How To: Enable SLI on pre-i7/i5 hardware

[Triton.se]

It's my lucky day ?

Few minutes after downloading and installed 195.62, nvidia released new WHQL: 196.21

Creating system restore and testing the new driver..(dirt2 sli profile included)

edit ///

ppl at guru3d report of apps (evga precision, RivaTuner) not working/showing clocks etc... I won't install 196.21 yet....

 

[r3b00t3r]

Asus P5Q Deluxe + 2 x EVGA GTX260 Core 216 55 nm OC

195.62 + SLI Patch 0.5

I had previously patch 0.2, I've just downloaded 0.5, unzipped, and ran the install.cmd from command line. One reboot and off we go!

As soon as possible I'll try the new drivers.

I want also to thanks to all the contributors of this SLI hack project. It is a great work!

 

[anatolymik]

SLIPatch 0.5(and 0.42) + latest drivers = SLI works

keep working on SLIPatch 0.6

 

[Mashuga]

Here it is. I don't know if this helps but with the previous attempts to enable SLI I used SLIStringInstaller v1.81 and v2.0 with new and old drivers. Right now I have driver 195.62 Win7 x64 installed since you guys say it works. Thank for the help, I will wait for replies.

SLI String isn't needed for the 0.42 / 0.5 patch, and just the string installer won't do it either..

You need to download the .zip that Anatolymik posted on the last page, extract all the files to a folder on the desktop and then inside the newly created folder, double-click "InstallSLI.cmd" or whatever it's called.

For some reason, it's not creating the boot entry. (You don't have UAC enabled, do you? x.x)

 

[Regamaster]

SLI String isn't needed for the 0.42 / 0.5 patch, and just the string installer won't do it either..

You need to download the .zip that Anatolymik posted on the last page, extract all the files to a folder on the desktop and then inside the newly created folder, double-click "InstallSLI.cmd" or whatever it's called.

For some reason, it's not creating the boot entry. (You don't have UAC enabled, do you? x.x)

Yes UAC is disabled, I disable UAC on all of my systems. I know stringinstaller isn't needed, I just thought that the fact that I used it is probably giving me errors now.

I really didn't want to resort to this but do you guys think I need a fresh install of Win7x64?

 

[Goonit]

I am also experiencing the driver crashes within Windows 7 x64. I'm running 195.81 for now, but will load up latest drivers tonight.

Although I'm running MSI Afterburner, and it usually only happens if I play with the clock settings a couple of times, then it crashes back into 3d low performance mode and won't go back.

I've found that if I just set an overclock and reboot and don't change it, it won't crash.

Will give that wallpaper idea a go, see if it completely stops the crashing and I'll report back.

 

[Mashuga]

Yes UAC is disabled, I disable UAC on all of my systems. I know stringinstaller isn't needed, I just thought that the fact that I used it is probably giving me errors now.

I really didn't want to resort to this but do you guys think I need a fresh install of Win7x64?

Nope. If running the .cmd file from the patch isn't doing anything, then notepad installsli.cmd and open a cmd prompt and run all the commands by hand.
SLI string is just a registry setting, it wouldn't be causing problems.

I really need to finish that new installer I started lol

 

[Triton.se]

Will give that wallpaper idea a go, see if it completely stops the crashing and I'll report back.

It didn't, coz I had a driver crash this morning while using calc.exe..lol (had left PC on during night for defrag)
Haven't got them while gaming, only while working on desktop. Now I set PhysX disabled to see if it makes any diff.

With SLI Hack 190.62 I never had these desktop driver crashes, a crash was always when testing new MAX GPU oc etc

 

[Regamaster]

Nope. If running the .cmd file from the patch isn't doing anything, then notepad installsli.cmd and open a cmd prompt and run all the commands by hand.
SLI string is just a registry setting, it wouldn't be causing problems.

I really need to finish that new installer I started lol

Well I think the problem is solved guys . What I did was uninstall my current Nvidia Driver, then uninstalled the patch by running the "UninstallSLI.cmd". Then I rebooted into safe mode and ran some driver cleaners (just incase) and then shut it down and removed my SLI Bridge from the GPU's. Then I rebooted and installed the latest Nvidia Windows 7 x64 Driver (196.21) and listened to you (Mashuga) about manually installing the patch by running "InstallSLI.cmd" through the Command Prompt. THEN I shut my machine down, reattached the SLI Bridge and booted it, and suprisingly, the "Windows 7 SLIEnabled x64" boot option appeared, which I will now use by default. Then as soon as Windows finished loading I opened Nvidia Control Panel and enabled the option for SLI.

I'm pretty sure its stable as well since I just played a straight two hours of L4D2 verus without a single crash. With the old SLI hacks I used I would crash within minutes. I don't know exactly which one of the steps I performed might have solved the problem but now I'm happy. Thank you guys so much for all the help you provided, I was this close to just saying screw it and buying an ATI HD5850.

 

[Mashuga]

When you Windows-Key + R to open the run command, anything you launch via that run-prompt is ran as an Administrator.
So you had complete access to the system while in cmd.exe, which allowed the installsli.cmd script to do what it needed to do.

I'm no where near as impressed with the SLI as I thought I would be (2x GTX260s), so I think I'm just going to buy either two 5870s, or a single 5970 and giggle. Might end up waiting to see what nVidia 3xx cards are capable of first though.

 

[Triton.se]

Running latest 196.21 WHQL (US) coz I got Kernel blah blah crash with former driver. But, I snooped around a while before rebooting and installing it: disabled SLI, enabled back again etc. In Everest "Display->GPU->", it displayed "PCIe 2.0" for one card ..then" PCIe 1.0" for the other (that for which driver had crashed). GPUz showed the same. I've seen both cards "crash", one at the time.

Next reboot I see both are "PCIe 2.0"...but why did it display PCIe 1.0..? now I've set PCI-e speed to 100MHz (from 101)

 

[TheWolf]

When you Windows-Key + R to open the run command, anything you launch via that run-prompt is ran as an Administrator.
So you had complete access to the system while in cmd.exe, which allowed the installsli.cmd script to do what it needed to do.

I'm no where near as impressed with the SLI as I thought I would be (2x GTX260s), so I think I'm just going to buy either two 5870s, or a single 5970 and giggle. Might end up waiting to see what nVidia 3xx cards are capable of first though.

Are those the 216 shader or 192 cards?
I might be interested in one or both, if you deside to get something new.

 

[Mashuga]

They're 192s, unfortunately.

 

[elbolo]

[UPDATE]

patch 0,5 installed

no problema also with the new driver 196.21

By elbolo at 2010-01-21

 

[Swamp-Thing]

SLi works fine on my P45 with the 195.81 and with the 196.21.
But I had trouble with my Rivatuner Fan- and OC-Files so I decided to downgrade again to the 195.62.
Now everything is fine (again)

 

[Mashuga]

Do the 196.xx drivers fix the 'hiccups' issue that the 195s had?

 

[oiluj]

Mashuga, what do you mean by "hiccups"? The random "driver crash-and-revive" that v195.xx had or what?

If so, I'd also want to know if v196.xx has this problem.

 

[TheWolf]

They're 192s, unfortunately.

Actually that could work, I have one 192 already, can you say tri sli.

 

[anatolymik]

http://www.xdevs.com/sli/SLIPatch 0.52 Win7 x64 alpha.zip

SLIPatch v0.52 for Win7 x64
Stable version

 

[anatolymik]

Keep working on v0.6

 

[overclocking101]

you know a moderator really ought to update the first post with this updated working info it would save users the hassle of digging through over 100 pgs of this thread for one or 2 files just my 2c

 

[Mashuga]

What's the difference between 0.5 and 0.6x patches, Anatolymik?

 

[anatolymik]

What's the difference between 0.5 and 0.6x patches, Anatolymik?

new driver detection method applies to hal.dll too

 

[Regamaster]

http://www.xdevs.com/sli/SLIPatch 0.52 Win7 x64 alpha.zip

SLIPatch v0.52 for Win7 x64
Stable version

Thanks alot, whats the best driver you recommend to use with this patch?

Right now I'm using the 196.21 Driver with the previous SLIPatch v0.50 and I get BSOD's on every other boot-up. They were 0x0000007F, 0x0000003B, and 0x0000001E. I will try the new patch right now and see if the problems persist.

 

[anatolymik]

http://www.xdevs.com/sli/SLIPatch 0.54 Win7 x64 alpha.zip

SLIPatch v0.54 for Win7 x64
must be most stable version

Fixed MS bug

NEED SOME TESTS