Nvlddmkm stopped responding error and now freezing and pixelation

[libraryrose4]

I know a little about computers and can troubleshoot a decent amount of problems but I'm at a loss on this. Also on a limited budget, so hoping to try a few things before I have to break down and buy a new graphics card. I'm really hoping someone here can help.

For about 2 years, I never had a problem playing most games on my computer. Fallout 3, Borderlands, Star Trek Online, WoW, and Sims 2, Sims 3 all ran just fine. But about a month ago, when I downloaded Fallout 3 expansions broken steel/point lookout, I decided I needed to upgrade my drivers because the game kept freezing up.

After I downloaded new drivers Fallout 3 kept crashing and was now giving me the error code "nvlddmkm has stopped responding and has successfully recovered". I couldn't manage to fix it, so I gave up trying and just went back to playing the Sims 3 instead.

Sims 3 kept working fine for about a month but now it is freezing once the game runs for about 15 minutes, and the whole screen becomes pixelated in rainbow colors and completely locks up the computer. The only way to get out is a hard reboot. When I try to run Star Trek Online, it does the same thing but in about 5 minutes after the game starts.

I can play youtube videos and do all the basic computer/internet things just fine, the picture is completely normal.

So far I've tried new graphic card drivers, using "Driver Cleaner" repeatedly to make sure the old ones were cleaned out first, new motherboard drivers, cleaned the outside of computer tower, opened it up and blew out all the dust with canned air (it wasn't too bad). I've downloaded HW monitor to check temperatures.
I don't know how much info to post from the HW monitor but the graphics card seems to be running around 80 degrees C when not gaming and in the lower 90 C range when trying to game.

I haven't changed anything on my computer hardware since I took it out of the box, and here is the computer info...
My computer is a Gateway Model FX4710-UB003A

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q9300 @ 2.50GHz 2.50 GHz

Memory (RAM): 6.00 GB

Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Operating System

Graphics Card is a NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT
Clocks: Core 650 MHz, Shaders 1620 MHz, Memory 950 MHz
Memory: Size 512 MBytes, Type GDDR3, Bus Width 256 bits

(I don't think it's overclocked unless it came with the computer that way, I don't really understand what overclocking is, to be honest)

I don't know if you'd need any other info to help, but I will happy to find it if I can and it would help!

Thanks!

 

[libraryrose4]

Thanks for the reply.

I've found that the "nvlddmkm has stopped responding and has successfully recovered" is a fairly common error and I had read many forum posts on various sites this past week, before I posted here. A lot of those posts are about 2 years old though. Nevertheless, I've tried many of the suggestions that people had to fix it, but there doesn't seem to be a definite fix for it, which I find confusing, to say the least.

I do have all the windows updates current and I have the latest drivers for my card. Tonight I'm trying to run the computer with the side open and a household fan blowing air through to see if that helps, and I'll be watching the card fan too.

My concern is that i'm not just getting an error message now. The whole computer freezes now when I try to run any kind of game, and the pixelation takes over the entire screen. None of the other posts I found mention the problem going that far. I guess what I am really wondering is if anyone else thinks the card is dead and unfixable?

I'm going to try and get a photo of the computer when it freezes and post it tonight too.

 

[supermaughan]

I've just started getting this error also. I just bought a GTX 260 used on Craigslist and it has an after market cooler on it. It worked fine when I first got it and that was with out a fan (passive cooling.) I now have a 120mm fan on it and it was working great. I had it over-clocked and the hottest it got was 60C. Now this error has started. I'm running Vista Home 64bit. I thought it was the over-clock because I had several different over-clocking apps installed. So I uninstalled all that and the drivers and reinstalled the drivers from Nvidia and I still get the error. Now windows causes the error and I can't do anything. So if it's not the drive I read it may be the temps. But I doubt it is that in my system. I also read that it may be a power issue which I'm still considering because I only have a 550watt power supply. But if I'm not doing anything that draws a lot of power I don't see how this is the cause. I hope it's not a hardware problem because than I will just be mad I bought junk on craigslist. I will be following this thread to hopefully find a resolution and some answers.

 

[deadhaven]

Hey guys..Im relieved in a way to see i'm not the only one with this problem..

I have the exact problem..I can watch movies with VLC, I can browse the net and watch youtube or anything like that..But if I open any game like Counterstrike, TF2, C&C, my screen will go to complete pixelation within 5 seconds and then after about 10 seconds the monitor will say there is no input to the monitor.

Ive got

intel i7 2.6
geforce 280 gtx
750 watt psu
6 gigs ram
vista x64


Ive reinstalled drivers, used cleaners, reinstalled windows...Im so frustrated and I'm very hesitant on spending money to fix this BECAUSE on occasion it fixes itself somehow and I will be able to play games for a week or two then it breaks again..if anyone comes up with a fix for this please!! let me know!

It looks like this problem is only happening in vista..I'm going to try a different OS and see what happens.

Thank you.

 

[supermaughan]

*Update* I just did a system restore and now things are working again. I turned off Aero (I wasn't able to get to the settings before because the screen would black if I tried to open any windows.) I applied all the windows important updates, and reinstalled the nvidia drivers. I haven't done any extensive testing yet and I don't know what could of happen between now and the 11th of May (my restore point). I was out of town, nobody uses my computer when I'm gone and I have auto updates turned off.

 

[libraryrose4]

Hi to Everyone. I'm also posting an update. I'm sorry to hear you both have the same problem cause this totally stinks.

I've been running my computer with the side open and the card is running cooler and the problem isn't happening as quickly as it was. The card's fan is working at least.
The "nvlddmkm has stopped responding" error still showed up, but the computer wasn't locking up into pixels nearly as soon as before.

So after trying to find more advice from any kind of post that related, I tried uninstalling some windows updates that I put on my computer around the time it first happened. That kind of seemed like it helped at first but then not so much. I haven't put them back on yet though.

Then I tried uninstalling the most recent drivers and loading up some older drivers that some people on the "rivatuner" website said worked better for them. 186.18 drivers for Nvidia. And I installed "rivatuner" because several people said it was helping them. It did help quite a lot, I managed to play the Sims for an hour with no error. But just when I was starting to hope it was fixed, it did it again.
It happens much, much slower, but the longer I tried to play, the more frequent it started to happen again. Finally it pixeled out and locked up and I took a picture this time.

and a bit of a close up...

I think the worst news that I have been reading through trying to fix this is that it can happen to Radeon cards too. I'm so tempted to go buy a new one, but what if that doesn't fix the problem??????

I have also wondered if my powersupply is strong enough, but it came with the computer and worked fine for 2 years so I don't know if that would be a problem.
What I don't really understand is, if it's such a common problem, why isn't there a fix that works for everyone?

 

[Mousemonkey]

That looks like a Vram issue in that your card is cooked mate.

 

[deadhaven]

Our cards probably aren't cooked. There are dozens of articles of people with vista having the same problem.

Im trying to find a copy of a 64 xp or windows 7 to see if it will fix it.

Also, I have a 750 watt psu which is plenty and I still have the problem you do so it probably isnt the fault of your psu.



http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=31913

 

[supermaughan]

I don't get the pixel problem, just a blank screen and then the error pops-up below. It happened again last night but I also installed riviatuner and overclocked slightly. Then I tried to play Oblivion with maxed settings. This has worked in the past.

 

[Mousemonkey]

I highly doubt that all these peoples cards are cooked, some from last generation and some from this generation. Obviously this is a driver conflict or something.
There are a thousand posts about this same error.

I have a card here that does the same as the card in the and drivers will make no difference, oh that's because the Vrams cooked.

 

[libraryrose4]

Having tried all the things I've tried, I feel like Mousemonkey is right, at least in the case of my card. The error doesn't show up right away now, when the card is still relatively cool, but as soon as it starts hitting about 60 C or more it starts having the error code show up, and it starts happening more frequently the higher it gets, until it finally pixelates and locks up. It's a goner, I think. I just don't know what I want to get to replace it. I am thinking maybe it's time to switch from Nvidia to Radeon.

Any suggestions for a replacement for a Nvidia 9800 GT ?

 

[Mousemonkey]

Any suggestions for a replacement for a Nvidia 9800 GT ?

How important is DX11 to you?

 

[libraryrose4]

To my knowledge so far, I don't think I am anticipating any games that may use DX11. And I am hoping I can get a new computer in a year or two at the most.
If the price difference is significant, DX 11 isn't so important.

I don't want to get a card that requires a better power supply if I can help it. I tried looking at the power supply, I'm not sure which numbers I should be looking for to say how strong it is, but this is what I found;
Input 100-127V~/10A, 200-240V~/5A
50 Hz - 60 Hz

 

[Mousemonkey]

Wattage amount and amperage on the +12v line are the important numbers.

 

[libraryrose4]

Okies, here is the whole thing from the power supply

Input 100-127V~/10A, 200-240V~/5A
50 Hz - 60 Hz

Output +12V1/16A (max) +12V2/16A(max)
Max power +5V/14A(max) +5VSB/2.0A (max)
400W +3.3V/20A(max) -12V/0.3A(max)
+5V & +3.3V Output can't exceed 140W
+12V1 & +12V2 Combined current can't exceed 30A
+12V1 & +12V2

 

[supermaughan]

It seems like this error is to common to be a bad video card. Is there a test that targets the vram? I'm trying to locate a different card to put in and see if I still get the error. I'm not ready to give up on my GPU yet because I just bought it (used) and it worked great when I first got it. I get the error now with very little stress on the card. Areo, google earth, basically any 3d application. So I know it's not getting hot.

 

[libraryrose4]

So I'm still reading more about computers, and I think perhaps the power supply that my computer came with, wasn't really strong enough for the graphics card it came with? So if I got an equivalent or better card than what I have now, I would also need to get a better power supply too?

But maybe I should get a better power supply first and see if it helps the problem? Any feedback is welcome!

 

[Lrnz2010]

Hi people,
I'll be intruding a bit (i'm from italy and apologize for my crappy english).
It seems I got the same situation of libraryrose4:
I own my hp notebook since two years and played games all along without issues. Two months ago I had the brilliant idea to install Stalker call of pripyat, but I did not play a game for a while so I'm not really sure it is the real cause of the "nvlddmkm" problem. Each time I try to boot a game I'm lucky if my pc does not crash. It freezes even on the tab with a 3D rotating image of the Nvidia control panel giving the message as you know "Display driver nvlddmkm stopped responding and has successfully recovered". It often happens while trying to watch a HD movie.

After having googled around, I tried many suggested "fixes" but none of them worked.
What I can say now is: (no news for most of you probably or maybe being wrong)
- it is not a power supply issue
- it is not a hardware issue
- not a specific ATI or Nvidia graphic card problem
- it is related to Windows Vista 64 and Windows 7 64 mainly
- it is related to the Timeout Detection and Recovery of GPUs
- it is definitely a software issue but just trying to reinstall drivers won't work

I'm going to backup everything I can and then the best solutions probably are:
- System restore (which I cannot because I lost the useful points)
- System complete recovery to get back to the "just bought" situation
- Getting a XP 64 (but where?) as deadhaven suggested.

 

[supermaughan]

So I got a lead on a 8800 card to drop in and try. I was out of town all week and when I left my computer was still experiencing the error. Now I got home and was going to go borrow the 8800 and sat down at my computer, guess what, no error. I haven't done any extensive testing, but I did more than I was able to do before I left (Google Earth and Modern Warfare.) My computer was on the entire time I was gone but no one used it. I don't know why sitting around without activity helped unless it is heat related but that doesn't seem like the cause considering previous experiments. Now I want to recreate the problem some how so I can test the other GPU. I guess we will see.

 

[supermaughan]

I played Oblivion for a couple hours last night on the highest settings max resolution (1600x1200) with no problems. When I started getting this error I couldn't get past the title screen on low settings. I don't know what this means.

 

[Guest]

I am having the same issues. I have dual GTX 260's. It's not a heat issue. I have liquid cooling and 6 huge case fans. My temp monitor/fan control shows everything around 31C.

Like some of you I can run quite a while at high settings (Entropia) but then it will pixelate, sometimes reset, sometimes freeze. After a while I can't even log in without this happening.

I have updated all drivers, reduced the quality of the ingame settings - at times all the way to Safe Mode, tried with and without SLI, tried with and without acceleration on the GPU, and tried to revert back to a restore point. All have essentially failed in solving this problem.

 

[StayNuts]

Have the same problems here... using the GTX 9800 of XFX....
Cooling is not my problem, have even put a big fan on the side.... and the temperature is low. Think gonna reinstall my vista and sees what then happens.... did read some stories about some people who got the same problems and solve it with a reinstall and let run all the updates of vista... if one is cancelled, or not installed properly, it 'can be' the source of the problem...

with all these errors, hangs ups and so on.... files on your system can be damaged and not been closed properly after usage... a new clean install make you sure to have a fresh new install which all files working properly.... from that base I gonna try the next 5 steps....

- refresh install, O/S can not be good installed.... checking updates
- bad cooling and system get overheated, solving with a fan on the side temporary (temp goes 10C down!)
- downclocking the GPU a little can help
- not enough power juice.... (see text below)
- turn the aero off....

regarding the power juice, it is important to have a very highend PSU in your system with at least 60A on the 12V rail.... my GTX+ 9800 only requires 38A.... 4 rails of 12V/16A (total is 64A) is absolute not enough as the PSU can never supply then 38A on one rail.... it has been a PSU with one 12V/60A or higher...

i am now checking all 5 steps and sees where it brings me too....

 

[sam3971]

Hi guys. IDK if this will help everyone's issue like the pixelation but I know it seemed to fix my issue where my games just crash or lockup momentarily(GTA IV) and getting the dreaded nvlddmkm in the event logs.

First Spep: This fix should affect all users from XP to win7! There is a special option called DeadLock Detection. It is an advanced driver security policy but is not needed. Ok here is what you do, you go to start and run Verifier Then check display information about the currently verified drivers and click Next. From there click Add and add the driver NVLDDMKM.SYS. then click on change. From there untick Deadlock detection, then hit Next 2 times and then finish.


Next Step: See if it fixed your issue!


Final Step: If Step 1 fixed your issue then open Verifier again and select Create Suctom settings. From there tick Select individual settings fro a full list. Then click on Next, then check all the options that were enabled from the first step EXCEPT Deadlock detection. Then click Next, then tick Select driver names from a list. From there you want to check the file nvlddmkm.sys, then click on Finish and Restart.


That's it, that is all you need to do to disable Deadlock Detection on the nvidia driver. Please note that this could also fix the ATI crash as well! Good luck guys!

 

[Averagegai]

I get that error message too, but my screen only gets pixelated during the Windows "Welcome" screen and at the desktop. From my playing time with Crysis and Dirt2, it has never had any problems on full load.

 

[sam3971]

Have you tried different drivers? Have you tried the deadlock technique? Have you tried reinstalling win7? If you have tried all of those then the only thing I can think of is your card has gone bad. It could be your monitor as well, try a different monitor up to that card and see what happens. If it is still happening on the other monitor as well then you probably have a dead video card dude. Sorry to say that. I think mine might be dying as well but I have a lifetime warranty on it through XFX, you might still have warranty on yours as well though. Good luck dude. Another thing you can try is this display driver below. It is for Vista x64 but reports say it works great on win7 as well and have actually fixed some ppl's crashing dude. I would give it a try.

http://downloads.guru3d.com/Forceware-182.47-Vista-64-bit-download-2226.html