nvlddmkm.sys

[Holdsworth]

A laptop of mine (HP DV9000) is suffering from a recurrent BSOD on startup caused by that one file, a driver for the graphics card which is a Nvidia Geforce Go 7600.

A complete uninstall of the driver doesn't work, the most recent is a legacy driver from early 2009, release 179. So far the only thing that makes the error go away is completely disabling the graphics card in device manager and/or starting in safe mode.

I have had no success in replacing the culprit file following online guides as command prompt won't allow me to do it for various reasons.

I know that a cycling forum isn't likely the best place for advice on this matter but it is this or going through repair stores or using HP's customer advice when the laptop is two years out of warranty.

Thanks all.

 

[Alien8]

There seems to be lots of references to nvlddmkm.sys and BSODs out there - I assume you've gone though the suggested remedies? What OS are you using?

 

[Holdsworth]

Windows 7 64 bit, the laptop originally was installed with the dreaded Vista Ultimate but I got sick of it and upgraded. The driver I downloaded, release 179, is compatible with the installed card and the OS I'm running but I still get the error after a complete reinstall of the driver and also using the roll-back function to an earlier release.

 

[wakou]

Hi, There is a little app called driver cleaner Pro, I have used it many times to completely strip out all files and stuff installed by nVidia (or ATi etc) It used to be free but is now $9.99...
http://www.drivercleaner.net/

 

[fossyant]

Can you not find an nvidia driver cleaner. I use ATI's Cat Cleaner to get rid of ATI Catalyst drivers before an update.

 

[Garz]

Why would a laptop require 64-bit?

Driver support for 64-bit is still in it's infancy I would say...

 

[Holdsworth]

Just had a crack at cleaning away the drivers with "Driver Sweeper" but to no avail. The offending file was highlighted in the program to deleted. After a reinstall of the latest release from Nvidia (179.48) the error comes straight back.

And for those wondering why I have 64 Windows installed, it was the only copy that I had to hand to get rid of Vista.

 

[Holdsworth]

The laptop is now sadly deceased. It limped on for a while with the graphic disabled but the motherboard has succumbed to an unnervingly common fault with this line of laptops. The poor cooling system has caused the graphics chip to overheat and has come away from the motherboard. The only way to fix this fault is to either heat it is up with a small blowtorch hoping the solder will remelt and reform the connections and also place a copper shim to enhance cooling between the chip and the heatsink, or buy a spares/repair laptop from eBay (without the same fault importantly as it is quite common!) and transfer the motherboard from that into my laptop.

I have decided that the laptop is beyond economical repair and I will sell off some of the functioning parts to put me on the way to a home-build PC sometime in the next few months.

 

[Jezston]

And for those wondering why I have 64 Windows installed, it was the only copy that I had to hand to get rid of Vista.

Does the disc not allow you install 32 bit as well as 64?