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Video driver installation is unsuccessful when you click the "Update Driver" button in Device Manager

Article ID: 314283 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q314283

SYMPTOMS

When you try to use the Update Driver button in Device Manager to install a video adapter that does not have an Inbox driver, the installation is unsuccessful, and you receive an error message that the update process was not completed.

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CAUSE

This behavior is a known issue in Microsoft Windows 2000.

The installation of the driver is unsuccessful when video adapter chipsets do not have Inbox drivers.

For more information about how to install Inbox drivers by means of Device Manager, see the "Resolution" section.

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RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

Method 1: Use one of the new hardware wizards
1. Install the device in the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slot.
2. The first time that you start the system, use either the Found New Hardware Wizard or the Add New Hardware Wizard.
Method 2: Reinstall the driver by means of Device Manager
1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
2. On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
3. Right-click the driver, click Properties, and then click Reinstall driver on the General tab.
Method 3: Precopy the .inf file programmatically, and then use method 2

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MORE INFORMATION

Steps to reproduce the problem

Install a video card in an empty PCI slot on a Windows 2000-based computer.

Note Use a video card that does not have Inbox drivers. To reproduce this problem with any video card, delete the .inf file.
Restart the computer.
After you log on and the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog box appears, click Cancel.
In Device Manager, right-click Other Devices: Video Controller (VGA Compatible), and then click Properties.
Click the Driver tab, and then click Update Driver. After the Upgrade Device Driver Wizard starts, click Next.
Click to select the "Display a list of the known drivers" check box, and then click Next.
Select Display Adapters from the Hardware Type list.
When the Select a Device Driver dialog box appears, click Have Disk.
When the Install From Disk dialog box appears, select the .inf file, and then click OK.

The installation is unsuccessful when the video adapter chipsets do not have Inbox drivers. For more information about how to install Inbox drivers by means of Device Manager, see the "Resolution" section.

The installation is unsuccessful. The following Registry key is absent:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000

Scenarios where installation is unsuccessful

Scenario 1

If you increase the System page table entries (PTEs) by means of the .inf file, you receive a prompt to restart the system after you finish the installation (this is typical behavior). When this behavior occurs, the settings under the following device instance registry key are deleted:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000

These Registry keys are deleted only after you click the Finish button in the Completing the Upgrade Device Driver Wizard.

Scenario 2

When you do not change the System PTEs, the video miniport starts after the installation because the miniport does not require a restart.

In both cases, the VGA driver is loaded. If, in Control Panel, you click Display, and then you click the Settings tab, you receive the following error message:

The specified installation disk contains a driver that was written for a previous version of Windows NT. This release of Windows NT requires new video drivers be installed.
Please contact your hardware manufacturer to get a new driver installation diskette.

The following device instance key is created and then deleted (after you click Finish in the wizard):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000

Therefore, the installation is incomplete, and the class installer eventually throws the error that is referred to in the "Symptoms" section.

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