INF Error with Cat 6.9 and X1950XTX?

[V8VENOM]

Not sure what the deal is with ATI Drivers but they just do NOT like to install sometimes.

Situation:
1. Uninstalled ATI Cat/Drivers
2. Removed X1900XTX video card
3. Installed X1950XTX video card
4. Inserted CD that came with the card and installed drivers/software
-- Driver Package 8.282.1-060802a-035409C-ATI
-- 2D Driver Version 6.14.10.6631
-- Direct3D Version 6.14.10.0425
-- OpenGL Version 6.14.10.6012
-- Cat Control Center Version 1.2.2405.30455
-- AV Stream (T200) Driver Version 6.14.10.1073
5. Downloaded Cat 3.9 (34.6MB)
6. Try to install Cat 3.9 and get

"INF Error, Video Card not found"

I had RivaTuner and ATITool install, but had removed them prior to installing the new X1950XTX.

Searching the NET has result in the only solution being "Wipe PC, re-install WindowsXP".

Anyone have a better solution?

Thanks, Rob.

 

[Rhinofart]

I would just boot into safe mode and re-install a newer version of the cat drivers. But hey that's just me.

 

[Heyyou27]

Did you really upgrade from an X1900XTX to an X1950XTX? :roll:

 

[SciFiMan]

Did you really mean CAT 3.9 ? Because the latest out is 6.9

 

[V8VENOM]

Oops, sorry, Cat 6.9 - my mistake! Dooh!

Yes I did "upgrade" -- overclocking potential for X1950XTX is considerably better -- so far it's at 15015 3DMark on just standard ATI overdrive, that's 1800 points higher, and I hope to hit 16000. But more importantly it has helped with FS2004 -- fps never drops below 25 regardless of what I toss at it.

Now if I can only get Cat 6.9 installed.

 

[ElAssassin]

Try this . Download Registry Machanic from http://www.pctools.com/
It costs 29.95 but may be worth it.

 

[V8VENOM]

Don't think I need to "fix" my registry -- I'm a developer so Little-Endian and Big-Endian are actually meaningful to me -- if I need to makes changes I should be able to do my own via regedit.

But like I said, the drivers, that came with the ATI card CD, install and work fine. It is the drivers I download from ATI's web site (Cat 6.9) that don't work.

ATI's response is "were looking into this problem" -- but that has been their response to the many folks that have bumped into this problem since the days of Cat 3.1 (yes 3.1).

It seems to be specific to ATI based cards as I've not seen anyone list this error for nVidia.

It could very well be something ATI Tool or RivaTuner did (prior to installing the X1950XTX) that caused this problem -- just don't know right now, I'll need to surf the registry to see.

I'm finding (very pleased to find) that memory performance/overclocking of the X1950XTX is working VERY well for me at the resolutions I typically run at 1920 x 1200 -- I think this is where the DDR4 is really helping. GPU increases don't seem to showing as good improvements as memory speed increases.

 

[ElAssassin]

Well sometimes as you know if you are upgrading you have got to completely remove any trace evidence of previouse drivers when it comes to video drivers. A normal uninstall does not work all the time.

I have Cat 6.8 on my system running the X1600XTX and I cannot believe how slow my system is. Flightsim 9 runs at 4-7 FPM at times. Bf2 is unplayable it runs so slow. I have a Pentium D 3.0 and 1 Gb ram. I just ordered the X1900XTX 512 so hopefully I can get playing again.

 

[V8VENOM]

Glad to see someone else is an FS9 fan -- I use FS9 as my "true" benchmark to system performance. Running Quake, Oblivian, Doom, Half Life is pretty meaningless to me as those aways run 60 fps or higher even with all quality maxed out. Unfortunately the FSX demo is so bad that I can NOT rely on it as an indicator for more recent code feature set that utilize more graphics featuers (still DX9 based anyway).

Good performance tests in FS9 are 3rd party Airport Add-ons (Airports 2) and Weather add-ons (ActiveSky) and toss in some Mega Scenery to the mix and watch the WATT meter max out (this 1000 Watt PSU is coming in handy).

FS9 is also great for testing out stability, program the FMC and do an 8 hour trans-atlantic flight and wake up in the morning to see if you're still flying.

 

[Diverge]

You should try Driver Cleaner: http://www.drivercleaner.net/professional.php

going by memory, i think you are supposed to remove the ati drivers from add/remover programs in the control panel. then reboot into safemode and run driver cleaner. select the which type of drivers you want to remove (i'd just select all the ati driver types), it will then remove the drivers. you can also have it remove then from .cab files too, this ensures nothing is still floating around in your opsys. (directions should be in the readme file)

this is good practice procedures for changing drivers. i don't own a x1950xtx, so dunno if it will work for your card. but if the drivers are supposed to work for that card, it should work.

 

[V8VENOM]

I'll get the FRAPS screenshot up on my web site for Oblivian (I'd put up an AVI, but not sure I want to waste my limited bandwidth). Do you have the X1950XTX and have you overclocked the memory?

No blooming -- don't like it, but I'd surprised if that was that relevant.

As you may or may not know, running a dual loop TEC setup on X6800.

Yes, I used the ATI Cat uninstaller. I'm going to check the current INFs on my system, it maybe as simple as changing some values in the ATI installer INF and/or check ClassGUID reference in the INF.

 

[V8VENOM]

I'll record a min/max session with FRAPS outside, maybe your right and I just didn't hit it at the right time -- let you know, can't do it now supposed to be working on actual revenue earning projects

 

[Heyyou27]

No blooming -- don't like it, but I'd surprised if that was that relevant.

No blooming, as in you don't use HDR? Why the hell do you have an X1950XTX?

 

[V8VENOM]

Oblivian is not a game I play that much (hardly at all) -- have it primarily as a technology demo more than something I enjoy playing. Plus it seems that most reviewers use the game in their testing so I have it for comparison purposes. Rarely do I see anyone using FS9 in reviews -- too bad because it makes a good "roots" testing comparision -- as in "do the new cards run the older games/sims as well as the newest game/sim".

As stated before FS9 is what I use the most so whatever works with that is what I get , SLI is useless for FS9 so no nVidia. nVidia Mipmap quality doesn't seem to get along with FS9 either, ATI's look considerably better.

chukc patch? Does that allow blooming to be scaled down? Does it work with Oblivian only -- I'd like to see AOE III with some toned down blooming also.

So I take it you folks have not run into the INF problem with ATI? That is what I'm most interested in solving at this point in time as I don't even know what these drivers are based on -- I think a very old Beta?

 

[eric54]

You sure you have uninstalled everything? I ran into a problem that was a result of my samsung lcd display drivers. I suggest you uninstall those, as well you should try to manually install the drivers with the add hardware in the control panel. With ATI it seems that you have to practically format your hd just to get the drivers updated (thats why I only update semi-annually). If that does'nt work you can try to use safe mode like someone else suggested, but you wont be able to install the drivers and i'm pretty sure you cant even uninstall them, you can however, get rid of any display drivers or any other programs even remotely relating to the monitor or graphics card. Hope that helps.

 

[V8VENOM]

Cat 6.9 is expecting to see a specific INF and isn't finding it -- what I don't know is which INF is it looking for. ATI are not willing to provide that info.

Obviously the drivers that came on CD are capable of finding whatever it is they need and installing. But Cat 6.9 drivers are not as "intelligent". Any Cat 6.9 X1950XTX owners out there? I'd love to see a listing of your ATI*.INF on your PC.

I've tried the obvious chipset re-install from Intel's latest drivers for the 975X but that didn't help with Cat 6.9.

I'm trying to see how I resovled this before (many moons ago)? I think I actually uninstall all ATI drivers, removed the ATI card, install some junk PCI card, booted, set the drivers for that from WHQ, then removed junk PCI card and installed the ATI card again.

What is interesting, ATI have been aware of this problem for a long long time but have not changed their driver install to address the problem (yet we clearly know that their in-box CD drivers can deal with the issue). So ATI obviously know how to fix the problem but refuse to do so in their online driver downloads. I think there is more to this story than just a "Buggy" Cat 6.9 driver installation. It would be nice if I could pin point this problem rather than tossing blanket solutions at it.

Anyone have some pull with any internal ATI DDK folks?

 

[V8VENOM]

Apparently these drivers are based on 6.8 -- there apparently was a 6.8 release in which the Catalyst version was not updated so it showed 6.7?? Can't confirm this -- but it does sound like a major screw up (again) with ATI driver deployment folks. I'm willing to bet they messed up their GUID Product Codes or Package Codes.

Based on this info, a full wipe of all ATI might be the solution so that Cat 6.9 doesn't find any matching GUIDs in the registry and will perform a full install rather than an update install.

That's my current theory, see how it goes.

 

[Forsaken1]

Reason it showed 6.7 instead of 6.8.Would have to wait a week for certafaction.Did you install net frame work 2.0?

 

[V8VENOM]

Yes .NET 2.0 is installed. I think what many folks are not reading in my post is that I do have the drivers & CCC that came with CD installed and working just fine (which means .NET 2.0 is installed) -- I just can't update to Cat 6.9 drivers

 

[Forsaken1]

Sorry.Only used cd drivers once.Always update to latest.After you do the standard uninstall of drivers,try checking regedit.Look in these files for anything ATI or ATI Tech and remove them.


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE software
HKEY_CURRENT_USER software

Then go to "c" drive and delte any and all ATI files/folders.
On "c" drive look for windows folder. find temp folder and delte using file/edit.
Reboot and insure all ATI releated components are gone.Install new driver/ccc.

Good luck.

 

[AACDIRECT]

The offical Cat 6.9 does not support 1950 yet. (That is why there is no INF for the card.) Most likely be a interm driver or Cat 6.10 to support it. So for now you are stuck with the drivers from the CD.

No standard messing around will get the drivers to work. It would take modding the INF of the driver to ID the card.

 

[angry_ducky]

If the drivers from the CD work, then why not use them??

 

[V8VENOM]

AACDirect, geez why couldn't ATI reps tell me that - oye! Do you have a source for this info?

Odd that the release notes mention fixes for 19x0 series but supported products lists X1900 series -- so it implies there are fixes that also cover the 1950 but an install that only works for 1900 series.

Anyway, this might be good news -- meaning when I see "official" X1950 series driver support I might see some X1950 tweaks rather than compatibility features only.

Thanks, Rob.

 

[V8VENOM]

I am using them, based on some variant of Cat 6.8 (8.22). Just a little odd that they release 6.9 drivers that can't install X1950XTX -- these are newer after all. The only downside is that 6.9 game specific fixes will not be available to me until ATI release a Cat version that installs on the 1950. But ATI's driver release seem to be more frequent than nVidia so maybe I'll have this card long enough to see a new driver update, of course I'll probably be on the next gen card by then

 

[AACDIRECT]

AACDirect, geez why couldn't ATI reps tell me that - oye! Do you have a source for this info?

I beta test for ATI and build high-end computers including demo systems for various companies including ATI. ( www.aacdirect.com) I am running X1950 CF on an RD600 MB. Nice cards BTW so much quieter than my X1900 card were.

Don't sweat 6.9 ( 8.29 ) not much different over 6.8 ( 8.28 ) which shipped with your X1950. (I bet the driver is 8.282.1 .)

You will have multiple driver releases from ATI before you will have a chance for a next gen card. I would not look for a DX10 card until '07. There will be at least 3 drivers from ATI before then. (One per month.)