F. A. Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

Please ensure that you are using the latest driver versions. You can obtain the latest drivers from our webpage.

An Overview of the Questions

Question 1:
How do I install the NVIDIA Detonator drivers for Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP?

Question 2:
How do I tell which driver version I am currently using?

Question 3:
I have downloaded the latest drivers for my NVIDIA-based graphics card and when I run the file, I receive a "This is not a valid Win32 application" error.

Question 4:
After installing my NVIDIA-based graphics card, every time Windows loads, I get an error stating that my graphics card is not installed properly.

Question 5:
TV-out on my graphics card is not working.

Question 1:
How do I install the NVIDIA Detonator drivers for Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP?

Answer 1:

Windows 95 does not offer native AGP support. If you are installing an AGP graphics card on Windows 95, then we suggest updating your Windows 95 to the latest Service Pack, which adds supports for AGP. Contact Microsoft for information on how to obtain this. If you are installing the drivers on Windows NT4, make sure you are running at least Service Pack 5. Older Service Packs will not work with our drivers. You do not need to worry about this for Windows 98, Me, 2000 or XP.

The NVIDIA Detonator drivers are self-installing drivers. This makes it very easy for end-users to upgrade their drivers to the latest version. Simply download the appropriate drivers from the TerraTec Web site at www.terratec.net, and save the file to your hard drive. Make sure you are not running any download utilities in the background. This tends to corrupt the drivers if not disabled.

Once the file is on your hard drive, disable any anti-virus programs running in the background. Certain anti-virus programs will prevent you from making any changes to your system files and can corrupt your drivers. Once you have prepared your system for the driver installation, simply run the drivers you have downloaded by double-clicking on the file. The drivers will automatically update your current drivers and make the necessary changes to your system. If you are running Windows NT4, it will ask you which graphics card you are installing. This is because Windows NT4 cannot correctly detect your graphics card make and model. Once the drivers have been installed, Windows will ask you to restart your computer to complete the changes. Allow Windows to restart. Once you are back in Windows, you are done with the driver installation.

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Question 2:
How do I tell which driver version I am currently using?

Answer 2:
From within Windows, click on the Start button -> Settings -> Control Panel. This will bring up the Control Panel. Double click on the Display icon. This will open up your display properties. Inside the display properties, click on Settings -> Advanced, and then click on the tab with the name of the NVIDIA graphics card installed in your PC. On the bottom of this tab, you will see a white box listing the driver files followed by the driver version. They should all display the same number. The last four digits represent the driver version (ex: 4.13.01.2183 means the driver version is 21.83).

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Question 3:
I have downloaded the latest drivers for my NVIDIA-based graphics card and when I run the file, I receive a "This is not a valid Win32 application" error.

Answer 3:
Generally, this means that you are using a download utility in the background, which is corrupting the drivers. You will need to disable any download utilities prior to downloading the drivers from the NVIDIA Web site. Once you have downloaded the drivers, you may enable your download utility once again.

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Question 4:
After installing my NVIDIA-based graphics card, every time Windows loads, I get an error stating that my graphics card is not installed properly.

Answer 4:
Check in your motherboard's BIOS for the option "Assign IRQ to VGA" and make sure it is enabled. If you do not see this option in your motherboard BIOS, please contact your system/motherboard manufacturer to see if this option is available on your system. All NVIDIA-based graphics cards need to have an assigned IRQ to operate correctly.Also, conflicts with drivers from previous graphics cards can also prevent the NVIDIA drivers from installing correctly. Please remove any drivers from previous graphics cards before installing the NVIDIA-based graphics card. If you are unsure how to do this, contact the manufacturer of your graphics card for assistance with removing their display drivers correctly.

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Question 5:
TV-out on my graphics card is not working.

Answer 5:
To test the TV-out feature of your graphics card, turn off your computer. Then connect the S-VIDEO cable from your graphics card to your TV. If your TV does not support S-VIDEO, then you may need to purchase an “S-VIDEO to Composite” adapter. Once you have all the connections you need, connect your graphics card to your TV. Make sure there are no other devices in between, such as a VCR or switchbox. Then, unplug the PC monitor from your graphics card leaving only the TV connected to your PC. Make sure your TV is set to AUX or Line-In. Otherwise, your graphics card will not detect the presence of a TV. Turn on your PC. The system should automatically detect your TV and send the video signal to your TV. If it does display the video signal onto your TV but stops once you boot into Windows, it may simply be a driver issue. You should download the latest drivers for your graphics card from: www.terratec.net.

If you do not get a video signal on your TV when you turn on your PC, then this means that either your TV is not sending a video signal back to your graphics card to let it know that a TV is present, or that the TV encoder that handles TV output is not functioning. If you have a different TV to test with, please perform the same test to see if the TV-out is working. Check that none of the pins inside the video cable are bent or missing. If you cannot get TV output from any TV, then your TV encoder is probably defective.

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