Nvlddmkm.sys keeps crashing

mGBH

Distinguished
Apr 1, 2008
8
0
18,510
Everytime i open a game one of two things happen
1. i get a BSOD and the reason is nvlddmkm.sys
2. both my monitors go black and it alt tabs and says the display driver
crashed with nvlddmkm somewhere written in there (i couldnt copy it because usually my computer BSOD's after)

It has happened as soon as my computer starts up too before I even open anything

any ideas on how to fix this?

specs:
BFG Gefore 8800GT
AMD 6000+ dual-core 3.0GHz
Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 2GB DDR2
Asus M3A78-EMH Hdmi Amd 780G Matx AM2 PCI-E16 PCI-E1 2PCI Sata Video Sound Hdmi Motherboard

alright i just tried updating my drivers
with the latest BFG drivers and i opened up TF2 (team fortress 2) and it was running for about 5 seconds when my left monitor turned black and my right one turned lime green and then my sound was frozen on repeat and my computer was not responding so i had to reset
 

irkjab

Distinguished
Apr 9, 2009
317
0
18,790
I have the exact same problem with a GTX 285. My thread's been up for months, but no solutions yet. Even an RMA didn't solve it. :(

What kind of temperatures are you getting on the 8800GT?
 

mGBH

Distinguished
Apr 1, 2008
8
0
18,510
The temperatures have been normal, i even had it turned off for a week using my laptop than started it up and it was very cooled and it was still crashing
 

Boxa786

Distinguished
May 8, 2009
386
2
18,810
Iv had a similar problem with an ATI card, found no answers.

But strangely enough, I just recently upgraded my cpu from AMD 5000+ to AMD PII 965. This seems to have fixed the problem. So I cannot say for certain but I woud assume it was either my overclock AMD 5000 to 3.25 or the cpu itself.

Have tested in another comp? do you have a cpu you can try in your current comp?
 

garetjax

Distinguished
Mar 12, 2010
1
0
18,510
There are a miriad possible issues associated with this particular error. Though, in general I would remove the default install and try Microsoft Standard Drivers first. VGA Compatible or some such. If the drivers temporarily fix the issue then it is definately a video card issue.

In general my testing has identified the following to be true with regards to the nvlddmkm issue:

1. Video Card Issue.
2. Power Issue.
3. ACPI Errors are in tandem.

I believe that the video card(s) are using more power than the PSU can provide and as a result the nvlddmkm (or ATI Equiv) hangs until it is reported back to the OS. The OS then restarts the driver service and as such we end up with a message (though, often the restarting of this service causes BSOD or a idiot message).

My solution so far has been to use standard drivers or upgrade the PSU (Sometimes going with a newer CPU will also solve this as the amount of needed Wattage can be released by upgrading a CPU ... only a couple watts needed.) However, in most situations upgrading CPU/Memory will only aggravate the situation. However, so far in most cases upgrading the PSU has solved this particular issue most of the time.