Black Screen After Nvidia Driver Update

[bug67]

I have an HP DV8T entertainment laptop with an Nvidia GeForce GT 230M. The current driver is version 267.67. The latest from Nvidia is 280.26.

When I install 280.26, everything appears to go great...until I re-boot. I get the boot screen with the windows logo and the swirly dots. After that, nothing. Just a black screen with the cooling fans screaming.

I tried to uninstall the current 267.67 driver and then install the 280.26 version but I get a pop-up that says "No compatible device found." I also tried to "Uninstall current driver" from the custom install menu on the Nvidia installer. Again, everything appeared to go well until re-boot. Logo, swirly dots...black screen.

Thank goodness for the ability to create system restore points or I could possibly be re-installing Windows.

Any insight as to why I am unable to successfully update this driver?

 

[Keiichi25]

Usually, you will want to do a clean installation. Sometimes going from one version of driver to another might cause some issues.

Who manufactured your card? In some cases, specific manufactures 'tweak' their cards and sometimes the reference drivers are not recommended, but to use the manufacturer's drivers. But one thing you might want to also consider is a driver cleaner after you uninstall the current driver you are running with.

 

[Britton30]

I think it's nVIDIA's fault, buggy drivers. I've not had a black screen as you do, but other issues. I'm using the 270.61 driver nicely. the next one newer, 275.xx might work for you too. Use Driver Sweeper to really clean the old drivers, the nVIDIA "clean install", isn't.
Phyxion.net - Driver Sweeper

 

[bug67]

Who manufactured your card?

It's an Nvidia GeForce GT 230M in a Hewlett Packard Pavilion dv8t.

I think it's nVIDIA's fault, buggy drivers. I've not had a black screen as you do, but other issues. I'm using the 270.61 driver nicely. the next one newer, 275.xx might work for you too. Use Driver Sweeper to really clean the old drivers, the nVIDIA "clean install", isn't.
Phyxion.net - Driver Sweeper

Thanks for the info. I may try this later on. This are working fine for me with the 267.67 driver. I'm one of those "latest greatest" types though.

 

[ingber]

We followed the Windows Update to update our Nvidia software on our two HP Pavilion dv8t-1200 CTO Entertainment Notebook PCs.

The updated Nvidia software told us to update our 276.. drive to 280.26. What a pain in the butt!!! We got black screens when rebooting.

I rolled back to the the previous drivers, and everything is as normal as it should be.