Bioshock and Nvidia Driver

[MirrorriM]

I've changed this thread from its first topic since Bioshock is now uninstalled and I'm not going to play the game anymore. Here's background info:

I've been playing Bioshock for maybe 2 weeks. When I first installed the game, it asked me to install this graphics driver for better performance with the game, even though it didnt have some Windows-approved thing to it. I did it anyway, Bioshock worked fine and my computer seemed to be fine until I tried to play a movie in Windows Media Player. I get the BSOD.

Update:

Okay so I finished playing Bioshock and went to put back my old driver so I could watch DVD's again. I did exactly what Ewan suggested and uninstalled the drivers, rebooted, installed good driver, rebooted.

Now I have another wonderful problem!!

I still get the Blue Screen of Death with the message nv4_disp.dll. I've searched google and found a lot of people with the same problem, and no fix except "update drivers." Since driver 169.21 IS the latest driver, I cant do that.

What I've tried:

1. Uninstalled drivers again, rebooted, downloaded a new .exe of the same driver and installed, rebooted, same error.
2. I ran a search, found 3 files with nv4_disp.dll, made sure they were all the latest version.
3. Uninstalled drivers, rebooted, ran the program Driver Cleaner Pro, rebooted, installed drivers.
4. Upgraded my BIOS and Intel chipset.
5. Tried playing DVD with media player, cineplayer, VLC, and Media Center.
6. Went to Dell manufacturing site, looked up major updates for my computer, updated everything I could.
7. Uninstalled Bioshock.
8. Installed older drivers (169.13), same problem. It also left a nice big black bar covering half my desktop (but programs, websites, icons, can cover this black screen. It seems to have cut off half of my desktop background).
9. Made sure only 1 nv4_disp.dll file was in my system32 folder.
10. Tried using Omega drivers.
11. System restore failed, for whatever reason.
12. Reset BIOS to factory settings, in short-didnt work. Caused some major problems though that I eventually fixed.

Does anyone have any idea how to fix this short of a reformat?

System Specs:

-Windows XP
-Nvidia 8600 GT
-4 gigs RAM
-2.13 GHz intel duo core processor

[Noah]

Reinstalling the game without installing the driver will not give you back the driver you used to have. You changed it already.

nVidia released a beta driver that were made for games like Bioshock and Crysis. It made Crysis go better, but Bioshock already went fluent on my 8800GTS. I'd recommend you to go to the nVidia site, and download that driver.

Also, are you still getting BSODs?

[Jerome Scuggs]

I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I'd suggest re-aligning the flex plexico unit horizontally from the mandela carburetor and then give it a few reboots. If that doesn't work, don some rubber gloves and go in manually through the USB-supported anal cavity.

[PH]

you probably need a new double overhead reverse throwdown modulator. those aren't cheap.

[Jerome Scuggs]

you probably need a new double overhead reverse throwdown modulator. those aren't cheap.

I'd suggest using a PMIT-A instead of the outdated DORT-M. PH, are you trying to give her a pancake override situation?

[MirrorriM]

You guys are so helpful, but I already tried installing the double overhead reverse throwdown modulator and the PMIT-A instead of the outdated DORT-M failed to launch.

Anyways, to the only helpful one:

I forgot to say that I rolled back my driver after I reinstalled Bioshock, so that I had my normal one back again.

nVidia released a beta driver that were made for games like Bioshock and Crysis

I'm assuming that's the same one the game told me to download and install.

I dont get BSOD's after removing this beta driver. Just the game is nonplayable now.

[Ewan]

Firstly, download the most recent graphics driver.

You have two options:

Beta driver:
These drivers are typically released when new games come out, specifically to improve the performance in that game. They have the naming schemes "169.20" type, the higher the number, the most recent they are. Go to www.guru3d.com and find the latest one for your card/OS.

Non-beta:
Alternatively, you can just get a non-beta one from www.nvidia.com. Bioshock has been out long enough that I doubt you'll see any improvement from a beta one so this is probably your best bet.


OK, IMPORTANT STEP
Once you've downloaded the driver, make sure you uninstall the current one before installing the new one. Go to add/remove programs (or programs and features in Vista) and uninstall the listing "Nvidia drivers". This will require a reboot, and when it reboots you'll probably be at crappy 800 x 600 resolution and the colours will look funky. This is normal.

Now, run the .exe you downloaded and install the new drivers. You'll get the windows warning thing (you always get this with nVidia drivers), just click ok/continue/whatever and carry on. Once they have installed, you will have to reboot once more. When it's booted, you'll be able to put your resolution back and such.

Seriously though, make sure you uninstall the old one before installing the new one.

[MirrorriM]

I already have the latest one from Nvidia, 169.21

guru3d is a messy site, searched for anything on bioshock (none), searched for drivers for my video card (a bazillion) and im not going to read the info for every single one. All of the search results were older drivers, 163 range. Guess I'm going to try 169.18...

[Noah]

Maybe you could try to use the driver that lets you play Bioshock, and find a workaround for the BSOD. Try to look through google for any known problems with that driver combined with your card.

Can you play similar new FPS games? Are there any problems with anything else that is graphically heavy? Any problems in general with your computer?

Also, if the driver you are using now is the one your rollbacked to, do what Ewan said. Download it, uninstall your current driver, reinstall it. I'm going to recommend you to never rollback a driver again. You will always get a better result when you completley unistall a driver, abd reinstalling it.

[Remezetti]

Did you try http://shadershock.tk/ ? Might be worth it to put something on there, requesting help.
Nothing more I can say to you. My friends got good stuff from that website; I have no idea, my comp can't run Bioshock.
Good luck.

[Jerome Scuggs]

Did you try http://shadershock.tk/ ? Might be worth it to put something on there, requesting help.
Nothing more I can say to you. My friends got good stuff from that website; I have no idea, my comp can't run Bioshock.
Good luck.

son, using that will lead to the same klaus kinski beta-drive instance that led to 37 world of warcraft servers temporarily sentient with evil intent. are you serious? she said she wanted bioshock to work, not try to murder her loved ones.

try using a deltron 3030 interscope orbital device. be careful when shopping around - dealing with the chinese might raise questions with your local intelligence bureau - unless you're the chinese, in which case i've already spoken too much about the "deltron 3030" bug as per the mccain-sponsored "don't let the ****s turn computers into murdering robot armies act of 2008".

see you in gitmo! good luck with your issue!

[Remezetti]

son, using that will lead to the same klaus kinski beta-drive instance that led to 37 world of warcraft servers temporarily sentient with evil intent. are you serious? she said she wanted bioshock to work, not try to murder her loved ones.

try using a deltron 3030 interscope orbital device. be careful when shopping around - dealing with the chinese might raise questions with your local intelligence bureau - unless you're the chinese, in which case i've already spoken too much about the "deltron 3030" bug as per the mccain-sponsored "don't let the ****s turn computers into murdering robot armies act of 2008".

see you in gitmo! good luck with your issue!

Excuse me. As I said, my friends used that site to make the game work. If the website ain't good don't use it. My fault, just trying to help.

[Jerome Scuggs]

Excuse me. As I said, my friends used that site to make the game work. If the website ain't good don't use it. My fault, just trying to help.

one word: nanocide.

[MirrorriM]

Please some techie help!

Okay so I finished playing Bioshock and went to put back my old driver so I could watch DVD's again. I did exactly what Ewan suggested and uninstalled the drivers, rebooted, installed good driver, rebooted.

Now I have another wonderful problem!!

I still get the Blue Screen of Death with the message nv4_disp.dll. I've searched google and found a lot of people with the same problem, and no fix except "update drivers." Since driver 169.21 IS the latest driver, I cant do that.

What I've tried:

1. Uninstalled drivers again, rebooted, downloaded a new .exe of the same driver and installed, rebooted, same error.
2. I ran a search, found 3 files with nv4_disp.dll, made sure they were all the latest version.
3. Uninstalled drivers, rebooted, ran the program Driver Cleaner Pro, rebooted, installed drivers.
4. Upgraded my BIOS and Intel chipset.
5. Tried playing DVD with media player, cineplayer, VLC, and Media Center.
6. Went to Dell manufacturing site, looked up major updates for my computer, updated everything I could.
7. Uninstalled Bioshock.

So I've spent several hours trying to fix this, rebooted my computer probably 12 times now, and same damn error.

Does anyone have any idea how to fix this short of a reformat?

Update: Installed older drivers (169.13), same problem. It also left a nice big black bar covering half my desktop (but programs, websites, icons, can cover this black screen. It seems to have cut off half of my desktop background).

[Singularity]

quote: Old 11-11-2006, 11:16 AM
bang Offline
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1
Thumbs up nv4_disp.dll fixed easy
i had this problom for a few months and read all the fixes over the net. none seemd to work. i found omega drivers for my nvidia card but that didn't work either. i brain stormed and was going to replace the nv4_disp.dll driver with the omega one when i went into my c:/windows/system32 folder. i found that i had 3 of the same driver so i went back and reinstalled the newest nvidia drivers from the nvidia website. after that i went back to the c:/windows/system32 folder an got rid of the other nv4_disp.dll files and kept the one for the newest drivers. and low and behold. i have never had that problom again. so try that. if you have more than one of the nv4_DISP.DLL files in that folder that just might be your problem. so try it. if it works please email me with the subject thanks for helping me nv4_disp.dll. hope you all figure it out this is the only place im posting.
email me at rich29000@aol.com. my myspace is www.myspace\freedomking5000 later all happy fixxing

i have the nvidia 7800 gtx 256 card