A possible solution to nVidia Kernel Mode Driver lockup

veljamh

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Nov 25, 2010
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This is more of a guide on how to resolve a certain nVidia GPU issue.

Applies to all those who are getting "Nvidia Kernel Mode Driver has stopped responding and has successfully recovered"

Main issue: Limitation of GPU Clock due to power management.
Issue 1: nVidia Powermizer in graphic driver Control Panel is set to Adaptive.
Solution: Set to Prefer Maximum Performance. If you are not using a portable device, select this. It will remove the limit imposed by aggressive power management.
Tip: There are many guides online that tell you to insert certain registry modifications, try to ignore them. It can damage your software and hardware.

Issue 2: Windows 7 Control Panel Power Options is set to Balanced.
Solution: Set to High Performance. Don't worry, if you are running a PC, this is harmless. It's harmless for any device, it's just more suitable for PCs and devices on AC Power. Balanced option in Windows 7 forces the GPU and HDD to slow down, resulting in severe lag and freezing/lockups.



Experience: Ever since I bought my nVidia GTX650, I have had an issue of freezing screen with blue/black boxes while playing certain games. Happened in Skyrim and Mass Effect 1/2/3, and many more. After setting this option on May the 22nd, and looking through the data in Event Viewer, I can't find a single report on display errors anymore. The problem is solved for me. I am uncertain will this work for you, but please try it and write a reply :)
 

TheElectronicGeek1

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Jan 19, 2014
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What happens to me is i put my computer in sleep mode, then when i turn it back on the screen goes black for 10 seconds and it says device recovered nvidia geforce gtx 750 ti (http://www.msi.com/product/vga/N750Ti2GD5OC.html) I don't know if this is bad for my card? my power usage is not limited and i am not overclocked and my voltage is at default. I dont use sleep mode because my computer takes 9 seconds to boot up.
 

veljamh

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Nov 25, 2010
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I already emphasized that I am not certain if this was about to fix everyone's issues. It saddens me that a global company like nVidia has superb hardware and a handicap in compiling a decent driver and software to go with it. It appears that various Windows Updates related to on-board drivers and other devices are constantly interfering with one another.