Modded 197.16 Hybrid Graphics Driver for UL30/50/80VT

[Nautis]

Fantastic detailed instructions itaru, nice job.

Idea is cool but those laptops are with nVidia Optimus - and that means drivers are different for the hybrid graphics and for the optimus (for the last - they need a bit special but very close to original drivers)

some other laptops - like dell alienware m11x and some new sony vaio z models also have hybrid graphics and I tried to adopt them to work with UL-VT but they are not working
(the version 01/19/2010, 8.16.11.8880 for NV and 12/14/2009,8.15.10.2021 for the Intel )

v00d00ley or itaru, I have been modding Hybrid Graphics drivers for a while now, the latest set for testing is in my sig. Drivers above the 191 series have issues with switching on other HG notebooks. I can teach you more if you'd like.

Note: Intel drivers above 1994 do not output properly to the LVDS.

I am also looking for a people to test Optimus on the UL30/50/80VT. Got it working on the new Vaio Z and M11x so far. (with a couple issues)

[lotsabs]

Welcome Nautis! Glad to have your input. Several of us have been toying with modded drivers for the last few months with various levels of success, so your experience will be appreciated. Speaking of Optimus, before seeing your post, I was under the impression that it required both specific software/drivers and hardware to work.

[itaru]

I am still gettin an error after i used your guide, the resolution is still 800 x 600. But i have tried changing your .inf file inside, changing the line where it has the date and also the driver version, back to the old asus .inf file line. This process has worked by just changing this line, I don't know why this would be so.

This is strange indeed. My guess is that Windows somehow is checking the integrity/version of the nvmvam.inf file and comparing to the nvmvam.cat file, and upon discovering that they do not match, Windows refuses to use it. But other people including myself have no problem with with the updated date and version string, so it's very odd indeed. I'm glad reverting the date and version string to the original fixes the problem for you. I'll update my detailed guide to reflect this possible fix for others who have the same problem as you when installing the modded 197.16. Thanks for the tip!

The results I obtained using Performance Test 7.0 (64 bit) version with the new 197.16 was:

2D Graphics Mark: 181
3D Graphics Mark: 257.3

However when compared with the previous driver, my results were:

2D Graphics Mark: 198.1
3D Graphics Mark: 278.6

I can confirm that the new modded driver does score lower in PerformanceTest 7 64-bit. Anyway, this supports my claim in the guide that original Asus driver is still the best. Enabling all features in the modded 197.16 is a nice curiousity, but I doubt it's usable in actual games. The modded driver does have almost 200 point increase in 3DMark06 compared to original driver, but I think that's Nvidia cheating in the 197.16 driver. They most likely did optimization and lowering image quality to get the boost in 3DMark06. However, I'm also sure Nvidia did the same optimization for some newer games so those games should have some performance increase, but non-optimized games most likely suffer performance drop. IMHO, the only usable feature in 197.16 for the G210M is hardware accelerated Flash HD movie support which I have confirmed to be working. The G210M is just too slow to support all the advanced features like OpenCL, PhysX, DirectCompute in actual games.

v00d00ley or itaru, I have been modding Hybrid Graphics drivers for a while now, the latest set for testing is in my sig. Drivers above the 191 series have issues with switching on other HG notebooks. I can teach you more if you'd like.

Glad to have you aboard, Nautis. Please do share your tips and tricks in creating modified hybrid drivers so that we can create the perfect hybrid driver.

One thing I have noticed while creating the updated 197.16 hybrid driver for the ULxxVT notebooks is that there is one key file in the original Asus hybrid driver that must not be replaced: nvBridge_int.km_. If I replace that file with the 197.16 version, the installation always fails and the notebook is stuck in 800x600 resolution with no switching ability. So, that file is the ONLY file I did not update to 197.16. Another thing is that in the regular 197.16 package, the file is called nvBridge.km_, not nvBridge_int.km_ as in the original Asus driver. I assume int is short for international and the name doesn't matter. If Nautis or anyone can shed some light on what that file actually does, please share it here. All I know is that it must be a very important file (a kernel mode driver) since it is placed in the same folder as the nvlddmkm.sys file in the system32\drivers folder. I'm thinking maybe Asus customized the nvBridge.kmd file which is why replacing it with the regular 197.16 version will break the switchable graphics feature.

Speaking of Optimus, before seeing your post, I was under the impression that it required both specific software/drivers and hardware to work.

I was also under this impression. If Optimus can somehow work on the Asus ULxxVT notebooks, please sign me up!

[¤carbine¤]

Just a quick question, where exactly can you enable the PhysX in the nvidia Control Panel? I have looked under the Manage 3D settings section but could not find an option that would allow me to enable PhysX.

[itaru]

Just a quick question, where exactly can you enable the PhysX in the nvidia Control Panel? I have looked under the Manage 3D settings section but could not find an option that would allow me to enable PhysX.

It should be below the Manage 3D settings called Set PhysX configuration. If it's not there, then you didn't install using my latest version 3 of the INF file. If you don't want to reinstall the modified 197.16 driver, you can enable PhysX by following the instructions at *Official UL30VT-X1 Owners Lounge*

[Nautis]

Glad to have you aboard, Nautis. Please do share your tips and tricks in creating modified hybrid drivers so that we can create the perfect hybrid driver.

One thing I have noticed while creating the updated 197.16 hybrid driver for the ULxxVT notebooks is that there is one key file in the original Asus hybrid driver that must not be replaced: nvBridge_int.km_. If I replace that file with the 197.16 version, the installation always fails and the notebook is stuck in 800x600 resolution with no switching ability. So, that file is the ONLY file I did not update to 197.16. Another thing is that in the regular 197.16 package, the file is called nvBridge.km_, not nvBridge_int.km_ as in the original Asus driver. I assume int is short for international and the name doesn't matter. If Nautis or anyone can shed some light on what that file actually does, please share it here. All I know is that it must be a very important file (a kernel mode driver) since it is placed in the same folder as the nvlddmkm.sys file in the system32\drivers folder. I'm thinking maybe Asus customized the nvBridge.kmd file which is why replacing it with the regular 197.16 version will break the switchable graphics feature.

I was also under this impression. If Optimus can somehow work on the Asus ULxxVT notebooks, please sign me up!

Seems like you've got it. nvbridge_int.kmd is in fact the key file to Hybrid Graphics working properly. My assumption is that _int stands for Intel.

You can check out my epic "My discoveries on Vaio Z’s Hybrid Graphics" thread for a lot more info. Most of the critical info I have gathered in the first post there. You can also download my Hybrid Graphics Master Set drivers below and pull em apart. They should work for almost all Hybrid Graphics Notebooks.

There are two issues currently that I am running into:

1.) I can not get Nvidia drivers above the 191 series of drivers to switch properly. They initially work fine but when switched to Intel and back the Nvidia part stops working.

2.) On the Intel side what I like to call the 2000 series (that is Intel drivers ending in 2###) and up have an issue where they do not display using the LVDS only the VGA connector. (Probably a Mux issue.)

See my optimus section over at laptopVideo2go for a bit more info on optimus. Also screenshots an pictures of it working on the new Vaio Z and M11x.

I also just posted a hugely detailed explanation on optimus here. Give it a read it should explain everything.

EDIT: BTW a crucial modders tool IMHO is a file compare utility like Winmerge or Beyond Compare.

[itaru]

Seems like you've got it. nvbridge_int.kmd is in fact the key file to Hybrid Graphics working properly. My assumption is that _int stands for Intel.

Ah, now I understand that all the magic of switchable graphics happens in that nvBridge.kmd file. Yeah, makes sense that int is short for Intel. However, it can also be short for integrated.

Thank you for the explanation and the wealth of resources that you've listed. It will take a while for me to go through all that, and I hope that others will join in and contribute. And I certainly need a diff-like program (like WinMerge that you mentioned) if I want to get serious about comparing files especially INF files. I used plain-old notepad the entire time while modifying the INF file for the Asus hybrid driver and that was tedious.

[Nautis]

Ah, now I understand that all the magic of switchable graphics happens in that nvBridge.kmd file. Yeah, makes sense that int is short for Intel. However, it can also be short for integrated.

Hey!... You're not allowed to make more sense than I do. (You are right it probably is "Integrated". I guess I decided Int= Intel and never thought about it again.)

Thank you for the explanation and the wealth of resources that you've listed. It will take a while for me to go through all that, and I hope that others will join in and contribute. And I certainly need a diff-like program (like WinMerge that you mentioned) if I want to get serious about comparing files especially INF files. I used plain-old notepad the entire time while modifying the INF file for the Asus hybrid driver and that was tedious.

Yeah sorry about the barrage of info. I can go through it step-by-step here if you'd like. It seems like you have got it pretty well figured out though.

The INF and information needed to get Optimus to work is in hat LaptopVideo2Go link.

It is very impressive that you were able to do all of that through notepad. Something like winmerge will basically highlight all the differences between the two files.

Anyways I am looking forward to contributing.


EDIT: It will take me a little while to learn the ins and outs of Asus' Hybrid Graphics configuration(s). Its interesting if 197.16 is working properly for you. You may want to check Device Manager -> Display Adapters -> Either Video Device -> Driver Tab -> Driver Details. This will give you the "actual" file versions of each file that is installed. Make sure that it is not keeping old drivers or driver files and just replacing the driver version information.

[itaru]

You may want to check Device Manager -> Display Adapters -> Either Video Device -> Driver Tab -> Driver Details. This will give you the "actual" file versions of each file that is installed. Make sure that it is not keeping old drivers or driver files and just replacing the driver version information.

Since I didn't mess with the Intel drivers, the Intel files are still version 1855. However, the nvlddmkm.sys is listed in the Intel driver file details which I find odd since it's an Nvidia driver file. Version of nvlddmkm.sys is 197.16. There's also a file called oemdspif.dll with version 186.88 listed in the Intel driver details. The file is located in syswow64 and identifies itself as NVIDIA OEM Display DLL Version 186.88. No such file exists in the regular 197.16 driver. It's another oddity in that it claims to be an Nvidia file yet is listed in the Intel driver file details, and it's not listed in the Nvidia driver file details at all.

In the Nvidia driver file details, all the Nvidia files listed there are version 197.16 (or versions from the 197.16 driver package) except of course the nvBridge.kmd which is still 186.88. Seems like all the proper 197.16 files have been copied to the correct system32 or syswow64 folder. So far all features in 197.16 are working and my system has been absolutely stable, not a single crash/reboot/BSOD in more than a week. The Windows reliability history report also indicates it's been rock stable.

Oh, no problem with the barrage of info. I just need to find the time from work and RL to go through them is all. Thanks again and I'm looking forward to your contribution.

[AL008]

Hey Itaru and Nautis, thanks for all your info you guys have supplied. One question irrelevant to the NVIDIA drivers, from what background did you guys come from to understand drivers and how to mod them? I'm just quite interested in how you learnt about all these things :P. Thanks.