nVidia and the Asus P5A-B motherboard instability in Win2k

[DOScrash 0]

I just clean installed Windows 2000 on my PC and my Nvidia TNT2 Ultra card is extremely unstable. The official Nvidia Microsoft drivers cause the OS to freeze on startup After about 20-30 minutes of normal OS use such as browsing folders, installing programs or browsing the internet, with the latest Detonator 2 v5.22 drivers or the beta Detonator 2 v5.32 drivers, my computer blue screens everytime saying that there is an error with the "nv4_disp.dll" file. This is the display dll for the Nvidia Detonator 2 v5.X drivers. I ran a few tests and here is what I found:

 

When I load up the operating system with the latest Nvidia 5.X drivers and leave my computer alone, it will not crash.

 

When I run Quake 3 in a demo loop for a long time, nothing happens, it runs fine and never crashes. I had it run for about 1 and 1/2 hours.

 

When I run a Winamp song in a loop it crashes within 20-30 minutes.

 

After 20-30 minutes of miscellaneous operating system use, it will crash.

 

I have heard that the P5A has trouble supplying power to the GeForce cards and some people have told me this could be the problem. I have flashed the BIOS on my motherboard from the official 1007 to the beta 1010 version. I have also adjusted the voltage settings on my motherboard to increase power to the AGP card. Both have not worked. I have e-mailed Diamond Multimedia customer support and they advised me to configure BIOS settings. None of these worked. Also, I have downloaded the latest AGP drivers from Acer/ALI's website.

 

My brother's computer is identical to mine except he has a 3Dfx Voodoo Banshee. When I put the Nvidia TNT2 Ultra in his computer with the latest drivers, it will also behave the same way and crash.

 

I tested a different Diamond Viper 770 TNT2 Ultra from a friend's PC and it behaved the same way.

 

I then tested a Creative Labs Annihilator Pro GeForce2 GTS 32mb card and it behaved the same way.

 

I then tested a 64mb Voodoo 5 and the computer is completely stable! (possibly since it uses it's own power supply and/or different drivers?)

 

I found that the Detonator 3.78 Drivers work but that they don't support OpenGL or Direct 3D!

 

I also found that if I use the Detonator 2 5.XX Drivers and keep the Hardware Acceleration slider all the way to the left (any other notch will make it crash) the computer is stable, but the display of course is very sluggish!

 

With the Detonator 5.32 Drivers, the computer will also crash DURING THE GAME in the latest Star Trek Voyager Elite Force Demo (Quake III engine)

 

Here are my complete system specifications:

 

Asus P5A-B Socket 7 motherboard

Diamond Viper v770 Ultra TNT2 32mb

AMD K6-2 550

128 PC100 SDRAM

Sound Blaster Live! Value

Seagate 8.6gb HD

Creative Labs 48X CD-ROM

Mistumi 4804TE CD-RW

3com Ethernet 3509B ISA card

Realtek Ethernet PCI card

Diamond SupraMAX 56i Modem

 

[This message has been edited by DOScrash (edited 03 July 2000).]

 

[This message has been edited by DOScrash (edited 03 July 2000).]

 

[This message has been edited by DOScrash (edited 09 July 2000).]

[SHS 0]

Did you update your AGP drivers ?. http://www.acerlabs.com/eng/support/driver.shtml

[Mono 0]

Hi there,

this weekend I had to install w2k on a friend´s pc - p5a-b, k6-2 400, asus 3400 (TNT); I updated the agp port but I´m not sure if successfully (setup was very fast).

Result: Nothing´s changed, I´ve got EXACTLY the same problems as you! Anyone got the same configuration and running a stable w2k??? And: Anyone there who has successfully installed a DVD Drive WITH Dma ON??? (Pioneer A104SZ, sec. Master)???

My God,this weekend has been horrible (BTW, watched SCREAM3 in Cinema ;-).

cu, MONO

[APV_SAV 0]

Try to install latest agp driver from via.com.tw.

 

The only 3d card I found which run flawlessly with super 7 motherboard is from ATI or 3dfx. Matrox and Nivida have loads of problem.

 

BTW, most DVD drive don't support DMA, you can try enabling it but if you have problem disable it. Check your DVD drive manufacturer if it has any driver for DMA mode.

[DOScrash 0]

I updated my AGP drivers through Acer's website, but that didn't help any with the Detonator 5.X drivers. I tried the 3.78 drivers and they worked! My computer is stable! (However, will games run as fast?)

[Guest]

Quote:

Originally posted by DOScrash:
I updated my AGP drivers through Acer's website, but that didn't help any with the Detonator 5.X drivers. I tried the 3.78 drivers and they worked! My computer is stable! (However, will games run as fast?)

In my machine 3.78 drivers are more stable, but BSOD will occur after half an hour.

[pivko 0]

i have similar problems with creative rivaTNT and ASUS P5A MB. i highly suspect, that ASUS is not the problem, i'm much more convinced, that it's the drivers, which are far from being perfect so far. my comp does not fortunately crash every half an hour, but pretty much every second day, when i work on it heavily. my conlusion is that: as always, M$ products have to be allowed some time to mature. this was the same thing with win95, when they started, for the first year you hardly ever found a computer, which ran them perfectly. and because socket7 systems with precised drivers run now perfect in win9x, i hope, after some time, they will in win2k as well. i know, it's ridiculous, that M$ crap is not working well, when it's released, but that's the way it is. maybe thomas penfield jackson will help :-)

[Toby 0]

Hey man, it's not MS that writes you unsigned stinki'n drivers...

Talk about it with Nvidia.

 

// Toby

[In2Deep 0]

It is not Nvidia, I think it is the mobo. I run W2K with nvidia and a fic mobo and no probs. My buddy runs Nvidia card in Win98 with asus MB and same problem as described. So even in Win98 with stable drivers the issues happen with the P5A motherboard. Check www.geforcefaq.com it has a topic line related to the P5A.

[Ravian 0]

Ok, I'll help you chaps out. The Problem with the crashing TNT cards is a known one with atleast the Diamondmm/S3 Helpdesk in Europe. The Problem basically comes down to synching errors between the Ali Aladdin V chipset used on the motherboard and the memory on the graphics card. Too bad most of you people probably can't read German since there is a really good article in German about exactly this problem. First thing you do is you download the latest AGP Miniport drivers from www.ali.com.tw. (v1.66 (?)) You download the latest nVidia Reference drivers from www.nvidia.com. (v5.22) Further more you need the latest bios for your motherboard and last but not least, some luck. Turn on AGP-Turbomode, Passive Release and Frame Buffer Posted Write (these settings will be modified by registry entries later on) in the Bios. Now for the Registry Entries (I won't explain them, if you want to know what they mean leave a note). AGPDataRate=1, ForceSBADisable=0, ForceAGPEnable=1, FrameBufferSize=C, FrameBufferDisable=0, GATMode=2, K6SetEWBEC=2, USeUCForWC=0, GTLBAlwaysFetch=0, ResetAGPCommand=0, MaxPCIRetryCounter=0, InOrderQueue1=0, PCIMode-0, ForceAssertRequest=0, DisablePCIReadPrefetch=0. AGPDelayClock=hex:10, SDRAMDelayClock=hex:10, K6WriteAllocate=2. After you've modified these entries to match the ones here, close regedit and restart your machine. It should now run quite a bit more stable then it previously did. Of course I cannot garuantee that it will. For people who want to know the url for the article in German it's http://www.planet3dnow.de/artikel/diverses/aladdinv_tnt2/index.htm. Credit for finding out how to modify this stuff must completely go to the author of that article, Roland Neumeier.

 

Hope this helps a bit.

 

cheers,

 

Marc

[Ravian 0]

Sorry, forgot one registry entry that needs to be modified. Here it is: PADTTLInput=1

 

Marc

[someone_nt 0]

Well, I put those settings in my registry, and still my Graphics blaster riva tnt crashes. I've tested detonator 2 drivers, and I had to switch back to 3.78 drivers.

 

Note:I'm using ali agp driver v 1.68, and windows 2000 in ACPI mode

[Ravian 0]

I take it you were running windows 2000 in Non Acpi mode before? What else do you have in your pc and how many Watts is your powersupply?

 

Marc

[someone_nt 0]

My specs:

-K6-2 350

-128 MB RAM

-asus p5a

-Windows 2000 Pro final in ACPI mode

( I tried to run my PC in Standard mode, but still no success, it crashed anyway)

-AGP slot voltage: 3.5 V

I beleive I'm using a 250W power supply.

 

This system hasn't been overclocked.

 

BIOS Setttings are the same as the ones you recommed to be enabled.

 

-Graphics Blaster riva TNT 16 mb agp

(now using creative 3.78 based drivers)

Sound Blaster Live OEM (using default windows 2000 drivers).

-------------------------------------

registry settings:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

 

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ALi\ALi AGP Driver]

"AGPDataRate"=1

"ForceSBADisable"="0"

"ForceAGPEnable"="1"

"FrameBufferSize"="C"

"FrameBufferDisable"="0"

"GATMode"="2"

"K6SetEWBEC"="2"

"USeUCForWC"="0"

"GTLBAlwaysFetch"="0"

"ResetAGPCommand"="0"

"MaxPCIRetryCounter"="0"

"InOrderQueue1"="0"

"PCIMode"="0"

"ForceAssertRequest"="0"

"DisablePCIReadPrefetch"="0"

"AGPDelayClock"=dword:a

"SDRAMDelayClock"=dword:a

"K6WriteAllocate"="2"

"PADTTLInput"="1"

 

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ALi\ALi AGP Driver\1.68]

"AGPDataRate"=1

"ForceSBADisable"="0"

"ForceAGPEnable"="1"

"FrameBufferSize"="C"

"FrameBufferDisable"="0"

"GATMode"="2"

"K6SetEWBEC"="2"

"USeUCForWC"="0"

"GTLBAlwaysFetch"="0"

"ResetAGPCommand"="0"

"MaxPCIRetryCounter"="0"

"InOrderQueue1"="0"

"PCIMode"="0"

"ForceAssertRequest"="0"

"DisablePCIReadPrefetch"="0"

"AGPDelayClock"=dword:a

"SDRAMDelayClock"=dword:a

"K6WriteAllocate"="2"

"PADTTLInput"="1"

 

------------------------------------------

Error message: K_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED nvdisp.dll

[someone_nt 0]

sorry, I had forgoten I was using creative drivers. Error message is:

K_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED 3dgf.dll

[Ravian 0]

Just noticed a new (beta) bios for your motherboard over on ftp://ftp.asuscom.de/pub/ASUSCOM/BIOS/Socket_7/ALI_Chipset/ALI_V. Might be worth checking out?

 

Marc

[someone_nt 0]

I've tried it (1011 beta 001). Still, my system keeps on crashing. I'm beginning to beleive Windows 2000 hates my hardware.

 

Why doesn't linux X-Windows and Windows 98 system have this strange problem like Windows 2000...<sigh!>

[someone_nt 0]

Good News! I finally managed to find out what was going wrong. I didn't edit my registry properly, and instead of an hex value, I added a dword value, which is not the same. So, that's why everything keept on crashing. Now, everything should be fine. Also, since somebody has recommended to switch back to standard PC hal, I have done it. Lets pray this time things work properly :-).

[someone_nt 0]

BAD NEWS!!! Using detonator 2 (5.22), my system will crash once I start using the internet. Plain and simple:asus p5a and windows 2000 is pure TNT (it explodes...).

 

And windows 2000 was meant to be an stable OS...well, linux doesn't need so many tweaks to get an stable X-server session running in a TNT :-(

[Guest]

Quote:

Originally posted by someone_nt:
BAD NEWS!!! Using detonator 2 (5.22), my system will crash once I start using the internet. Plain and simple:asus p5a and windows 2000 is pure TNT (it explodes...).

I have troubles too even if I'm using this registry patch. Nothing changed! I think I should buy a new video card

[someone_nt 0]

Don't buy a new graphics card. Buy a new motherboard. The problem is from ali's chipset, not from RivaTNT.

Geoforce cards also have this problem.

[pivko 0]

well, depends on the way you take it. i think that when buying NVIDIA based card, you`re trading off top performance for stability a little bit. these cards are superb, if they ran, and there is actually very few systems that run them really crispy with no flaws. there are huge threads about they incompatibility with K7 as well. and not to leave intel alone, abit BE-II 6 has been known for some probs too. the resume is this: if you want you system for gaming, buy NVIDIA card and you have to understand that with the state of drivers now, you will have to reboot from time to time. (those reported cases of crash every 20-30 minutes are extreme and probably are caused by either defective hardware or some settings mistake - my RIVA TNT/ASUS P5A goes BSOD one time per day in average- if the comp is under normal load the whole day). and if you want stable system, running all the time, with no crash, as a server or whatever, it`s stupid to stuff in TNT or GeForce, go for decent 16 MB ATI, and you are more than fine.

[XkwiSit 0]

At the end of the day all the cards that use the nvidia drivers seem to be suseptable to this, i have three systems at home, only one has an nvidia card, its the only one that crashes ni w2k, with nv4disp.dll, however upgrading to lw3 for w2k has reduced that error to a point that it no longer matters to me. Three friends of mine have nvidia cards, and two of those get that very same error.. seems pretty common to me.

[someone_nt 0]

REAL GOOD NEWS FOR ASUS P5A BASED MOTHERBOARDS:

 

Riva tnt cards DO WORK under windows 2000. The only thing you have to do is :

 

1-disable k6 write allocate and EXTERNAL CACHE in your BIOS.

 

2-Add these ali agp registry keys posted before.

 

Beleive me, I used to have BSOD every 30 minutes, and now I can leave windows 2000 for hours without a single crash!

[pivko 0]

yes, i modified the registry keys and it seems to be fine. well, i have not test the system by letting in run for more than one day, but i will do that during this weekend.

and also: i did not disable the cache, i did not want to get rid of that while it is there. so it seems it might work without it, maybe it depends, so the best way is to try it for the very one system. and as far as the K6-2 write, this is one of the settings modified by registry entry and i think they switch it ON, and thats great because it is really noticeable, when you turn it off.