Second Life Forums Archive - NVLDDMKM Crash Is it only Nivida cards?

Levin Yalin

Registered User

Join date: 1 Jul 2007

Posts: 6

08-05-2007 06:54

I updated SL. Now the game has become unplayable and joined a stack of games that I can't play ubtil Microsoft/Graphic vendors fix the problem.
Before the update, I was able to play SL.

I am now getting a NVLDDMKM crash error.
Here is a link to Nvidia forum. Seems to be only Nvidia cards:
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=31913

From: someone

NVIDIA statement on TDR Error Messages

Some Windows Vista users have reported that their systems are displaying an error message that says: "Display driver stopped responding, but has successfully recovered." This is called a Timeout Detection and Recovery error message.

Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) is a new feature of Windows Vista that attempts to detect problematic situations and recover to a functional desktop without forcing a reboot. Hangs can occur when the GPU is processing intensive graphics operations, typically during gameplay, and nothing is being updated on the monitor. To the user it appears that the system is frozen with no resolution to the problem; in previous operating systems users generally had to wait a few seconds and then reboot.

The TDR error message "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered" lets the user know that the NVIDIA display driver (specifically the "nvlddmkm.sys" file) has been re-initialized and the GPU is reset without requiring a reboot. The only visible artifact from the recovery is a screen flicker, the result of a screen redraw. Note that some older Microsoft DirectX applications may render to a black screen at the end of the TDR, requiring the user to restart these applications.

TDRs are not specific to a single driver problem, and can occur for a variety of reasons. When they occur, diagnostic information is collected in the form of a debug report that is sent to Microsoft through the Online Crash Analysis (OCA) mechanism if the user opts to provide feedback.

NVIDIA encourages users to submit their own bug reports via the NVIDIA Vista Quality Assurance Program, using the keyword "TDR" in the description of the problem. The NVIDIA bug report link is here:
https://surveys.nvidia.com/index.jsp?pi=749...8f09e040b4a437a

We understand that many users have expressed frustration with this issue, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Since the NVIDIA v101.41 beta driver release, NVIDIA has been fixing many TDR issues reported by users. Our software team is currently preparing a new driver which will dramatically reduce the number of TDR errors that users have reported on the forums. Thank you for your patience.

More information on TDRs can be found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/displ...dm_timeout.mspx.

Microsoft word on "TDR" Time out Detection and Recovery.
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/wddm_timeout.mspx

From: someone

Introduction
One of the most common stability problems in graphics is when the system appears completely "frozen" or "hung" while processing an end-user command or operation. Users generally wait a few seconds and then reboot the system by pressing the Power button. Usually the graphics processing unit (GPU) is "busy" processing intensive graphical operations, typically during gameplay. This results in nothing being updated on the screen, thus appearing to the user that the system is frozen.

This paper briefly describes the timeout detection and recovery (TDR) process in Windows Vista. It also documents the registry controls so developers can easily debug problems.

Top of page
Timeout Detection and Recovery
Windows Vista attempts to detect these problematic hang situations and recover a responsive desktop dynamically. In this process, the Microsoft Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) driver is reinitialized and the GPU is reset. No reboot is necessary, which greatly enhances the user experience. The only visible artifact from the hang detection to the recovery is a screen flicker, which results from resetting some portions of the graphics stack, causing a screen redraw. Some older Microsoft DirectX applications may render to a black screen at the end of this recovery. The end user would have to restart these applications.

The following is a brief overview of the TDR process:

1.
Timeout detection: The Video Scheduler component of the Windows Vista graphics stack detects that the GPU is taking more than the permitted quantum time to execute the particular task and tries to preempt this particular task. The preempt operation has a "wait" timeout—the actual "TDR timeout." This step is thus the "timeout detection" phase of the process. The default timeout period in Windows Vista is 2 seconds. If the GPU cannot complete or preempt the current task within the TDR timeout, then the GPU is diagnosed as hung.

2.
Preparation for recovery: The operating system informs the WDDM driver that a timeout has been detected and it must reset the GPU. The driver is told to stop accessing memory and should not access hardware after this time. The operating system and the WDDM driver collect hardware and other state information that could be useful for post-mortem diagnosis.

3.
Desktop recovery: The operating system resets the appropriate state of the graphics stack. The Video Memory Manager component of the graphics stack purges all allocations from video memory. The WDDM driver resets the GPU hardware state. The graphics stack takes the final actions and restores the desktop to the responsive state. As mentioned earlier, some older DirectX applications may now render just black, and the user may be required to restart these applications. Well-written DirectX 9Ex and DirectX 10 applications that handle "Device Remove" continue to work correctly. The application must release and then recreate its Microsoft Direct3D device and all of its objects. DirectX application programmers can find more information in the Windows SDK.

Top of page
Error Messaging
Throughout the process of GPU hang detection and recovery, the desktop is unresponsive and thus unavailable to the user. In the final stages of recovery, a brief screen flash occurs that is similar to the one when the screen resolution is changed. After the desktop has been successfully recovered, the following informational message appears to the user.

The message is also logged in the Windows Vista Event Viewer. Diagnosis information is collected in the form of a debug report that is returned to Microsoft through the Online Crash Analysis (OCA) mechanism if the user opts in to provide feedback.

Top of page
Registry Keys
The following registry keys are documented for testing purposes only. These registry keys should not be manipulated by any applications outside targeted testing or debugging.

The TDR-related registry keys are located under HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers.

• TdrLevel: REG_DWORD. The initial level of recovery. The possible values are:

• TdrLevelOff (0). – Detection disabled.

• TdrLevelBugcheck (1) – Bug check on detected timeout, for example, no recovery.

• TdrLevelRecoverVGA (2) – Recover to VGA (not implemented).

• TdrLevelRecover(3) – Recover on timeout. This is the default value.

• TdrDelay: REG_DWORD. The number of seconds that the GPU is allowed to delay the preempt request from the scheduler. This is effectively the timeout threshold. The default value is 2.

• TdrDdiDelay: REG_DWORD. The number of seconds that the operating system allows threads to leave the driver. After a specified time, the operating system bug checks the system with the code VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (0x116). The default value is 5.

• TdrTestMode: REG_DWORD: Internal test usage.

• TdrDebugMode: REG_DWORD: The debugging-related behavior of the TDR process.

• TDR_DEBUG_MODE_OFF (0) breaks to kernel debugger before the recovery to allow investigation of the timeout.

• TDR_DEBUG_MODE_IGNORE_TIMEOUT (1) ignores any timeout.

• TDR_DEBUG_MODE_RECOVER_NO_PROMPT (2) recovers without break into the debugger. This is the default value.

• TDR_DEBUG_MODE_RECOVER_UNCONDITIONAL (3) recovers even if some recovery conditions are not met (for example, recovers on consecutive timeouts).

Top of page
Next Steps
Graphics hardware vendors:

• Ensure that graphics operations (that is, DMA buffer completion) take no more than 2 seconds in end-user scenarios such as productivity and gameplay.

Graphics software vendors:

• Ensure that the DirectX graphics application does not run at a low frames per second (FPS) rate. As the FPS decreases, the likelihood of the GPU getting reset increases. If the application is running at 10 FPS or lower and a complex graphics operation is about to start, then a flush can be inserted.

• For running benchmark tests on low-end GPUs, use the aforementioned registry keys that control the TDR timeout. Remember that they should not be used in production systems because it would affect overall system stability and robustness. Use these keys only as a final solution.

System manufacturers:

• Work with the graphics hardware vendor to diagnose the TDR debug reports.

• Remember that any system that uses the aforementioned TDR registry keys to change the default values is a Windows Logo Program violation.

Kevin Susenko

Voice Mentor

Join date: 11 Jul 2006

Posts: 198

08-05-2007 06:59

Yeah, that's an nVidia problem. You can disable it in the registry like the Microsoft article says.

Here's another complaint post about it, though there might be some good suggestions within the fud: http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=86550

Also, make sure you're using the latest drivers. I'm on 162.22 atm and haven't seen that error in a few months, latest is 163.11.

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=55

_____________________

Leo Mission

Registered User

Join date: 6 Jan 2006

Posts: 189

05-21-2009 14:26

I'm sorry to necro-post, but I'm getting precisely the issue. I'm not sure I completely understand the article above but I've looked at my instances of nvlddmkm.sys and have found 9 separate copies, most of which are in the C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository folder. Surely this cannot be good?

Has anyone had any success in defeating this problem and can walk me through a way to beat it?

Sue Peregrine

Registered User

Join date: 23 Apr 2004

Posts: 64

05-21-2009 15:04

Leo, I IM'ed you in world.

Leo Mission

Registered User

Join date: 6 Jan 2006

Posts: 189

05-21-2009 15:37

From: Sue Peregrine

Leo, I IM'ed you in world.

Thanks for the tip (Greenlife Emerald Viwer), it didn't work however, as I've sent to you in the IM.

Any other ideas from anyone would be appreciated

Treasure Ballinger

Virtual Ability

Join date: 31 Dec 2007

Posts: 2,745

07-20-2009 13:24

Yet another necro-post, so sorry.....I am at wit's end with this Display driver stopped responding and has recovered. Is there any resolution? The TDR article is so far over my head it's not even funny.

NVLDDMKM Crash Is it only Nivida cards?
Levin Yalin Registered User Join date: 1 Jul 2007 Posts: 6	08-05-2007 06:54 I updated SL. Now the game has become unplayable and joined a stack of games that I can't play ubtil Microsoft/Graphic vendors fix the problem. Before the update, I was able to play SL. I am now getting a NVLDDMKM crash error. Here is a link to Nvidia forum. Seems to be only Nvidia cards: http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=31913 From: someone NVIDIA statement on TDR Error Messages Some Windows Vista users have reported that their systems are displaying an error message that says: "Display driver stopped responding, but has successfully recovered." This is called a Timeout Detection and Recovery error message. Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) is a new feature of Windows Vista that attempts to detect problematic situations and recover to a functional desktop without forcing a reboot. Hangs can occur when the GPU is processing intensive graphics operations, typically during gameplay, and nothing is being updated on the monitor. To the user it appears that the system is frozen with no resolution to the problem; in previous operating systems users generally had to wait a few seconds and then reboot. The TDR error message "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered" lets the user know that the NVIDIA display driver (specifically the "nvlddmkm.sys" file) has been re-initialized and the GPU is reset without requiring a reboot. The only visible artifact from the recovery is a screen flicker, the result of a screen redraw. Note that some older Microsoft DirectX applications may render to a black screen at the end of the TDR, requiring the user to restart these applications. TDRs are not specific to a single driver problem, and can occur for a variety of reasons. When they occur, diagnostic information is collected in the form of a debug report that is sent to Microsoft through the Online Crash Analysis (OCA) mechanism if the user opts to provide feedback. NVIDIA encourages users to submit their own bug reports via the NVIDIA Vista Quality Assurance Program, using the keyword "TDR" in the description of the problem. The NVIDIA bug report link is here: https://surveys.nvidia.com/index.jsp?pi=749...8f09e040b4a437a We understand that many users have expressed frustration with this issue, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Since the NVIDIA v101.41 beta driver release, NVIDIA has been fixing many TDR issues reported by users. Our software team is currently preparing a new driver which will dramatically reduce the number of TDR errors that users have reported on the forums. Thank you for your patience. More information on TDRs can be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/displ...dm_timeout.mspx. Microsoft word on "TDR" Time out Detection and Recovery. http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/wddm_timeout.mspx From: someone Introduction One of the most common stability problems in graphics is when the system appears completely "frozen" or "hung" while processing an end-user command or operation. Users generally wait a few seconds and then reboot the system by pressing the Power button. Usually the graphics processing unit (GPU) is "busy" processing intensive graphical operations, typically during gameplay. This results in nothing being updated on the screen, thus appearing to the user that the system is frozen. This paper briefly describes the timeout detection and recovery (TDR) process in Windows Vista. It also documents the registry controls so developers can easily debug problems. Top of page Timeout Detection and Recovery Windows Vista attempts to detect these problematic hang situations and recover a responsive desktop dynamically. In this process, the Microsoft Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) driver is reinitialized and the GPU is reset. No reboot is necessary, which greatly enhances the user experience. The only visible artifact from the hang detection to the recovery is a screen flicker, which results from resetting some portions of the graphics stack, causing a screen redraw. Some older Microsoft DirectX applications may render to a black screen at the end of this recovery. The end user would have to restart these applications. The following is a brief overview of the TDR process: 1. Timeout detection: The Video Scheduler component of the Windows Vista graphics stack detects that the GPU is taking more than the permitted quantum time to execute the particular task and tries to preempt this particular task. The preempt operation has a "wait" timeout—the actual "TDR timeout." This step is thus the "timeout detection" phase of the process. The default timeout period in Windows Vista is 2 seconds. If the GPU cannot complete or preempt the current task within the TDR timeout, then the GPU is diagnosed as hung. 2. Preparation for recovery: The operating system informs the WDDM driver that a timeout has been detected and it must reset the GPU. The driver is told to stop accessing memory and should not access hardware after this time. The operating system and the WDDM driver collect hardware and other state information that could be useful for post-mortem diagnosis. 3. Desktop recovery: The operating system resets the appropriate state of the graphics stack. The Video Memory Manager component of the graphics stack purges all allocations from video memory. The WDDM driver resets the GPU hardware state. The graphics stack takes the final actions and restores the desktop to the responsive state. As mentioned earlier, some older DirectX applications may now render just black, and the user may be required to restart these applications. Well-written DirectX 9Ex and DirectX 10 applications that handle "Device Remove" continue to work correctly. The application must release and then recreate its Microsoft Direct3D device and all of its objects. DirectX application programmers can find more information in the Windows SDK. Top of page Error Messaging Throughout the process of GPU hang detection and recovery, the desktop is unresponsive and thus unavailable to the user. In the final stages of recovery, a brief screen flash occurs that is similar to the one when the screen resolution is changed. After the desktop has been successfully recovered, the following informational message appears to the user. The message is also logged in the Windows Vista Event Viewer. Diagnosis information is collected in the form of a debug report that is returned to Microsoft through the Online Crash Analysis (OCA) mechanism if the user opts in to provide feedback. Top of page Registry Keys The following registry keys are documented for testing purposes only. These registry keys should not be manipulated by any applications outside targeted testing or debugging. The TDR-related registry keys are located under HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers. • TdrLevel: REG_DWORD. The initial level of recovery. The possible values are: • TdrLevelOff (0). – Detection disabled. • TdrLevelBugcheck (1) – Bug check on detected timeout, for example, no recovery. • TdrLevelRecoverVGA (2) – Recover to VGA (not implemented). • TdrLevelRecover(3) – Recover on timeout. This is the default value. • TdrDelay: REG_DWORD. The number of seconds that the GPU is allowed to delay the preempt request from the scheduler. This is effectively the timeout threshold. The default value is 2. • TdrDdiDelay: REG_DWORD. The number of seconds that the operating system allows threads to leave the driver. After a specified time, the operating system bug checks the system with the code VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (0x116). The default value is 5. • TdrTestMode: REG_DWORD: Internal test usage. • TdrDebugMode: REG_DWORD: The debugging-related behavior of the TDR process. • TDR_DEBUG_MODE_OFF (0) breaks to kernel debugger before the recovery to allow investigation of the timeout. • TDR_DEBUG_MODE_IGNORE_TIMEOUT (1) ignores any timeout. • TDR_DEBUG_MODE_RECOVER_NO_PROMPT (2) recovers without break into the debugger. This is the default value. • TDR_DEBUG_MODE_RECOVER_UNCONDITIONAL (3) recovers even if some recovery conditions are not met (for example, recovers on consecutive timeouts). Top of page Next Steps Graphics hardware vendors: • Ensure that graphics operations (that is, DMA buffer completion) take no more than 2 seconds in end-user scenarios such as productivity and gameplay. Graphics software vendors: • Ensure that the DirectX graphics application does not run at a low frames per second (FPS) rate. As the FPS decreases, the likelihood of the GPU getting reset increases. If the application is running at 10 FPS or lower and a complex graphics operation is about to start, then a flush can be inserted. • For running benchmark tests on low-end GPUs, use the aforementioned registry keys that control the TDR timeout. Remember that they should not be used in production systems because it would affect overall system stability and robustness. Use these keys only as a final solution. System manufacturers: • Work with the graphics hardware vendor to diagnose the TDR debug reports. • Remember that any system that uses the aforementioned TDR registry keys to change the default values is a Windows Logo Program violation.
Kevin Susenko Voice Mentor Join date: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 198	08-05-2007 06:59 Yeah, that's an nVidia problem. You can disable it in the registry like the Microsoft article says. Here's another complaint post about it, though there might be some good suggestions within the fud: http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=86550 Also, make sure you're using the latest drivers. I'm on 162.22 atm and haven't seen that error in a few months, latest is 163.11. http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=55 _____________________ CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 (Overclocked - 2.8GHz) \| Mobo: EVGA nForce 680i SLI \| GPU: XFX nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX 768mb GDDR3 \| Memory: 4gb DDR2 PC5300 667MHz Dual Channel \| PSU: Antec Neo HE 550w \| Sound: SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtrememusic \| HDD: 950gb total SATA3 \| OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit
Leo Mission Registered User Join date: 6 Jan 2006 Posts: 189	05-21-2009 14:26 I'm sorry to necro-post, but I'm getting precisely the issue. I'm not sure I completely understand the article above but I've looked at my instances of nvlddmkm.sys and have found 9 separate copies, most of which are in the C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository folder. Surely this cannot be good? Has anyone had any success in defeating this problem and can walk me through a way to beat it?
Sue Peregrine Registered User Join date: 23 Apr 2004 Posts: 64	05-21-2009 15:04 Leo, I IM'ed you in world.
Leo Mission Registered User Join date: 6 Jan 2006 Posts: 189	05-21-2009 15:37 From: Sue Peregrine Leo, I IM'ed you in world. Thanks for the tip (Greenlife Emerald Viwer), it didn't work however, as I've sent to you in the IM. Any other ideas from anyone would be appreciated
Treasure Ballinger Virtual Ability Join date: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 2,745	07-20-2009 13:24 Yet another necro-post, so sorry.....I am at wit's end with this Display driver stopped responding and has recovered. Is there any resolution? The TDR article is so far over my head it's not even funny.

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NVLDDMKM Crash Is it only Nivida cards?