Windows 7 Nvidia Driver Installation Problem

[HotShotMedic]

I installed the windows 7 operating system a few months ago with whatever were the latest drivers at the time. I decided to update to the 196.21's that were released a few days ago. In the past, with windows vista and xp i would uninstall nvidia drivers from control panel, reboot into safe mode, run driver cleaner, reboot and install new drivers. Windows 7 is giving me some grief over this though. When I reboot after the driver cleaner run, windows auto installs some "Nvidia 280gtx Microsoft WDDM ver1.1" driver instead of the generic vga driver. I'm assuming this driver is buried in a folder somewhere and defaults to it. Its only a matter of seconds after the reboot that i get the popup balloon telling me that the WDDM drivers were installed successfully.

I want this to stop. I googled for a while about preventing windows 7 from auto installing a driver after reboot but the solution of telling windows update to prompt before install isn't working.

To all of you guys with windows 7 that install new drivers every time there is a new whql or beta, how are you preventing this from happening? I've been installing drivers forever now and this is starting to piss me off.

 

[fromeo85]

i've never really worried about the auto update through windows, there are just going to be older whql nvidia drivers which are going to be replaced when you install the 196.21s, so that should be fine. I really only use driver cleaner when I am going from an nV to ATI or vice versa. but as far as preventing it from happening, the only thing I can come up with is turn off windows updates....

 

[HotShotMedic]

i don't think it has anything to do with windows update. (that option is turned off anyway) its auto installing a driver that already exists in a windows folder somewhere. i want to MANUALLY install the new driver, but it auto finds an old wddm one somewhere on my box.

and i never install drivers over older drivers, i don't want that headache.

 

[fromeo85]

i have honestly never had a problem updating drivers when older drivers existed for the same card, hopefully someone else will have a better solution for you

 

[GoldenTiger]

With Windows 7 as I understand it, you do not need to reboot between uninstalling old drivers and then reinstalling the new ones due to the revamp in how the system works, let alone run "driver cleaners" nowadays.

 

[dnottis]

Instead of uninstalling the nvidia driver first. Change to the VGA driver. Then uninstall the Nvidia driver, reboot. Run Driver Sweeper. Reboot. Then install the new Nvidia driver.

 

[HotShotMedic]

dnottis, so you've had the same issue and this has worked for you? windows does not try to auto install that wddm driver after reboot?

 

[dnottis]

I haven't had any issues but Windows 7 will not revert to VGA by itself. It will revert to the WDDM drivers that came with Windows 7. If you are really worried about the install though, change to the VGA manually - that will release and let all of the Nvidia driver files go so they are not in use and will be removed when you uninstall. After a reboot I will run Driver Sweeper to remove any left over file and registry entries. Then install the new drivers. On its own Windows 7 will always install the WDDM driver. Vista did not do this.

if it does again try to install WDDM, just switch to VGA then install. No files will be in use and will be overwritten by the nvidia installer.

 

[HotShotMedic]

ok cool. i will try this tomorrow morning when i get off work. is there an easy way to switch to the vga driver or do i have to go into the device manager for my display component, choose 'update driver' and 'have disk' and all that bullshit?

 

[dnottis]

ok cool. i will try this tomorrow morning when i get off work. is there an easy way to switch to the vga driver or do i have to go into the device manager for my display component, choose 'update driver' and 'have disk' and all that bullshit?

You wont need disk. Just update driver in DM, show all compatible device drivers, choose VGA, apply.

 

[HotShotMedic]

yah i know i don't need an actual physical disk, this is how i got into that 'list' one of the times i was messing around with it. cool, i'll let ya know.

 

[Rajveer]

Uninstall, boot into safe mode, install new drivers, reboot into main Win7, done.

It doesn't apply the default WDDM drivers when in safe mode, at least not on my system. Although I don't see the issue in installing Nvidia drivers when the default WDDM drivers are in use, as they stop being in use afterwards?

 

[HotShotMedic]

Instead of uninstalling the nvidia driver first. Change to the VGA driver. Then uninstall the Nvidia driver, reboot. Run Driver Sweeper. Reboot. Then install the new Nvidia driver.

this was the solution to my problem, thank you man.

heres the breakdown for anyone who wishes to use this method. this may not be necessary for some of you but i found it to be the best way to prevent windows from installing its own WDDM driver upon reboot. Thanks to dnottis.

1. go into device manager,
2. right click on your display card,
3. choose properties,
4. go to 'driver' tab,
5. choose update driver,
6. choose 'browse my computer for driver software',
7. choose 'let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer',
8. double click 'standard vga graphics driver' and wait for install
9. uninstall nvidia driver from 'programs and features'
10. reboot into safe mode and run driver cleaner if you wish,
11. reboot, now windows will recognize that there is a standard vga driver installed and will NOT attempt to install the WDDM one.
12. install new driver per norm.

 

[sirmonkey1985]

lol so much work for nothing.. the windows installed drivers are 186.16.. all you have to do is install the new video drivers.. windows 7 by default uses the version you installed and disregards the 186.16 drivers already built into windows.. you dont even have to reboot anymore after installing the new drivers..

 

[HotShotMedic]

it took 10 whole seconds to do it the way i like it to be done.