Confused on driver selection even after reading the FAQs

[CraigF]

I?m trying to figure out which way to go to update the drivers for the nVidia GeForce Go 7400 on my Sony Vaio SZ543NB (running Vista Business).

I gather from the ForceWare Updater's Quickstart Guide, that any of the nVidia drivers should work, at least with a modified INF file?

However, the official LVGo Recommended Driver thread suggests some drivers are better than others, (and it only lists driver versions up to 91.31) and The NVIDIA driver series explained thread also seems to suggest that some drivers have more mobile support than others (167.xx & 173.xx for instance)?

And the laptopvideo2go homepage currently says the latest Vista 32bit driver is version 167.45, which isn?t even on the Download Drivers page and doesn?t seem to be supported on the INF Enhancer page either?

Not to mention that according to Windows? Device Manager my current driver is version 7.15.10.9735, while DirectX Diag tells me it is 7.15.0010.9735, neither of which seem to fit into the numbering scheme I?ve seen here at all.

I?m assuming I can safely write off the 7.15etc numbering scheme as a feature of the Sony drivers? setup and just ignore that.

Now I like kittens too, but the contradictions have left me confused, so with all due respect to Lych I have to ask:

- Can I go just go with the latest driver for my o/s off the homepage and the matching modded INF file, or is there actually a difference between drivers?

- Do I just have to hope it isn?t needed if the driver version I download isn?t one of the available selections for the INF Enhancer?

[®®®]

I gather from the ForceWare Updater's Quickstart Guide, that any of the nVidia drivers should work, at least with a modified INF file

right

However, the official LVGo Recommended Driver thread suggests some drivers are better than others, (and it only lists driver versions up to 91.31) and The NVIDIA driver series explained thread also seems to suggest that some drivers have more mobile support than others (167.xx & 173.xx for instance)?

This guide is a general approach of how to select drivers. Unfortunately it's outdated with the load of drivers released by NVIDIA over the past couple of months. The verdict of this guide is and will be still correct: more recent drivers fix game and application issues, but they not neccessarily add enhancements for all (and especially older) cards.

And the laptopvideo2go homepage currently says the latest Vista 32bit driver is version 167.45, which isn?t even on the Download Drivers page and doesn?t seem to be supported on the INF Enhancer page either?

The "latest driver" information box (as well as the Enhancer and sortable driver download page) on the frontpage is a work in progress and not always reliable for now. Your best bet are always the dedicated driver posts in the forum.

Not to mention that according to Windows? Device Manager my current driver is version 7.15.10.9735, while DirectX Diag tells me it is 7.15.0010.9735, neither of which seem to fit into the numbering scheme I?ve seen here at all.

I?m assuming I can safely write off the 7.15etc numbering scheme as a feature of the Sony drivers? setup and just ignore that.

7.15.10.9735 = 7.15.0010.9735 = v97.35

Now I like kittens too, but the contradictions have left me confused, so with all due respect to Lych I have to ask:

- Can I go just go with the latest driver for my o/s off the homepage and the matching modded INF file, or is there actually a difference between drivers?

- Do I just have to hope it isn?t needed if the driver version I download isn?t one of the available selections for the INF Enhancer?

Try v174.74 ( http://forums.laptopvideo2go.com/index....showtopic=18049 ) for VISTA 32bit. Try the OEM INFs first. If that doesn#t work, use Pieter's modded INF. Be prepared that some settings might not work as SONY models are known to have problems with the brightness settings.

[BMWM3E30]

Go to configurationpanel,

then device manager,

next display addapters,

double click your gc to see the specs,

choose the tab details,

in the scroll down bar select hardware-id's

There you should find your DEV en SUBSYS codes.

every driver is 'made' for some gc's, so with every driver there's a list

with the original compatible gc's. If your gc (with matching dev and subsys)

is in that list, you have found a good driver, then yuo dont need the modded inf

and now you have to start looking for a driver that originally supports your gc..

i recommend the 174 series..

[CraigF]

Awesome replies, thank you!

Is there a mention anywhere in the FAQs re the "7.15.10.9735 = 7.15.0010.9735 = v97.35" correlations? Reassuring to see how my current drivers' numbering fits in with what's discussed hereabouts.

My Device Manager/Display Adaptor/Details/Hardware IDs says:-

PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_01D8&SUBSYS_81E6104D&REV_A1

PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_01D8&SUBSYS_81E6104D

PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_01D8&CC_030000

PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_01D8&CC_0300

I see DEV_01D8&SUBSYS_81E6104D on the 174.74 list so I'll be trying that immediately...

Edited April 17, 2008 by CraigF

[CraigF]

Just thought I'd add an update...

Completed the update to the 174.74 driver without using the modded .inf file.

So far working perfectly.

Thanks again for the help.

[Darmdorf]

Thanks for your reply.

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