Triforce1 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Some of you may remember my plea from the system advisory board. Well, it would seem that I can't play games on Vista. Reasonably, anyway. I'm posting this again, refined, under Fallout 3 support because that's when the error happens most ofter. Recently, like after I'd installed Fallout on my machine, I began having some crazy driver problems. I could play for about 45 minutes, and then I'd experience a weird CTD and get the "System driver nvlddmkm.sys had stopped responding, but is okay again" kind of message. After this, I could play for about 5 minutes tops before experiencing the same thing. After awhile, I couldn't even get on. The same thing happens to Assassin's Creed, except I can't even play it. I click "Begin New Game" or try to adjust the settings, and everything goes black and I get nowhere. The same thing again happens on SPORE, but much less often. Equally aggravating, though, because of my stubborn tendency not to save. Oh well. Needless to say, I've tried everything the Internet has to offer, but none to any avail. Some would work for about an hour, but then the same old problem would return. It seems to be an extraordinarily common problem, so it amazes me that nVIDIA doesn't do anything about it. My hope is that someone around here will know something about it. I experience normal CTDs too, but those aren't nearly as frequent or aggravating. I thank you in advance for your help. Here's my system configuration, in case it helps. Dual Boot XP Pro / Vista Ult (I have Oblivion, Civ IV, and NWN II on XP just fine) ( I play FO3, SPORE, and AC on Vista; the problem)Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 @ 3.00 (No overclocking)3 GB Corsair Dominator RAMASUS Maximus Formula Motherboard(2) 150GB WD Raptor HDDs (One for each OS, no partitions)BFG Overclocked nVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX CardCreative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Card (If that matters)PC Power & Cooling 750W Power Supply(4) Case Fans in my CM Cosmos *plus a small Thermaltake CPU fan (Again, If that matters)(1) Samsung SyncMaster 2232BW Monitor (22", running everything at native 1680x1050) I may have included unnecessary things, but I'd really like some help on this one. As everyone else who has this problem has already been admitted to their local Asylum, I'd prefer not to suffer the same fate. Thanks again in advance,-Triforce1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZS1 Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 That nvlddmkm.sys error is over a year old now, and has never really been accounted for.Most people claim it's some hardware problem unrelated to the drivers themselves (usually overclocked RAM, overheating GPU, CPU, insufficient power supply etc, with the drivers just being a catalyst for a seemingly unimportant problem), but I personally have seen that error on two nearly identical systems (slight difference in software, but same hardware), with one system being fine, the other barely able to run a 3D-intensive app for longer periods.I can just rehearse what all the guys at nVidia Forums said, try fixing/adjusting different parts of your hardware, see if it helps.What got it fixed for me was first reversing the drivers to an old one (older than the error) and then switching to one of the newly released drivers. I'm currently running on the seemingly stable 180.48 drivers for Vista. If that doesn't help... well... afraid to say, but then you're screwed. nVidia and Microsoft have been too busy blaming each other to cooperatively work on this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triforce1 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hmmm. That bad, huh? Well, I have already tried the revert/upgrade method. Even tried expanding and installing the nvlddmkm.sy_ thing myself. If I am screwed with this combination, what do you recommend I do? I have never much liked ATI, but if perhaps I got one of their better cards...might that fix it? There's no reason why my current card shouldn't hold up fine, but if it will fix this !@#$%^&*()#$%^& error, then I'm all for it. I'm also considering buying more RAM. Any advice on that end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZS1 Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 RAM's just fine. You COULD buy a ATI GPU, seeing as they're currently back on top with nVidia while being a tad cheaper, but it's still a good chunk of money. *I* would try googling around to see if there's anything that might help, or spark an idea. Try to set your current GPU to factory clock, seeing as its OC'd. If that ain't helping, try UNDERclocking it (Yeah, Im serious). Check the voltage on your RAM, make sure it's what's recommended on the manufacturer's website. Edit: Also, look for any more intrusive software you have that might interact with the drivers (or other vital system components) in some unusual way. Hardware errors seem to be the most common, but there were people reporting problems solved by removing more violent software.Note: Im just rehearsing what I've chewed through on the nVidia boards trying to get the issue fixed myself. I suggest you take a sunday off and read through the forum there, maybe it sparks some inspiration... Clicky Another Edit: See if you have a buddy with an ATI or a similar nVidia GPU, ask him to borrow it and try if it makes any difference on your system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triforce1 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 Unfortunately, I don't have access to another GPU. Nor can I afford to take tomorrow off; I have a ton of homework. As to the other things, I can assure you that I have been through virtually everything there is to see on the subject of that driver. When this came up over Christmas break, I devoted three days to fixing it, and of course each was in vain. The ATI card would be a last resort, but I must say you have me at the RAM voltage check. I'll mess with the GPU speeds, but I would appreciate it if you would explain the voltage thing to me. Where might I find out the information I need? What do I need to look for? I appreciate your direct, informative answers. I've gotten farther here than at any other inquiry line I've made. Any other information you might have would be appreciated. Even a detailed summary of how you fixed your own problem would be great, if you could spare the time. Thank you.-Triforce1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triforce1 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 Okay, I have tried everything you mentioned. None to any avail, however. So then, I went Googling again. I found a solution I hadn't seen before; looked promising. I followed the instructions (involved cleaning drivers and removing all traces of the former nVIDIA drivers before reinstalling the most up-to-date ones (180.22, I think). Well, I followed the instructions to the letter, restarted, installed the drivers again, restarted again, and guess what? Not only were my monitor drivers uninstalled, but the machine wasn't recognizing any of my display drivers. So now I'm stuck with only three crappy choices of resolution (Control Panel tells me I'm running "Monitor on ", not "Samsung 2232BW SyncMaster on BFG nVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX" like it should). I get no choices on any of it. I reinstalled the old drivers, then the new ones, but it still wouldn't register. And I can't reinstall my monitor drivers because it doesn't see any card to run off of. So I'm really in the toilet now. Can anyone help me? EDIT: Just trued to play Fallout 3 (you know, just in case) and of course it didn't work. It tried to detect my "new raphics settings" and crashed. For all intents and purposes, my computer has convinced itself that I don't have a graphics card (but I do; I opened up my case and checked :P ) I'm begging you, please! Anyone! I just want to play in peace... :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triforce1 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 Okay, I hate to bump, but I figure it's better that letting everyone assume my computer ate itself. SO...I fixed all the display issues by System Reverting to yesterday morning, before any of this nonsense began. So that's all cool now. I'm still having those same issues with the nvlddmkm.sys driver, though. Anyone who can offer any other suggestions (no, don't just say Google it, because I've already done that. For a MONTH.), thanks in advance. Otherwise, I'm just going to suffer through this until the guys upstairs can fix this. Maybe that new Stanford guy nVIDIA latched onto feels adventurous... ;D -Triforce1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triforce1 Posted February 7, 2009 Author Share Posted February 7, 2009 You, Mx-T, are the man. By underclocking my GPU just a little bit and cranking up it's fan, I seem to have eliminated my driver errors! Hallelujah! Of course, now my case sounds like it's gonna take off, but I can put up with that (and slightly less impressive graphics) anyway. Thanks for your suggestion; I recommend anyone who has the nvlddmkm driver problem try this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skotte Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 How often do you blow out your comp with a can of air Triforce1? if it's been awhile your Graphics card might be getting a layer of dust which holds the heat in. just a suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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