Windows 10 and 260M

[Nune625]

I have a complicated issue. I'm trying to get my 6 year old Alienware M17X R2 to run Windows 10. I upgraded it, however, now Windows can't detect my graphics card. It just says Microsoft basic display adapter.
So I thought, maybe uninstall Windows 10 and install Windows 7, as I can't roll back to Vista. So I have a bootable disc for that. But now I'm hearing the 260M might be compatible with Windows 10? I've updated all the drivers I could find.
Also, I know this may be a lost cause. I have a very powerful desktop and just need this for when I'm on the move.
Thank you!

 

[Barty1884]

http://www.geforce.com/drivers

Under manual search for your GPU series (200M Series - Notebooks), it appears 341.96 driver is compatible with both your GPU & Windows 10. I'd install that.

 

[Barty1884]

MERGED QUESTION
Question from Nune625 : "260M and Windows 10"

I have a complicated issue. I'm trying to get my 6 year old Alienware M17X R2 to run Windows 10. I upgraded it, however, now Windows can't detect my graphics card. It just says Microsoft basic display adapter.
So I thought, maybe uninstall Windows 10 and install Windows 7, as I can't roll back to Vista. So I have a bootable disc for that. But now I'm hearing the 260M might be compatible with Windows 10? I've updated all the drivers I could find.
Also, I know this may be a lost cause. I have a very powerful desktop and just need this for when I'm on the move.
Thank you!

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3199827/windows-260m.html#18663142

Keep it to one place. I answered over there ^

 

[Hlsgsz]

http://www.geforce.com/drivers/results/106386

 

[beegmouse]

It's a tricky one, I hit the same issue installing a GT240M on a 10 year old Acer. The only official driver release was a Vista 32x one. which won't install on an x64 OS

Look at laptop2go.com they specialize in supporting un supported mobile chipsets. You can't find a driver there, but they will teach you how to trick a new/newer driver into installing by adding youre device id to the driver ini file.

Let me know how you got on. I got stuck and installed SteamOS which worked perfectly first time. SO now I'm messing about in Debian.

 

[beegmouse]

Just before I get trolled, if you don't know the difference between an OEM mobile GPUs which requires specific drivers and consumer gpus which can take a driver straight of Nvidia, don't bother commenting, you don't know what you are talking about.

 

[Barty1884]

@beegmouse, you realise that the vast majority of driver support comes directly from nVidia....right?
Where do you think a 260M came from? Dell/Alienware didn't develop it.

Early on, there are specific drivers released (that you can acquire from Dell/Alienware), but long-term support is only going to come directly from nVidia.

The "trick a new/newer driver" shouldn't be relevant here, when there is support directly from nVidia.

Tricking would be relevant in the case you described, where the last update was Vista - and even then, there's no guarantees.

 

[Nune625]

I've tried to install 341.96 but the issue is that it can't detect the cards either. I should have included that into my original post. Apologies

 

[Nune625]

http://www.geforce.com/drivers

Under manual search for your GPU series (200M Series - Notebooks), it appears 341.96 driver is compatible with both your GPU & Windows 10. I'd install that.

Is there anyway to bypass Nvidia's installer? I only ask because it won't let me install it without finding the cards, and finding the cards is the issue. I have a feeling this would fix it as well, but I'm not software savvy enough to come up with a way to get it to ignore the fact the cards aren't being detected and to just install the damn driver

 

[Nune625]

MERGED QUESTION
Question from Nune625 : "260M and Windows 10"

I have a complicated issue. I'm trying to get my 6 year old Alienware M17X R2 to run Windows 10. I upgraded it, however, now Windows can't detect my graphics card. It just says Microsoft basic display adapter.
So I thought, maybe uninstall Windows 10 and install Windows 7, as I can't roll back to Vista. So I have a bootable disc for that. But now I'm hearing the 260M might be compatible with Windows 10? I've updated all the drivers I could find.
Also, I know this may be a lost cause. I have a very powerful desktop and just need this for when I'm on the move.
Thank you!

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3199827/windows-260m.html#18663142

Keep it to one place. I answered over there ^

Sorry, first time here :x

 

[Hlsgsz]

http://www.geforce.com/drivers

Under manual search for your GPU series (200M Series - Notebooks), it appears 341.96 driver is compatible with both your GPU & Windows 10. I'd install that.

Is there anyway to bypass Nvidia's installer? I only ask because it won't let me install it without finding the cards, and finding the cards is the issue. I have a feeling this would fix it as well, but I'm not software savvy enough to come up with a way to get it to ignore the fact the cards aren't being detected and to just install the damn driver

Run the install. It'll extract teh driver to C:/nvidia
Go into device manager, right click the "standard blah blah" hit update driver > browse > and point it to teh said extracted driver folder. If still no cigar, on the page where you browse for the driver files hit "let me pick.."

 

[Nune625]

http://www.geforce.com/drivers

Under manual search for your GPU series (200M Series - Notebooks), it appears 341.96 driver is compatible with both your GPU & Windows 10. I'd install that.

Is there anyway to bypass Nvidia's installer? I only ask because it won't let me install it without finding the cards, and finding the cards is the issue. I have a feeling this would fix it as well, but I'm not software savvy enough to come up with a way to get it to ignore the fact the cards aren't being detected and to just install the damn driver

Run the install. It'll extract teh driver to C:/nvidia
Go into device manager, right click the "standard blah blah" hit update driver > browse > and point it to teh said extracted driver folder. If still no cigar, on the page where you browse for the driver files hit "let me pick.."

I found it in the files, but it said "Windows has determined that the best update has already been installed."
🙁

 

[Hlsgsz]

Do the "let me pick.." instead of just selecting the folder and clicking next.
then "have disk" etc. shoudl be self explainiing.

 

[beegmouse]

Nvidia do not support OEM GPU solutions.

The M suffix implies it is an MXM GPU, Not a standard PCI-E card. Nvidia make the chip, not the card. That is Dell.
Laptop manufacturers have butchered the MXM specs and added custom features to laptops.
As a result Nvidia do not support many "M" hardware IDs as they cannot test them all.

The drivers you have downloaded have should work fine, but you need to add your device ID into the .ini file with the driver after they have extracted.
Then you need to boot windows 10 to support the install of unsigned drivers.
Then do a manual install of the modified driver ini file.

This is the last insight I'm willing to offer. look it up.

 

[Hlsgsz]

Nvidia do not support OEM GPU solutions.

The M suffix implies it is an MXM GPU, Not a standard PCI-E card. Nvidia make the chip, not the card. That is Dell.
Laptop manufacturers have butchered the MXM specs and added custom features to laptops.
As a result Nvidia do not support many "M" hardware IDs as they cannot test them all.

The drivers you have downloaded have should work fine, but you need to add your device ID into the .ini file with the driver after they have extracted.
Then you need to boot windows 10 to support the install of unsigned drivers.
Then do a manual install of the modified driver ini file.

This is the last insight I'm willing to offer. look it up.

If the manual install doesn't work it means that teh above is on point.

 

[Nune625]

I reverted the PC back to Windows Vista and updated the driver manually through Nvidia's website. No other solution would work for me.