Computer Questions Not Worth Their Own Thread II

Yes, it actually does send them. It's a pain because I have to send another email finishing the first one. I think Im hitting some key combination somewhere but I dont know what it is.
 
The only key combination I'm aware of in gmail to send the email is tab-space. Tab takes you out of the text box and space presses the send key.
 
How do I stop Windows Vista from automatically installing drivers without asking me? I'm having an impossible time performing a clean wipe of my video driver because vista keeps installing the drivers on it's own accord without prompting me or giving me any option to stop it. I've followed the below procedure which is supposed to disable automatic driver installation, but Vista is STILL going ahead and doing it anyways without giving me any option to stop it, which is totally screwing up my attempts for a clean install of the dispay driver.

IIRC, you have to uninstall in regular mode, and then reboot into Safe Mode, and then install the driver you want. You may have to do the initial uninstall in Safe Mode, too, though. You have to be in Safe Mode at one point for sure.
 
IIRC, you have to uninstall in regular mode, and then reboot into Safe Mode, and then install the driver you want. You may have to do the initial uninstall in Safe Mode, too, though. You have to be in Safe Mode at one point for sure.

I had tried this, but the driver software wasn't detecting any video card in safe mode - only outside safe mode will it detect a video card present.

So here's where I'm at now. I've performed a clean wipe of the video drivers, I've used driver-sweeper, and installed the latest driver. I'm still getting a blue screen crash - nvlddmkm.sys is causing the problem, and apparently this isn't uncommon in Vista. Thing is, I had this computer + video card + Vista for 2 years with no problems at all. I've tried both the latest drivers and old drivers from around the time my video card was released. Both having the exact same problem - blue screen crash anytime the computer attempts anything remotely challenging graphics-wise (games, videos, Aero desktop).

However, with standard windows VGA drivers installed I can at least watch movies without crashes, but gaming is out of the question...

So what do you folks think I should do at this point? This is not an old machine. So is the video card most likely fried? Windows doesn't report any hardware problems with it, and the DXdiag program wasn't finding any problem. Should I try a re-install of Windows? I'm really at a loss as to what to do at this point.
 
The nvlddwhatever.sys is some NVIDIA component.

Also I just remembered... try the Omega drivers and see if they work...
 
Strange, the omega drivers didn't even detect the video card. I'm starting to think the card is busted and this isn't a driver issue. This all happened very abruptly, and installing DivX might have just been a co-incidence.

Is there any software that will test for faulty hardware? I'd like to make sure that is indeed the problem before I buy a new video card only to find the same thing happening..

How about a reinstall of Windows? I'd like to avoid this unless you guys think it could be the difference.

Any advice is appreciated. I'm on the verge of drop-kicking this thing off the 10th floor.
 
Try reseating it (thats taking it out and putting it back in). Often it'll work its way loose... One member here once had to do something like that because there was a small earthquake.
 
LOL reseating ;) Just jargon for take it out and plug it in again. That is a good plan though.

If it's a cheap video card bin it, if it is expensive backup your data and reinstall your OS.
 
I'd uninstall the Omega Drivers and go to the GPU website to find the recommended driver version.
 
I know in BitTorrent that theres normally flucat.... cant spell it but variations in the speed. But if it's going crazy (like from 500 kb/s to 5 kb/s in two seconds and back again) is it a sign that something is wrong?

Also can you mess things up by defragging when downloading a torrent? I tried googling it and I got various torrents for defrag programs... I must've done something wrong

Also I saw a banner for an "anti-hacker" software (whatever that means) with some guy in front of a computer wearing a ski mask. What the ?
 
I had tried this, but the driver software wasn't detecting any video card in safe mode - only outside safe mode will it detect a video card present.

So here's where I'm at now. I've performed a clean wipe of the video drivers, I've used driver-sweeper, and installed the latest driver. I'm still getting a blue screen crash - nvlddmkm.sys is causing the problem, and apparently this isn't uncommon in Vista. Thing is, I had this computer + video card + Vista for 2 years with no problems at all. I've tried both the latest drivers and old drivers from around the time my video card was released. Both having the exact same problem - blue screen crash anytime the computer attempts anything remotely challenging graphics-wise (games, videos, Aero desktop).

However, with standard windows VGA drivers installed I can at least watch movies without crashes, but gaming is out of the question...

So what do you folks think I should do at this point? This is not an old machine. So is the video card most likely fried? Windows doesn't report any hardware problems with it, and the DXdiag program wasn't finding any problem. Should I try a re-install of Windows? I'm really at a loss as to what to do at this point.

What model of nVIDIA GPU is it? The GeForce 8000 and GeForce 9000 series were known for abnormally high failure rates, to the point of a lawsuit being filed and won over it. Desktops weren't affected as much because they generally run cooler, but they aren't immune from failure as the fundamental problem is in both desktop and notebook cards - it just takes longer to show up on average. If you do have one of those GPUs, it would not surprise me if it fried itself.

Re-seating is probably the easiest potential fix. Re-installing Windows might help, too. If you have an extra partition or can shrink your current parition (using GParted on a live CD, or possibly within Vista - can't remember if Vista or 7 added that ability), you could do a parallel install, so that if it doesn't fix the problem you don't have to reinstall all your programs when you replace the GPU.

If you can acquire/borrow an extra GPU to test and see whether that solves it, I'd recommend that as well.

If re-seating/reinstalling Windows doesn't help, or if the borrowed GPU solves everything, you'd probably have to shell out for a new GPU. But if you don't want to shell out for a new one, and are willing to accept the risk of terminating the GPU, you could try baking your GPU. It's at least somewhat successful, though I've been fortunate and haven't had to try it myself.
 
You can shrink partitions in Vista but it sometimes does not work if theres data at the very end of the partition
 
***UPDATE***

I am happy to report that I have resolved the problem, by uninstalling and re-installing my RealTek Audio driver.... found this solution after hours of browsing google for people with similar problems, and someone said this worked for them.

Thanks to everyone who offered advice and assistance. :) :badcomp:

Woot, there it is. Woot, there it is.
 
The only time I've ever seen Windows pop up the Date Execution Prevention messages there was a virus on the machine.

Well, by default it only runs for windows services, so that's basically the only time it can pop-up.

I always enable it for everything, and it shuts down shoddily coded programs now and then.
 
What exactly is POSIX? I keep running across that. I wikipediad it but Im not sure exactly what its for
 
It's a flavour of UNIX.

It has some support in Windows OS's too.
 
I think you need to use cygwin (I don't know if I spelled that right) for that. I was under the impression it was something for application interfaces or something. I dont know.
 
Old versions of NT used to have some POSIX support.

I think cygwin has taken over now though, and MS were always /meh about POSIX.
 
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