Need help with nvlddmkm error

[adam.ably]

The issue I’m currently having is that my father-in-law’s system will unexpectedly shut down with a black screen due to a “nvlddmkm” error. The event is entirely random and there is no blue screen of death.

Leading up to this, I recently built an entirely new rig for my father-in-law, replacing everything except for the SSD (see details below regarding hardware). The SSD was running Windows 10 and I did not do a clean install due to the legacy programs he has installed on the thing and the fear that I’d never be able to get them installed back on the system. Everything seemed to be working fine with the new set up, but the system started to become unresponsive with a black screen randomly. It was almost like the system was going to sleep, but it would occur while you would be in the middle of doing something (like posting on forums, which just happened to me 10 minutes ago!). The odd thing is that the fans in the system would continue to run. However, the only way to get the system to respond would be to reboot it. And to be clear, I have not had a BSOD yet.

I ran the Windows event log and found the event that I believe is the culprit. See image below.

Log Name: System
Source: nvlddmkm
Date: 12/31/2017 2:43:08 PM
Event ID: 14
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: RPreu-PC
Description:
The description for Event ID 14 from source nvlddmkm cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

The following information was included with the event:

\Device\Video9
1973(168c) 00000000 00000000

the message resource is present but the message is not found in the string/message table

Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="nvlddmkm" />
<EventID Qualifiers="49322">14</EventID>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>0</Task>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2017-12-31T20:43:08.734755700Z" />
<EventRecordID>2021</EventRecordID>
<Channel>System</Channel>
<Computer>RPreu-PC</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data>\Device\Video9</Data>
<Data>1973(168c) 00000000 00000000</Data>
<Binary>0000000002003000000000000E00AAC0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000</Binary>
</EventData>
</Event>


Fixes that I’ve attempted thus far:

Turned off all sleep and hibernation functions in Windows 10 for CPU and monitor
Just prior to posting this, I uninstalled video card driver and reinstalled with most recent Nvidia driver

If you need any additional information from me, please let me know. You may need to specify how I’m supposed to get the info if you are looking for any reports or logs.


Here’s the current hardware that I’m working with:

Processors Information
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Socket 1 ID = 0
Number of cores 4 (max 4)
Number of threads 4 (max 4)
Name AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
Codename Summit Ridge
Specification AMD Ryzen 3 1300X Quad-Core Processor
Package Socket AM4 (1331)
CPUID F.1.1
Extended CPUID 17.1
Core Stepping ZP-B1
Technology 14 nm
TDP Limit 65.0 Watts
Core Speed 1533.0 MHz
Multiplier x Bus Speed 15.5 x 98.9 MHz
Instructions sets MMX (+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A, x86-64, AMD-V, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA
L1 Data cache 4 x 32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L1 Instruction cache 4 x 64 KBytes, 4-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L2 cache 4 x 512 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L3 cache 2 x 4 MBytes, 16-way set associative, 64-byte line size
Max CPUID level 0000000Dh
Max CPUID ext. level 8000001Fh
Cache descriptor Level 1, D, 32 KB, 1 thread(s)
Cache descriptor Level 1, I, 64 KB, 1 thread(s)
Cache descriptor Level 2, U, 512 KB, 1 thread(s)
Cache descriptor Level 3, U, 4 MB, 2 thread(s)
FID/VID Control yes


Temperature 0 32 degC (89 degF) (Package (Node 0))
Voltage 0 1.41 Volts (VID)
Voltage 1 0.84 Volts (CPU VDD (Node 0))
Power 00 12.51 W (Package)
Power 01 0.08 W (Core #0)
Power 02 0.08 W (Core #1)
Power 03 0.06 W (Core #8)
Power 04 0.06 W (Core #9)
Power 05 1.69 W (Cores)
Clock Speed 0 1532.99 MHz (Core #0)
Clock Speed 1 1532.99 MHz (Core #1)
Clock Speed 2 1532.99 MHz (Core #8)
Clock Speed 3 1532.99 MHz (Core #9)

Chipset
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Northbridge AMD Ryzen SOC rev. 00
Southbridge AMD B350 rev. 51
Graphic Interface PCI-Express
PCI-E Link Width x4
PCI-E Max Link Width x16
Memory Type DDR4
Memory Size 8 GBytes
Channels Single
Memory Frequency 1186.8 MHz (1:12)
CAS# latency (CL) 16.0
RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD) 16
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 16
Cycle Time (tRAS) 39
Bank Cycle Time (tRC) 55
Command Rate (CR) 1T
Uncore Frequency 1186.8 MHz


Memory SPD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIMM # 1
SMBus address 0x50
Memory type DDR4
Module format UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) Corsair (7F7F9E0000000000000000)
Size 8192 MBytes
Max bandwidth DDR4-2400 (1200 MHz)
Part number CMK8GX4M1A2400C16
Nominal Voltage 1.20 Volts
EPP no
XMP yes
XMP revision 2.0
AMP no


Monitoring
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mainboard Model AB350M Pro4 (0x000002ED - 0x47E95EC0)



Storage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drive 1
Device Path \\?\scsi#disk&ven_adata&prod_ssd_s510_120gb#5&399a7c98&0&000000#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}
Type Fixed
Bus Type 11
Name ADATA SSD S510 120GB
Capacity 111.8 GB
SMART Support Yes
Volume c:\, 111.3 GBytes (44.5 percent available)


Graphic APIs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

API NVIDIA I/O

Display Adapters
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Display adapter 0
ID 0x1070104
Name NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770
Board Manufacturer Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. (MSI)
Revision A2
Codename GK104
Technology 28 nm
PCI device bus 7 (0x7), device 0 (0x0), function 0 (0x0)
Vendor ID 0x10DE (0x1462)
Model ID 0x1184 (0x2825)
Performance Level 0


Monitor 0
Model SyncMaster (Samsung)
ID SAM027F
Serial H9LP903659
Manufacturing Date Week 38, Year 2007
Size 22.0 inches
Max Resolution 1680 x 1050 @ 59 Hz
Horizontal Freq. Range 30-81 kHz
Vertical Freq. Range 56-75 Hz
Max Pixel Clock 140 MHz
Gamma Factor 2.2


Software
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Windows Version Microsoft Windows 10 (10.0) Professional 64-bit (Build 16299)
DirectX Version 12.0

 

[Colif]

nvlddmkm is part of the nvidia graphics drivers, see if doing this fixes the problem:

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2767677/perform-clean-install-video-card-drivers.html

 

[adam.ably]

nvlddmkm is part of the nvidia graphics drivers, see if doing this fixes the problem:

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2767677/perform-clean-install-video-card-drivers.html

So I did previously run DDU and attempted to install a new AMD video driver. I couldn't get the drivers to successfully load and the black screen issue got overwhelmingly worse. I then resorted to doing a reset of Windows 10, choosing the option to keep personal files.

Now, which a refreshed version of Windows on the system, I am attempting to install the AMD chipset driver, version 17.40. The tool starts up, but then I get a "detection tool failed to load" message, keeping me from installing the chipset driver. Not sure what can be done there to get past this hurdle.

In the meantime, guess I will skip the chipset driver and try uninstalling the video driver with the tool and install new ones, see if that gets me anywhere.

UPDATE:

I had run DDU again and installed the Nvidia 362.00 WHQL driver (I read in a post that this was one of the more stable Nvidia driver builds), but the black screen problem persists. This time I was getting ready to run MSI Kombuster to see if I could stress test the video card. Didn't even get the test started before the screen went out.

 

[Colif]

The reset should have forced windows to download all its drivers again, so one of my concerns about fact you just moved ssd over without a fresh install shouldn't apply since it should have all new drivers now and no record of the old PC... should

"detection tool failed to load" - i can find this error in relation to Radeon drivers, it appears to be caused by Microsoft installing drivers before you do... Windows will do that, its pretty good at finding the right drivers from the motherboard makers. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/insider_wintp-insider_devices-insiderplat_pc/how-to-get-passed-failed-to-load-detection-driver/960ff308-2a5a-45e1-9ac8-04535c88c419

is the GTX 770 new? I realise it is new in his PC, just curious if it might be reason for the random blank screens. Have you tried using the integrated graphics on CPU? to see if you still get the blank screens.

 

[adam.ably]

So my most recent attempts were done without the computer connected to the internet. I brought the thing downstairs to work on it and didn't have a network connection. So I can't see how a Windows automatic download could've gotten in the middle of the issue.

As for the GTX 770, it is not new. It is the GPU I was using in my gaming PC before I got my RX 480. The card performed fine when I had it in my rig. I haven't gotten around to trying to put the RX 480 in my father-in-law's PC yet. Too much work with the level of frustration I'm feeling at the moment.

As for the integrated graphics, that's a sore spot. I originally planned to just use integrated graphics for this build and not bother with a video card since they don't do anything other than use the internet. However, after installing the processor and mother board, came to the rude awakening that the Ryzen 3 1300x requires a discrete video card. So lucky for me (or so I thought at the time) I had the GTX just sitting around collecting dust.

 

[Colif]

I should have looked to see if it had an GPU on CPU myself... haven't looked at new ones for a while, can't afford it.

its possible Win 10 has the drivers in the installer so no internet connection needed for it to get in your way.

Event ID: 14 is a long going error with Nvidia, goes back at least 4 years, its a driver problem: https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/596642/geforce-drivers/please-help-event-id-14-from-source-nvlddmkm-cannot-be-found/ - see if the last tip on page 11 in this helps.

 

[adam.ably]

Followed all of the steps in the Geforce thread. Even ran DDU to remove any Nvidia, AMD, and Intel drivers. Issue seemed to get better for a few hours. Played a few low impact games and even ran a GPU stress test with no black screen errors. However, a few hours later while browsing the internet the screen went black again. This time looking at the event log I found that there were about 6 - 8 nvlddmkm errors before the error that ultimately caused the screen to go black.

I know its impossible to know for sure, but what do you think the odds are that I would experience similar issues if I went with an AMD card? I'm at such a loss that I'd be willing to buy a new card if it might save me from pulling out all of my hair.

 

[jr9]

nvlddmkm is one of the most difficult crashes to deal with. It spans across multiple Nvidia generations. My methodology for dealing with this issue is:

- Disable automatic driver updates and windows update completely, boot into safe mode and run DDU to strip out all drivers. Reboot into normal Windows and install the drivers before Windows does.
- Reinstall the NVidia display driver and only the driver, nothing else. Sometimes I will try multiple driver versions.
- Run PC in selective startup with all services disabled except ones that are essential to game running. If this works I start adding startup items one by one. Tedious.
- Try another power supply
- Try to replicate the issue with the card in another PC. We have a test bench for this with various OS versions. If it crashes in the test bed running Windows 10 we will try Windows 7. If it crashes there there card needs to be replaced.

nvlddmkm crashes are the worst thing you can see with an Nvidia card. Often if it's an older card we generally just upgrade it and it saves a lot of times. The biggest problem with this crash is it is hard to replicate consistently adding a great deal of time to the troubleshooting process.

If you bought an AMD card it would be impossible for you to get nvlddmkm crash as nvlddmkm is the name of one of Nvidia's core display drivers that is causing the crash or rather is central to it happening. With an AMD card and AMD drivers running nvlddmkm would sit on your disk doing nothing, you could even delete it if you wanted like DDU does. DDU would be a good idea though regardless with any card change.

 

[adam.ably]

So this morning I removed the GTX 7700 and installed my RX 480. I ran OCCT GPU stress test for about 10 minutes and everything worked fine. Then 5 minutes after stopping that, opened a browser and the screen went black and system was unresponsive, yet all fans were still running.

Started the computer and checked the events log and there were no errors, other than the kernal errors for improper shut down. Absolutely nothing in the log for the period between the time the screen went blank and the system was rebooted.

Since it clearly isn't the video card, is it possible it is the PSU? Installed a Corsair CX550, which now after reading moreover posts on some of the enthusiast sites, appears to be a relatively low quality PSU. However, wouldn't one think that if it was the PSU it would have errors when the system is under load during a stress test? Not after the stress test is done and I'm doing the simplest of tasks?

 

[jr9]

Try updating your BIOS or chipset drivers, it may help. Another software level solution would be a Windows re installation or you may "reset this pc" alternatively if you have Windows 8/8.1 or 10.

I'm assuming that you cleaned out all the old drivers with DDU before the RX 480 was installed.

PSU is the next thing you'd want to try swapping out. If you don't have another PSU to test, you can bring it to a shop and get them to do a diagnostic to make sure it's the PSU so you don't buy a part guessing that doesn't solve the problem. A new PSU costs more than diagnostic at most places. It's either that or the motherboard if you are getting black screens on a different card. Most shops also have various motherboards on hand as well.

I've personally never found stress tests to be reliable for things like trying to trigger crashes outside of overclocking. Some crashes simply can't be reproduced easily and it's a matter of try something else and see if the problem stops. Some problems do have triggers though like opening a browser or going to a certain part of the map on a game.

 

[Fives]

Hi Guys,

I have been struggling with this issue for a few months and I tried all sorts of things. I've done a LOT of reading about it and there are a few good suggestions. One of the more popular ones is the use of DDU which does a good job of removing all NVIDIA drivers and stuff which you can then do a clean install. I've done it a couple times and but the error was still happening.

I was able to figure out when was the first time it happened using the event viewer and that corresponded to an install of MSI's Afterburner. At the time I didn't notice any issues as I though the "black screen" was part of the programs tweaks being applied. I stopped using it a while back but was still having issues after each reboot/startup. I never put the two together...

Long story short, I uninstalled MSI Afterburner and the errors have gone away.

No more black screens, game crashes, video freezing, and multiple reboots just to try and get some sort of stability.


If you are getting these NVLDDMKM errors ID 13 and 14 and you have MSI Afterburner. Uninstall it and see if it goes away, cant hurt to try.