nvlddmkm stopped responding

reality · Jan 12, 2008

When I play a game. It is annoying me.

Anyway to fix it?

iamc3k · Jan 18, 2008

I get this as well. It seems to be endemic to nvidia and vista.

Scotteq · Jan 18, 2008

I found some old posts on the nVidia boards complaining about this - At least according to those, the issue was solved by the later drivers - 169.xx Partially or not, I don't know...

So try updating your drivers.

iamc3k · Jan 18, 2008

Scotteq,

Thanks for the advice. I've been running the 169.25WHQL drivers since they were released. My main games are Company of Heroes (and the expansion, Opposing Fronts), World in Conflict, and Crysis.

The nvlddmkm issue has raised it's ugly head intermittently since I began using this machine with Vista x64. (Note that Vista Ultimate x64 is the ONLY OS ever on this machine, so I cannot isolate the issue away from the OS. It is a variable that I have not changed, nor am I willing to swap operating systems for the sake of troubleshooting.)

The nvlddmkm problem goes away for a period of weeks, then reappears. Once it comes back, it continually comes back, even if not playing a game. In fact, I believe it will occur with no extra process going on. (By that, I mean that _I_ am not clicking, pressing, or entering anything. I defy ANYONE to accurately assess what Vista is doing with or to their system at any given moment.)

I hard reboot pushes the nvlddmkm problem away. For awhile.

The prevalence of this issue is distressing. The main thoughts seem to be hardware incompatibilities, driver issues with nvidia, Vista problems. So, other than what's in box, what's operating the box, and items used by the box, there doesn't seem to be anything else to cover!!

Cooling, voltage, etc., doesn't seem to be at fault.

Thanks anyway.

splishy · Jan 18, 2008

This has been driving me nuts too. I have tried running Company of Heroes and the expansion pack on various levels of detail on DX10 and all settings have caused the error message to appear and the game to finish. Once I revert the settings to DX9 on maximum settings its fine for hours on end. I have heard its the Nvidia drivers at fault. I have tried the latest drivers and the latest beta drivers as well to no avail. Guess we are in the hands of Nvidia to sort it out with the next release of drivers.....

mindprobe · Jan 18, 2008

Hi Guys,

try removing the Nvidia network access manager (firewall interface)

coolchris · Jan 19, 2008

LOOK HERE:

Have you guys that are experiencing this got this hotfix:

An update is available that improves the compatibility and reliability of Windows Vista

Seems it solved a lot of peoples problems with this error.

Let me know if it has fixed it for you or not.

I dont think that this is available via Update, but I believe will be part of SP1 when it is released to the general public.

iamc3k · Jan 19, 2008

coolchris,

Thank you. That hotfix is one that I've tried before, but I cannot load. I try to, but get a message, the gist of which is that it is not needed, or doesn't apply to my machine. Something like that. Regardless, it's not a UAC or corrupted download issue. It's an OS level refusal to run it, I assume due to valid reasons.

That is one of a series of three. The only one which did take was kb940105.

I hope it helps someone.

Thanks.

coolchris · Jan 19, 2008

Yer, if it comes up saying that its not needed, it means thats its already installed. Hmm, head scrathin stuff. Have you tried to uninstall the driver completely..by that I mean uninstall it, then run a driver cleaning app like this one below to get rid of all the dross:

Guru3D - Driver Sweeper (Setup) download from Guru3D.com

See, when you install new drivers over the last one without cleaning out the previous ones can cause conflicts.
Have a go and let me know.,,

iamc3k · Jan 19, 2008

Coolchris,

LOL! Yeah, I've done that. You're giving excellent advice, and I do appreciate it!

I thought I'd licked the nvlddmkm problem several weeks ago because it hadn't occurred during that time span.

I have a mild overclock on my q6600 (from 2.4 stock to 3.2), but a LOT of cooling. I also have 4x2gb ram. I've ensured my Vram is at the rated voltage, and to help my Abit Ip-35 pro I've upped the MCH volts to 1.33. (And the nvlddmkm issue had popped up BEFORE I overclocked the processor and adjusted RAM voltage.)

I am a bit puzzled. I can run Crysis in DX10 with all settings on max using 1920x1200 resolution.

.(8800GTX at stock with extra cooling/heatpipes.)

Right now I have a sense that this is related to Company of Heroes. I am going to see how long I can run without nvlddmkm cropping up. If it runs well for several more days, I will start CoH and see if I then get instabilities.

I mention all this to show that the machine has plenty of horsepower and cooling. (Some folks believe the nvlddmkm is an issue related to overheating.) If Crysis doesn't overstress it, I don't know what will.

If CoH causes problems that could be a software fix isolated either to the game or the nvidia drivers being used by the game.

Keep the suggestions coming.

Thanks,
Ken

Banjo · Jan 19, 2008

I recently built a new system at the end of Dec. At first i didnt have any problems with this error that has been reported here. Then it started :mad:

.

First it poped up now and again and seemed to recover like it said. Then it would become more and more frequent. Eventually starting up any 3D game or app would cause the driver to fail and the system to lock up. BSOD also become common. Tho i did notice that it wasnt always the nv*.sys that caused it, think one was USB_BUGCODE.

Trying to solve my problem i wondered what changed since when i set the system up to start with. New drivers buggy? Conflicts with hotfixes? I wasnt about to try and figure out which combinations of updates and drivers was going to restore system stability (if it even ever existed in the first place). In saying that things always seem better to start with, ie if u format and reinstall all fresh. nvlddmkm problem seems to stay at bay for a while atleast, just cant poke it by setting game gfx to max or it will probably start to fail again.

I hav poured over the internet, looking for any information i could find about this issue. After trying just about everything out there (been at it 2 weeks), i decided it was time to think about returning hardware. Right now im waiting on getting a P5N-T Deluxe (780i chipset) to update the Striker Extreme. If that doesnt work, am i going to hav to go after my PSU next?

I also seem to have this annoying problem where the G-15 Gaming Keyboard i got doesnt work properly. Some times its ok, others its light just flicker with the LCD staying blank.

Tried to installed XP x64 but still no joy. Suffering simlar problems, only no driver has stopped responding error the system just locks and BSOD.

When the new mobo arrives and if the issues still rnt resolved im going to b at a bit of loss beyond more hardware returns :cry:

.

ripbox · Jan 20, 2008

glad to see its not just me who has this problem :eek:
hehe iv been mailing ASUS about this problem but they just act dumb
maybe i will peck M$'s brain about this when they have solved my unable to update IE7
i have basically put up with this issue for a long time and has become the norm to have my driver crash.... omg i think i can recite the BSOD to you all, iv seen it that many times

i was thinking of asking if there was a way to stop the driver from automatically reloading when it crashes so i can try manually starting it to see if it will continually crash and continually BSOD

here are some mails i had from ASUS:

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for contacting ASUS Technical Support Department .
As to the question you consulted:
besides VGA card,crash when run 3D mark or 3D game may be casued by many reasons such as system, other hardware etc.
Please help us to confirm the following information:
1. How about if you play other games such as some small game attached with Windows, have you ever get bluescreen?
2. Have you overclocked? If so how about if you do not overclocking?
3. Any error message jumped out when crashing? If so please tell us the error content.
In this situation we advice:
1.Please use smartdoctor to check the temperature: EDIT: NOTE this does not run correctly on X64
http://dlsvr01.asus.com/pub/ASUS/vga/app/SmartDoc5051.zip
2.If you can not play the specifically game, please contact with the game designer and check whether the game you want to play have any patch to install.
It would be wonderful if the above information can help you.For any further questions, please feel free to contact us again.
Best wish you have a wonderful Happy New Year 2008!

[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Thank you for contact us again and the updated information.
Since many games occured problem till now, in this situation we suggest
1.please check whether the card's 6pin*2 auxillary power connectior is connected with the PSU.
2. Run 3D mark to check the stability of your whole system.
3. In case you can not run 3D mark stably, please copy all the data and restall the OS and install the latest VGA driver and run games under the clear OS to see if it comes up with any luck.
Apologize for any inconvenience.

really how can any of those options help... and oh yes i have tried them all just incase and that was b4 i contacted ASUS
[/FONT]

coolchris · Jan 21, 2008

Cant really think of owt else for the driver problem, but your IE7 problem..dont suppose you have reset it to default and got rid of any toolbars and checked your BHO for crap?
What error code do you get when trying to update?

HillBilly · Jan 21, 2008

I have been working on various blue screens and lock ups on my asus p5n32-e (680i). I've had to remove all overclocking and reformat the OS hard drive. Recently after a fresh install, I started getting the blank screen and a moment later the statement "nvlddmkm stopped responding". I looked into windows update history and saw "update for NVIDIA nforce networking controller" had been the last successful installation. I went into Device manager under network controller and rolled back the driver to the 6.2.0.126 driver version. Rebooted the computer twice, and I've been running 2 days with out the "nvlddmkm" error. Still unable to overclock at all. I'm interested if anyone with this error is running a newer network controller driver version.

Jrobert · Jan 21, 2008

I was having the same problem, after scouring the web I located this which worked for me.

»mhaqs.wordpress.com/2007/09/17/n···or-bsod/
While using Windows Vista, I came across the following error:

nvlddmkm.sys has stopped responding and has recovered or something similar

Its a software issue and not a driver issue.

Method

Note: I am just explaining it as simply as I can. U can modify the solution so it is more precise, if you wish. I just wanted to fix the problem with the minimum of trouble.

1. Turn UAC off. If you like it, then you can keep it running.
2. Uninstall any Nvidia drivers, and delete the remaining files from Program Files (the ones windows lets you delete)
3. Restart the PC into safe mode - (F8 at boot)
4. Find any remaining NVidia driver files (normally start with nv) and delete them.
5. Reboot into normal mode Vista
6. Using Explorer or open My Computer and browse C:\Windows\
7. Right-Click on System32 folder and click ‘search’
8. Enter NV*.sys
9. This will show you all the Nvidia system files in the folder. The ones we are interested in is the ‘nvlddmkm.sys’ and how many copies we have.
10. If you tried multiple install/uninstall you will a few copies of it. I had 19 copies. If you look at the location, they were all in the ‘FileRepository’ folder under different subfolder. Something like nv_as***, nv_io***, etc
11. Note down the name of the sub folders where the file is located, nv_as***
12. So we now know that we have X copies of the nvlddmkm.sys file and what folders they are located in under the FileRep folder. There might be one under the main system32 folder as well. Note it down.
13. Vista has a totally awesome function. ACLs for network geeks…Access-Control Lists or Access-Lists or whatever you want to call them
14. Browse to Accessories from the Start menu (win icon>all programs)
15. Right-Click on command and click ‘Run as Admin’
16. OK so in our Admin CMD window we type the following commands in sequence
17. takeown /f C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\*.*
18. The command above will give you ownership of all the files under the FileRep folder
19. cacls C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\*.* /G Username:F
20. Replace username with your windows account name or login name
21. Like magic we are done. Oh and if your wondering…u cant do the above via GUI. Windows will give you permission but you would still not be able to delete anything ?
22. Earlier we did the search for the nvlddmkm.sys under the system32 folder. Do that again. In the search results, select all the instances of the nvlddmkm.sys file and delete them. OK, next is a totally optional step but I did it to make 100% sure it was all gone.
23. We noted down all the nv_as**, etc folder which had the nvlddmkm.sys file in it, delete the folders and empty your RecBin
24. Fire up your ForceWare drivers for the install. Disabled your Aero Vista before hand, it does make a difference.
25. Restart, login, set your resolution and enjoy the whole error-free nvlddmkm.sys effect.
26. Few notes. Make sure u can see the file extensions and system files are not hidden (blasphemous behaviour for techGeeks).

The whole procedure might sound like a really long way to get the problem sorted out buts its not. When u actually do it u will see that in totally in takes around 10 mins tops to get the whole thing sorted out.

Piece of advice, I don’t recommend u apply the ACL commands to your whole storage systems. I usually enter it for the FileRep folder and ALL my HDDs that used for only data storage, like avi’s, etc.

dilburt · Jan 22, 2008

Hi Jrobert,

I have a question for you but first I'll give you a little background regarding my experience with this issuue.

I had the nvlddmkm error problem back when Vista was in the late beta stages. I actually ended up getting rid of it when I decided to upgrade my 7900GT to an 8800GTX. The 7900GT had a separate unrelated problem so it was RMA'd to XFX under their great double lifetime warranty and actually came back as a much faster 7950GT since they were out of 7900's at the time. So to get to the point, neither of these cards has had the nvlddmkm problem since that point in time.

Now this doesn't mean it's a hardware problem because installing the new card will replace most if not all of the driver components. Personally, I think this problem can be caused by a number of different hardware and software issues. The nvlddmkm error message is part of the new WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) architecture which among other things is designed to prevent the lockups that were common under previous versions of Windows. This particular error message indicates that one of the current running programs called the display driver 2 seconds ago and hasn't been heard from since (2 seconds in computer time is an eternity). Any sort of hardware or software problem could cause these types of lockups that block the display thread.

Prior to WDDM, we would simply get a locked up computer since all visible evidence of input and output would be prevented by the blocked thread. The dreaded nvlddmkm error is actually a good thing under normal conditions since it indicates that the driver has been reset and has recovered itself so there is no system lockup. So the real mystery is - what is causing all the display driver lockups?

This brings me to my question. Can you explain what is being done in your step-by-step process that is eliminating the display driver thread lockups? As I'm sure you know, hundreds of people before you have all thought they solved the dreaded nvlddmkm issue only to have it return and to find that repeating the fix will not eliminate the problem a second time.

It appears to me that the primary function of this process involves taking ownership of the driver files and then deleting them. Is this correct? I looked through my own directories and I also had many old versions of these files even though I don't have the nvlddmkm problem currently. All of the old versions of files I could find were in the installation archives (which look like folders in the search returns), but these files could not be executed except with an "install" process. Are there some old files you found that you think are being loaded incorrectly or any other specific causes for the problem that are being eliminated with these deletes?

Thanks,

- D

Jrobert · Jan 22, 2008

D-
I had the NVLDDMKM issue, I did many things to try and fix it. Non worked. Since I ran these steps I no longer have the issue. If I had to guess-
1) For some reason the driver is never truly cleaned out unless you do it manually
2) Right now I also have several of these back in the folder, I have had two nvidia driver installs since I did this
3) Its currently working fine
I think the nvlddmkm either became corrupt or the driver continued to use one that wasn't installed with that driver. Thats all I know about it. I had a problem- learned enough about it to fix it and moved on. Id rather not have had to learn anything about it. Thats all I have for you Bro-

dilburt · Jan 22, 2008

Jrobert,

Well, after having put up with this problem for months myself, I know how frustrating it can be so I am very glad to hear this has worked for you. I'm still very interested in finding a root cause for this issue even though I no longer am plagued by it myself so it can be eliminated at the source.

Late last night I started thinking that the very fact that I only found copies of nvlddmkm.sys in their proper archives or extract locations on my computer only explains why they're not causing a problem for me. It seems unlikely that it could have escaped notice all this time but perhaps people with this problem have an old copy of the file somewhere it shouldn't be - somewhere it can be found and loaded before the "real" copy. I'm sure you probably didn't save any images of your search results and don't recall the details but let me know if anything comes to you in this regard.

By the way, if you try Jrobert's nvlddmkm.sys cleanup process, please post the results of your NV*.sys search in steps 7, 8 and 9 so we can see if it's being left somewhere it shouldn't be.

Thanks,

- Dilburt

iamc3k · Jan 25, 2008

I'll run the Jrobert Procedure early next week and post the requested results.

Note that I have NOT had the nvlddmkm in a week or so. I have only been playing Crysis since then (v1.1).

Regards,
Ken

Jrobert · Jan 27, 2008

If you are having trouble taking ownership of a file install this and right click on file. Kudos to Brink for making it easy

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/112795-context-menu-take-ownership.html

nvlddmkm stopped responding

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