Nvidia Driver Problem

cdrsubron7 · 03-13-08, 09:00 AM

I just rercently upgraded my computer with a new processor, motherboard and 4 gigs of memory and switched to Vista Ultimate 64-bit OS. Since reinstalling SHIV followed by the U-Boat addon I've been getting these display driver problems, sometimes BSOD or just the driver has failed and just recovered. The culprit seems to be a file called nulddmkm.sys. The new parts I added were a eVGA 780i motherboard, an Intel e8400 Duo 2 Core Processor and 4 gigs of Patriot Viper PC2-6400 memory. I just wondering if anybody else has run into this problem and what you did to fix the problem. I've tried quite a few diferent set of display drivers including the new Omega drivers for a 64-bit system and have had no changes. The problem occurs when a ship appears or I hit a ship with a torpedo. As soon as the graphics get intensive I get this nulddmkm.sys error. Comments or suggestions on what to do would be most welcome as I'm getting very fustrated with this problem. As it stands right now, SHIV is unplayable with this error problem happening every time I try playing.

Deimos01 · 03-13-08, 04:47 PM

Ahh, you have just got bitten by the dreaded nvlddmkm error otherwise known as a TDR. I as well as many other ppl have been experiencing this nightmare. The short and sweet is a TDR can be caused by many different issues. However, the same symptom appears. The screen freezes and goes black, comes back on with the display driver stopped responding message. This problem can be because of bad drivers, dodgy hardware, vista/nvidia conflicts, heat... etc. I have been beating my head against a wall for 4 months now with this on a brand new Dell XPS 720.

The bad news is, there is no magic bullet to fix this problem. You need to figure what is causing the problem which usually involves a whole lot of trial and error since no solutions works for everyone. In my case, after trying many other fixes with no luck I finally did a clean instal of vista. I got the error after the first boot. The MS hotfixes that are supposed to fix this have not worked for me but have for others. If you go to the Nvidia driver page there is a link to get said hotfixes. Maybe they will work for you.

At this point Im at a loss as to what to do next other than demand Dell send me a computer that works. This problem, for me is not confined to SH4. It happens randomly in any setting and even when my comp is sitting idle.

I have tried the MS hotfixes, multiple drivers, tweeks, twitches and even a voodoo ritual to no avail finally ending with the vista re-install. Its not heat either as my cards run at 55c idle and this problem happens at idle too.
This thing is like a vampire in a bad B movie. It just keeps comming back.

Oh, try googling nvlddmkm. There are many topics out there on it. Maybe one might solve your issue. Good luck and Cheers!

Midnight Hunter · 03-13-08, 04:57 PM

You said the magic words.... any time you order a machine from Dell the FIRST thing to do is flash the bios, as dell parts sit and sit waiting to be used in a build and the bios can be 1 or more versions behind. I recently had a similar issue with Vista and after a quick bios flash all my issues went away.

I would recommend to you as well cdrsubron7, try a bios flash first and foremost, I have found 90% of my errors with Vista (I am in IT and see a TON of them) are cured with bios flashes and driver updates. Since you have apparently done all the driver updates, try the bios flash.

Hope this works for you...

cdrsubron7 · 03-13-08, 10:43 PM

One of the first things I did with this motherboard was flash the Bios. Still didn't help any. I've got a few ideas left to try, but I'm beginning to think I made a big mistake in my motherboard selections.

Deimos01 · 03-14-08, 08:14 AM

Aye, I flashed the bios right after the first time I updated my video drivers. Didnt help.

I think I may be narrowing this down for me though. I pulled the SLI bridge and one of my cards. No errors after nearly an hour of gametime.

Pulled that card and installed the other. Again, no errors so far. I have so far run each card individually in each PCIe slot with no errors.

The only thing I noticed with both cards is that while being dc'd and the lights in the sub go out and come back on the images are all messed up. You ever seen those comics where everything is drawn in just black and white with no grey shading, knda like the Sin City comics? Thats what it looks like, except I still have color. I reproduced this on each card.

So, at this point Im still not sure but feel Im getting closer to a solution. Maybe its the SLI bridge itself.

So to recap, either card in either slot alone... no errors. Both cards installed with SLI disabled.... errors. Both cards with SLI enabled... errors.

Let me ask this. What is a good way to stress a card so I can really test this?

Midnight Hunter · 03-14-08, 09:51 AM

Here is a link to a rather intense testing software (this is the 2006 version which is free)

http://www.download.com/3DMark06-Bas...html?tag=lst-2

3DMARK is an indepth tester that will push your card to the limits (and depending on your card, maybe over the limits) and give you a breakdown of what your card can and can't do.

If you would like to do a scan of your whole system they have a scanner for that as well (this version is a little older (2004) but it is free and a good tool.

http://www.download.com/PCMark04/300...html?tag=lst-1

Hope these tools can help you enough to pinpoint the issue your having

kylesplanet · 03-14-08, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdrsubron7

One of the first things I did with this motherboard was flash the Bios. Still didn't help any. I've got a few ideas left to try, but I'm beginning to think I made a big mistake in my motherboard selections.

Well if it makes you feel better, I have the 680SLI Nforce in an Alienware and I have been really happy with it, it has performed very well although I had to flash the bios as soon as I fired it up as mentioned above.

I hope you get it worked out and wish I could help but it is probably something other than your mobo because there have been a few with this problem with different brands of mobo's.

Good luck bro!

Syneval · 03-23-08, 02:12 PM

I'm running vista ultimate x64 with the latest beta nvidia drivers ( specifically to fix some pirates of the carribean issues ), and I haven't had any problems with v1.5. In fact, I'm seeing improved performance. My vidcard is an 8800gts320, and vista has all relevant hotfixes and sp1.

Doolittle81 · 03-23-08, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syneval

I'm running vista ultimate x64 with the latest beta nvidia drivers ( specifically to fix some pirates of the carribean issues ), and I haven't had any problems with v1.5. In fact, I'm seeing improved performance. My vidcard is an 8800gts320, and vista has all relevant hotfixes and sp1.

Specifically what drivers are you using? I've gone to the latest for VISTA, 174.20. and all seems to be going well...although I've really only logged an hour or so with 1.5 and 1.4 so it's hard to say yet if the problem has been totally solved, or not.

My RIG specs, by the way, are:
ASUS P5N32-E SLI
Dual core E6700 Cpu
2GB OCZ PC2 8800 (1100Mhz) RAM
BFG 8800GTX w/768MB Graphics card
Audigy2 ZS
4 Seagate 400GB hard drives in a 0+1 RAID array
Plextor PX-800A
Samsung SyncMaster 244T 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor 1920X1200 native resolution
Windows VISTA 32bit

cdrsubron7 · 03-23-08, 10:04 PM

I've gone back and restarted also. Completely the old version of Vista 964-bit) off my hard drive by formatting the drive and then reinstalled Vista again. Using the newest beta drivers from Nvidai that I could get. Got all the updates and SP1. Installed SHIV for the 100th time in the last two weeks and then installed the addon and went to try and play SHIV and can't get past the blame activation screen. I get some unknown error when trying to activate the dumb thing. Ubisoft in their infinite wisdon has struck again.

Deimos01 · 03-25-08, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdrsubron7

I've gone back and restarted also. Completely the old version of Vista 964-bit) off my hard drive by formatting the drive and then reinstalled Vista again. Using the newest beta drivers from Nvidai that I could get. Got all the updates and SP1. Installed SHIV for the 100th time in the last two weeks and then installed the addon and went to try and play SHIV and can't get past the blame activation screen. I get some unknown error when trying to activate the dumb thing. Ubisoft in their infinite wisdon has struck again.

Just a shot in the dark. Is the error for some missing file and if so did you opt to install directx 9.0c with SH4? I opted not not to install the Directx thinking my copy of Vista woulda had it already. Got an error for a missing dx file when trying to start the game. I just DL'd and installed the latest Direct x runtime components from microsoft and the game started just fine.

03-13-08, 09:00 AM	#1
cdrsubron7 Sink'em All Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 2,150 Downloads: 305 Uploads: 1	Nvidia Driver Problem I just rercently upgraded my computer with a new processor, motherboard and 4 gigs of memory and switched to Vista Ultimate 64-bit OS. Since reinstalling SHIV followed by the U-Boat addon I've been getting these display driver problems, sometimes BSOD or just the driver has failed and just recovered. The culprit seems to be a file called nulddmkm.sys. The new parts I added were a eVGA 780i motherboard, an Intel e8400 Duo 2 Core Processor and 4 gigs of Patriot Viper PC2-6400 memory. I just wondering if anybody else has run into this problem and what you did to fix the problem. I've tried quite a few diferent set of display drivers including the new Omega drivers for a 64-bit system and have had no changes. The problem occurs when a ship appears or I hit a ship with a torpedo. As soon as the graphics get intensive I get this nulddmkm.sys error. Comments or suggestions on what to do would be most welcome as I'm getting very fustrated with this problem. As it stands right now, SHIV is unplayable with this error problem happening every time I try playing. __________________ Head Deep and Keep'em Astern" - LtCDR Samuel D Dealy SHIV Guide \| Imperial Japanese Navy \| US Submarines

03-13-08, 04:47 PM	#2
Deimos01 Frogman Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: St louis Posts: 304 Downloads: 18 Uploads: 0	Ahh, you have just got bitten by the dreaded nvlddmkm error otherwise known as a TDR. I as well as many other ppl have been experiencing this nightmare. The short and sweet is a TDR can be caused by many different issues. However, the same symptom appears. The screen freezes and goes black, comes back on with the display driver stopped responding message. This problem can be because of bad drivers, dodgy hardware, vista/nvidia conflicts, heat... etc. I have been beating my head against a wall for 4 months now with this on a brand new Dell XPS 720. The bad news is, there is no magic bullet to fix this problem. You need to figure what is causing the problem which usually involves a whole lot of trial and error since no solutions works for everyone. In my case, after trying many other fixes with no luck I finally did a clean instal of vista. I got the error after the first boot. The MS hotfixes that are supposed to fix this have not worked for me but have for others. If you go to the Nvidia driver page there is a link to get said hotfixes. Maybe they will work for you. At this point Im at a loss as to what to do next other than demand Dell send me a computer that works. This problem, for me is not confined to SH4. It happens randomly in any setting and even when my comp is sitting idle. I have tried the MS hotfixes, multiple drivers, tweeks, twitches and even a voodoo ritual to no avail finally ending with the vista re-install. Its not heat either as my cards run at 55c idle and this problem happens at idle too. This thing is like a vampire in a bad B movie. It just keeps comming back. Oh, try googling nvlddmkm. There are many topics out there on it. Maybe one might solve your issue. Good luck and Cheers! __________________ "No matter where you go... there you are" - Buckaroo Banzai

03-13-08, 10:43 PM	#4
cdrsubron7 Sink'em All Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 2,150 Downloads: 305 Uploads: 1	One of the first things I did with this motherboard was flash the Bios. Still didn't help any. I've got a few ideas left to try, but I'm beginning to think I made a big mistake in my motherboard selections. __________________ Head Deep and Keep'em Astern" - LtCDR Samuel D Dealy SHIV Guide \| Imperial Japanese Navy \| US Submarines

03-14-08, 08:14 AM	#5
Deimos01 Frogman Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: St louis Posts: 304 Downloads: 18 Uploads: 0	Aye, I flashed the bios right after the first time I updated my video drivers. Didnt help. I think I may be narrowing this down for me though. I pulled the SLI bridge and one of my cards. No errors after nearly an hour of gametime. Pulled that card and installed the other. Again, no errors so far. I have so far run each card individually in each PCIe slot with no errors. The only thing I noticed with both cards is that while being dc'd and the lights in the sub go out and come back on the images are all messed up. You ever seen those comics where everything is drawn in just black and white with no grey shading, knda like the Sin City comics? Thats what it looks like, except I still have color. I reproduced this on each card. So, at this point Im still not sure but feel Im getting closer to a solution. Maybe its the SLI bridge itself. So to recap, either card in either slot alone... no errors. Both cards installed with SLI disabled.... errors. Both cards with SLI enabled... errors. Let me ask this. What is a good way to stress a card so I can really test this? __________________ "No matter where you go... there you are" - Buckaroo Banzai

03-23-08, 10:04 PM	#10
cdrsubron7 Sink'em All Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 2,150 Downloads: 305 Uploads: 1	I've gone back and restarted also. Completely the old version of Vista 964-bit) off my hard drive by formatting the drive and then reinstalled Vista again. Using the newest beta drivers from Nvidai that I could get. Got all the updates and SP1. Installed SHIV for the 100th time in the last two weeks and then installed the addon and went to try and play SHIV and can't get past the blame activation screen. I get some unknown error when trying to activate the dumb thing. Ubisoft in their infinite wisdon has struck again. __________________ Head Deep and Keep'em Astern" - LtCDR Samuel D Dealy SHIV Guide \| Imperial Japanese Navy \| US Submarines

03-13-08, 04:57 PM	#3
Midnight Hunter Mate Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 56 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	You said the magic words.... any time you order a machine from Dell the FIRST thing to do is flash the bios, as dell parts sit and sit waiting to be used in a build and the bios can be 1 or more versions behind. I recently had a similar issue with Vista and after a quick bios flash all my issues went away. I would recommend to you as well cdrsubron7, try a bios flash first and foremost, I have found 90% of my errors with Vista (I am in IT and see a TON of them) are cured with bios flashes and driver updates. Since you have apparently done all the driver updates, try the bios flash. Hope this works for you...

03-14-08, 09:51 AM	#6
Midnight Hunter Mate Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 56 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Here is a link to a rather intense testing software (this is the 2006 version which is free) http://www.download.com/3DMark06-Bas...html?tag=lst-2 3DMARK is an indepth tester that will push your card to the limits (and depending on your card, maybe over the limits) and give you a breakdown of what your card can and can't do. If you would like to do a scan of your whole system they have a scanner for that as well (this version is a little older (2004) but it is free and a good tool. http://www.download.com/PCMark04/300...html?tag=lst-1 Hope these tools can help you enough to pinpoint the issue your having

03-23-08, 02:12 PM	#8
Syneval Swabbie Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 12 Downloads: 33 Uploads: 0	I'm running vista ultimate x64 with the latest beta nvidia drivers ( specifically to fix some pirates of the carribean issues ), and I haven't had any problems with v1.5. In fact, I'm seeing improved performance. My vidcard is an 8800gts320, and vista has all relevant hotfixes and sp1.