nv4_disp.dll has quit (No BSOD) + TF2

Discussion in 'Videocards - NVIDIA GeForce Drivers Section' started by Hazaro, Nov 30, 2008.

  1. Hazaro

    Hazaro New Member

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    GPU:
    PNY GTX 260 896MB
    When I play Team Fortress 2, and ONLY Team Fortress 2 (8+ Hours of Fallout 3, or Crysis, or FarCry 2, or L4D demo does this).

    It happens anywhere from 10 minutes of playing, to waiting 4 hours to strike.

    The game freezes, the sound loops, then my display goes to 800x600 and with 8 bit color giving me a message that nv4_disp.dll has failed (Or quit working).

    After this happens I can hear TF2 playing fine, with chat and game sounds working perfectly, but can't reselect it.

    I also do NOT get a BSOD from it. It only rejects me back to desktop.
    AVG 8 is usually running. I will start disabling it when playing.

    Windows XP2

    E7200 @ 3.8
    GTX 260 @ stock
    4GB Corsair DDR2
    Asus P5B [Vanilla] (Could this old P965 chipset have anything to do with it?)
    Nvidia 178.13 drivers

    I ran memtest overnight and got 25 passes, going to ORTHOS next, then I guess check out installing new drivers. (Perhaps one of the more stable ones?)

    Should I use Driver Sweeper or Driver Cleaner Pro?
    I have read that DCP doesn't completely clean out the newer ones? Or is this not the case?

    Thanks.
     
  2. PeterV

    PeterV Active Member

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    GPU:
    HD5970 Gigabyte
    I have the exact same thing, except in rFactor (car sim).
    A new HD and winXP install, with just drivers and game, still does it.

    The old winXP install, or the new one, then run fine with 2xHD4850 crossfire in the PC (Ati). So I am thinking it is either 200 series related (prob driver linked), or just the drivers themselves - all driver versions!

    Maybe TF2 and rFactor also have something in common in a gfx call or something. But would still be nVidia's fault one way or the other.

    I am starting to think I should have gone to 4870's instead....
     
  3. PeterV

    PeterV Active Member

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    GPU:
    HD5970 Gigabyte
    Next test:

    I rebuilt the spare HD WindowsXP SP3
    This time used the V180.70 drivers.
    Exact same dll crash, only taking 10 minutes to occur.
    The card was hardly hot...just 'quite warm'... but easily acceptable temperature.
    So I will do the same for 1 or 2 versions of the 178.xx drivers next. Though I know my main OS still crashes out the same on V178.24 anyway.
     
  4. HeavyHemi

    HeavyHemi Guest

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    GPU:
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    Well crap, I was hoping the 180.70 would work for you. It worked perfect for me and I was able to OC the card over stock to 702 mhz even. You did say that downclocking the card worked though right? If that is true, I suggest you RMA the sucker.
     

  5. PeterV

    PeterV Active Member

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    GPU:
    HD5970 Gigabyte
    No, my case has no overclocking of anything. The card comes clocked at default speeds and I have not overclocked it (now). Though I had at first (gpu only, to 640) and even then it worked fine in all games I play - COD WAW, FSX, L4D, BIA, COD4. Only rFactor does it. Yet does not with 2x4850's in crossfire.

    One thing is that rFactor (released in 2005) has always been one of the best games (engines) to test systems and find any single thing amiss in it. Overclock a CPU that runs 'perfectly stable' for all tests (eg 24hr burn in etc) and games, and rFactor will soon prove if that is truly the case or not!
    So if it crashes then something is definitely wrong in the PC. Whilst in a truly good PC it will never miss a beat.

    Maybe TF2 is also good at finding out system problems. I don't have that to try though.
     
  6. Hazaro

    Hazaro New Member

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    GPU:
    PNY GTX 260 896MB
    Thanks for the testing, hopefully you can figure out something.

    TF2 is a source game, so I doubt it's stressing anything.

    I've played 3 hours so far with AVG off and nothing has popped up yet.
     
  7. PeterV

    PeterV Active Member

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    GPU:
    HD5970 Gigabyte
    Next tests completed:
    178.24
    178.13
    180.48
    180.70
    All have the DLL crash. Luckily it occurs within 30mins each time to make testing easier.

    Always driver uninstalling and driver clean, seeing a full clean OS rebuild didn't help it anyway.

    2x4850 tested again - totally fine.

    One run the GPU temp (280gtx) was a lot cooler than others. Most are 55c area, one ran 48c and then it took 48mins to crash. Maybe more breeze in the window/room and thus a slight lower ambient that time.
    So I am all but certain it is the card, not the driver. And feels (due to touching it) like it is because the card unit gets too hot in total, so whilst the GPU is still fine the memory or other items are what over-heat and cause it.

    This is with 100% fan speed for all 3D plus a 12cm fan ("silent" not overly fast one) blowing over the card assembly too!!

    I don't think it is a chip-to-heatsink problem (like thermal paste etc) because the whole assembly is so hot it would seem it is getting the heat conducted correctly anyway. But that is my next test - to pull apart the card and arctic silver it all to see if it changes anything.

    I forgot to test with my 8800gts too, so I will also do that to get another reference.
    Another 280gtx to try would be the best test really!
     
  8. 50000 monkeys

    50000 monkeys Member

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    GPU:
    Leadtek gtx 260 extreme
    Hazaro

    AVG is known to cause lock-ups in TF2, disabling it may not be enough. If it happens again you could try uninstalling it completely.
    We have different cards, but i play TF2 a lot and have only had success with two drivers: 177.92's and the most recent 180.48's so give them a go.

    Good luck
     
  9. PeterV

    PeterV Active Member

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    GPU:
    HD5970 Gigabyte
    Next test:

    Disassembled/re-assembled card with arctic silver instead of the stick-on pads.
    It is very hard to tell if the case design is made to have the heatsink assembly, and back cover plate, run totally flush across the IC's or not. It is extremely close and appears to be contact, so I decided it should be fine to replace the pads with thermal paste.
    End result... the card runs exactly the same. Same temps... same DLL crash too! BAH

    Meanwhile the 8800GTS 'long test' ran for a number of hours fine, on the same drivers, so there is not much left....
    1) Flakey memory chip, more susceptible to heat than it should be, or maybe not coping with the speeds (stock).
    2) Any possible other component (an IC most likely) doing the same.

    Next test: Down-clock the GPU and memory (one at a time) to see if one of those make it reliable. Though all that would really do is confirm the likely memory chip shortfall in specs. But at least it makes for a known fault reason then.
    And why does it work fine in all the other games I test !?? I know rFactor is very fussy over 'perfect' hardware, but surely such a technical fault would trigger problems in some other game cases.
     
  10. Hazaro

    Hazaro New Member

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    GPU:
    PNY GTX 260 896MB
    Thanks, I'll be moving to the 180.48 drivers then, unless I find some incompatibility issues.

    I really hate to ask, but is this the correct way?

    -Uninstall current nvidia drivers in XP
    -Boot into safemode and run Driver Cleaner Pro (Or Driver Sweeper? Which one?)
    -Reboot?
    -Installed New Nvidia drivers?

    Also would I have to uninstall PhysX as well?
    Thanks, both of you.
     

  11. Cybermancer

    Cybermancer Don Quixote

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    GPU:
    BFG GTX260OC (192 SP)
    Basically: yes to all questions. I recommend Driver Sweeper.

    No.
     

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