How to properly uninstall detonators(Forceware)/catalysts

Discussion in 'Videocards - NVIDIA GeForce Drivers Section' started by serAph, Oct 23, 2003.

  1. serAph

    serAph Guest

    How to properly uninstall detonators/catalysts

    Ok. Since a lot of people complain of funky occurances after installing particular driver sets, and since all of us helper-gurus always suggest a fresh install of drivers before we suggest anything else, I figured Id make this and try to get it sticky'd.

    Someone should add a similar guide about Win9x if its needed, but I havent done anything but XP in so long, I feel unqualified to do so myself.

    ===================================
    Proper driver uninstallation Guide for Windows XP
    ===================================

    What video cards does this apply to?
    Any video card touting an nVidia or ATi chipset.

    How long does this take?
    However long it takes to reboot your computer a couple of times.

    Is there any real benefit in doing this?
    The reassurance that you have installed your drivers properly, and the ability to pin your problems to something other than drivers should they persist.

    Are there situations in which this is not necessary?
    Yes. For example, if you are using 45.23 and you want to install Omega's 45.23's, then you dont need to go through all of this.


    Ok - lets get down to business...

    First, you'll need some tools. Get Guru3D Driver Sweeper or some other comparable cleaner program. I find Driver Cleaner to be helpful in saving time, but some people find it buggy. Since I havent experienced any bugs with it, I still recommend it.
    Make sure you have these programs ready to run before you commence the process.

    Obviously, you'll want the driver you wish to replace your current driver with, unarchived and ready to roll, as well. Optionally, Id recommend that "Refresh Force" be downloaded and unarchived and ready to go as well. It can be downloaded here.

    With that all accounted for, we're ready to start.

    Step 1: Control Panel Uninstall
    By whatever means you chose to get there, open "Add/Remove Programs" - which resides in your control panel. Once there, peruse around a bit for "nVidia Display Adapter Drivers." Once found, double click on it and uninstall it. Click "ok" when done.

    Reboot. Have your finger on the F8 key ready to press.

    Step 2: Safe Mode
    When your computer restarts, and the BIOS does its thing, start tapping the F8 key every couple of seconds. If you see the "Windows XP" logo with scrolling animation under it, you're too late and should reboot and try again. After initiating safe mode (and waiting a week for it to finish loading) navigate in windows to where you installed/unarchived Driver Cleaner or Detonator R.I.P. and run it. Proceed to Step 3.

    Step 3: inf/pnf files.
    *Note - steps [3-A] and [3-B] are unnecessary if you used Driver Cleaner version 2 or later, and step [3-C] is currently unnecessary for ATi adapters.

    [3-A.]
    Ok. This is where things get a little tricky - and also why I use Driver Cleaner. Click on your 'start' button. Then click on 'Run'. A nifty shortcut to do this is to press WindowsKey+R. Once there, type "c:\windows" and press enter. *Note - if you get an error message here, you have windows installed to a different directory. Try "c:\winnt" or "c:\winxp" or "d:\windows" or different variants thereof until you get to your root windows directory. Once there, make sure you can view hidden folders/directories. The way you can tell if you are able to see them is by looking for a folder named "INF." If you can see this folder, then proceed to section 3-B. If the INF folder appears not to exist, then, in your open window, click on "tools" -> "folder options." Look for and click on the "View" tab. You will notice a lot of checkboxes in the middle-bottom of this window. Scroll down until you see a box that says next to it "Show hidden/system files and folders." Check it. Close this window and go back to your original window. Proceed to 3-B

    [3-B]
    With the INF folder visible, right click on it and click on "Search." With the search window open, type into the *a word or phrase in the file* box -- once again, I must reiterate that you need to type into the correct field, either: "nvidia display" or "ati display" and click "search." The files it should find should be files with the extension "inf." Write the names of these files down, or open notepad and take note of them. After you're finished with this, close the search window, and then open the INF folder from your original window. Click on "view -> arrange icons -> by name." Find the INF files you took note of, and files that share the same name but have the extension PNF and delete them. Example. If NV14.INF turned up in your search, and NV14.INF and NV14.PNF exist, delete both. Continue doing so until you have completed your list

    [3-C]
    In the notice above, it says this step is unnecessary for ATi users or dial up users that dont have their connections dial automatically. For ATi users, this is because Microsoft doesnt have official support for ATi drivers at the current moment. For non-auto dialup connections, this is because your computer will not lok for a driver from Windows Update. This mainly applies to broadband users connected to routers. Should Microsoft support Catalysts, I'll see about updating this guide. This step is simple. Its necessary though because windows will automatically try and download a driver from Windows Update withoug prompting you. Go to your connections window. I prefer using start-> connections. It can also be found by right clicking on "My Network Places." Once there, spot your internet connection, be it a dial up on autoconnect, or a LAN connection to your router. If its a LAN connection, disable it temporarily. Simply right click on it and click on "disable." If you are using an auto-connecting dialup, simply go on to the next step. There are special instructions for you there.

    Reboot

    Step 4: Back to regular Windows
    After windows is back up (and nasty looking in 800x600x16bpp) and you log in, you should get prompted what to do about windows detecting your VGA adapter. At this point, if your Dial Up starts connecting, halt it. Otherwise, you can either direct your driver install pompt to the location of your preferred driver, or click on "cancel," navigate to your preferred browsers "setup.exe" file and execute it. After the driver install is done, it will bother you about a monitor driver. Simply tell it to automatically install. Once finished, re-enable your broadband connection, and you're done!

    You have successfully installed your drivers! Though windows wont prompt you to reboot - it'd be a good idea at this point. If you downloaded refresh force, now is the time to run it - before you reboot after your driver/monitor install. That way you kill 2 birds with one stone. Refresh force is simple. Run it, click "auto-populate" then click "apply" and "close."


    Hope this helped ya!

    ~ Rory K


    *UPDATE:*
    Driver Sweeper - http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=224647
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 28, 2003
  2. NIB

    NIB Master Guru

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    Really good post. I vote for sticky.

    The thing is why should we do all these things when the graphic card companies should make a proper driver installer that removes old drivers? And for what i know they do this, dont they? Ok sure there are several versions of drivers that lack certain files and need manual installing(most of the time are leaked drivers or 56k modem friendly drivers).

    I dont know. I think its easier to flash the bios on my mobo than install graphic card drivers :D.
     
  3. serAph

    serAph Guest

    Hehehe your avatar cracks me up!

    Anyway, the reason we have to go through such measures to do something as simple as uninstall graphic card drivers is because currently, drivers, when removed from the add/remove part of the control panel, leave behind files they cant delete (bc of windows file protection and Access Violations), and pretty much dont touch the parts of the registry they dont have to, so you get a lot of registry residue and a lot of left over system files. Sometimes this can cause lockups and slowdowns. This removal process is usually the first thing guru's like myself recommend doing between driver installs. Its as good as a format. nVidia themselves recommend a clean format between driver installs - or at least when they said "drivers should only be installed on a clean installation of windows," thats what I took it to mean. I dont know about you, but thats just not an option for me...

    Also, this process is necessary if you have an ATi card and you switch to an nVidia card, or vice-versa. Its NOT good @ all to have ATi driver residue sittin around when you're trying to use dets, and vice versa.
     
  4. NIB

    NIB Master Guru

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    Well i try to format my hard disk often(every 6 months or so) but i think that windows xp might spoil me(barely have any crashes or slowdowns after many months) so i better start doing things by the book.

    My avatar is actually a real picture of my dog. And it isnt edited either(except for removing the background/reducing size). My mother had like a dish with a chicken in front of my dog(and the dog was sitting next to my mother) when i took the picture and the funny thing that my dog was licking the second i took the picture. I guess it was great timing/luck.

    PS Damn. I just noticed that the detonator RIP needs the .Net framework(which i cant dl cause i have uber 56k modem). Oh well.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2003

  5. nm+

    nm+ Don Cappuccino

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    it requires .net (ugh)? Does Driver Cleaner?
     
  6. serAph

    serAph Guest

    hehe nib - your dog is awesome :D

    here are some pics of my dogs '(^)' '(^)' '(^)'

    anyway - I cant imagine having to format then waiting to download all my stuff on a 56k every 6 months. XP is nice - and this method of driver removal doesnt take but a minute or two once you get the hang of it - especially if you use driver cleaner.
     
  7. serAph

    serAph Guest

    I dont believe so
     
  8. Spuk0

    Spuk0 Guest

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    Be Warned I installed .net forgot which version but it hosed up my W2K. Had to re-install, probably not good idea either if you have older Visual Studio software instead that is non .net based.

    Coulda been a fluke?

    I believe driver cleaner does not require .net.

    Are these det. removing programs safe for Nforce Chipsets?
     
  9. NIB

    NIB Master Guru

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    Driver cleaner doesnt need .Net. It says this on its page. I used it just fine. Now i installed 52.16 and got a nice +150 points on 3dmark 2k3. Yes i know synthetic benchmarks are crap, but still i like to brag about it :D.

    The only thing that kinda worries me is that windows crashed at a random momment while i was surfing the net. And my system was rock stable(tested over and over again with several tools for tenths of hours) before those drivers. But could the new graphic card drivers cause a windows crash while i was on 2d? I did get a nice 15C increase on my idle gpu temp though(its at 51C now) with these drivers but my overclocking isnt affected at all. I run 3dmark and my card doesnt throttles at all(it only starts to throttle when i overclock it to its "throttling frequences" but not before that). Then again it might be a random windows crash. I was using 44.67 dets which dont have the flicker fix. God i hate this flicker fix since my card doesnt flicker and only gets warmer with the fix.

    Awsome dogs. 1 of them looks like the dog on the "Mask".

    I carry my computer over to a friend's house who has broadband to get all latest windows patches. And i download drivers from my work. I usually save whatever drivers/patches i can save before formatting though.

    I always thought the .Net was kinda useless but more and more apps require it lately. Damn M$ has assimilated every1.
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2003
  10. locki

    locki Guest

    if you are using win2000, you dont need detonator cleaners or whatsoever, once you uninstall it in the control panel, rest assured you are doing a clean install of your new drivers.
     

  11. Spuk0

    Spuk0 Guest

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    Driver Cleaner is a very good program.. Used it against the Detonators and help my problem of crashing with my new Creative Audigy 2ZS.

    Nice features it allows in the options to backup changes made to the registry, files removed and directories. Even includes a log report.

    Works on ATI/Nvidia drivers, Nforce Drivers, Creative Audio...... Cleaning Nvidia Dets will not harm the Nforce chipset drivers only the video drivers.

    Great Tool! :D
     
  12. serAph

    serAph Guest

    just curious - how so?
     
  13. k4t4n4

    k4t4n4 Ancient Guru

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    I cant find the darn files with search!

    I searched in the inf file for nividia display but it doesnt work.
    BTW I didnt uninstall the drivers yet, just checked out so I know what to do, cuz Im planning to.

    And when I search for ati display it finds 5 files beginning with "ati" with the type: Setup.
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2003
  14. locki

    locki Guest

    hi seraph! i have been testing hell of a lot of drivers recently, everytime i go back to omega 45.23 the performance/image quality are still the same in my game. no errors, no bugs.

    once you uninstall the drivers, win2000 is kind enough not to use any of the crap the previous driver left (if there is any win2000 wasnt able to remove) and once you give it the direction to use the driver u want (install the driver u want) it will use that driver. win2000 is a very friendly os for me...:D

    did i mention that when u uninstall the deto's, when u restart, the display is in 256 colors, vga mode? :)
     
  15. serAph

    serAph Guest

    Interesting. The fact that XP does 800x600x16bpp without drivers doesnt mean anything (compared to Win2K's 640x480x256) but the fact that Win2000 does perform that action rather reliably is curious. Windows 2000 is usually pretty poor in dealing with drivers - what with all the "one service or driver failed to initialize during startup"s that ive witnessed on Win2K machines... Only reason XP is such a bear to deal w/ is b/c of all the steps they took in it to make managing drivers easier for people who dont know crap about computers...
     

  16. serAph

    serAph Guest

    you searched *in* files instead of *for* files right? and if you're using an ATi card/drivers I assume you're using driver cleaner? If so, that step isnt necessary to do manually - driver cleaner does that for you.
     
  17. Jhetski

    Jhetski The Lonely Guru

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    GPU:
    Palit 7300GT DDR 550/1500 ^_^
    after i uninstalled dets on my xp pro using add/remove progs, i tried nastyFileRemover, but it didnt see any drivers left? does it mean its clean?
     
  18. locki

    locki Guest

    yes seraph, it does always boot in vga mode, as if the os doesnt recognize my graphics card. i think because win2000 doesnt know what a ti4200 is...i have not installed any service packs too.

    i tried uninstalling my 45.23 again, and used detonator cleaner (from driverheaven) only to find out that it has to delete 3 empty folders...:D the other files dc looked for doesnt exist anymore after uninstalling em from the control panel...

    however, im not saying that people on win2000 systems should not worry on cleaning their system of detonators, by using detonator cleaner (just llike what seraph recommended), you would relieve yourselves of any doubts if you indeed did a clean install. its always good to start fresh...:D
     
  19. Sher-e-Khuda

    Sher-e-Khuda Guest

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    i ve a few questions :

    1)how 2 disable the dial-up connection in my xp?

    2)while in safe mode, instead of deleting the files manually from the inf folder, shud v not use driver cleaner instead?
     
  20. Jkhan

    Jkhan Guest

    I already answered ur question in ur thread, check it now.....
     

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