# How To: Reinstall Video Drivers (Quick Guide)



## erocker (Feb 13, 2008)

****Updated 7/3/2016

Hello! You can still use the guide below, however things are a bit easier now days. *

*1. Uninstall old drivers through the Control Panel (programs/features). Restart.

2. Download, install and run DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) then restart. Best to do it in Safe Mode (the program will give you that option).

3. Done. Install new drivers.

AMD Drivers Here

Nvidia Drivers Here*

*Download DDU Here (Scroll down to bottom and be sure to download the latest version)*


This works with XP, Vista and Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10. with both Nvidia and AMD.  Make sure that your motherboard/chipset drivers are updated.  If you just added a 2nd card to your system you may need to update your motherboard/chipset drivers again.  If you are using CrossFire, have both cards installed with both crossfire bridges installed from the start. This guide is for those of you having driver issues either due to a bad install, swapping in different video cards or what have you. If you have any kind of input, recommendations or suggestions please leave a post in the thread.



Section A Control Panel​1.  Uninstall any video card overclocking programs that are tied to your drivers. (Rivatuner, ATi Tool, etc.)

2.  Uninstall video drivers.  Generally this is done through the control panel (add/remove programs for XP, Programs and Features for Vista and Windows 7) in Windows.  For AMD it's called "AMD Catalyst Install Manager".  For Nvidia it's usually labeled as "Nvidia Display Drivers" you want to uninstall.  Restart.  When restarted don't allow windows to install any drivers for your cards yet, just cancel out. For AMD, remove the latest CAP from the Control Panel as well... It will most likely ask you to restart again, do so.  Re-check in add/remove programs - Programs and Features for any remaining AMD/Nvidia display associated drivers.


Section B Registry​ See Fig. X
1.  Click Start->Run.  Type: regedit

2.  In the registry editor Click File->Export.  Save to your desktop (Now you have a backup of your registry.)

3.  Expand the folder "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" (by clicking the "+" sign), then expand the folder "Software".

4.  Find and delete any files/folders pertaining to your old video drivers in the Windows folder and Program Files folder(s) BE CAREFUL NOT TO DELETE ANY CHIPSET FILES OR FOLDERS.

5.  Follow steps 4 and 5 for the folder "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.  Click File->Exit and you are done.


Section C Windows​ See Fig. Z
1.  Delete the ATi/Nvidia folder on your system drive in the "Program Files" folder or wherever you saved it.

2.  Go to the drive that Windows is stored on and double-click on the Windows folder.

3.  Delete everything possible in the Temp and Prefetch folders.

4.  In Vista/7: Start-->Search-->For Files and Folders.  Type ATI in the search box, go to advanced and be sure to tick the box to search unindexed drives (if indexing is off).  Two ATi folders should pop up under C:\Users\"yourname"\appdata.  Delete both.

Or, you can find the folders manually. These files can be located, but first you need to make sure that you have "Show Hidden Files/Folders" selected under "Folder Options" in the Control Panel. Once done, go to: My Documents-

>AppData->Local and delete the ATi folder. You may find another folder to delete in: My Documents->AppData->Roaming.

5.  Use a driver uninstaller of your choice. Driver Fusion, DDU, ATiMan, etc. This step really isn't necessary unless you experience issues with the reinstall.

6.  Empty the Recycle Bin.  Restart.


Install New Drivers​*If you are running an AMD chipset/CPU be sure to reinstall your SB (chipset) drivers as well.

-Have fun! 

****Always make sure that DirectX is up to date here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3*


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## Azazel (May 4, 2008)

thanks...



i see you got your old ava back


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## PaulieG (May 4, 2008)

Nice thread, Eric. I'm wondering though, what kind of damage have you heard happening when using driver cleaner? I've used it for about 5 years without a problem.


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## erocker (May 4, 2008)

Paulieg said:


> Nice thread, Eric. I'm wondering though, what kind of damage have you heard happening when using driver cleaner? I've used it for about 5 years without a problem.



Most of the time mess ups with DC happen with user error.  Though I've seen a driver cleaner or two take out a couple necessary Windows files before, resulting in random errors here and there.  I just prefer knowing what's being deleted on my machine and not have a third-party program do it for me.


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## jbunch07 (May 4, 2008)

nice one erocker!
there has been allot of talk about this subject lately this is a great guideline!


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## Dr. Spankenstein (May 4, 2008)

Thank you for taking the time to do this! This is a thread we'll all be linking....

I don't know how many people realize HOW imperitive it is to thoroughly clean the video drivers before instlling new ones.

One of the biggest clues that there are reminants of old drivers is if upon reinstall, it restores the screen res you had on a previous install and not the default 800x600. If you've experienced this, you haven't cleaned everything.

Another thing to note is how these latest Cats don't require C++ anymore, so if you have the latest Cats and something seems off, look in the "Add/Remove" and look and see if you have multiple C++ installs. Uninstall them and reinstall a current version IF you need it for another program.

Again, congrats on a wonderful and useful write-up!

Sticky?


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## HP_dudeman (May 5, 2008)

i havent had any problems with uninstalling video drivers without prefetch/temp or anything. just a simple uninstall thru add/remove programs works fine


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## erocker (May 5, 2008)

I can believe that.  Though for some this isn't the case.


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## nflesher87 (May 5, 2008)

you can never be too thorough with uninstalling drivers 
I don't think I ever got to thank you for that PM a while back on this e, so there you go 
I actually have come to like using Driver Cleaner Pro as I do believe it automates what you described  plus more, not to mention being quite simple to use


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## newtekie1 (May 5, 2008)

erocker said:


> I can believe that.  Though for some this isn't the case.



Especially if, for whatever reason, there was a problem with the drivers and they aren't working correctly.


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## jbunch07 (May 5, 2008)

this should be stickied!


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## panchoman (May 5, 2008)

great guide man! also ccleaner does a nice automated job for step 3


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## hat (May 5, 2008)

Meh. I've never had any problems just uninstalling the old ones and then installing the new ones.


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## oli_ramsay (May 5, 2008)

jbunch07 said:


> this should be stickied!



+1


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## panchoman (May 5, 2008)

oli_ramsay said:


> +1



+2 but maybe in the general software as this can relate to many non-graphic things as well.


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## HTC (May 5, 2008)

panchoman said:


> +2 but maybe in the general software as this can relate to many non-graphic things as well.



Signed!


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## LifeOnMars (Jul 20, 2008)

Dr. Spankenstein said:


> Thank you for taking the time to do this! This is a thread we'll all be linking....
> 
> I don't know how many people realize HOW imperitive it is to thoroughly clean the video drivers before instlling new ones.
> 
> ...



I've just followed all of the steps....and it keeps booting up in the same res 1280 x 1024 which is my monitors native res...what am i missing? Also, unsure as to what i can and can't delete in my temp and prefetch folders...any idea please?


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## Hayder_Master (Jul 20, 2008)

everyone i give you something very useful , one click to clean all temp folders and  Prefetch folders, like ccleaner but with 1kb size no installation and very fast 

View attachment delXP.zip


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## Dr. Spankenstein (Jul 20, 2008)

Prefetch is an element of XP that is used to help "speed up" the opening of regularly used programs/files. You can delete eveything from it with no ill effects.

Temp folder is just that...temporary. Delete with impunity.


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## erocker (Jul 22, 2008)

LifeOnMars said:


> I've just followed all of the steps....and it keeps booting up in the same res 1280 x 1024 which is my monitors native res...what am i missing? Also, unsure as to what i can and can't delete in my temp and prefetch folders...any idea please?



In prefetch delete everything except the Readyboost folder at the top.  For the temp folder I delete everything except my anti-virus folder.


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## psyko12 (Jul 22, 2008)

Your quick guide helped me most of the time, especially with 177.66's heh, I managed to get em running fine with RivaTuner with your guide, 1st install was bad then tried this and *viola* it worked


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## erocker (Jul 22, 2008)

Small update for Vista users.
*will check with XP tomorrow...


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## psyko12 (Jul 22, 2008)

Ty for the heads up on the un-indexed search. Does that apply to nvid too?


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## erocker (Jul 22, 2008)

psyko12 said:


> Ty for the heads up on the un-indexed search. Does that apply to nvid too?



Hmm.... No Nvidia card to try out anymore, but I don't think so.  The update is for deleting profiles and settings in CCC which automatically get deleted for Nvidia.


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## psyko12 (Jul 22, 2008)

erocker said:


> Hmm.... No Nvidia card to try out anymore, but I don't think so.  The update is for deleting profiles and settings in CCC which automatically get deleted for Nvidia.



Ahh, I see, anyhow that un-indexed drive tip helps too, thx  I got indexing off on my drives


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## iamajunky (Aug 22, 2008)

thx for the info


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## PVTCaboose1337 (Aug 22, 2008)

Good guide, but I always keep my profiles...  add that so no one cries about their OC they lost in CCC.


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## CDdude55 (Aug 23, 2008)

When uninstalling drivers i just do Section A.


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## sneekypeet (Aug 23, 2008)

CDdude55 said:


> When uninstalling drivers i just do Section A.



No sir , do all 4 steps then reboot, then reinstall!


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## erocker (Sep 19, 2008)

Updated with Microsoft Visual C++ uninstall info.


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## erocker (Oct 12, 2008)

*Updated.  I currently do not own a SLi setup.  I need some information from some of you current Sli users on any hint's/tips for installation, so all multi-card users can get thier systems running great!  Thanks in advance!

-erocker


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## dieselcat18 (Oct 26, 2008)

I've been having a lot of trouble trying to update my ATi drivers from v8.53 to something more current and decided to give your quick guide a try...had nothing to lose, nothing else was working....

I could not get the 8.5 drivers to uninstall properly along with CCC becoming corrupted and not able to open and run...I wasn't even able to uninstall from programs and features.

After following your quick guide  I was finally able (I think) to fully remove all traces of previous versions of ATi drivers.I then tried installing the v8.8 drivers and their latest v8.10, neither would install properly, so I lastly gave the v8.9 a go and it seemed to complete the install without any errors.The CCC was now operating and all seems fine.

My one problem I still have is when checking for the updated driver version, my device manager still shows v8.53 and although it says this device is working properly, it also gives me a msg that says, Windows did not start a related device driver.
When I open CCC, it gives me driver packaging version 8.53 but says Catalyst version is 08.9.

I really don't know what driver version I'm running if my device manager is still showing the 8.53 version. I would have thought that after the completed unistall and re-install that it would show the newly updated drivers. Also the msg in the device mgr about Windows not starting a related device driver. Is this something that can cause a problem ? ....Is this normal or could I have missed something when unistalling.....

Thxxxx for any ideas......and Thxxxx for a good guide...


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## DonInKansas (Nov 11, 2008)

Printed off for my swap to the Red side tomorrow.  Thanks erocker!


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## tzitzibp (Nov 13, 2008)

I have to thank you erocker for this guide!

I was stuck with ati 8.6 drivers for a while now and everytime I tried to update I would get a catalyst crash  

nice work!


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## stuartb04 (Nov 14, 2008)

great guide erocker
now i can play all my games again


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## erocker (Nov 15, 2008)

stuartb04 said:


> great guide erocker
> now i can play all my games again



That's why I posted this guide.  For the games!


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## eidairaman1 (Dec 16, 2008)

This Needs a Stickie, To add more info Run Driver Cleaner Pro which can be found on Driver Heaven/GURU3D (not Driver Cleaner.net)

Also For ATI Users, Turn off Windows Automatic Restart- Found in System Properties and VPU Recovery- Found in ATI CCC, or ATI Tray Tools, Im unsure about Riva Tuner or ATI Tool (If ATI tool is even being developed anymore, or did our fearless leader give up on the project?)

To add another Point- if you happen to need to go into the Registry- Advanced Users only-  Since Nvidia is the only Company in Town that Makes a Nvidia Core Logic, be careful what you remove from the registry that is Nvidia Related. Example if your removing NV Vid Drivers, there could be multiple NV entries- Don't guess at what NV Entries Control the vidcards and what controls the Core Logic, Research before you delete, Same can be said for the ATI Core Logic of 580x and Lower before the AMD Purchase.


Read this for more info on ATI Drivers, very current as of Page 5.
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=78826

I focus on the ATI Drivers more because I use ATI


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## baggio (Feb 9, 2009)

thanks for the guide!


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## Amy (Mar 26, 2009)

Thanks good guide.


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## Lubna (Apr 26, 2009)

Thanks good guide


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## MRCL (Apr 26, 2009)

I should have followed this guide, then I most probably woudldn't have screwed up with the new cards drivers. Shame on me. I will pay attention to it the next time, promise.


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## erocker (Jun 8, 2009)

**REQUEST**

Hello!  I need an experienced SLi user to give me the run down on a successful SLi install and any nuances that go with it to add to the guide.  It will be much appreciated. 

Also, if anyone has any tips/tricks/tweaks they would like to share, please do!


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## CDdude55 (Jul 2, 2009)

Just realized i had some old Nvidia driver folders in my ''Nvidia'' folder.(systems been working fine tho)

I deleted them.


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## mllcat27 (Jul 20, 2009)

my problem is reinstaler my realtekAC97 please help


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## AltecV1 (Jul 20, 2009)

these guides shuld be someware in blaine view on the main page(like guides for newcomers or something like that)! anyway good job Erocker  and a friendly advise *STOP BANNING NEW COMERS BECAUSE THEY HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON STUFF*


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## eidairaman1 (Jul 20, 2009)

AltecV1 you need to read the policies here dude, you do come off here being a little vulgar, that's what gets people kicked off here for a day, next thing you know it its a week then boom a permanent ban.


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## AltecV1 (Jul 20, 2009)

eidairaman1 said:


> AltecV1 you need to read the policies here dude, you do come off here being a little vulgar, that's what gets people kicked off here for a day, next thing you know it its a week then boom a permanent ban.



why would you say that? i sayd good job with the guide and sayd be more gentle with newcomers! if you think that i vulgar then you should go and and watch what vulgar means my little grumpy friend:shadedshu any way back to topic.


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## eidairaman1 (Jul 20, 2009)

as i said i warned you, all i can say friend is good luck with the wolves.


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## erocker (Jul 23, 2009)

AltecV1 said:


> these guides shuld be someware in blaine view on the main page(like guides for newcomers or something like that)! anyway good job Erocker  and a friendly advise *STOP BANNING NEW COMERS BECAUSE THEY HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON STUFF*



If there is anyone specifically in question, please PM me, and thank you. 



mllcat27 said:


> my problem is reinstaler my realtekAC97 please help



Just go into the Control Panel and uninstall the old realtek drivers. The newest drivers can be found at www.realtek.com.tw.


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## sneekypeet (Aug 22, 2009)

please rehost those images here so we dont have to deal with the spam adds to help you?


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## erocker (Aug 22, 2009)

Since all of your temperatures keep rising and your framerate seems good I would assume your GPU is still under load. It's possible GPU-Z cannot read the GPU load while some 3d applications are windowed.


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## eNkel (Aug 22, 2009)

sneekypeet said:


> please rehost those images here so we dont have to deal with the spam adds to help you?



Sorry, here the new links:
http://img.techpowerup.org/090822/neu200fps013.jpg
http://img.techpowerup.org/090822/neu50fps.jpg

@erocker:
What do you mean with "windowed"?
I have two monitors. And the game runs at full-screen.
ATI Overdrive says the same as GPU-Z... here a screenshot:
http://img.techpowerup.org/090822/overdrive.jpg

The same thing at Call of Duty 4 and Team Fortress 2...
But 3DMarkVantage runs good at 99% GPU load.

Here two screenshots from CoD4 with GPU-Z:
http://img.techpowerup.org/090822/200fps.jpg
http://img.techpowerup.org/090822/fps50.jpg


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## erocker (Aug 22, 2009)

Well, I don't think GPU-Z is reading the load correctly otherwise your temperatures wouldn't be increasing. Are the games you're running, running well?


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## eNkel (Aug 22, 2009)

erocker said:


> Well, I don't think GPU-Z is reading the load correctly otherwise your temperatures wouldn't be increasing. Are the games you're running, running well?



Well, it's meh. But even i have 40 fps, it's lagging.

EDIT: Should I also uninstall the VGA-entry in the device manager?


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## bigtye (Aug 31, 2009)

You know whats wierd about this whole uninstall process.

I went through it as erocker says for ATI drivers. Even ran Crap Cleaner a few times, and some extra restarts and runs of driver sweeper.

Then removed all the C++ stuff and then installed new 9.8 cat drivers. Upon finishing installing, I right clicked on the icon in the tray and there popped up 3 different profiles I had created 2 unistalled versions ago of catalyst!!

This bloody driver software, it's impossible to remove every trace of it. Trouble is, I'm convinced it's the cause of crashes in my system.

Tye


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## erocker (Sep 23, 2009)

bigtye said:


> Then removed all the C++ stuff and then installed new 9.8 cat drivers. Upon finishing installing, I right clicked on the icon in the tray and there popped up 3 different profiles I had created 2 unistalled versions ago of catalyst!!
> 
> This bloody driver software, it's impossible to remove every trace of it. Trouble is, I'm convinced it's the cause of crashes in my system.
> 
> Tye



Ah yes, another thing to add. These files can be located, but first you need to make sure that you have "Show Hidden Files/Folders" selected under "Folder Options" in the Control Panel. Once done, go to: My Documents->AppData->Local and delete the ATi folder. You may find another folder to delete in: My Documents->AppData->Roaming.


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## mlee49 (Sep 23, 2009)

Um 45 thanks to the original post, 3 pages of material, but no sticky? This thread needs to be stickied for easy access.


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## erocker (Sep 23, 2009)

mlee49 said:


> Um 45 thanks to the original post, 3 pages of material, but no sticky? This thread needs to be stickied for easy access.



It's been stuck for many months already!


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## troyrae360 (Sep 23, 2009)

I always just download the latest ATI Cat driver and install it, nothing more nuthing less.
Ive never had a problem. 

Do you think id see noticable preformance increase If i use the method described in this thread?


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## troyrae360 (Sep 23, 2009)

opps


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## erocker (Sep 23, 2009)

troyrae360 said:


> I always just download the latest ATI Cat driver and install it, nothing more nuthing less.
> Ive never had a problem.
> 
> Do you think id see noticable preformance increase If i use the method described in this thread?


It's possible I suppose, but really the guide is meant for those who have problems (drivers not taking, strange performance,etc.) or just a way to keep things nice a neat. When trying to keep Vista within the boundaries of your 30gb SSD you want to keep things as uncluttered as possible. 




troyrae360 said:


> opps



No! Blarggg!


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## mlee49 (Sep 23, 2009)

erocker said:


> It's been stuck for many months already!



HA! Didn't even notice, I'm an idiot.  

Edit, rated!


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## mR Yellow (Oct 7, 2009)

Thanx Erocker for this guide. 
Do u plan on updating the guide for Win7?


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## erocker (Oct 11, 2009)

mR Yellow said:


> Thanx Erocker for this guide.
> Do u plan on updating the guide for Win7?



Yes, I should. Actually (don't know if it's a good or bad thing) Windows 7 seems the same as Vista as far as regestry entries and folder location. I'll look further for any changes. Thanks!


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## mR Yellow (Oct 12, 2009)

erocker said:


> Yes, I should. Actually (don't know if it's a good or bad thing) Windows 7 seems the same as Vista as far as regestry entries and folder location. I'll look further for any changes. Thanks!



I noticed the same.


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## RoutedScripter (Dec 17, 2009)

Make sure to note that the Driver Sweeper best works in SAFE MODE , as i have been doing this for quite some time and it does delete everything instantly , if you rescan in normal mode you see some were not deleted. 

I don't know if they delete them self after reboot or what but it's best bet it works is in safe mode , that' XP im using. 


A lot of people you see playing , good gamers , but the masses of them don't know how to manage their PCs , a lot of them I helped cause they got lag in our clan's server or their mod did not work properly , 90% it was bad PC management , full drives with 2x waste (installed games and installers, rar movies and unrared , double the waste of space) then the most obvious was , I ask them ... like somewhere in middle of a chat when I feel I don't have a clue anymore , "how did you install those drivers" , and lol they install drivers OVER the old ones , "well that's your problem " , without even the most basic part of uninstalling the old ones in control panel lol.


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## nt300 (Feb 5, 2010)

I thought Windows 7 32-bit & 64-Bit fixed the issue with uninstalling older drivers by digging deep into your system and removing what needs to be removed a lot more efficient, before the new drivers are installed. Well for me I usually use the CAT un-install tool to remove old drivers, restart then install the new driver.


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## erocker (Feb 5, 2010)

nt300 said:


> I thought Windows 7 32-bit & 64-Bit fixed the issue with uninstalling older drivers by digging deep into your system and removing what needs to be removed a lot more efficient, before the new drivers are installed. Well for me I usually use the CAT un-install tool to remove old drivers, restart then install the new driver.



Nope, not at all. Registry entries are still there as well as some folders and files.


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## t_ski (Feb 27, 2010)

bump for lookin


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## TotalChaos (Mar 19, 2010)

Bump for good info


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## leemerlord (Apr 18, 2010)

bump for helping me


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## douglatins (May 2, 2010)

Anyone feel like using this guide? http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=279&threadid=112372
I ROFLd


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## Formula350 (Jun 18, 2010)

erocker: Might be of some interest, for the registry portion, to mention this section. I think it'd be best to enter it in safe mode AFTER the uninstalls and running of Driver Cleaner, since you'll probably need to restart anyways. 
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video (Picture 1)

Now this is the _fairly_ hard part, but I'll explain AND provide a picture (Picture 2) (*NOTE:* Consider this ATi Only, as I don't have an nV card to check how similar it is). There will be a lot of subdirectories with basically gibberish for names, the gibberish has a name and it is code for something like Windows' name and location of a piece of hardware. Anywho you'll need to expand all of them, or at least until you find the only one that also has subdirs. I'd provide a pic of those expanded, but I'm on a laptop with Intel IGP, so it's pointless really 

This is where ATi stores all it's wonderful graphics settings! Similarly it is where programs with ATT add/change settings. For example, if you click on the 0000 folder and change and entry that's name ends in "_NA" from 1 to 0, or 31 00 to 30 00, you are unlocking items in CCC  As NA means, Not Available (or Applicable, but the former is more accurate in this case).  But that is not the point of the thread/post! The reason I mention all that is because I have manually done some edits, and after uninstalling with Catalyst Install Manager, then reinstalling drivers, the majority of my changes settings are still in place... >_> So it leaves me to believe that CIM doesn't remove that whole entry!

I will be applying this to the steps in the first post, and if they disappear I will EDIT stating it isn't necessary. But I figured just in case I A) Forget or B) Get sidetracked/my help is needed outside, I'd better post this anyhow 

---- *V* Pic 1 *V* ---- *V* Pic 2 *V*


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## erocker (Jun 18, 2010)

Thanks much Formula350! The part of the registry that you are pointing out is where I go to disable ULPS (Ultra Low Power Saving). I've noticed with the last couple of cats that it does remove the previous entries on its own, but hey! They're ATi drivers and it always seems to be different for everyone.   Keep us updated, and thanks again.


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## CDdude55 (Jun 18, 2010)

Just using this guide not to long ago to sufficently switch from my HD 5770 to my new GTX 470.

Still an awesome guide erocker!


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## Formula350 (Jun 20, 2010)

Alright, I got around to finally going through with this since I was done figuring out what was causing the crashes. I found that it most likely was driver related since defaulting my system to factory clocks. 

I didn't follow the guide in exactly the right order, I'll admit :\ I did find a few things out. Mainly, it seems so far that deleting almost every trace of ATi from the system AND registry, might not be the smartest of moves lol I've been looking at the laptop here typing this, and twice the Windows Repair has loaded which means that there was a fairly large error in booting into Windows >_> PROBABLY should've done the deletions in stages, but it's (IMO) kind of hard since every reboot would result in the system trying to install drivers, thus creating more work to clean up making it a non ending loop heh So I may have taken my cleaning, a bit too extreme. 

I'll just list basically all I can remember, so someone can possibly point out my error, but also so some of you don't exactly follow in my footsteps since it'll lead you off a cliff 

Ran Cat Install Manager (CIM), uninstalled everything.
Ran Driver Sweeper and removed nVidia everything _(this Windows install was previously on a nF4 S949 system)._
Zipped up my Cat installers under a non ATi name, because the last time I ever used Driver Sweeper it would remove them too and I didn't want to have to redownload anything 
Compressed some items in the WinXS\Backup folder to save space _(100mb saved, my HDD has less than a gig free )_
Went through the System32\DriverStore, DRVSTR and Drivers folders, deleting anything nV and ATi related. _(this is the most likely move that could have been the error)_
Went through System32 also deleting anything ATi, AMD and nV related.
Went through the Registry to see if indeed the entries in my previous post had been removed by CIM, they had not.
Deleted every trace of ATi/AMD (had some residual AMD OverDrive items) and nVidia entries _(this also could have been the error)_
Ran Driver Sweeper for ATi entries, none showed up.
Went into Device Manager, uninstalled both 5770s and chose the "Delete drivers for this device" option
Scanned for new hardware, the task tray popup appeared informing me it was installing new devices, then failed to do so. _(probably why Window's isn't able to load, as a result of something above)_

Window's Repair finally finished doing whatever it thought it could, which it was unable to repair anything. Reason given: "Problem Signature 07: BadDriver" (verbatim). It did list some other stuff, but nothing seemed of much relevance. By that I mean there were Problem signatures 1-7, with #1&2 being "6.1.7600.16385", #3 "unknown", #4 "24", #5 "AutoFailover" and #6 "1". 

Trying to boot under SafeMode and it seems that my above move of deleting System32\Drivers files would indeed be the "oops" moment :S It starts loading the files, which they are all coming from that directory, and then BSOD and reboot (sadly I have it set to auto reboot so I don't get to see what it says).

Last ditch effort is to do "System Restore" in Windows Repair. I'll edit back with the results, not that it REALLY matters since the important info is above for what _*NOT*_ to do! 
Me-><-Me

But while most people see this as a situation to get mad or frustrated over, I look at is as a learning experience that while it may have been my doing, I can easily _un_do it with a simple reinstall of windows  Which I had set on the back burner as what I'd end up doing if this uber-cleaning didn't fix the stability issue I've been having  Live and learn!

EDIT: Alright... First off, System Restore failed for some reason. Couldn't copy an ATi file. Which if it was in the DriverStore folders I can understand it. But I thought System Restore had it's own storage area and so that wouldn't matter? :\ I noticed also in the F8 boot options to not restart on BSOD, so I've got the very short and vague error screen o_0 Pretty much your typical idiot message that starts with "A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer" following with "If this is the first time..." sentence and follows up with "Check for viruses..."

Only thing it gives is:
*** STOP: 0x0000007B (0x80786B58, 0xC0000034, 0x00000000, 0x00000000)

Never seen a solid 0 one before, let alone _two_! heh

So I think I'm left with reinstalling Windows, but I'm going to try a drastically radical idea first.....  Erocker, check your PM lol


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## RoutedScripter (Jun 21, 2010)

I'll read tomorrow , just going to sleep.

In the meantime , check how much physical RAM you have ,  then go into system (mycomputer properties or in control panel) go for advanced and performance and advanced again and set pagefile(virtual memory) to [physical memory] + 100MB. Set it on C: (system) drive only , apply , ok , also in system properties there's a Startup & recovery settings , in system failure part , set to FULL SYSTEM MEMORY DUMP , from the dropdown , also deselect "automatically restart".

If you have Win7 , regedit , HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CrashControl , set CrashDumpEnabled to 1  , this will unlock full dump or else only small and kernel.

But anyways if you don't have problem with game , but only with drivers ,kernel dump (300 MB) might be just ok.

Recreate the problem and let it dump the memory , leave the PC in BSOD until it completes.

save all dumps and minidumps somewhere safe , sometimes they tend to disappear in a while when windows silently messes with them.


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## copenhagen69 (Jun 21, 2010)

very nice quick and easy guide erocker


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## Formula350 (Jun 21, 2010)

RuskiSnajper said:


> I'll read tomorrow , just going to sleep.
> 
> In the meantime , check how much physical RAM you have ,  then go into system (mycomputer properties or in control panel) go for advanced and performance and advanced again and set pagefile(virtual memory) to [physical memory] + 100MB. Set it on C: (system) drive only , apply , ok , also in system properties there's a Startup & recovery settings , in system failure part , set to FULL SYSTEM MEMORY DUMP , from the dropdown , also deselect "automatically restart".
> 
> ...



Yea, skimming what I posted didn't quite get you enough info  The biggest bit of info that renders your whole post ( not to sound like a jerk but...) rather useless is that I can't get into Windows, period. Not standard way, safe-mode, not even with Windows Repair using System Restore. Now I did just have an idea that I tried right now, using the "Last Known Good Configuration", and it actually got me partially into Windows. I mean partially, because it A) didn't BSOD and B) I have mouse and sort-of video (the Welcome Screen loaded), _however_; I have a bit of a problem which I think might have been from asking erocker to send me his ATi/AMD System32/Drivers files, and I think he uses x64. I use x86 and I think the file for video is not working. So all I have is a black screen with a mouse cursor  

I'm going to try deleting them. The PC did just randomly reboot and it is having a problem detecting _something_. I suspect it is possibly the DVD drive I put in so I could reinstall Windows, because it is hanging at the BIOS screen now  I'm quite certain that is it, so I'll unplug that and attempt booting Windows before I go and delete those files. Finally loaded the BIOS. It doesn't detect my boot drive OR the Optical drive now lol Wonder why it decided to do this _after_ my first POST... Oh well no problem I'll just unplug it lol

*EDIT*: Seems like "Last Known Good Configuration" saved me arse lol Although, during typing, after I had restarted due to a screen res change screw up, it has gone back to it's old routine so I'm going to have to try it again heh

 While I should still reinstall Windows and move to x64 to utilize my full 4GB, I am going to put that off for when I get a new HDD. Thinking about the 640GB WD Caviar Black SATA6.


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## RoutedScripter (Jun 22, 2010)

When they didn't had the "caviar black" brand , i mixed the models "AALS" with "AAKS" and i thought AAKS was better (more cahce) but no , it's AALS that's now the black version. And i realized that a year later , too late...


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## Formula350 (Jun 22, 2010)

RuskiSnajper said:


> When they didn't had the "caviar black" brand , i mixed the models "AALS" with "AAKS" and i thought AAKS was better (more cahce) but no , it's AALS that's now the black version. And i realized that a year later , too late...



And it isn't even that anymore it would see 
WD6402AAEX
WD - Durr? 
640 - 640GB
2 - SATA 6
AAEX - Who the hell knows


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## CDdude55 (Jul 28, 2010)

If anything you'll be getting more infractions.

You are spreading lies, brand DOESN'T MATTER. You can install drivers anyway you'd like with any brand, ATI or Nvidia, it makes not a hell of a difference.

And i use a Nvidia card and i uninstall the old drivers and install the new ones, then of course i use driver sweeper.(i do the registry stuff if im switching brands, like if i went from Nvidia to ATI or vice versa.)


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## erocker (Jul 28, 2010)

CDdude55 said:


> If anything you'll be getting more infractions.
> 
> You are spreading lies, brand DOESN'T MATTER. You can install drivers anyway you'd like with any brand, ATI or Nvidia, it makes not a hell of a difference.
> 
> And i use a Nvidia card and i uninstall the old drivers and install the new ones, then of course i use driver sweeper.(i do the registry stuff if im switching brands, like if i went from Nvidia to ATI or vice versa.)



No need to worry about it. The troll got his vacation.

As always if anyone has anything useful to add to this guide please feel free to post.

Thanks much.


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## Kovoet (Sep 3, 2010)

thanks a lot for this


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## Bo7jab (Sep 13, 2010)

TY very much it helped in ccc cross fire cant apear in the tap 

hope for you best of luke it solved my proplem if i may can i post thes wep for thos who have same proplem ty


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## Drone (Sep 17, 2010)

nice guide. you can also uninstall with _revo uninstaller_ and then use _wise registry and disk cleaner_. hence you won't bother with emptying/deleting the folders and messing with regedit.


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## erocker (Jun 15, 2011)

Updated.

Added new link to Driver Sweeper.

As always if anyone has any useful tips please post them!

Thanks.


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## LifeOnMars (Jun 15, 2011)

Erocker, I have always followed your guide for installing drivers. However, I tend to alter the saturation amount in CCC and I've noticed that even after I have followed the guide, when the new drivers are installed the saturation amount and also my gaming settings (Catalyst AI disabled) etc, remain the same. What Am I missing? I'll attempt to put down my procedure to see if you can see what I'm missing -

1. Uninstall CCC, reboot

2. Regedit - HKEY CURRENT USER/Software/Delete ATI Folder
                 HKEY LOCAL MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Delete AMD & ATI Technologies Folders

3. C: Users/My Name/AppData/Local/Delete ATI Folder
                                                  Empty Temp Folder

   C: Users/My Name/AppData/Roaming/Delete ATI Folder
       Also virtual store if any ACE entries in there

4.C: Delete ATI Folder
   Crogram Files/Delete ATI Folder
                         Delete ATI Technologies Folder

Crogram Files(x86)/Delete ATI Technologies Folder
                            Check Temp Folder and delete if necessary

Crogram Data/Delete ATI Folder

C:Windows/Empty Prefetch & Temp Folders
                Delete atiogl.xml and ativpsrm.bin files

REBOOT

Install new drivers

So what am I missing buddy? It has me a bit flummoxed.

EDIT - OK it seems I have missed Driver Sweeper....DUH. Never seen the new one before either, nice. I'll give it a whirl and see if it does the trick.


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## erocker (Jun 15, 2011)

LifeOnMars said:


> Erocker, I have always followed your guide for installing drivers. However, I tend to alter the saturation amount in CCC and I've noticed that even after I have followed the guide, when the new drivers are installed the saturation amount and also my gaming settings (Catalyst AI disabled) etc, remain the same. What Am I missing? I'll attempt to put down my procedure to see if you can see what I'm missing -
> 
> 1. Uninstall CCC, reboot
> 
> ...



Your old profile(s) in the AppData folder. First you need to go to the Control Panel->Folder Options->View and tick "Show hiden files, folders, and drives.

Then go to your Documents folder (Folder with your name on it)->AppData and get rid of the ATi folders in the Local and Roaming folders. Should be good to go from there.


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## xBruce88x (Jun 15, 2011)

i'm guessing there's an equivalent for nvidia. I'm thinking about clearing them out... some icons and such aren't smoothing correctly and i'm seeing rough edges and fonts. I dunno if its the Win7 display optimization wizard messing with it or a setting in the nVidia control panel


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## LifeOnMars (Jun 17, 2011)

erocker said:


> Your old profile(s) in the AppData folder. First you need to go to the Control Panel->Folder Options->View and tick "Show hiden files, folders, and drives.
> 
> Then go to your Documents folder (Folder with your name on it)->AppData and get rid of the ATi folders in the Local and Roaming folders. Should be good to go from there.



I already delete those folders as part of my normal procedure unfortunately. I just decided to try out a fresh driver install with driver sweeper incorporated and I still had the pre-modified colour settings and 3D settings when the new driver was installed.

This is really puzzling but it signifies to me that it is not a complete, clean install of new drivers(at least for me anyway) so I want to get to the bottom of it. Anyone else care to chip in, see my current procedure three posts above and see if you can find what I'm missing. Thanks


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## Jetster (Jun 17, 2011)

Quick question. In the past have just uninstalled and installed and rarely have had an issue. Both ATI and Nvidia. Ok I had some issues with XP but nothing serous. Is this guide just when your having problems?


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## CDdude55 (Jun 17, 2011)

Jetster said:


> Quick question. In the past have just uninstalled and installed and rarely have had an issue. Both ATI and Nvidia. Ok I had some issues with XP but nothing serous. Is this guide just when your having problems?



It's an in depth guide on how you should uninstall/reinstall drivers, so those are recommend steps to take even when you're not having an issue.

Generally yes, you won't run into issues just by doing a standard uninstall/reinstall of drivers especially if it's from the same manufacturer, but it's always best to clean everything out before applying new drivers to prevent conflicts.


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## Corduroy_Jr (Jun 18, 2011)

this new amd 6850 has giving me nothing but headaches since i got it, all other games run ok, but for bc2 it crashes after 10 mins of game play, so i put settings in bios at factory, and installed the driver disk that came with the card, yet i still crash, so there after i pulled out the 6850 and put my 8800gts back in played bc2 for a hour with not a single problem. i follow your guide with drive cleaner then rebooted then when went to install amd drivers 11.6, i get i error saying Application Install: install package failure!


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## eidairaman1 (Jul 14, 2011)

Corduroy_Jr said:


> this new amd 6850 has giving me nothing but headaches since i got it, all other games run ok, but for bc2 it crashes after 10 mins of game play, so i put settings in bios at factory, and installed the driver disk that came with the card, yet i still crash, so there after i pulled out the 6850 and put my 8800gts back in played bc2 for a hour with not a single problem. i follow your guide with drive cleaner then rebooted then when went to install amd drivers 11.6, i get i error saying Application Install: install package failure!



Worst case scenario is to reinstall windows, course i noticed that both companies are guilty of making it impossible to change to a diff chip brand with drivers- like it leaves code in to prevent you from installing another

the other option is to reinstall the game and check the settings in the game itself, run the machine at non overclocked speed.


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## erocker (Jul 25, 2011)

Corduroy_Jr said:


> i get i error saying Application Install: install package failure



It's for Microsoft Visual C++ which is already installed. Ignore it.


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## de.das.dude (May 3, 2012)

meow (sub)


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## bellaedward (May 31, 2012)

ist of all you have to check that any error in the driver should not b occurred. then u must know which driver is exactly suitable for your graphic card. then install the driver properly and check that there should not b any failure of electricity or any irrelevant key should not b pressed


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## Roxter (Jun 1, 2012)

*Visual C Runtimes*

If I uninstall all instances of Visual C++ runtimes a lot of dependant applications will not work anymore or am I wrong?
I notices I have quite a lot of these runtime installations. Apps seem to use different versions of it.


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## erocker (Jun 1, 2012)

Roxter said:


> If I uninstall all instances of Visual C++ runtimes a lot of dependant applications will not work anymore or am I wrong?
> I notices I have quite a lot of these runtime installations. Apps seem to use different versions of it.



You don't need to remove them unless you are still having problems with installing drivers. Your best bet is to google them and reinstall them from Microsoft. There's 2005, 2008 and 2010 versions. Once they are all installed, run Windows Update a few times to make sure they are up to date. I'm actually going to remove that part since I don't think it is necessary any longer.


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## redwar1 (Jul 17, 2012)

Quick question. Ive been hearing not to delete specific AMD/ATI folders if you also have a AMD Processor as you could be deleting important cpu files. I have an AMD RADEON HD 6870 and a AMD PHENOM X6 II CPU. Could I harm my pc doing this? Im getting these pixel errors. http://i.imgur.com/CG0or.png So im trying to reinstall drivers correctly.


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## erocker (Jul 17, 2012)

Looks more like a hardware failure than a driver problem.

And, no. If you follow the guide it doesn't matter what CPU you have.


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## Foxape (Jan 16, 2013)

I'm having trouble with Section C. I'm on Windows XP. Can anyone help?


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## erocker (Jan 16, 2013)

What trouble are you having?


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## Ona (Mar 28, 2013)

*nvidia graphic driver*

I've been having this issue with recent installations of nvidia driver updates. Basically only 1 or two of the updated drivers install and the rest will fail. Now since i have a relatively old card (230m), I assumed certain updates fail as they aren't applicable to my particular card. Is this the case or should I look to re-install from scratch?


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## Syrfnr (May 23, 2013)

Hey there. Don't know whether this thread is still active but i have a problem! I did every step and i ended up with a BSOD system service exception error. I'm running windows 7 and i was reinstalling my AMD graphics. Anyone can help me? Please


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## Mothalicka (May 24, 2013)

Well syrfnr if you get a BSOD often then that most likely is a hardware problem than a driver one. On the bright side at least you got that BSOD to prevent any more damage than it already has. Hopefully this helps


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## adboy14 (Jun 5, 2013)

*CCC won't open!*

I have followed the guide carefully, and after the reboot and then went to reinstall when i go to click on the CCC icon the vista loading blue circle comes up for a few seconds then disappears and nothing happens. 

Thanks for the help in advanced.


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## erocker (Jun 5, 2013)

adboy14 said:


> I have followed the guide carefully, and after the reboot and then went to reinstall when i go to click on the CCC icon the vista loading blue circle comes up for a few seconds then disappears and nothing happens.
> 
> Thanks for the help in advanced.



Make sure you have the correct driver version downloaded. x86 or x64. Unless it's a Vista/newer drivers issue.


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## adboy14 (Jun 5, 2013)

erocker said:


> Make sure you have the correct driver version downloaded. x86 or x64. Unless it's a Vista/newer drivers issue.




It used to work fine (the CCC) but then when I opened a game it said that my drivers could be updated and could affect the game play if i left them. So I went on the ATI website and downloaded the AMD driver autodetect, it found the latest drive for my OS etc and i installed it. Now i'm at this point.

Thanks for the quick reply.


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## erocker (Jun 5, 2013)

What model video card is it? Are you using 32 or 64 bit Vista?


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## adboy14 (Jun 5, 2013)

erocker said:


> What model video card is it? Are you using 32 or 64 bit Vista?



Sorry should of said before. I'm runnning Vista 32bit and an ATI Radeon HD 2500.


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## erocker (Jun 5, 2013)

Oh, it's a notebook/mobility GPU. 

This is the driver you should be using: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/legacy/Pages/legacy-radeonaiw-vista32.aspx


*If that doesn't work, you need to go to the Notebook manufacturer's support page and find a driver there.


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## adboy14 (Jun 5, 2013)

erocker said:


> Oh, it's a notebook/mobility GPU.
> 
> This is the driver you should be using: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/legacy/Pages/legacy-radeonaiw-vista32.aspx
> 
> ...




Still no luck  I have a slim case so technically a PC but can't get much inside  I'm on the dell website and found a driver for the graphics card, so i'm currently downloading that now.


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## adboy14 (Jun 5, 2013)

adboy14 said:


> Still no luck  I have a slim case so technically a PC but can't get much inside  I'm on the dell website and found a driver for the graphics card, so i'm currently downloading that now.



Downloaded and seems that I have been using a too new version which it didn't like but i don't know. The problem now is that as soon as I open CCC it comes up with the "Host Application has stopped working" error message.


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## adboy14 (Jun 5, 2013)

I've done it finally!!!  I just deleted all the driver entries etc, restarted pc then installed new drivers, restarted again and now it works  

Thanks for the advice.


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## psyko12 (Dec 1, 2013)

Can anyone help me?

I'm trying to fix this laptop equipped with E-450 APU with HD6320 as the gfx card, tried the methods above but am at a loss, I still get the error "Application Install: Install package failure" error.

attached is the error log (added .txt to the end to be able to upload) from the Catalyst Manager tool. 

Thanks all!

EDIT: Managed to make it work, now only 1 component gives a failure, the drivers install fine but

```
AMD Drag and Drop Transcoding
Final Status:    Fail
Version of Item:    2.00.0000
Size:    1 Mbytes
```

That's the error I get, and even if I manually run the said *.msi installer, it looks for a network source. (but I have the installer on the OS drive).


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## remixedcat (Dec 1, 2013)

quick fix: share a folder and browse the the "shared" folder????


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## psyko12 (Dec 1, 2013)

remixedcat said:


> quick fix: share a folder and browse the the "shared" folder????


Fixed it with microsoft msi installer fix or "Fix it!" program. It was due to some corrupt registry entries. Everything seems fine now. Thanks


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## dimpet (Jan 31, 2014)

download latest amd drivers, disable network and run as administrator the drivers...


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## GayleShier (Feb 4, 2014)

good to get that you have got the fix now keep them updated and bug free


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## Ethnography (Jul 8, 2014)

oli_ramsay said:


> +1


+3 ~~


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## OpticalPlays (Jan 18, 2016)

Hello

(i just joined the site today so this question can get answered and i am aware this thread is over 1 year old)
On Section A, i cant seem to find ADM or Nvidia and i am unsure if i have it or not...

PLZ HELP!!


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## erocker (Jan 19, 2016)

OpticalPlays said:


> Hello
> 
> (i just joined the site today so this question can get answered and i am aware this thread is over 1 year old)
> On Section A, i cant seem to find ADM or Nvidia and i am unsure if i have it or not...
> ...



Hi!!

Download GPU-Z here: http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/2571/techpowerup-gpu-z-v0-8-6/ 

It will tell you what you have.

This thread is a bit outdated now. The easiest/best way to currently reinstall drivers is to uninstall through Windows Control Panel, then run DDU, which you can get here: http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/display-driver-uninstaller-download.html


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## Easy Rhino (Apr 22, 2016)

Do you even need to uninstall drivers now if you are switching out a card?


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## cadaveca (Apr 22, 2016)

Easy Rhino said:


> Do you even need to uninstall drivers now if you are switching out a card?


I have found that if you replace NVidia cards, Windows installs whatever driver it likes, which might not be the most current.


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## erocker (Jul 3, 2016)

*Updated

-Added links to AMD/Nvidia driver pages
-Added link to Display Driver Uninstaller. Which, if you use, you can pretty much disregard the rest of the guide as it does a nice job of cleaning out the old drivers.


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