[ERROR] Windows: Display Driver Stopped Responding

from Demigod Forums

In the middle of a game Demigod freezes for about 10 seconds, then with a horribly reduced resolution i can see the top part of an error window saying Windows: Display Driver Stopped Responding, after which the screen goes black. I can still hear things going on such as error bleeps and such, but I can't see anything. I had not completely updated my display drivers the first time this occurred, but I have since updated them and the problem has occurred 2 other times. The first two times before the screen went black I alt-tabbed to find that I had IMs waiting for me, althought I do not know if they had just been sent or if they had been waiting for me for a time. The third time alt-tabbing did not work so it is possible that I may have recieved another IM. It also could be completely unrelated. Here are my system stats from DxDiag:

 

   Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.070227-2254)

           Language: English (Regional Setting: English)

System Manufacturer: ECS

       System Model: PT890T-A

               BIOS: Default System BIOS

          Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU          6400  @ 2.13GHz (2 CPUs)

             Memory: 2048MB RAM

          Page File: 665MB used, 3274MB available

        Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS

    DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

DX Setup Parameters: Not found

     DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode

And here are the stats for my graphics card:
 Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS
     Manufacturer: NVIDIA
        Chip type: GeForce 8800 GTS
         DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
       Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0193&SUBSYS_042010DE&REV_A2
   Display Memory: 320.0 MB
     Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
          Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
  Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
      Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
   Driver Version: 6.14.0011.7519 (English)
      DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Has anyone had similar problems?

1,487 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from Demigod Forums Top

Just to cover all the bases, any overclocking of the graphics card? That's usuallly what causes that particular message to come up for me.

Reply #2 from Demigod Forums Top

I'm about 99.9% sure it's not overclocking. How would I make myself 100% sure?

Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from Demigod Forums Top

Stop doing it :)

Seriously, if it's been good for awhile now in other games, that's probably not the issue. But if you want to make sure, return the card to stock clocks, and try playing the game then. If your card is pre-overclocked from the factory, use whatever overclocking program you use to bring the card down to 513Mhz on the core, and 1600Mhz on the memory (iirc).

Reply #4 from Demigod Forums Top

I've never overclocked the card and I don't think it is pre-overclocked, and no other game has given me problems, but I've only had the card since may. And where can you get overclocking programs?

Reply #5 from Demigod Forums Top

Well, you've got the latest drivers for your card now, and if the card's been stable elsewhere, nothing else is jumping out at me. Make sure IM isn't set to interrupt you with notifications, I think there have been a few other reports of it screwing with this game.

OT: Overclocking is a bit of a can of worms, and there's a bit of a learning curve if you want to do it safely. Opinions will differ, but one of the best programs out there right is a program called Rivatuner. It's a little complicated to learn at first, but it's reliable and will have no trouble with your card. You can download the program from "http://www.guru3d.com", under their "Downloads" tab. It should be on the "most downloaded" list. This isn't really a hardware forum; your best bet to learn how to use the program (or others) would be to check out a reputable hardware forum where everyone and their pet dog is already doing it. There will almost certainly be stickied "How-to" topics on the issue, where you can get started on reading/learning. Two large, well-established forums of this type are "http://www.hardforum.com/" and "http://www.xtremesystems.com", although there are countless others to be found as well.

Reply #6 from Demigod Forums Top

alright, thx. And it's set to NOT have notifications. One of the first things I turned off when they added them.

I used to overclock my cpu on my older computer, but I hadn't ever fiddled with my graphics card.