NVIDIA driver for clean install

desertdad · 12 Aug 2020

I'm getting ready to do a Win10 Pro MCT ISO USB based clean install on a Dell XPS 8700. The machine has an NVIDIA GTX 745 card. In preparing for the install I discovered there are three 451.67 drivers to be considered. I installed the 451.67 for the Win8.1-64 machine. I then started looking for a Win10 driver for the card to have on tap in case the installer failed. I found two different 451.67 drivers that looked like they would work for my purposes. They have different download sizes. One is packaged with the CP ['Standard'] and one is [my term] 'bare bones' driver [DCH] [no CP]. I also found a link on the NVIDIA site that helped me with some developer insight. My conclusion is that NVIDIA is probably giving MS the equivalent of the non-CP version for the install drivers. MS wants the customer to go to the Store to get the CP addition. If all goes well, the installer will be ok with the non-CP version for my card. I may settle for that temporarily.
The NVIDIA link is NVIDIA DCH/Standard Display Drivers for Windows 10 FAQ | NVIDIA
Do you have any tips on how to handle this other than start with the adapter on Win8.1 already having a 451.67 driver installed?
If you think this should go in the NVIDIA thread, let me know. It seemed to be more of a clean install question.
TIA, Dick

- - - Updated - - -

I know I have to make the second onboard HD unavailable during the install. Can I use Device Manager to disable the driver before I start the install instead of pulling the cable? Does disabling the driver carry over across a shutdown and clean install?
TIA, Dick

Macboatmaster · 12 Aug 2020

Actually you should not use the driver from Nvidia
The reason is that the driver from there is a reference driver
Dell often use a card with a Nvidia gpu - graphics processing unit chip, but modified for dell, as many are for other large OEMS eg HP, Lenovo etc.

You should use this driver
https://www.dell.com/support/home/en...tcode=xps-8700

and then leave Windows to update it.
If you later find that something is not correct or functioning as you wish with the card, then is the time to try the driver from Nvidia

A clean install if that is what you intend will of course delete all drivers and the install will use firstly a basic windows display driver.
After the install of 10, you shoud then install the mentioned Nvidia driver

Disconnect the data cable from the drive, that is the better option.
Do not forget to ensure you are booting UEFI and delete all partitions on the drive to start with unallocated space
The installer will then make the necessary GPT partitons on the drive.

Presumably you will save your personal data to then restore it to the new 10 install

bobkn · 12 Aug 2020

I've always used the nVidia reference drivers with desktop PCs. Looking at the downlaod in the link provided by "Macboatmaster", it's not obvious that the package contains any customizations.

If the machine was a laptop, I'd suggest staying with drivers supplied by Dell, even if the newest were fairly old. Laptop makers tend to do nasty things like custom IDs for graphics devices.

Maybe Dell does things differently than I expect, but if the drivers from nVidia install as normal, I'd expect that they'll work well. They're probably a lot newer than the latest drivers from Dell, which doesn't imply that they'll work better.

Macboatmaster · 13 Aug 2020

As you can see a difference of opinion.
I agree 100% that the Nvidia drivers are the ones for standard Nvidia cards
However unless I am mistaken which of course I maybe you should use the one I sent from Dell
The card you have I suspect is the
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 745 OEM Specs | TechPowerUp GPU Database
and
as on Nvidia site
GeForce GTX 745 (OEM) | Specifications | GeForce

There have been reports of it producing BSOD when used with Nvidia provided drivers on Windows 10

You will just have to choose which driver you try and inbstall and see the results

desertdad · 14 Aug 2020

I decided to go as neutral as possible for the clean install. I completely uninstalled the Nvidia 451.67 driver. I downloaded the Dell Video driver for a Win8.1-64 machine and installed it. The Dell driver is 9.18.13.3266 and was last updated Oct 2019. The driver turned out to be a Nvidia 332.66. I installed the driver only and did not select any of the optional piece parts. It must be a variation on the 'Standard' pkg because the install included a Control Panel.
Given that Dell is still making changes to their driver for this OEM card in October 2019 is a good sign. I'm counting on Dell including their own Win10-64 driver for this card in the libraries they give to Microsoft.
That's about as neutral as I can get. Now all I can do is exercise the clean install.
Thanks to both of you for offering your perspective and experience.

Macboatmaster · 14 Aug 2020

Cheers
Pleased to have helped
You may find that 10 updates will install the newer nvidia driver
If it does and you have problems I suggest you follow this
Prevent Windows Update from Updating Specific Device Driver

It being Pro you will have GPedit

The only aspect that confuses me is that you say you have installed that driver, NOW, but if you are going for a clean install, then the clean install will delete your driver, it will of course delete ALL your drivers - CLEAN install

as I mentioned

A clean install if that is what you intend will of course delete all drivers and the install will use firstly a basic windows display driver.
After the install of 10, you shoud then install the mentioned Nvidia driver

desertdad · 14 Aug 2020

I went back to the Dell Win8.1 driver because I didn't know if the MS installer did any kind of interrogation of the target card to see if there was anything special to take into consideration when it was deciding what driver to install on the target system. I've been nervous about the clean install ever since all the Nvidia card issues showed up. I could just see getting part way through the install and getting some sort of 'now what' moment.

Thanks for the info about MS using a basic driver during the install.
Wait! Are you saying the MS install ends up with a basic driver instead of my assumption that it did an 'intelligent' install of what they think is the 'best' driver based on installed hardware?

Macboatmaster · 15 Aug 2020

The installation media obviously cannot contain all the drivers for all the systems
install from the installation media
then install the driver I sent you and then see how things are.
If windows update installs the newer driver and there are problems roll back to the dell driver and follow the procedure I sent you on my last post

itsme1 · 15 Aug 2020

You do your clean install of windows. Windows will install its nvidia drivers for your nvdia card, if the driver version is above 358.00, there will be no problems. Then you can install the driver for your computer by going to the Dell site and your computer reference page and choosing the OS version, windows 1O. You can also install the latest driver version for your nvidia card for windows 10 by going to the nvidia site.

NVIDIA DRIVERS GeForce Game Ready Driver WHQL

edit: Leave the second HD onboard activated during the clean installation and update its driver.

Macboatmaster · 15 Aug 2020

desertdad
I DO NOT advise you to leave the other drive connected
Indeed you seem to be aware that it is better to not have it connected
and as I said

Disconnect the data cable from the drive, that is the better option.

From Brink`s Tutorial on clean install of 10
Here's How:

2 Temporarily disconnect all non OS hard drives until Windows installation has finished. This is to avoid Windows Setup from installing the boot configuration files to the wrong hard drive by mistake.

Clean Install Windows 10

As to the driver on the link in the post from itsme1
that is the driver you have mentioned in your opening post
The 451.67

IF IT WORKS FOR YOU GREAT - but as I said there are MANY reported porblems with it and indeed Nvidia themselves list some of them and there is a separate thread regarding the problems with that driver on the Nvidia forum,
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce...ack-thread-re/

There are MANY further problems reported addtional to those listed on that thread. Including as I said - complete crashes.

NVIDIA driver for clean install

NVIDIA driver for clean install

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