Windows XP Detonator install Guide - Installing Nvidia Detonator XP drivers #1

Installing Nvidia Detonator drivers
on Windows XP

Starting from driver version 30.82 NVIDIA packaged the drivers in a compressed format. They provide an application (setup.exe) in order to install the drivers. While this may be easier for some people it also made impossible modifying the files - with RivaTuner patch scripts for instance.

This guide will teach you how to install a “traditional” driver package. This guide is written for Windows XP. By now (2003) this is the Operating System (OS) of  most if not all people concerned with the performance of your system. If you're still using Win9x (which even Microsoft dropped support for) you either are a power user or don't care so much for performance. Make that call .. switch.

Please make sure you are logged on with Administrative privilege.

1. Download the drivers from our Detonator drivers site.
2. Using WinRAR extract the archive to a folder.

If you don't use WinRAR start using it: RARLabs. Right click the file you downloaded and choose: Extract to a folder like in this example:

3. In the folder WinRAR created, you will notice a lot of files.  They're likely all compressed and you'll need to decompress them before installing. Most archives from Guru3D.com already have been decompressed though. However, running the file below on an already decompressed archive will do nothing, so if you aren’t sure run the file anyway.

The file will automatically decompress the files for you and then will delete the compressed files:

Download - ALL Detonator XP versions decompress patch    -----> NVXPG

This file will work with any Nvidia driver, including ones that will be released in the future as it is a generic file. Simply run it and follow the on-screen instructions.  You just have to browse towards the folder you have created at the previous step. Then you click the Install button. 

Congratulations, now you have a “traditional” driver from Nvidia.  You now need to install this driver, as shown in the next steps.

Note that you don't have to uninstall your previous drivers. Simply install the new one, as they will overwrite any old file. Plus the .inf files (an device informatipn file) also contains an uninstall script. I had always simply installed the new driver over the old one, and I never had any problems. Please note that even swapping 42.90 with 27.20, for example, did not caused any problems. If you want to remove International support from Detonator XP read my other guide here at guru3d.

4. Now that you have the driver we need to install it. 

Right click on an empty part of your desktop. Choose Properties.

When the Display Properties Window appears. click on the Settings tab and then click on the Advanced button.

 In the new window click the Adapter tab then the Properties button.

Finally click on the Driver tab and then on the "Update Driver..." button.

You will then see the Hardware Update Wizard.

Select "Install from a list.." then click Next.

Select "Don't Search.." then click Next.

Click "Have Disk..." button.

 Click "Browse..."  button and then select the folder you created at step 2

There choose nv4_disp.inf.

Now click "OK" button.

With "Show compatible hardware" checked only your card will show up.

Click Next.

When this screen pops out Select "Continue anyway".

If asked to overwrite any newer file select YES. You will only get this screen when installing an older driver (for benchmark or stability purposes for instance). Reboot when asked and you're done. You have just installed a new driver.

If you still have questions feel free to email me.

Alex aka Kakaru

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