This isn't Bootcamp, this is hell.

[ralerin]

I am at the end of my fucking rope. I lost the carefully written post I had written already because IE fucked itself so now I am typing this out in notepad before I lose it again. So if there are formatting issues I apologize.

Sit down, have some popcorn because this is going to be a long one. Here's a handy brick wall, too.

I have a Macbook (early 2009), running Snow Leopard 10.6.something that I'll look up when I get back to the mac side of things. It runs Bootcamp, running an OEM version of XP, service pack 3. It has worked fine for me for a couple years, until today.

My saga started a couple months ago when I updated from Leopard to Snow Leopard. I ran Sims 2. I got about 5-7 minutes of play time before it kicked to standby mode. I would boot back into the game, then I got maybe 30 seconds to a minute of play time until it either kicked itself back to standby mode or shut itself entirely. Processor was boiling. Ok, so a fan issue? I couldn't quite work out how to get SMC Fan Controller to run in Windows without restarting or turning everything off, so today (after about 2 months of being off Windows and using my Mac) I downloaded Input Remapper, which has a setting for ramping up your fans. Cranked them to the max, ran Sims, crash. Ran Minecraft, crash. Ok.

Ooopsie, I never installed the drivers from the Snow Leopard disc! I pop the disk into the drive and get through installing the NVIDIA graphic drivers. Just after installing those, I got an error "Pending Restart". 19 updates? Wow, ok. So I restart. First thing that comes up when it boots back up? "Error loading c:\windows\system32\nvcpl.dll". Hm.

I try reinstalling Bootcamp drivers. NVIDIA installation works fine and then when it gets to "Evaluating Launch Conditions" after that, I get the "pending restart" error again. Ok. So I reboot again, reinstall the drivers, same point, same errors. I try Apple's fix about removing the Bootcamp Services, but it doesn't let me, I get the same "pending reinstallation" error plus a "fatal error". Someone suggested removing my antivirus software, no dice. Someone else suggested that I delete the "pendingfilerenameoperationsvalue" under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to try to fix it. Try that, try reinstalling Bootcamp, same goddamn error.

I restart. I install the latest NVIDIA drivers using express install. Then I try reinstalling the Bootcamp drivers. Got an error during the NVIDIA portion. "NVIDIA Uninstall: current script file c:\windows\temp_istmp_{8675309}\nvdisp.nvu
String being parsed: increment nvcplrs2serverspresent". I hit "ok", continue with the installation...same "pending restart error." Now I'm getting pissed. I reinstall NVIDIA's drivers using the Custom option and ticking "clean installation". The clean installation failed. I remove the drivers under "Add/Remove Programs", then try reinstalling the drivers again, same option. FAIL. SIIIIIIIIIIIGH.

I leave it for a bit, then find the computer bugging for a restart. Ok...When it restarts it's in 800x600 and installing graphics drivers. The one that doesn't install properly is "coprocessor." I fix the resolution, try reinstalling NVIDIA's drivers, restart halfway through like it asks, and holy shit SUCCESS. Come back, Windows is harassing me about "Coprocessor" still. I try reinstalling Bootcamp and the same "Pending restart" error. I click on my Sims and get a different error about there being no DirectX9.0 Compatible Graphics Adapters. Minecraft gives me an error about Java encountering an error and needing to close. So now my games are unplayable.

*siiiiiiiiigh* Yes, comedy of errors and I'm wondering how much of it I fucked up along the way but I need help...please...?

[emax4]

Can you reboot into windows in safe mode, then uninstall/reinstall the drivers?

Do you have pets or do people smoke? That stuff could clog the fans over time.

If worse comes to worse, and if there's another Mac handy, put the mac into Target disk mode, and try grabbing your game data off of the windows side. Then delete the bootcamp partition and start over.

[emax4]

It's worth downloading "SpeedFan" as you can monitor and control the fan speeds. Personally I think it gives you more control and visuals than SMC Fan control.

[fma_fanatic]

Amen to SpeedFan. Before I downloaded it, I had no idea that my old comp was having heat issues due to the video card. I love nVidia, but I swear, they've got to get some better fans or better heatsinks for their video cards. I'm just glad that they've been supportive in the last few cards I've had that killed themselves because of the heat issue.

Once I discovered that the video card was causing problems, I went and got an exhaust fan and it was a happy camper until the mobo decided to commit suicide last week.

[Naaman]

Amen to SpeedFan. Before I downloaded it, I had no idea that my old comp was having heat issues due to the video card. I love nVidia, but I swear, they've got to get some better fans or better heatsinks for their video cards. I'm just glad that they've been supportive in the last few cards I've had that killed themselves because of the heat issue.

Not Nvidias (or ATIs) fault - they only produce the chips.
They sell the GPUs to people like EVGA, ASUS, Gainward etc who then slap it on a board, add memory and cooling systems of choice and sell it to you. If you're consistently having heat issues then switch manufacturers

[Geek King]

Not Nvidias (or ATIs) fault - they only produce the chips.
They sell the GPUs to people like EVGA, ASUS, Gainward etc who then slap it on a board, add memory and cooling systems of choice and sell it to you. If you're consistently having heat issues then switch manufacturers

Good points, all. I'll also throw in to consider the case. You may not be getting enough airflow in a smaller case to handle the heat from a graphics card, especially an SLI setup. You may need more case fans, or even a bigger case to increase airflow.

My gaming PC is currently running in a huge 8-drive case (Sniper) with three 120mm quiet fans and another 80mm quiet fan built into the case itself. This is overkill, but since I remote into that box to access files, it is frequently on all day. I want to make sure the CPU and video cards are happy.