to it "Show hidden/system files and folders." Check it. Close this window and go back to your original window. Proceed to 3-B

[3-B]
With the INF folder visible, right click on it and click on "Search." With the search window open, type into the *a word or phrase in the file* box -- once again, I must reiterate that you need to type into the correct field, either: "nvidia display" or "ati display" and click "search." The files it should find should be files with the extension "inf." Write the names of these files down, or open notepad and take note of them. After you're finished with this, close the search window, and then open the INF folder from your original window. Click on "view -> arrange icons -> by name." Find the INF files you took note of, and files that share the same name but have the extension PNF and delete them. Example. If NV14.INF turned up in your search, and NV14.INF and NV14.PNF exist, delete both. Continue doing so until you have completed your list

[3-C]
In the notice above, it says this step is unnecessary for ATi users or dial up users that dont have their connections dial automatically. For ATi users, this is because Microsoft doesnt have official support for ATi drivers at the current moment. For non-auto dialup connections, this is because your computer will not lok for a driver from Windows Update. This mainly applies to broadband users connected to routers. Should Microsoft support Catalysts, I'll see about updating this guide. This step is simple. Its necessary though because windows will automatically try and download a driver from Windows Update withoug prompting you. Go to your connections window. I prefer using start-> connections. It can also be found by right clicking on "My Network Places." Once there, spot your internet connection, be it a dial up on autoconnect, or a LAN connection to your router. If its a LAN connection, disable it temporarily. Simply right click on it and click on "disable." If you are using an auto-connecting dialup, simply go on to the next step. There are special instructions for you there.

Reboot

Step 4: Back to regular Windows
After windows is back up (and nasty looking in 800x600x16bpp) and you log in, you should get prompted what to do about windows detecting your VGA adapter. At this point, if your Dial Up starts connecting, halt it. Otherwise, you can either direct your driver install pompt to the location of your preferred driver, or click on "cancel," navigate to your preferred browsers "setup.exe" file and execute it. After the driver install is done, it will bother you about a monitor driver. Simply tell it to automatically install. Once finished, re-enable your broadband connection, and you're done!

You have successfully installed your drivers! Though windows wont prompt you to reboot - it'd be a good idea at this point. If you downloaded refresh force, now is the time to run it - before you reboot after your driver/monitor install. That way you kill 2 birds with one stone. Refresh force is simple. Run it, click "auto-populate" then click "apply" and "close."


Hope this helped ya!

[Tmarks25]

Proper driver uninstallation Guide for Windows XP
===================================

What video cards does this apply to?
Any video card touting an nVidia or ATi chipset.

How long does this take?
However long it takes to reboot your computer a couple of times.

Is there any real benefit in doing this?
The reassurance that you have installed your drivers properly, and the ability to pin your problems to something other than drivers should they persist.

Are there situations in which this is not necessary?
Yes. For example, if you are using 45.23 and you want to install Omega's 45.23's, then you dont need to go through all of this.


Ok - lets get down to business...

First, you'll need some tools. Get Driver Cleaner, Detonator R.I.P. or some other comparable cleaner program. I find Driver Cleaner to be helpful in saving time, but some people find it buggy. Since I havent experienced any bugs with it, I still recommend it.
Make sure you have these programs ready to run before you commence the process.

Obviously, you'll want the driver you wish to replace your current driver with, unarchived and ready to roll, as well. Optionally, Id recommend that "Refresh Force" be downloaded and unarchived and ready to go as well. It can be downloaded here.

With that all accounted for, we're ready to start.

Step 1: Control Panel Uninstall
By whatever means you chose to get there, open "Add/Remove Programs" - which resides in your control panel. Once there, peruse around a bit for "nVidia Display Adapter Drivers." Once found, double click on it and uninstall it. Click "ok" when done.

Reboot. Have your finger on the F8 key ready to press.

Step 2: Safe Mode
When your computer restarts, and the BIOS does its thing, start tapping the F8 key every couple of seconds. If you see the "Windows XP" logo with scrolling animation under it, you're too late and should reboot and try again. After initiating safe mode (and waiting a week for it to finish loading) navigate in windows to where you installed/unarchived Driver Cleaner or Detonator R.I.P. and run it. Proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: inf/pnf files.
*Note - steps [3-A] and [3-B] are unnecessary if you used Driver Cleaner version 2 or later, and step [3-C] is currently unnecessary for ATi adapters.

[3-A.]
Ok. This is where things get a little tricky - and also why I use Driver Cleaner. Click on your 'start' button. Then click on 'Run'. A nifty shortcut to do this is to press WindowsKey+R. Once there, type "c:\windows" and press enter. *Note - if you get an error message here, you have windows installed to a different directory. Try "c:\winnt" or "c:\winxp" or "d:\windows" or different variants thereof until you get to your root windows directory. Once there, make sure you can view hidden folders/directories. The way you can tell if you are able to see them is by looking for a folder named "INF." If you can see this folder, then proceed to section 3-B. If the INF folder appears not to exist, then, in your open window, click on "tools" -> "folder options." Look for and click on the "View" tab. You will notice a lot of checkboxes in the middle-bottom of this window. Scroll down until you see a box that says next to it "Show hidden/system files and folders." Check it. Close this window and go back to your original window. Proceed to 3-B

[3-B]
With the INF folder visible, right click on it and click on "Search." With the search window open, type into the *a word or phrase in the file* box -- once again, I must reiterate that you need to type into the correct field, either: "nvidia display" or "ati display" and click "search." The files it should find should be files with the extension "inf." Write the names of these files down, or open notepad and take note of them. After you're finished with this, close the search window, and then open the INF folder from your original window. Click on "view -> arrange icons -> by name." Find the INF files you took note of, and files that share the same name but have the extension PNF and delete them. Example. If NV14.INF turned up in your search, and NV14.INF and NV14.PNF exist, delete both. Continue doing so until you have completed your list

[3-C]
In the notice above, it says this step is unnecessary for ATi users or dial up users that dont have their connections dial automatically. For ATi users, this is because Microsoft doesnt have official support for ATi drivers at the current moment. For non-auto dialup connections, this is because your computer will not lok for a driver from Windows Update. This mainly applies to broadband users connected to routers. Should Microsoft support Catalysts, I'll see about updating this guide. This step is simple. Its necessary though because windows will automatically try and download a driver from Windows Update withoug prompting you. Go to your connections window. I prefer using start-> connections. It can also be found by right clicking on "My Network Places." Once there, spot your internet connection, be it a dial up on autoconnect, or a LAN connection to your router. If its a LAN connection, disable it temporarily. Simply right click on it and click on "disable." If you are using an auto-connecting dialup, simply go on to the next step. There are special instructions for you there.

Reboot

Step 4: Back to regular Windows
After windows is back up (and nasty looking in 800x600x16bpp) and you log in, you should get prompted what to do about windows detecting your VGA adapter. At this point, if your Dial Up starts connecting, halt it. Otherwise, you can either direct your driver install pompt to the location of your preferred driver, or click on "cancel," navigate to your preferred browsers "setup.exe" file and execute it. After the driver install is done, it will bother you about a monitor driver. Simply tell it to automatically install. Once finished, re-enable your broadband connection, and you're done!

You have successfully installed your drivers! Though windows wont prompt you to reboot - it'd be a good idea at this point. If you downloaded refresh force, now is the time to run it - before you reboot after your driver/monitor install. That way you kill 2 birds with one stone. Refresh force is simple. Run it, click "auto-populate" then click "apply" and "close."


Hope this helped ya!

[KiwiVenge]

Cool, I just downloaded Driver Cleaner 3
I am on adsl and a router, but I will just yank it from teh wall so no connection can be made to the net.
That will work for step 3C won't it?

Edit: Heh, the guiys at driver cleaner beat me to it, here is part of their readme
nVidia:
1. Unplug nic card or modem from net or disconnect
2. Remove nvidia from add/remove programs
3. Reboot into safe mode (F8 during boot up)
4. On reboot into safe mode WinXP SP1/SP2 will auto detect and install drivers. Just let it do its thing. If you can cancel out of the auto install hardware wizard then skip the rest and run Driver Cleaner! If you can NOT cancel out of auto detect wizard then...
5. Navigate to device mgr->display adapters->highlight nVidia and click uninstall or remove but don't reboot
6. Disable any AntiVirus Software (If you don't disable is than it could give trouble)
7. Run Cab Cleaner (not needed, but recommended)
8. Run Driver Cleaner
9. Empty recycle bin and reboot
10. Install the new drivers

[KiwiVenge]

Cool, I just downloaded Driver Cleaner 3
I am on adsl and a router, but I will just yank it from teh wall so no connection can be made to the net.
That will work for step 3C won't it?

Edit: Heh, the guiys at driver cleaner beat me to it, here is part of their readme
nVidia:
1. Unplug nic card or modem from net or disconnect
2. Remove nvidia from add/remove programs
3. Reboot into safe mode (F8 during boot up)
4. On reboot into safe mode WinXP SP1/SP2 will auto detect and install drivers. Just let it do its thing. If you can cancel out of the auto install hardware wizard then skip the rest and run Driver Cleaner! If you can NOT cancel out of auto detect wizard then...
5. Navigate to device mgr->display adapters->highlight nVidia and click uninstall or remove but don't reboot
6. Disable any AntiVirus Software (If you don't disable is than it could give trouble)
7. Run Cab Cleaner (not needed, but recommended)
8. Run Driver Cleaner
9. Empty recycle bin and reboot
10. Install the new drivers