OCD on drivers?

Gregster · 21 Jan 2013 at 11:51

I have been reading lots of threads lately about changing this with Radeon pro/Nvidia inspector and changing cfg files and alter this, install that but 99.99 (reccuring)% of the time, I don't touch anything.

This is how I do it (when installing drivers):

1. Download drivers and save (handy to keep)
2. Install drivers/Custom/Clean install.
3. Start NCP and enable SLI and set "span displays with surround"
4. Start a game and see if it is smooth. If time permitting, I check performance against previous drivers.

This is all I do. Am I missing things? Am I lazy?

I never bother to fiddle with settings and leave everything 'as, is' The only time I did have a fiddle was Far Cry 3 and this was because the game wasn't smooth at all. I reinstalled older drivers and enabled SLI with Nvidia Inspector but this didn't make any difference to the smoothness of the game.

How do you do yours?

MoRT489 · 21 Jan 2013 at 12:19

This every time:

-> uninstall all Nvidia software/drivers from Control Panel (restart as prompted)
-> run disk cleanup on C:\
-> run CCleaner (including registry fixes)
-> reboot into safe mode
-> run Driver Sweeper for Nvidia graphics drivers (some people fear this program but it has never caused me any problems)
-> reboot to windows
-> search C:\ drive for the word "nvidia" and delete any corresponding folders found (but not the ones listed as Driver Sweeper or game components)
-> install latest driver using custom install and select clean install (deselecting 3D and audio drivers as I dont use them).
-> reboot
-> delete unzip folder C:\NVIDIA
-> play

Nvidia drivers usually work flawlessly for me, AMD not so much.

LtMatt · 21 Jan 2013 at 12:23

Download drivers
Uninstall old drivers - restart
run driver fusion - delete any old driver files - restart
install new drivers
extend clock limits of ccc via msi afterburner

Done. Never get any problems either (touch wood

)

Suarez7 · 21 Jan 2013 at 12:34

Uninstall from control panel
Delete AMD folder
Run driver sweeper without safe mode
Restart
Install new drivers
Restart
Play games and don't measure performance I can just tell if they're worse or better usually

People on here are far too anal about drivers.

shankly1985 · 21 Jan 2013 at 12:36

Download and save the driver
Remove old driver in Control panel -Restart system-
Run Driver sweeper and remove the leftover AMD Drivers -Restart System-
Install New driver -Restart System-

Never had a single issue.

d_brennen · 21 Jan 2013 at 12:39

DL > Install over the top > Reboot > Play

Been doing this for years, no issues (that everyone else wasn't having)

I have a 2009 install of Windows 7 on one machine that's had dozens of driver installs, at least 5 GPUs including an NV card mixed in with AMD. I just guess some people can get themselves into bother in an empty room

Gregster · 21 Jan 2013 at 12:46

It is starting to look like I am lazy. All this driver sweeper etc. Not a bad thing to do I guess but still a chore.

whyscotty · 21 Jan 2013 at 12:48

download
install
and play away

shankly1985 · 21 Jan 2013 at 12:53

d_brennen said:
DL > Install over the top > Reboot > Play

Been doing this for years, no issues (that everyone else wasn't having)

I have a 2009 install of Windows 7 on one machine that's had dozens of driver installs, at least 5 GPUs including an NV card mixed in with AMD. I just guess some people can get themselves into bother in an empty room

When I have tried installing over the top my CCC stops working. I then need to remove the driver and install again to get it back working.

Gregster · 21 Jan 2013 at 12:55

d_brennen said:
DL > Install over the top > Reboot > Play

Been doing this for years, no issues (that everyone else wasn't having)

I have a 2009 install of Windows 7 on one machine that's had dozens of driver installs, at least 5 GPUs including an NV card mixed in with AMD. I just guess some people can get themselves into bother in an empty room

whyscotty said:
download
install
and play away

Glad I am not alone

d_brennen · 21 Jan 2013 at 12:56

shankly1985 said:
When I have tried installing over the top my CCC stops working. I then need to remove the driver and install again to get it back working.

IDK, I have a couple of desktops, a workstation (with Firepro) and a laptop which I do a fair bit of gaming on, every single one of them just gets the new driver over the top of the old (Cat install manager shows you what is being replaced if you select advanced), not had a jot of bother. The laptop in particular gets custom tweaked/hacked drivers all the time

jaybee · 21 Jan 2013 at 13:03

d_brennen said:
DL > Install over the top > Reboot > Play

Been doing this for years, no issues (that everyone else wasn't having)

I have a 2009 install of Windows 7 on one machine that's had dozens of driver installs, at least 5 GPUs including an NV card mixed in with AMD. I just guess some people can get themselves into bother in an empty room

This also describes my way of doing it. Not hard really is it.

Rezident · 21 Jan 2013 at 13:15

- Control Panel ~ Express uninstall all AMD software
- Reboot
- Install new drivers
- Reboot

I would only manually go looking for all individual drivers and delete everything manually if I was either going back to an older driver version or making a large leap forward, like skipping a load of driver releases.

No issues since Vista but I’d blame Microsoft for those problems rather than Nvidia at that time.

Rusty0611 · 21 Jan 2013 at 14:05

Rezident said:
- Control Panel ~ Express uninstall all AMD software
- Reboot
- Install new drivers
- Reboot

I would only manually go looking for all individual drivers and delete everything manually if I was either going back to an older driver version or making a large leap forward, like skipping a load of driver releases.

No issues since Vista but I’d blame Microsoft for those problems rather than Nvidia at that time.

IIRC those problems were nVidia's

.

BaDBoY_uK · 21 Jan 2013 at 14:16

NVINSPECTOR is quite good, especially when trying to max a game. But as with so many above

1. Download
2. Install over the top
3. Play

The Running Man · 21 Jan 2013 at 15:43

Download new nvidia.
Uninstall existing via control panel.
Reboot safe mode
Install new drivers
Reboot
Tweak settings
Play

spoffle · 21 Jan 2013 at 15:47

Rezident said:
- Control Panel ~ Express uninstall all AMD software
- Reboot
- Install new drivers
- Reboot

I would only manually go looking for all individual drivers and delete everything manually if I was either going back to an older driver version or making a large leap forward, like skipping a load of driver releases.

No issues since Vista but I’d blame Microsoft for those problems rather than Nvidia at that time.

They were completely nVidia's fault, they had a class action against them because they were so bad.

I never bother with uninstalling drivers, I just install over the top.

chrisoverson · 4 Feb 2013 at 13:10

- Download new drivers,
- uninstall all old nvidia stuff,
- reboot,
- run driver sweeper,
- reboot,
- run ccleaner (only takes seconds so might as well)
- install new drivers,
- reboot.

I also only install the nvidia stuff I need. I don't bother with 3D vision because I don't have 3D monitors, same for HD audio. I also don't install the updater; I like to do that myself.

I always also use ccleaner for uninstalling programs, much faster than the control panel option.

Orcvader · 4 Feb 2013 at 13:36

1. Download new drivers
2. Uninstall from control panel
3. Reboot
4. Uninstall from Device manager (also ticking the delete software box to get rid of the Nvidia/AMD folders)
5. Install new drivers
6. Reboot

Done. No problems for me.

arc@css · 4 Feb 2013 at 13:39

1. Download new drivers.
2. Install new drivers.

That is it!