I set nvidia control panel to 'let the 3D application decide' and nvidia inspector works like this (my settings in nvidia control panel are stock).
The halo is back.
I set exactly the same option in nvidia inspector as I did in nvidia control panel (4xAA & overide the application setting). So, to conclude it seems it seems the issue is fixed just by applying AA with the 3rd party software rather than nvidias.
I see you have 8xAA set in nvidia inspector! Now, I have to try this... I never had more than 4xAA working before.