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SL Won't Load Due to Driver Message

Prokofy Neva
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Prokofy Neva

Prokofy Neva

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So I *just installed the other day* an update to my GeForce driver because SL was crashing with kernel messages and whatnot.

I was just logged in not even hours ago and logged off.

Now when logging in, I get this scary "you need to update your driver!" message and SL will not load unless I do this.

I've never had that kind of message from LL before about their software, in 13 years.

Usually if a driver or a graphic card wasn't quite up to muster, it still loaded, maybe you saw things badly, maybe you had to put all your draw distance down, maybe you crashed, but it loaded.

So now I see an even newer driver from GeForce, so I'll try this, an endless process for various reasons but my hunch is that I'm going to have to roll all these back to the status quo ante because the issue is not needing a new driver, but some wonky wonky thing with SL. Stay tuned.

 

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Whirly Fizzle

Whirly Fizzle

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The latest Nvidia 397.31driver has a bug -  after a random amount of time the driver isn't detected anymore, causing SL viewers not being able to start with "outdated graphics driver" error message, the nvidia control panel crashes, gpu-z doesn't detect card details anymore, directx games stop working etc etc... until you reboot the computer.

Some chatter about it here: https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/1046849/geforce-drivers/official-397-31-game-ready-whql-display-driver-feedback-thread-released-4-25-18-/post/5334645/#5334645

There's a hotfix driver but many people are saying it doesn't fix the problem.
For now I think it's best to roll back to a pre 397.31 driver & wait for Nvidia to fix it properly.

 

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Prokofy Neva

Prokofy Neva

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11 minutes ago, Whirly Fizzle said:

The latest Nvidia 397.31driver has a bug -  after a random amount of time the driver isn't detected anymore, causing SL viewers not being able to start with "outdated graphics driver" error message, the nvidia control panel crashes, gpu-z doesn't detect card details anymore, directx games stop working etc etc... until you reboot the computer.

Some chatter about it here: https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/1046849/geforce-drivers/official-397-31-game-ready-whql-display-driver-feedback-thread-released-4-25-18-/post/5334645/#5334645

There's a hotfix driver but many people are saying it doesn't fix the problem.
For now I think it's best to roll back to a pre 397.31 driver & wait for Nvidia to fix it properly.

 

Well, here's some fun facts.

Here's the graphics card and driver I just installed; keep in mind that the driver just before that one crashed SL too.

GeForce Experience
GeForce GTX 970
Version 3.13.1.30
Driver 397.31

Here's what LL says are minimum requirements and optimal versions:

Minimum
NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better

Maximum
NVIDIA Graphics cards
9000 Series:
9600, 9800
200 Series:
275 GTX, 295 GTX

Won't Run
NVIDIA cards that report as a RIVA TNT or TNT2
NVIDIA cards that report as Quadro
 

So in talking to the NVidia customer service, I found out that my card, number 970, is actually NEWER than the series 9600 that LL recommends. That doesn't seem to make sense -- why is something with less zeroes newer? But in the world of tech, they may have a fear of going up over 10000 to five digits or something, so they start the enumeration again.

And hence, a nearly-unheard-of thing, me having a graphics card NEWER than their recommended optimal -- which usually I find I never get to before my computer itself dies. Usually I'm just in under the wire.

Why? Because like legion of normal people, I buy my computers at Best Buy. I don't build it from New Egg and don't even buy parts in Koreatown and get a geek to build it. I just buy what is reasonably priced off the shelf from Best Buy because they have Geek Squad, which I know is sub-par, but it is cheap with the warranty. DataVision and Compu-Something uptown are far from my house, and I have got bad computers at those stores -- they all are guilty of taking returned broken computers and refurbishing them, which you sometimes discover. Best Buy more or less works.

HOWEVER the problem is that the available Best Buys never have the specs that SL needs. Ever. You have to spend another $200 to get a graphics card to play SL, it's that picky.

Then, because whatever Best Buy you got can't really take that graphics card, you have to buy a better fan to cool it. As it is, a year after purchase, even with cleaning with air cans, my computer often sounds like it is in a windstorm playing SL because really, the fan is probably wearing down or it is just "straining" to play SL even with this card.

But come to find out, this card is "too new" for SL. The CS guy said it will play, but may have errors and crashes.

I haven't tried the hot fix yet.

BTW, over my THIRTEEN YEARS getting my PhD in computer engineering AKA playing/troubleshooting SL haha -- I have had ATI Radeon. I've had others. They all have problems. I have never had an optimal SL experience, ever. I wish Linden Lab sold computers already pre-set-up with what ACTUALLY WORKS TO PLAY THEIR GAME.

 

Edited by Prokofy Neva
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Whirly Fizzle

Whirly Fizzle

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8 minutes ago, Prokofy Neva said:

Driver 397.31

Yep, that's the buggy driver.
There's nothing wrong with your system or the SL viewer - this is a driver bug.

8 minutes ago, Prokofy Neva said:

I found out that my card, number 970, is actually NEWER than the series 9600 that LL recommends. That doesn't seem to make sense -- why is something with less zeroes newer? But in the world of tech, they may have a fear of going up over 10000 to five digits or something, so they start the enumeration again.

Because that's just the way Nvidia chose to number their cards.
The 970 is a decent card for SL.
Just roll the driver back & you should be ok.
If you prefer not to roll back, try the hotfix driver : https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4661

The hotfix includes this fix: " Windows 10: Driver may get removed after PC has been left idle for an extended period of time."
Some people say it's fixed the problem, other's say it hasn't.

Edited by Whirly Fizzle
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