Tim,
On 6/20/06 I posted the following to the Dell Community User Forum: Inspiron
- Video. Perhaps it will help.
I am currently using the LaptopVideo2Go v82.10 NVidia driver with Dell's
video BIOS v4.17.00.55.C1, and that is working. I have given up on NTBackup,
but would still like to know why it fails.
============================
Inspiron 8200 NVidia GeForce4 440 Go Video Driver Problems Following April
MS Security Updates
PROBLEM:
A number of people on various forums, including this one, have reported
problems with older NVidia video drivers following installation of the MS
security updates from April. The cause of the conflict is MS06-015. This
known problem was supposedly corrected with a second release of this update,
but in fact it was only partially resolved.
If you have an incompatible driver, once this update is installed, the OS no
longer recognizes the NVidia drivers and on boot simply installs a generic
video driver. No error is generated and at first sight all looks well.
However, if you need to use any of the special features provided by the video
adapter (such as connecting your computer to a TV for a slide or video show),
you’re out of luck.
If you’ve already installed the update, the simplest way to see if this has
happened to you is the following: Open Display Properties (Rt click the
desktop; select Properties); then click Settings|Advanced. You will see
several tabs. If one of them isn’t your NVidia video adapter, then you’ve
got the problem.
On speaking with MS tech support, they have no plans for further remediation
on their end and suggest updating the older video drivers.
However, this advice is easier said than followed. NVidia does not support
mobile (laptop) adapters for Dell, and their web site recommends getting
drivers from the manufacturer. Unfortunately, the latest software driver
available from Dell for the 8200 (R58746.exe) is v. 42.58, A03 (full version
6.13.10.4258, dated 2/03), and this driver is not compatible with MS06-015.
The latest video BIOS from Dell is v.4.17.00.55.C1, A06.
NOTE: To determine your current driver version, use System Information:
Click Start|Programs|Accessories|System Tools|System
Information|Components|Display.
To determine the video BIOS version, use Display Properties (Rt click the
desktop; select Properties); then click Settings|Advanced|Adapter. (This
won’t work if MS06-015 is still installed.)
SOLUTION:
Until Dell does the right thing and provides a WHQL driver that is updated
and compatible, you can still get a newer driver from LaptopVideo2Go.com:
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/index.php?drivers
This page allows access to all the available drivers (and their matching INF
files) listed by the last four digits of the full driver version (i.e. to
find 6.13.10.6742, you’d look for 67.42 by clicking the “65†series of
drivers near the top of the page).
Click the link, F.A.Q. Quickstart Install Guide. This will, in a slightly
cryptic form, tell you what you have to do and will link to other useful
information on the site.
As explained there, you will need to download and save the self-extracting
driver .exe file and the matching modified INF file which will “customizeâ€
the newer driver to work with your older adapter. Once the driver files have
been extracted, the standard INF file included with the driver package must
be replaced with the modified INF file.
The new driver can then be installed using the “Have Disk Method†described
at:
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=33
The manuals for the new driver can be downloaded from:
ftp://download.nvidia.com/Windows/
Note: The old NVidia driver must be uninstalled first. (Check Add/Remove
Programs to see if it’s listed.) The directions for uninstalling are in the
NVidia documentation. If problems with installing the new driver arise, it
is recommended that a driver cleaner be used prior to reinstalling. I used
DriverCleaner Pro v1.5 (build 14) downloaded from
http://www.drivercleaner.net/
Follow the directions in the Readme file carefully.
For my system, with WIN XP Pro SP2, I used an older driver (6742 from
10/04), though more recent versions would probably work. This was a guess
based on some comments on the LaptopVideo2Go forum that the more recent
drivers had trouble with video on a cloned monitor (like a TV), and problems
with stand-by mode. Further it is unlikely that an old board would be able
to take advantage of the newer driver features anyway. The driver
documentation stated compatibility with SP2 and DirectX 9.0c.
The new driver solved the problem with MS06-015, in addition there are many
new features enabled on the board that were not there before. Using
fullscreen video mirror on the cloned monitor allows displaying both photos
and videos on an attached S-video TV with noticeably better quality than with
the old driver. The only glitch that I’ve noticed (and this was reported in
the Laptop Video user forum) is occasional short periods (~1-2 sec) when the
screen goes black while the board is changing modes.
If this procedure works for you, I think a donation to LaptopVideo2Go would
be appropriate. (I am not affiliated with them.)
