Larry's INFs for Dell 5150/5160

[kane81]

^

Nope thats worse ... I now cant add custom resolutions using powerstrip... the "driver" wont accept 1368x768 any more from powerstrips registry entry.

BTW: When not using powerstrip - I have only been able to get 1368x768 from the the vista drivers - was forced installed under 5200LE.

I think it has to do with how vista handles monitor profiles? my Panasonic LCD doesnt have EIED thingy so I have to mannually add it using powerstrip, unless of course I'm using the vista based drivers.

Happpy to keep testing.

Thanks

[LSudlow]

Interesting. I think the reason you can't use PowerStrip to add it is because it's already there but not visible. I'm not sure why, though. Have you tried unchecking the "Hide Modes" box?

I guess you should use the previous inf for now since you can at least use it with PowerStrip. I'll do some more checking at this end.

[kane81]

here is what I have discovered....

1) (5:06AM larry inf) - no 1368x768 / custom resolutions

2) Switched back to (2:51AM Larry inf) - no 1368x768 / custom resolutions :) - and it was working in prev test

3) Switched back to (Pieter__s_67.66_nv4_disp___Larry_Sug.inf) - 1368x768 custom resolutions back - standby seems to work ok now.

4) Switched back to (5:06AM Larry inf) - again no 1368x768 / custom resolutions :)

5) Switched back to (Pieter__s_67.66_nv4_disp___Larry_Sug.inf) - 1368x768 custom resolutions back

4) Switched back to (2:51AM Larry inf) - 1368x768 not there - I must have screwed up some how when I said 1366x768 was working under this inf :P

conclusion - pieters add a registry setting (or something) that allows custom resolutions

- Larry inf overwrites pieters "custom res" which stop custom resolutions being used.

BTW: when activating custom res in powerstrip - under pieter's - it reports "custom res as been accepted". When trying under larry, it always say you need to restart to see if become avaliable. ... ie the driver reject powerstrips request to add the custom resolution

Hope this make sense.

[LSudlow]

The mystery deepens. I took a look at Pieter's inf for 67.66 and our mode lines are identical. (Or they were until I changed mine from 1366x768 to 1368x768.) So something else is going on.

When you install a new driver, the old settings aren't always replaced. In a situation like this, I always recommend uninstalling the previous driver in the Windows Control Panel before installing the new driver - just to be sure some old settings aren't mucking up the works.

One basic question: Are you sure your resolution is 1368x768 and not 1366x768? Most Hi-Def screens are 1366, not 1368, and 1366 is the resolution we've always used in our infs. You might try 1366 as your custom resolution and see what happens. Even if the physical pixels are 1368, the controller might be 1366. (Make sure you aren't using the inf I changed to 1368 when you try this.)

[kane81]

^

I will have a look at the res thing tonight when I get home. However you are wrong about the files being the same.

Looking at the two files using FCU there are a ton of differences. some maybe more important than others.....

would you like me to try and makeup a list of differences? ... here are some that I can see at the top - left is Larry, right is Peiters

note: "-" means not there

[version]

CatalogFile = NV4_DISP.CAT | CatalogFile =

[DestinationDirs]

- | nv.ALIGART = 12

- | nv.nViewPanel = 11

- | nv.nViewHelp = 18

[sourceDisksNames]

- | 3 = %DiskID3%

- | 4 = %DiskID4%

- | 5 = %DiskID5%

- | 6 = %DiskID6%

[sourceDisksFiles]

nv4_disp.dll = 1 | nv4_disp.dll = 2

nvoglnt.dll = 1 | nvoglnt.dll = 3

nvcpl.dll = 1 | nvcpl.dll = 4

nvmctray.dll = 1 | nvmctray.dll = 4

nvcpl.hlp = 1 | nvcpl.hlp = 4

nvwddi.dll = 1 | nvwddi.dll = 4

nvwcplen.hlp = 1 | nvwcplen.hlp = 4

... etc

[nv4]

CopyFiles = nv4.Miniport, nv.Display, nv4.icd, nv.Panel, nv.Help

[nv4_mobile]

CopyFiles = nv4.Miniport, nv.Display, nv4.icd, nv.Panel, nv.Help, nv.nViewPanel, nv.nViewHelp

[nv4.GeneralConfigData]

MaximumNumberOfDevices = 2

[nv4_mobile.GeneralConfigData]

MaximumNumberOfDevices = 4

What the difference between [nv4_mobile.GeneralConfigData] and [nv4.GeneralConfigData]

why are they different?

Edited September 7, 2007 by kane81

[LSudlow]

I know about the file differences - they're what make mine customized for the 5150/5160. I was referring to the Modes line that controls available resolutions. Pieter and I use the same Modes line for 67.66, with some cosmetic spacing differences.

Let me know what happens with 1366x768. Thanks!

[kane81]

what about this line?

CatalogFile = NV4_DISP.CAT | CatalogFile =

in pieters he doesnt say to use this catalog file?

and there are file copied by peiters that are by yours?

What I will do tonight is a clean install of vista without power strip and report back.

[LSudlow]

Yes, there are some differences between Pieter's inf and mine - but not in the specific line that controls available resolutions.

:)

Try the clean install, and let us know how you make out with the 1366x768 resolution.

[kane81]

Ok, clean install with vista.

I installed pieters driver and no I dont get 1366x768 or 1368x768- I only get the default "standard nvidia" resolutions in vista.

so the resolution 1368x768 came from powerstrip.

Thus the difference between the two inf is pieters allows powerstrip to add resolutions and larrys doesnt...

I suspect maybe vista is more strict with mapping monitor resolutions???

anyway here what I will try.

I will

1) add the custom res using powerstrip

2) try and copy section by sectin, larry inf into pieters (replacing) until custom resolutions will not be shown.

this will tell us why pieters allows new resolutions from powerstrip and why larrys doesnt...

this may take a while....

Cheers

Edited September 7, 2007 by kane81

[LSudlow]

Good detective work! Thanks!

:)

[kane81]

:) ..... Hours Later

Yay, found the problem

based on larry inf for 67.66

need to delete this key (it seems to block all custom resolutions, even in the inf)

[nv_SoftwareDeviceSettings]

HKR,, WidePanelBehavior, %REG_DWORD%, 0x31

and add

[nv_ClearRegistrySwitches]

HKR,, WidePanelBehavior

Doing this will allow you to add custom resolutions using powerstrip in vista!

And also allow you to use the custom resolutions contained in the inf file!!!!!!

(I removed powerstrip and the custom res added by powerstrip, and 1366x768 was still there!)

I'm glad I could help, thanks for the hard work that you have put into this Larry.

cant wait for a vista native inf driver :)

[kane81]

BTW:

for people with Dell 5150 running vista who cant get their MCE Remote to wake the laptop from Standby. I found out that plugging in a usb mouse, setting it to allow waking also allowed the remote to wake the laptop!

(MceInfared device need to be set to wake too.)

not sure why, but it works! (maybe becuase there are two devices, the usb hub gets more power?)

Edited September 7, 2007 by kane81

[LSudlow]

Truly excellent detective work! I'll make that change on all my infs.

I'll also post a beta Vista inf for 97.34 for everyone to try. I'll be interested to hear your results.

Thanks! :)

[LSudlow]

September 7, 2007 update:

- Added a beta inf (nv4_97V_beta.inf) for Vista driver 97.34, a driver that reportedly runs Vista fairly well on the 5150/5160. Giving credit where it belongs, this inf mostly adds my 5150/5160 tweaks to Pieter's 97.34 Vista inf. I haven't tried it yet, so please let me know how it works.

- Due to some excellent detective work by kane81, all infs now allow creation of custom widescreen modes.

As always, please let me know if anything doesn't work properly.

[kane81]

Some 3DMark03 benchmarks using larry's drivers on Vista 5150 - the 97.34 vista drivers are really slow when compared with 67.66.... wonder if the later vista drivers run any better.... is there anyway to get aero to run on XP drivers?

also hyperthreading doesnt seem to play any major role in the benchmarks

67.66 Windows Classic

1280, 1280 (Hyperthreading)

1260, 1280 (Single)

67.66 Windows Basic

1279, 1280 (Hyperthreading)

1281, 1278 (Single)

67.66 Windows Aero

(N/A)

---------------------------------

97.34 Windows Classic

737,729 (Hyperthreading)

722, 721 (Single)

97.34 Windows Basic

737,732 (Hyperthreading)

716,722 (Single)

97.34 Windows Aero

728,731 (Hyperthreading)

723,719 (Single)

Edited September 11, 2007 by kane81

[LSudlow]

Thanks for reporting your results! I knew the Vista driver would be slower, but that's a bigger margin than I expected. For gaming, the XP drivers work much better. As near as I can tell the newer drivers are even slower. (The farther away we get from 67.66, the less optimized the drivers are for the Go5200.)

3DMark03 isn't a threaded benchmark so hyperthreading won't have any effect.

Here are the keys to add Aero to the XP drivers in Vista. They go in the [nv_ControlPanelSettings] section:

HKLM,"Software\Microsoft\DWM", AnimationsShiftKey, %REG_DWORD%, 1

HKLM,"Software\Microsoft\DWM", EnableMachineCheck, %REG_DWORD%, 0

HKLM,"Software\Microsoft\DWM", Glass, %REG_DWORD%, 1

It was horribly slow for me when I tried it. I'll be interested to hear how it works for you.

[kane81]

^

Hmm, didnt work, when I go to apperances, I dont see the aero option, maybe it is time to re-image...

so you did get areo working under 67.66?

BTW:

16501_Vista 3DMark03 results using your 97 beta inf

741, 743

- this version was very flaky! on startup always get a blurry screen, only way to see anything is to go into standby.

then when you come out the screen is normal again. every now and again there a small graphic glitches. loading 3dmark03 resulted in white screen for 5-8 seconds. Faster than 97.34... yes...just. But too buggy to be of any use.

Couldnt get 16367_Vista working at all..... one thing I dont get is 16501 is older(back in july) than 16367 (september) ??? shouldnt 165 be the latest version?

Eiher way I think it is fair to say if we can get aero to run on 67.66, then we should stick with it and avoid the vista drivers as they are heaps slower.....

Edited September 12, 2007 by kane81

[LSudlow]

I'm not sure those keys work any more. They worked in the early beta versions of Vista and I indeed had them working with 67.66. But I heard that Microsoft disabled them in the released version of Vista.

Oh well... it was worth a try.

Nvidia's version numbers are a mess and you can't use them to figure out the newest drivers. The driver dates are the only thing you can really count on.

Your results with my beta Vista inf are not surprising. Now we need to go through the [nv_SoftwareDeviceSettings] section and remove the suspect lines. I would start by removing all the D3D lines and see if it helps.

[kane81]

Nvidia's version numbers are a mess and you can't use them to figure out the newest drivers. The driver dates are the only thing you can really count on.

Ahh, I see...

I'm not sure those keys work any more. They worked in the early beta versions of Vista and I indeed had them working with 67.66. But I heard that Microsoft disabled them in the released version of Vista.

Oh well... it was worth a try

doh! oh well....

[kane81]

Larry,

I plan to stay on 67.66 drivers, sure there is no aero, but performance is heaps better than the native vista drivers.

Reading up, Aero needs a driver model that the XP drivers will never be able to provide. different architecture. Apparently legacy WDM support was taken out of vista final build....

I was going to benchmark 84.98 and 94.24 under vista, but the moment I start the benchmark, the laptop restarts.I then switched back to 67.66, and there was no "restart" when running the 3dmark (eliminating "old settings from other drivers cause restart"). I then tried installing 84.98 and the system restarted when I tried the benchmark again....

[LSudlow]

It's interesting that the later drivers crash when running the benchmark. Do you get any kind of error message?

[kane81]

^Nope, just a restart.

I've just done a clean install, so will try again, may a registry setting from a later driver is still hanging around?....

[kane81]

Clean vista install again - system is full patched/updated

3DMarks03 Benchmarks for the Default Vista Driver with Aero

version 7.14.10.9686

717,716

84.95 and 94.24 defiantly crash when running 3dmark.

also 94.24 fails to show the nvidia control panel. the tab is there with the words (unknown). when clicking on the tab nothing ever shows. 84.95 shows the nvidia panel fine.

------------------

Problem with larrys 84.95 driver under vista

Blue Screen of Death

nv4_mini.sys

Problem signature:

Problem Event Name: BlueScreen

OS Version: 6.0.6000.2.0.0.768.3

Locale ID: 3081

Additional information about the problem:

BCCode: 50

BCP1: FE152048

BCP2: 00000000

BCP3: 88899C18

BCP4: 00000002

OS Version: 6_0_6000

Service Pack: 0_0

Product: 768_1

Files that help describe the problem:

C:\Windows\Minidump\Mini091407-01.dmp

C:\Users\Media\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-90843-0.sysdata.xml

C:\Users\Media\AppData\Local\Temp\WERE77C.tmp.version.txt

-------------------

Problem with larrys 94.24 driver under vista

Blue Screen of Death

nv4_mini.sys

Problem signature:

Problem Event Name: BlueScreen

OS Version: 6.0.6000.2.0.0.768.3

Locale ID: 3081

Additional information about the problem:

BCCode: 50

BCP1: FDD4E888

BCP2: 00000000

BCP3: 88850888

BCP4: 00000002

OS Version: 6_0_6000

Service Pack: 0_0

Product: 768_1

Files that help describe the problem:

C:\Windows\Minidump\Mini091407-02.dmp

C:\Users\Media\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-32093-0.sysdata.xml

C:\Users\Media\AppData\Local\Temp\WERB361.tmp.version.txt

Cheers

[LSudlow]

Drat. I wish I could track down those NV4Mini crashes. I'm going to have to do some serious troubleshooting on this pretty soon.

Thanks for reporting back!

[kane81]

I dont think it is urgent.. 67.66 works ok and the 97.34 vista driver seems ok, just slow....

but yeah, I think my debugging days are over, my wife want the media centre back up and running!

I'm sticking to 67.66 as it is fast and stable. sure there is no Aero, but basic is ok.

Thanks

Kane