How to "Clean Install" Nvidia Drivers

[Ben Cap 89]

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE CAUSED TO HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE BY USAGE OF THIS GUIDE. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

 

Step 1:

 

Download and install Driver Sweeper. LINK

 

Step 2: Navigate to your start menu and select "Control Panel".

 

 

Step 3: Now in the Control Panel, select "Uninstall a Program".

 

 

Step 4: Once the list of programs has loaded, scroll down the to "N" section for Nvidia. Select the "NVIDIA Graphics Driver 2/3.XXX.XX".

 

 

Step 5: Now simply hit "Uninstall". After uninstalling, please reboot your system.

 

 

Step 6(If applicable): Now, navigate to here again be repeating Step 2 & 3. Select "Nvidia 3D Vision Driver 2/3XX.XX".

 

 

Step 7: Now simply hit "Uninstall". After uninstalling, please reboot your system.

 

 

Step 8: Now, navigate to here again be repeating Step 2 & 3. Select "Nvidia Physx System Software".

 

 

Step 9: Now simply hit "Uninstall". After uninstalling, please reboot your system.

 

 

Step 10: After rebooting, open up Driver Sweeper.

 

Step 11: Tick the boxes next to anything related to Nvidia and then click the "Analyze" button.

 

 

Step 12: After it finishes processing, click "Clean". After this is finished cleaning, please Reboot.

 

 

After you have completed all of these steps, navigate to the Nvidia Driver Website and download and install the latest recommended driver.

[fbass 1]

Ben,

 

I don't believe the steps you outline here are necessary - at least not under Windows7 64-bit. The newest NVidia driver installer cleans up nicely previous versions of its drivers. I have never "cleaned up" on my driver installs and have had absolutely no problems with the drivers. Perhaps I've been lucky but I have installed many driver updates without issue.

 

Frank

[Ben Cap 89]

Ben,

 

I don't believe the steps you outline here are necessary - at least not under Windows7 64-bit. The newest NVidia driver installer cleans up nicely previous versions of its drivers. I have never "cleaned up" on my driver installs and have had absolutely no problems with the drivers. Perhaps I've been lucky but I have installed many driver updates without issue.

 

Frank

 

This has been necessary for me in the past when I upgraded GPUs. Even after uninstalling my old GTX580 driver, it wrecked havoc on my system until I did this method.

[fs4fun 366]

Is there a step missing? When do you run Driver Sweeper?

 

Thanks

[Ben Cap 89]

Is there a step missing? When do you run Driver Sweeper?

 

Thanks

Refresh the page, I am still working on it....

[fs4fun 366]

Nice! Thanks for this guide.

[fs4fun 366]

I say this guide deserves to be a sticky at the top of this forum, it made a HUGE difference for me. Kudos to Ben.

 

One question: When I uninstalled the graphics driver, the screen went black and the picture never came back. Not too surprising I guess. I used the power switch to reboot and when I went back to the Control Panel the driver was gone and I was able to do the remaining steps. Is there a way to avoid needing to hold down the power switch?

 

Thanks

[kannwar 47]

Awesome guide! I've just followed it through since I installed the 306.24 drivers recently using the Nvidia "Clean Install" option which obviously doesn't do as good a job as what it would have us believe. Figured it wouldn't hurt to do a clean install with this guide just incase.

 

By the way, does anyone untick the 3D Vision Controller and other superflous items that seem to come with the drivers these days? I'm personally only installing the display drivers and PhysX since some of the other games I play use it.

[Ben Cap 89]

 

By the way, does anyone untick the 3D Vision Controller and other superflous items that seem to come with the drivers these days? I'm personally only installing the display drivers and PhysX since some of the other games I play use it.

 

Yes. I only install the base driver and the PhysX driver.

 

When I uninstalled the graphics driver, the screen went black and the picture never came back. Not too surprising I guess. I used the power switch to reboot and when I went back to the Control Panel the driver was gone and I was able to do the remaining steps. Is there a way to avoid needing to hold down the power switch?

 

Strange... I've personally never had that happen. But as long as the driver has been wiped, you should have no problem! :smile:

[Noel 4,563]

Interesting. I thought this issue ended many moons ago, i.e., the need to clean out old driver components.

 

What is the theory about this? Is there an assumption that the developers at nV actually leave components of the old driver inadvertently employed after a new component is installed? That sounds hard to fathom. I don't appear to have any issues w/ my old GTX 280 which still works great and do driver upgrades regularly. What do you believe this affects? I have smooth performance, great IQ, both compatible w/ how this device should perform, old as it is it's quite effective.

[fs4fun 366]

My guess is this procedure is mainly for when you're upgrading the graphics card. If you're only upgrading the driver software for the same card then it's probably not needed.

[idahosurge 2]

There are not many out there anymore, but anyone with an Nvidia motherboard does not want to select Nvidia - Chipset!

[Bruce Nicholson KMFR 20]

^ +1 on not selecting the nVidia Chipset drivers

 

Driver Sweeper also advises removing the drivers in safe mode after a reboot. It's probably not necessary after the uninstall and reboot, but it's best practice in case the O/S has a hold on the driver.

[vgbaron 3,723]

As someone posted, this is completely unnecessary with the latest NVidia drivers that provide an option for a "clean install".

 

Vic

[Dan F 6]

I think this guide might be useful for AMD users. I have some nVidia GPUs on the way and want to clear out the notoriously hard to eliminate AMD/ATI stuff on my system.

 

As soon as the cards are in I will attempt this procedure and see what I get.

 

Thanks again Ben.