44 replies to this topic

[mobilenvidia]

All drivers come with an "Installation INF(ormation) file".
This tells the installer how to install the driver.
The INF has the instructions to what files to copy and where.
It will also setup settings to install with.

The INF also has a list of products that it will install for.
nVidia provides UDA (Unified Driver Architecture) where the driver should work for all their released GPUs.
So the driver itself will support ALL GPUs, but the INF the driver comes with will only support a selected set of GPU

nVidia by default don't support laptop GPUs with beta and WHQL driver updates on their server.
This is left up to the OEM to organize. I assume nVidia must charge to have an OEM driver made or be included, as they are very rear for OEM to actually update a video driver.
So an OEM driver has specific instructions for that laptop (ie model specific) and will only work with a select few laptops.
So a Toshiba OEM driver with a toshiba INF (nvts.inf) will only work with the models included in that INF.
For an constantly updated overview of ODM/OEM INFs found by us in drivers go HERE.


This is where we come in.
We have made up a database of all the GPUs that nVidia have made or are about to make (or were going to make but abandoned).
This database we then split up into sections, Mobile, TNT, Desktop, and Quadros.
We then added the tweaks that are needed to make each of those work.

Then as part of another project we collected the settings to enable everything that is hidden inside the driver.
You can now overclock, use VMR and many other little tweaks, that nVidia normally keeps hidden or only makes available to OEMs.
We combine the 2 sections above to enable all tweaks to all GPUs.

And what you see then is the modded INF that you download seperately.

The modded INF will install on any machine, it should work normaly most of the time.
Some machines may need additional tweaks or different settings, there are 1000's of possibilities.
So sometimes a feature may not work unless you fiddle with the driver or the INF settings.
I have in the INF many possible fixes included that may need to be enabled if you experience problems.


Now, you will need a modded INF if you have a:

Laptop and want to install any other driver other than the driver specific for your machine.
Desktop or Quadro and you want to try a OEM laptop driver.
TNT based desktop and want to try a 8x.xx+ driver.
Laptop or Desktop and you want to try a Quadro based driver.

I hope this explains what INFs are and how they work and what is changed to make them work for everybody.

[Bill]

Now that you have read what an INF file is, go read the driver installation thread and get your drivers updated!
How to install drivers using the have disk method
Also, don't forget my Divx movie linked at the top of the thread.

[mobilenvidia]

In our Enhancer Page you will find a tweak called Perf/Qual.
This tweak will allow you to add either Performance or Quality enhancing tweaks to the INFs.
It has been made to make the choices easy for you, it will place the Control panel sliders into either the best Performance or Quality mode.
It only affects the most obvious settings, there are many other tweaks that can be added but this is best left to other Tweaker sites.

The tweaks should work with any machine and doesn't rely on special 'Latest' Hardware needed.
So for you newbies or lazy folk out there the hard work has been done for you.

The Performance tweaks are best left for just benchmarking as the original INF has good performance and good Quality.
The performance tweaks will lower quality slightly.

The Quality tweaks are for those with unlimited GPU power that demand the best looks from their games.
Performance is of course a little slower.

Any queries or problems feel free to comment.

Enjoy

[asdvender]

Why would performance be slower? Quality looks better, perfomance runs smoother right?

[®®®]

Performance (of Quality INF) is of course a little slower.

I think this is a misunderstanding.

[Bill]

You will need to edit the version number in the INF if Pieter hasn't made one yet. You can use an INF from a similar version number, edit the version number and use it.
You should be able to do that without any major issues.
But we usually get the INFs up pretty quickly. If you know of a driver that we don't have here, just tell us about it and we will grab it and make a mod INF.

To sum it up, matching INFs aren't required because they are mostly very similar to each other, but you should always try to use the INF that goes with the driver.
It essentially is required unless you mod a different INF. If you don't mod the non-matching INF, I am pretty sure it will not install.

[Darmdorf]

So the only thing a modified INF does is allow the UDA (which works universally with any nvidia GPU) to be used on any laptop?

OK, dan, welcome to the forum and thank you for the excellent questions -- register and make yourself right at home. As you've correctly understood from reading our forum host's first post in this strategically important thread, Nvidia's UDA is a very sensible methodology with regard to the drivers themselves, which is no doubt very difficult for them to achieve, and boasts the great advantage of allowing ANY of their drivers to be utilized with virtually ANY Nvidia product. The standard "out of the box" INFs included with the normal driver releases only catalog a rather small segment of specific Nvidia products for installation. This is usually because the release is targeted for use with a small number of product models for a particular manufacturer [i.e. laptops], or for a specific selection or 'range' of cards. mobilenvidia performs his magic by adding the 'recognizable' specifications of all known products from his private data base, allowing the drivers to be installed with any of the products. This is a very major task, because along with the specifications, very often special handling and installation instructions must be inserted for certain cards. This is the real challenge. Not to mention the additional burden of also creating 2 specialty INF 'flavors' for quality or performance and even special repairs with the Enhancer tool.

But beware! Not every driver is really meant to see service with every product. Recently drivers are being organized within 'suites', which address specific themes (gaming, notebooks, SLI, etc.)

I'm concerned about this because I don't want to void my warranty. I would like to install windows XP to get better performance out of my laptop. It has a 8600m GS.

To my knowledge, installation of a driver which is not supplied directly by your manufacturer's support is probably not going to adversely influence your warranty rights.

There is no way installing a modified INF could void warranty or potentially damage my GPU right?

As far as warranty goes -- See above. A modified INF may allow your already stressed-out card to run 'unbridled' and therefore produce more heat. Certain user adjustments can also influence things into a critical thermal zone or force ram or gpu to overclock into a hazardous realm. In other words --- be prudent and use common sense [most especially with laptops]!

[dbolton]

Thanks for the reply, Darmdorf. I took your advice and decided to register. I like everything you said except that last bit... but I'm not giving up on modded drivers just yet...

As far as warranty goes -- See above. A modified INF may allow your already stressed-out card to run 'unbridled' and therefore produce more heat. Certain user adjustments can also influence things into a critical thermal zone or force ram or gpu to overclock into a hazardous realm. In other words --- be prudent and use common sense [most especially with laptops]!

So if I'm careful, do my research beforehand, and don't modify the INFs myself, I shouldn't have any problems right?

I just don't know how much I like this idea. Modified INFs seem a little scary.

[Darmdorf]

Geesh....did I sound all that Darth Varder-ish? Thank you heartily for joining our ranks! I just don't want to stand on the band wagon and scream 'come and get pure bliss', if you know what I mean. Literally thousands of forum users are happily using those 'modified' INFs to their advantage, and the negative feedback fits on the head of a pin -- as far as I know. Like I said though, it isn't completely straight-forward or merely 'push the magic twanger', so just exercise your good gut feelings. And enjoy!

[dbolton]

Thanks for clearing that up. Taking a look at the forums seems to indicate otherwise, but then again I wouldn't expect someone who DIDNT have a problem to post about it in the forums as much as those who did. I'll hopefully be getting my laptop soon, and I will definetly give modded INFs a try!

[sayad111]

Now that you have read what an INF file is, go read the driver installation thread and get your drivers updated!
How to install drivers using the have disk method
Also, don't forget my Divx movie linked at the top of the thread.

Yah..i did it help thanks




--
Webkinz Recipes

[®®®]

...even though its not on the list...
...how can i make the inf support my proper GPU

This is a misunderstanding. In all driver threads only the supported GPUs from the original INF are listed.
Pieter's INF ("modded INF") supports all GPUs, you don#t have to do anything except replacing the original INF(s) in the driver. Then use HaveDisk method to update.

[Darmdorf]

Hi there EntityUK. First of all please feel free to register and join us in our pursuit of Nvidia knowledge and black magic. It might seem like we know everything, but that certainly isn't the case as we don't even own a crystal ball.

I think if you take the time to read our pinned topics as we always 'preach' to our new visitors, you'll see quite clearly the singular purpose of LV2go modded INFs. As I've stated elsewhere, many OEM laptop manufacturers simply avoid the level of graphic driver support their customers deem to be necessary. And as you already noted, some drivers espouse to 'fix' specific game problems, while others seem to merely be development milestones.

We most certainly can't advise you as to what effect [desirable or not] a particular driver may exhibit with your specific flavor of hardware & applications. You're perfectly free to take the plunge and find out for yourself. To this end, the forum added the Community Led Driver Recommendations (which now reside in the Archives) where users could post their experiences for various Nvidia product series.


LV2go simply opens the cookie box. We leave the enjoyable chores of eating and taste building to our forum members.

[zipper]

A: Yes B: No