How to upgrade an NVIDIA driver

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Dear folks,

My almost-new Win7 HP machine based on the Pentium E5300W crashed a few times when I used some obscure functions of my Epson R1800 printer. 2 of the times (when it recovered), I got a message that the NVIDIA drivers “crashed and recovered from a serious error,” but if there’s a log, I don’t know where it is. From my reading on the NVIDIA site, it is possible that it is not really the NVIDIA drivers, that are the problem, but that Windows thinks it is.

Meanwhile, I’m already using the latest Epson drivers. However, the drivers for the replacement video card (EVGA GeForce GT 240) have an update out there. I’ve never installed drivers before; only programs.

I’ll outline my understanding of the steps I think I’m supposed to go thru. Since I’m not the super-techie kind, could you kind folks (who’ve done this sort of thing before) let me know if I’m missing something?

1. Download the replacement drivers (done that).
2. Disconnect from the Internet; kill antivirus program.
3. Since I have Revo Uninstaller Pro, run that. Browse to the program NVIDIA Drivers (I also have the programs NVIDIA Display Control Panel and NVIDIA PhysX; I don’t know if I uninstall those, too, or not) and do what Revo does to remove all traces of the program. Presumably, native Windows drivers will keep a monitor working (!).
4. Restart computer. I could also use Revo to unpack & install the new program.
5. If all seems OK, I would restart after install and hope all is well.

Comments? Thanks in advance.

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Oh, I thought I should mention that my mobo is the Asus IPIBL-LB Benicia-GL8E. If that makes any difference.

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Outdated NVIDIA drivers can definitely cause BSOD’s, so you need to periodically check for newer versions.

As far as installing, all I ever do is download the new ones (make sure you get the right ones, correct OS and 32- or 64 bit). I then just install the new ones over the top of the old ones. I don’t get off the internet, disable my security, or uninstall the old ones. You will have to reboot after the install.

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1. Download the replacement drivers (done that).
2. Disconnect from the Internet; kill antivirus program.
3. Since I have Revo Uninstaller Pro, run that. Browse to the program NVIDIA Drivers (I also have the programs NVIDIA Display Control Panel and NVIDIA PhysX; I don’t know if I uninstall those, too, or not) and do what Revo does to remove all traces of the program. Presumably, native Windows drivers will keep a monitor working (!).
4. Restart computer. I could also use Revo to unpack & install the new program.
5. If all seems OK, I would restart after install and hope all is well.

Make a complete drive image prior to starting.
I prefer to uninstal the old driver first. That’s just my preference.
4. Could leave Revo out of this step.

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Thanks for your suggestion. I’ve since seen someone elsewhere say that he, too, goes ahead and installs the new drivers right over the old ones with nary a problem. Am I hallucinating that the careful, multi-step procedure I described above is the “official” one? Does everyone here just install new over old?

Incidentally, altho’ I DID research this issue (with the Epson printer) before posting here, today I finally located other people describing the same problem. For example: http://forums.nvidia…howtopic=151238 . Since this is the *only* BSOD problem I have had, I’m now inclined not to mess with the NVIDIA drivers, even tho’ Print Preview is a very handy feature and has saved me paper and ink in the past. I haven’t tried the workaround recommended by Epson yet, but I will. (And, if anyone reads the thread I cited, other folks report no fix from the advice.)

Edit: Sorry, Clint, didn’t see your post before I typed this. Thanks.

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Thanks for your suggestion. I’ve since seen someone elsewhere say that he, too, goes ahead and installs the new drivers right over the old ones with nary a problem. Am I hallucinating that the careful, multi-step procedure I described above is the “official” one? Does everyone here just install new over old?

Incidentally, altho’ I DID research this issue (with the Epson printer) before posting here, today I finally located other people describing the same problem. For example: http://forums.nvidia…howtopic=151238 . Since this is the *only* BSOD problem I have had, I’m now inclined not to mess with the NVIDIA drivers, even tho’ Print Preview is a very handy feature and has saved me paper and ink in the past. I haven’t tried the workaround recommended by Epson yet, but I will. (And, if anyone reads the thread I cited, other folks report no fix from the advice.)

Edit: Sorry, Clint, didn’t see your post before I typed this. Thanks.

I also uninstall the old driver before installing the new one. I like to avoid even a small probability of problems by following the video card vendor’s guidelines.

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Thanks, Gerald!

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