Driver issues, help needed.

[Gigglesby]

Not sure which forum to post this to, it mostly pertains to video cards so I assume here, sorry if wrong...

Anyhow, I was suggested to use a proggy called "Driver Cleaner" to kick out the old when I update to the new.

I backed up in the program, and went ahead, cleaned, and rebooted.

However now, my device manager doesn't even list a display adapter, and the driver update option under the advanced tab is greyed out, and even if I use an Nvidia automatic self installer, it doesn't make a difference.

I tried restoring all the files, but to no avail, any hints or tips?

 

[boyRacer]

what video card did you have? run driver cleaner again and check all the filters that are associated with that driver. it should detect a standard VGA controller.

 

[Gigglesby]

Geforce 2 GTS, currently.

I ran it again, wiped anything that said Nvidia, and still no avail. Driver option is still blacked out under advanced settings on the display tab, and there's no Display Adapter shown in the device manager.

 

[boyRacer]

reboot in safe mode... are you running XP?

 

[Gigglesby]

Yeah. XP Home.

 

[boyRacer]

Odd really... try physically removing the card and putting it back in... or maybe putting another video card in there just to see if it will detect it.

 

[rbV5]

Did you wipe your chipset drivers on an NForce board? Maybe try to reinstall your MB drivers. You might have to do a repair installation of XP Home.

 

[Gigglesby]

Nuh uh. I have an older Intel board.

I tried to redetect it under the control panel add/remove hardware tab and got this, though:

"Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. (Code 19)"

I backed up in Driver Cleaner, but restoring did nothing Oh, well, thanks Driver Cleaner!

Any new suggestions based on this info?

If I hafta repair XP, I may as well just reformat and install fresh, I typically do so every month anyhow. Not much large, important data I keep.

 

[boyRacer]

From microsoft.com...

A registry problem was detected.
This can occur when more than one service is defined for a device, if there is a failure opening the service subkey, or if the driver name cannot be obtained from the service subkey. Try these options:

On the General Properties tab of the device, click Troubleshoot to start the troubleshooting wizard.

Click Uninstall, and then click Scan for hardware changes to load a usable driver.

Restart the computer in Safe Mode, and then select Last Known Good Configuration,which rolls back to the most recent successful registry configuration.

 

[Gigglesby]

Ah, but how do I get to that troubleshooting area? Can't go into the device manager because no video display adapter is listed. And under the advanced tab for the card, all that trouble shooter does is walk you through some inane "why doesn't my device work"? advice selection.

 

[Jack4KickAss]

Used Driver Cleaner as well, had the same problem. Only thing that worked for me was to reinstall Windows XP again. By deleting to windows directory ( windows setup gives you this option, when you boot up from the CD ). Could then again properly install the nvidia drivers. NEVER USED THIS UTILITY AGAIN.

 

[Jack4KickAss]

Btw, using this method all the files on your harddrive still staying intact. No need to reformat.

 

[Gigglesby]

Ah, I see. I get my new card next week, so I'll just go ahead and reformat then, I need to clear off the old junk anyhow.

Does anyone have any other methods for wiping out old driver files?

 

[Mem]

Does anyone have any other methods for wiping out old driver files?

I always use Driver Cleaner,you need to follow the instructions to the letter,that`s uninstall your drivers first via Control panel, disable your network then boot into safe mode and hit cancel for Windows hardware wizard when it comes up and run driver cab cleaner then SP1 cab cleaner after(for WinXP SP1 users,both driver cab and SP1 cleaner are only needed to be done the once only) then run Driver Cleaner last.

After that reboot(or shutdown and replace video card if you`re installing a new video card) then back to desktop(hit cancel again for Windows hardware wizard) & install new drivers and renable network,note both driver cab cleaner and SP1 cab cleaner are in tools menu of Driver Cleaner.I`ve personally never had any problems with Driver Cleaner on both my Nvidia and ATI cards.