"Video driver failed to initialize" BSOD

[r5a]

Hey all I'm stuck in a really bad place. I got some new nVidia drivers for my laptop from here and im royally ****ed.

Everytime I try and turn it on normally it just shuts off when the windows screen comes on.

When I try to F8 and go to use last known good settings, vga mode, safe mode they all blue screen with the video driver failed to initialize and shut off. I can't access the HP recovery becasue blue screens with the same error (it's weird how HP has their recovery thing with XP? - it does say HP with a cool loading screen thou)

I tried ubuntu live linux to delete the vga.sys and nv4_display.dll and all graphics card files but it only mounts as a read-only filesystem no matter what I do.

I tried using Server 2003 cd to go to recovery console as soon as the setup screem comes up (where the options for pressing enter to start or R for recovery comes up) it shuts off.

I tried using an XP CD to go to the recovery console, as soon as the menu comes up. it freezes.

I have a TON of stuff on my HDD that I really don't want to loose, and formatting I would hate to do but it looks like im going there...

The stop error is

STOP: 0x000000B4 (0x85A576D8, 0x85A56000, 0x85A55000, 0x00050000)

Please can anyone help?

[Bill]

Its from HP, maybe the graphics card decided to randomly stop working.

Jokes aside you can easily back up the HDD using something like a USB to IDE cable and a laptop IDE to desktop IDE adapter. Or just use the adapter and plug it directly into a desktop PC. If you have a laptop SATA drive you should not need an adapter.

You could have a hardware problem.

I highly doubt the graphics card could break that fast though, especially just by installing a new driver.

Try looking in your BIOS and see what is set in there, maybe disabling stuff like the printer port will let it get to the recovery screens.

I know that sounds crazy but its worth a try considering what I found searching on Google....

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=240369

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/250271

Sounds like a BIOS issue, try upgrading it and changing some settings.

[Fabrice Roux]

To access your data you'll want to make a Slax Linux USB key.

Slax:

http://www.slax.org/download.php

MySlax (USB boot packager):

http://myslax.bonsonno.org/download.php

You'll have fully functionnal Linux with burning capabilities... so backup should be straight forward.

Next time you install a Windows system partition your HDD in 3 parts:

- C / 7-10Gb : system and resident programs. (Antivirus, Firewall, Instant messengers, CD image software...)

- D / 10-xxGb : other programs and games.

- E / xx Gb : all my data. (right click on my documents then move)

When done that way you should still be able to access your data.

And like Bill said you should get one USB2 powered 2"5 HDD enclosure plus an extra HDD.