NVIDIA Drivers - Avoid Problems

How to Avoid NVIDIA Driver Problems​

   Information

This tutorial will show you how to do a clean install of NVIDIA graphics drivers for those having problems with the drivers.

Here's How:

1. Download the driver you want to install from your computer manufacturer or from NVIDIA.com.
See also: http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-cards/602-latest-nvidia-forceware-video-drivers-windows-7-a.html
2. The first thing to do is open Windows updates, in the left column click change settings, in the drop down box select check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them. The purpose of this is to keep Windows update from automatically installing a driver. We do not want conflicts with drivers.

3. Next go to your "C" dive and there should be a folder named Nvidia.

4. Open the folder and you will find a folder named 'Display Drivers', inside that folder will be all the drivers you have installed designated by number.

5. Delete all of the folders with numbers but Do Not delete the Display Driver Folder itself.

6. Next go to Control Panel (category View) and Uninstall a Program

7. Scroll down to the Nvidia drivers and begin to uninstall them but read the info box below before you start.

   Information

If you have an Nvidia chipset, DO NOT uninstall the chipset driver only the Display drivers. Also, uninstall all of the display type drivers but BE SURE TO UNINSTALL THE GRAPHICS DRIVER LAST.

8. When you uninstall the Graphics driver, Windows will request a reboot, do so. Upon reboot Windows will install a graphics adapter, that is good.

9. Open the new driver you downloaded, agree to terms and select custom install. Under custom install uncheck everything except the Graphics driver, PhysX and GeForce experience, if you want that. Be sure the 'CLEAN INSTALL' box is checked

10. Your set up should look like this.

11. Click next and begin the installation, after which you will reboot. This should give you a clean install of your drivers. You can now re set Windows Update to your preferred setting, as you are through.

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Add or Remove "NVIDIA Control Panel" from Desktop Context Menu
• How to Add or Remove NVIDIA Taskbar Notification Area Icon in Windows
• Help Diagnose Graphics Card Problems

 

[essenbe]

Greg, I'm working on a crowbar now.

 

[GabrielK]

I did not try that. I just uninstalled my GPU from the device manager and physically removed it from the PC though, so i'm not sure if the Nvidia option is still present in the services.msc, or atleast i can't find it anymore.

 

[ThrashZone]

Mike, even when you uninstall drivers, the drivers are left in that folder. That's why you have 2 folders in Display drivers. When you reinstall, delete all of those folders before you install the new drivers. That's really the point of this whole tutorial. Get rid of all the older drivers and only install the ones you need. I never install anything but the Display driver and PhysX. GeForce Experience is causing a lot of people all kinds of problems.

Okay thanks Steve yea I got a little in a hurry and forgot to remove the hybrid drivers.... before installing the asus card dag nabit
I believe the 3D drivers make everything look a little better now that they aren't there ?
May remove G experience now that you mention issues with it

Well I only have 1 folder now so I guess all is good display 353.30 PhysX 9.15.0428

 

[essenbe]

It sounds good Mike. I don't know why Nvidia puts a lot of that Junk in their drivers. They can cause all kinds of problems. You already have audio drivers, HDMI Drivers in your Motherboard drivers. It just increases the possibility of a driver conflict. Very few people use the 3D drivers, so why add them into the pot. GeForce experience in itself is OK, but along with it comes the streaming junk and a bunch of other stuff most people don't use and causes problems with other drivers. AMD does the same thing. I have no idea why. The whole point of this Tutorial was really, clean out all of the old drivers and install only what you need. I should not have included GeForce Experience in the example. But, at the time I wrote this a lot of that stuff wasn't there and caused no problems. A lot of people liked the gaming profiles they provided too. Now it's different.

 

[ThrashZone]

Yea I've always let win updates get drivers for my little gt640 card so it's never been on the cutting edge as the most recent so this is just another new experience for me
I'm learning though
Cheers.

 

[essenbe]

We're all still learning.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

It's usually coded in the Display driver version.

It looks like you've gotten a newer one than either of those, Probably from Windows Update.

In any case you can delete those two files from C as they are merely staging files for the driver install.

Hmm Greg I get reminders from NVidia all the time about updates and yet I still have only the one driver (the latest) listed ?new overwriting old?

 

[gregrocker]

I would turn off the Nvidia Updater spyware. First look in msconfig>Startup and >Services tabs after Hiding all MS Services. Uncheck everything except your AV and any sync/stickies/gadgets.

Next type services.msc in Start Search box, disable all Services from Nvidia which are unneeded bloatware .

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yes Greg I don't have anything ticked in my start up tab though I do check it from time to time as CCleaner seems to have a habit of creeping back in. I think somewhere in the distant past I must have signed up to get reminders

 

[essenbe]

John, that comes from GeForce Experience which is a part of the Nvidia Driver package. If you uninstall GeForce Experience you will not get the reminders.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Ok thanks Steve I might just do that because the experience is really of not much use to me and the updates are for gaming mainly something I cannot do very well at the moment.

 

[ThrashZone]

Yep I got rid of it too,
We can simply monitor this thread for any updates
http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-cards/602-latest-nvidia-forceware-video-drivers-windows-7-a.html

 

[Frank45]

Nvidia Folder

My computer was upgraded from native Vista OS to Windows 7 Ultimate x64. In the Nvidia folder on the C drive there is no folder named "Display Drivers". The only subfolder is named WinVista.

 

[essenbe]

sorry, I can't help with that. It's a new one on me. I skipped Vista. But the new drivers you install, make sure they Install to C:/Nvidia/Display Drivers. That should be the default location it installs to. If there is no Display Drivers folder, it should create one. When you install make sure to use custom Install and make sure the 'clean Install' box is checked.

I really don't know why you would need the WinVista folder any more, but I don't know what it is or what's in it.

 

[LiliumSnow]

I've got a Nvidia Corporation folder in both my Program Files and Program Files (x86), which one do I go to?

 

[ICIT2LOL]

I've got a Nvidia Corporation folder in both my Program Files and Program Files (x86), which one do I go to?

Hello Lilium perhaps I have missed something somewhere but just what is it you are wanting to do with the NVidia??

 

[LiliumSnow]

Hello Lilium perhaps I have missed something somewhere but just what is it you are wanting to do with the NVidia??

I'm trying to follow the steps to avoid Nvidia Driver issues, and they say to go into the Nvidia folder in the C: folder and delete all the numbered folders within Display Drivers, but there is no Nvidia folder on my computer. There's just the Nvidia Corporations folders in both Programs and Programs (x86) and neither of them have a folder that says Display Drivers or any numbered folders.

 

[Brink]

Hello Lilium,

If you mean at step 2, then that would only be for a "NVIDIA" folder in the root directory of your "C" drive. This is where NVIDIA stores all the driver setup files when installing the driver. The mentioned numbers are just folders named with the driver version inside this NVIDIA folder.

They're really not needed when wanting to do a clean install of a newer driver version.

Uninstalling the NVIDIA drivers from "Programs and Features" (steps 6-8) will remove it from the Program Files folders.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Well Lilium there you go you have the best advice now I wasn't quite sure what it was you wanted

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Yes Computer/ C drive/ NVidia folder holds the prior versions uninstalled or replaced when installing a new
Mostly it leaves them so one can roll back a driver through the devices properties/ device manager..
This tutorial advices to delete the older folders.