+1
Try this first before as you may not need to reinstall windows. I have never needed to and have not yet had any problems. Failing that you then can try other things like a reinstall.
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Moving from Nvidia to ATI
- Thread starter MrRoper
- Start date
+1
Try this first before as you may not need to reinstall windows. I have never needed to and have not yet had any problems. Failing that you then can try other things like a reinstall.
Soldato
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from Nvidia forums. instead of installing new Nvidia drivers instal ATI's CCC
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=16154
Just because some people have problems doesn't mean everyone will. There's no point saying 'better safe than sorry', it's not a kidney dialysis machine - it's just a PC. If it doesn't work, take steps to work it... last one being a windows reinstall. Don't waste your time doing unnessary stuff.
Soldato
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but it's always been a know issue of driver conflicts between Nvidia and ATI. regardless of how good each set of drivers have got both don't like working with the other type installed. It's a simple case of removing the Nvidia drivers then installing ATI.
No point in ripping your hair out trying to fix something that is broken as you'll no doubt end up reinstalling the OS anyway. Take the simple steps of removing Nvidia drivers and it'll save a whole host of issues when running ATI's CCC
Associate
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Did that last week!
Just done that last week when I received my new Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850, just uninstalled the Nvidia drives from the control panel (I am using windows 7 ultimate) pulled out the old Nvidia card, installed the ATI card and installed the ATI drivers which I downloaded earlier.
So far NO problems!
Just done that last week when I received my new Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850, just uninstalled the Nvidia drives from the control panel (I am using windows 7 ultimate) pulled out the old Nvidia card, installed the ATI card and installed the ATI drivers which I downloaded earlier.
So far NO problems!
I dunno, I have switched from ATI to NVIDIA and vice versa countless times, and the only time I had an issue was when I had used drivercleaner. It removed some .net 2.0 files or something that took me awhile to figure out.
Just done that last week when I received my new Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850, just uninstalled the Nvidia drives from the control panel (I am using windows 7 ultimate) pulled out the old Nvidia card, installed the ATI card and installed the ATI drivers which I downloaded earlier.
So far NO problems!
Exactly. +1. No need to reinstall Windows AT ALL. Just uninstall, shut down, remove card, insert new one and boot up. Install drivers and done.
Associate
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+1
In the past year I have had in my system:
9800GX2
4870X2
BFG GTX280
Gainward GTX280
PowerColor HD4890
Gainward GTX260
Sapphire 4890
VTX HD5850
PoV 8800GTS 320mb
I have not had a single issue with any of them. I even ran the 8800GTS side by side with the 5850 for a week for PhysX. Driver Sweeper was used in the majority of cases, but not every one. People saying you must reinstall your OS or you must run Driver Sweeper are talking cobblers. Especially the first one anyway.
9800GX2
4870X2
BFG GTX280
Gainward GTX280
PowerColor HD4890
Gainward GTX260
Sapphire 4890
VTX HD5850
PoV 8800GTS 320mb
I have not had a single issue with any of them. I even ran the 8800GTS side by side with the 5850 for a week for PhysX. Driver Sweeper was used in the majority of cases, but not every one. People saying you must reinstall your OS or you must run Driver Sweeper are talking cobblers. Especially the first one anyway.
Associate
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- Norwich, UK
As I said if you have problems like this it's usualy due to some external influence like something interupted the driver uninstall or there is some previous corruption, I can't vouch for everyones PC since you could be running sortware which interupts this process or causes some other problems.
Driver cleaner software may have solved your problem if it was really the drivers that were the issue, would have taken about 3 minutes.
Let me stress that cases like these tend to be the exception,you read about driver cleaners magically saving the day on forums like these but of course sucessful uninstalls/swaps are rarely mentioned. If you've had experience with a lot of hardware, for example you're an enthusiast and your job is with IT then you'll have a much better picture of how this works.
now that you mention it, think that maybe why I had so many problems upgrading my graphics card!
Nein nein nein! 
If you have to reinstall your OS when changing graphics cards, you're doing something wrong. It's not that hard.
1. Uninstall drivers.
2. Shut down computer.
3. Replace card
4. Start computer
5. Install new graphics drivers
DONE.
Why reinstall, SO not necessary?!
If you have to reinstall your OS when changing graphics cards, you're doing something wrong. It's not that hard.
1. Uninstall drivers.
2. Shut down computer.
3. Replace card
4. Start computer
5. Install new graphics drivers
DONE.
Why reinstall, SO not necessary?!
Caporegime
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 33,188
I really don't get how people have problems every time, I've gone from ati, to nvidia and back with no issues, I've moved from sis mobo's, to intel, to nvidia without reinstalling without an issue.
The only time I usually need to reinstall windows is going to a new mobo with a different chipset when I'm using raid 0 as it normally won't work, but most of the time upgrading from say one intel chipset to a newer one is no issue, same if you go amd to amd or Nvidia to Nvidia, not always though.
But as said, stick the card in, it might cause a problem, but it might not, infact the majority of the time it won't, if it doesn't you've saved a LOT of effort reinstalling windows and every last app aswell as losing any small files you forgot to backup. If it doens't work, you've lost all of 5 minutes and gained some experience.
Personally I do generally do a basic uninstall of drivers, shut down, change cards, start up and install new drivers, though I have done it without uninstalling without issue also.
I don't really know why people think errant drivers are an issue, hard drives and OS's don't allocate sector 489 to gpu drivers, if you install Nvidia drivers and the OS fails to delete a file your new gpu drivers won't magically look up the wrong file, thats just not possible or how computers work. You install drivers and the driver will only ever call on files its installed.
Of course windows can be a little funny at times, any manor of things can go wrong with windows at any time, it can default back to older drivers, and be looking up data thats not there anymore occasionally, thats really got smeg all to do with the drivers themselves or any incompatibility.
Think about how many users without issue on XP/Win 7 use an ATI card and Nvidia for physx without issue, with both ati and nvidia drivers installed and working alongside each other
Likewise for decades people have used different branded gpu's to run extra monitors, sometimes with issues, often not.
Associate
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- 1 Oct 2009
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- 1,033
- Location
- Norwich, UK
Nein nein nein!
If you have to reinstall your OS when changing graphics cards, you're doing something wrong. It's not that hard.
1. Uninstall drivers.
2. Shut down computer.
3. Replace card
4. Start computer
5. Install new graphics drivers
DONE.
Why reinstall, SO not necessary?!
It's people being really OCD about performance of their rig, a reinstall is absolutly not needed.
This got me thinking, as this was the first time I have had loads of grief changing graphics cards and I have been doing this for a long time.
It appears you are correct about "external influence like something interupted the driver uninstall or there is some previous corruption" as it appears my Intel X25-M SSD is not working correctly.
I ran some tests on a fresh install and found random non-boot events, missing files etc.
Tried a new seagate drive for comparison and it worked perfectly.
Something I was not expecting as the SSD drive is only a few months old and appears to have developed the fault at the same time as my driver issues, less to say its being RMA'd.
So thank you PrincessFrosty, after the red mist dissipated and rationality returned the obvious although most unlikely presents itself
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Thats not that far off one new card for each month of the year reflux.
What's been the one that has impressed you the most?
Yeah, I think I might have a problem
Either the 280 or the 5850 - both nice, quiet cards with high levels of win.