Display Driver nvlddmkm Stopped Responding and Has Recovered

[Colis12]

I can't seem to get this thing to stop...i've tried everything the
hundreds(and most likely thousands) of other people having the same problem
have suggested and nothing works. I have every update that says is supposed
to fix this but NOPE...still broken...

This problem is getting absolutely pathetic..it has been brewing in systems
for over a year now and no update has fixed it completely yet..so I ask WHEN
WILL THIS BE FIXED!!!!!

My computer is only 14 days old and the problem just started so i'm
extremely pissed because I bought an unfinished piece of garbage that is
vista....

Thanks a lot microsoft for the trash...

[Hobo]

Actually, the unfinished piece of garbage may be the cheap
hardware in your computer. Take it back to where you bought
it and ask them to fix it.

On the other hand, you could provide a detailed description
of your hardware, what kind of problem you are having, and
what changes you made and what programs you've added since
you bought it.

Your choice....

[Colis12]

Alright my hardware if you must know:
Quad q6600 2.4GHz
4x 1024 crucial balistix
GeForce 8800GTS
GamerXtream 750w PSU
Vista Home Premium 64-bit

Now if you would do some research you will notice there are numerous
accounts of this problem even with people having the top of the line
hardware....soo no use in blaming hardware when its clearly compatibility
issues with vista...

All I have installed has been 2 games (Crysis and Company of Heroes) and
microsoft office student 2007 and the updates and drivers...which everything
was working fine for a few days than BAM I get hit with this error that
thousands of others are having...

I cant even play the windows games such as freecell and inkball without
getting terrible screen tearing and glitches now....I can't watch DVDs
without problems nor use windows media player..

I've used the latest drivers from vista and nVidia and nothing fixes the
problem..

So...the whole point of my ranting is when will these issues be addressed
and fixed for good...theres no excuse for this.

[CB]

Colis12,

The problem you are experiencing has nothing to do with Vista. You, and
thousands of others, experience these problems because nVidia doesn't seem to
care if your video adapter works properly in Vista. You should direct your
vitriolic hatred toward nVidia, not Microsoft. This is why I specifically
chose to go with an ATI graphics card instead of anything nVidia, although my
system does use nVidea for other purposes.

Yes, the problem is absolutely pathetic, and so is your attitude. The
only unfinished piece of garbage is your video adapter, not the Vista OS.
Speaking of garbage, the only garbage I see is coming from your big mouth.

My suggestion is for nobody to help you overcome your problem. Keep
your trash talk at home where it belongs. My condolences to your family and
friends.

[Michael Palumbo]

I'm actually having the same problem with an ATi X700, but it only pops up
when I'm running Media Center in full screen mode, so I'm thinking it's
something with either the overlay hardware or the driver. I'm leaning
toward a driver issue though because I never had this happen with Windows
XP.

It's a minor thing, in my opinion, actually. The screen freezes for a
moment, goes dark, then resets and when I take Media Center out of
full-screen I get the little "The display driver XXXXX.XXX stopped
responding . . . " (I don't remember the exact module, that's why the XXX.)

I don't even miss more than a couple of seconds of video playback when it
happens . . .

This doesn't even show up in the Reliability Monitor as an event, so again,
as long as it recovers every time, I can deal with it happening once or
twice every couple of weeks. (It could be heat related, but my computer is
usually running very cool and I keep the dust out of it, but you never
know).

[Hobo]

Well, that's a start. What brand of computer is it? What
motherboard is in it. Which bios version is on it? Have you
tried taking it back to the vendor to see what they can do
with it?

Yup, but there apparently are thousands of Vista users not
having this problem, even people with older hardware in
their systems.

And that's why it appears to be either a hardware or card
driver problem. After all, it did work fine for a few days,
so what changed during that time frame. Running games can
really stress the GPU and build up a lot of heat which can
result in the graphics card either going, or acting, flaky.
Have you tried a system restore to prior to the date it
started happening?

I suggest that you take it back to the vendor and let them
assess it.

[V Green]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938194/en-us

Have you applied this update? Souds pretty relevant to
the problem you're having:

"There are stability issues with some graphics processing units (GPUs).
These issues could cause GPUs to stop responding (hang).

Visual appearance issues occur when you play graphics-intensive games. "

[Lyn]

If anyone has noticed, the problem seems to occure when the video driver has
been up dated. I have not heard anyone who has not updated the driver say
that they are having the problem, but everyone I have read that has the
problem has updated the drivers. What card they have, processor, memory, or
board had not made a difference. You can not blame hardware. The blame is
with Vista having a problem when the video driver is updated. This could
also be board drivers.
My wifes computer began having the problem after HP updated updated her
computer. I developed the problem after I updated my video and board drivers.
My brother who has an identical machine had not updated his drivers and has
no problem. Nvidia is as unsure what the problem is as we are, but MS seems
to have a silent ear for the problem. ATI cards are having the same problem.
Blaming the hardware does not hold up unless Vista is extremely
incompatiable with PCs in general. The one common factor is upgrading video
drivers.

[sasngang]

I'm having the problem too. And on at least 2 other systems that I'm
aware of. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling nVidia drivers of
several varieties, but continue to get the error. The thing that gripes
me is it usually happens when I'm gaming (flight sim IL-2) and I get
booted out of the game when playing a mission with friends. Once I'm
out, then I have to wait for the next mission (maybe 20 minutes). I've
read that one of the files in the nVidia driver pack (nvlddmkm.sys)
doesn't uninstall, and when reinstalling a new driver set, the new file
doesn't overwrite the old (seems odd), but I'll try that.

[sasngang]

Yep, you might be onto something about the Graphics Ram size over
512mb... I built 2 identical machines about 12 months ago and never had
the nv error until recently (shortly after upgrading to the 260gtx with
896mb). Currently one is using a 8800gt 512mb (NO issues)... And the
other is using a 260gtx with 896mb (with issues). All the other
components are identical. I was just speaking with another freind who
also has this error using Vista and a 280gtx (again with issues), we
were thinking it might have something to do with the newer version of
the cards... BUT in hindsight, I think your 9800 uses the same v92
chipset as the 8800 series using 512mb. Might be worth a try to go to a
512mb card and keep us all posted! good luck.

[Level5Owner]

Pretty sure you are right on the V92 chipset. As a Side thought I
remember trying to use a 8800 896Mb (back when they came out) and had
all types of NVK issues,unexpected crashes etc. They went away when I
stepped back to a 512Mb card..