Nvidia bluescreen/CTD crash - possible fix

[[general nuisance] 0]

I've been experiencing problems with "ArmA 2" and "OA" crashing my system, either with a bluescreen or far more commonly with a crash to desktop (even though the game continues to run). I posted my problem on another forum and I uploaded two of my minidumps. One of my blue screen crash and another of the crash to desktop. I was told that the mini-dump said: "Unable to load image \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\nvlddmkm.sys". Which apparently meant my driver 'timed out' and was unable to recover for whatever reason. I was directed to this site here:

Handling "nvlddmkm.sys" Crash

It says:

Issue

Symptom of this crash

* The Flickering Screen (small flashes)

* A screen freezes (still image)

* A screen is totally black and a return on Windows

Solution

* Part One

o Go to in the NVIDIA folder>> C:NVIDIA

o Find a file named "nvlddmkm.sy_" >> "C:NVIDIA DisplayDriver" Number of the driver version (eg 186.81) 'InternationalDisplaynvlddmkm.sy_

+ It may well be on the path differs depending on each computer.

o copy the file to the root of C>> C:nvlddmkm.sy_

* Part Two

o Go to the system folder where the drivers are stored>> C: WindowsSystem32 Drivers

o Once in this folder, locate the file defective "nvlddmkm.sys" and rename it "nvlddmkm.sys.old"

* Part Three

o Open the MS-DOS command prompt>> Windows key + R> type "cmd"

o Once the command prompt open, type the following commands:

+ 1) "cd" and type enter (you are the root of the drive => C:)

+ 2) "expand.exe nvlddmkm.sy_ nvlddmkm.sys" and then press Enter

o "This command allows you to unzip the file "nvlddmkm.sy_" that you placed at the root of C: and create the new" nvlddmkm.sys ".

o Go get it>> C:nvlddmkm.sys

o And put it in the folder>> C:WindowsSystem32drivers

o Simply restart your PC.

Thanks to tony06153 for this tip

I will try the suggested solution soon. I thought it would be good to share with others so hopefully more people can enjoy "ArmA 2" and "OA" with uninterrupted play.

Important notes:

1. The directory path for the "nvlddmkm.sy_" file for me is "C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\260.99\Vista 64-bit\International\Display.Driver" as I have 64-bit Windows 7.

2. This is very important. For the new "nvlddmkm.sys" file to be extracted, you need to run the "cmd" prompt as an administrator firstly.

P.S. I've just done all these steps and I'm playing "OA" now. Everything seems fine so hopefully no more crashes.

Edited January 14, 2011 by [General Nuisance]

[seelix 10]

Thanks for sharing this info.

I had those CTDs and driver issue too before on any driver i tried,but they were all gone by the moment i upgraded my card from a gtx285 to a 460gtx.

And i mean completly gone.Never ever had a CTD again since then.

By watching your specs i noticed that your grafic card is the only component which is a bit "behind". So maybe its also a choice (and time) for you too.

You may can ask a friend before with a 400 series card to check out if its a step forward to you.

All i can say that it was a big step forward to me.

The only thing i wish is,that all my 6 cores running on 90%,instead of 1 core on 100% and another on 50% and the rest in idle mode.

:rolleyes:

[[general nuisance] 0]

Hello,

The strange thing was I used the exact same graphics card on my previous system which was a Core 2 Duo 3.16GHz processor on a Striker II NSE before carrying it over to my present system. On the previous one I never experienced the crashing problem. Since I performed the above steps my crashing problems have so far abated. Hopefully I've found a permanent fix. I have considered upgrading my graphics card and it's the only missing piece in an otherwise excellent system. The only things stopping me are price, ambivalence over the 400 series of cards and also waiting for the 595 GTX card. Whenever I buy a new graphics card I always tend to go for the last of a given series.

[[general nuisance] 0]

I see there's been quite a few viewings of this thread already. I want to hear from anyone who's actually tried the recommended fix to see if it's worked or not. So far I haven't experienced any problems whatsoever and the game runs beautifully. Feedback would be appreciated. Thank you.