FAQ

FAQ Graphics Cards

Windows Vista ForceWare Driver Installation Instructions

Please read these instructions carefully before installing any new Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit) ForceWare driver.

Step 1
Insert the ZOTAC Driver CD to CD-ROM/ DVD-ROM.
Vista will prompt to run the Launch.exe.
Select “Run Lauch.exe”.

Step 2
Select “Driver Installation”.

Step 3
Select the Model series for your Zotac graphic card.

Step 4
Select the OS for your Windows system.

Step 5
If the User Account Control Box prompts for SETUP.EXE, press “Continue”.
Then, press “NEXT” for install the driver.

The Setup program will take a few minutes to run. After the installation complete, select “Yes, I want to restart my computer now” to reboot the system

If installing from drivers that were downloaded.

Step 1
Download new ForceWare driver kit to your computer from NVIDIA's web site.

NOTE: Do not install the driver from a shared network location as the install process may be subjected to interruptions.

Step 2
Double-click the driver kit to launch the installation process.

Step 3
If the User Account Control Box prompts for SETUP.EXE, press “Continue”.
Accept the License Agreement.

Step 4
Select the default installation folder.

Step 5
Then, press “NEXT” for install the driver.

The Setup program will take a few minutes to run. After the installation complete, select “Yes, I want to restart my computer now” to reboot the system.

Windows Vista / XP is warning me that my driver has not passed

Windows Logo testing or Driver not digital signed.. Is it safe for me to proceed with the installation of my driver?

Drivers provided by Zotac on the www.zotac.com downloads page have been fully tested by us. However, on occasion, we may release an unsigned driver, which will result in a Windows warning message being posted during driver installation. It is safe to install the unsigned driver.

Why isn t the NVIDIA Linux drivers open source?

One of the biggest growth areas for Linux is in the workstation market, where NVIDIA's enterprise customers are using custom deployed OpenGL applications under Linux with our Quadro GPUs. Most of these companies require NVIDIA to provide an end-to-end solution which stipulates that NVIDIA be wholly responsible for product delivery and support, including the drivers. This is the primary reason why NVIDIA has decided to retain source code control for our 3D graphics engine.

However, NVIDIA does fundamentally believe in open source for the Linux community, and thus our GeForce 2D graphics drivers, nForce audio drivers, nForce network drivers, graphics Control Panel, Installer, and Linux Update utility are all open source and freely available.

NVIDIA is committed to supporting Linux. We have a long history of supporting Linux going back to 1999 and have achieved many milestones that were firsts in the graphics industry, as well as driving new technologies that will enable more adoption of Linux because they make it more accessible.

Our Linux Support Infrastructure includes:

Dedicated Linux driver development teams
Developer Relations and Developer Technologies Linux teams
Support forum at NVnews.net

Why is my AGP video card incorrectly showing up as a PCI device/Mode?

Before you troubleshoot your system, check that you are looking at the correct information. If you are viewing this information from the Device Manager, your system may not have any problems. This is because the AGP controller resides on the PCI bus, and this is how it is reported by the Device Manager. To verify whether your AGP graphics card is installed correctly:
1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Double-click on the "Display" icon (this will bring up the Display Properties dialog box).
3. Click on the Settings tab.
4. Click on the Advanced button.
5. Click on the tab for your video card (example: if you have a GeForce FX 5950 Ultra card, click on the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra tab)
6. Beneath you will see information regarding your video card. Look under "Adaptor Information".

If your AGP graphics card is reported as running in "PCI Mode", then there was a problem with your installation of the graphics card or its display driver.

The most common reason for this problem is because the motherboard chipset drivers for your motherboard are not installed or are outdated. Consult with your motherboard or system manufacturer for the latest motherboard chipset drivers. Here are the links to the most common motherboard chipset manufacturers:
ALI – www.ali.com.tw
AMD – www.amd.com
Intel – www.intel.com
NVIDIA – www.nvidia.com (for nForce Platform Processor only)
SiS – www.sis.com
Via – www.viaarena.com

Once they have been installed, go back to the Display Properties and confirm that the bus is running in AGP mode via the Adaptor Information.

A second common cause which leads to this problem is an AGP Aperture size that is too low. The AGP Aperture setting is located in your motherboard’s system BIOS. Please note: Making changes to your system BIOS can cause your computer to malfunction or become inoperable. If you are unsure of how to make BIOS changes, seek assistance from your system administrator or technician. If you are familiar with making changes to your BIOS, you may proceed with this section.
To enter the system BIOS for most systems, you need to repeatedly click the “F1” or “Del” key on your keyboard as soon as you turn on your computer until it brings you into the system BIOS. If this does not bring you to your system BIOS, consult your motherboard manufacturer or system manufacturer for more information. Once inside of the system BIOS, search for the option “AGP Aperture”. The general rule is that this value should be ½ of the total amount of system memory you have installed. If you are unsure what value to assign, set it to “64MB”

The final common cause of this issue is because hardware acceleration being turned down or disabled.

If you are using Windows XP/2000, you can enable hardware acceleration:
1. Open your Control Panel
2. Double-click on the Display icon (this will bring up the Display Properties)
3. Left-click on the Settings tab
4. Left-click on the Advanced button
5. Left-click on the Troubleshoot tab
6. Verify that the slider in the panel is set to full, and then click the OK button.

If you are using Windows 98/Me:
1. Right-click the "My Computer" icon on your Desktop
2. Select "Properties"
3. After the System Properties appears, left-click the "Performance" tab
4. Left-click the "Graphics" button
5. Set the slider to "Full" and then click the OK button.

Why does the PCIe power adapter have two plugs at the end that plugs into the power supply?

Most newer power supplies come with a dedicated 6 pin PCIe power connecter. If your power supply does not have one you must use the PCIe power adapter (shown below) and connect both 4 pin Molex power connections to your power supply. This will ensure a reliable flow of power to your graphics card and maintain system stability.

Why does my Zotac graphics card run hot?

The heatsink and/or fan situated on the graphics processer provides sufficient cooling. The card may feel very warm to touch, but this is perfectly normal as it is dissipating heat released by the GPU.

Which ZOTAC graphics cards support Hybrid SLI technology?

GeForce Boost only
•    ZOTAC GeForce 8400GS
•    ZOTAC GeForce 8500GT

Hybrid Power
•    ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GX2
•    ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GTX
•    ZOTAC GeForce 9600 GT
•    ZOTAC GeForce 9600 GT AMP! Edition

Which NVIDIA 7 and 8 series cards support SLI?

Find list below:

8800 Ultra

8800GTX

8800GTS 320/640

8600GTS

8600GT

8500GT

7950GX2

7900GTX

7900GTO

7950GT

7900GT

7800GTX 512

7900GS

7800GTX

7800GT

7600GT

7600GS

7300GT*

7300GS*

7300LE*

7100GS*

The 8400GS and 7200GS DO NOT support SLI.

*The cards above listed with an asterisk do not have the SLI connector. If a card does not have the SLI bridge connector, and is listed in the above list, this means it supports Software SLI. To enable Software SLI; the procedure is exactly the same as standard SLI, except the SLI bridge is not required during hardware install.

1. Install both cards

2. Install latest drivers

3. Right click desktop and click NVIDIA control panel

4. Click “Set SLI Configuration”
5. Enable SLI

Where can I get support for Linux drivers?

Please refer to Linux support (http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=14). In addition, answers to many of the most frequently asked questions can be found in our knowledge base or the text readme. (http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux.html) or (http://nvidia.custhelp.com).

To submit Linux bug reports please email (In English only) linux-bugs@nvidia.com or linux-nforce-bugs@nvidia.com please attach an nvidia-bug-report.log, which is generated by running "nvidia-bug-report.sh".

To run the command you must be su or root.

From a command line type the following:

sh nvidia-bug-report.sh

Example Syntax:

[root@l-desktop-user01 root]# sh nvidia-bug-report.sh

This will create a file called nvidia-bug-report.log in your Present Working Directory.

*su= SuperUser aka root

When I shutdown my PC, my Geforce 8800GTS/GTX starts beeping. How do I fix this?

The GeForce 8800 family uses an internal hardware power sensing technology which will warn the user if the GeForce 8800GTS/GTX graphics card is not receiving sufficient external power from the PC power supply. In some cases, a power supply may cut off power to the graphics card before the PC shuts down resulting in a short beeping sound from the graphics card. The power sensing technology is designed to ensure a graphics card receives sufficient power to prevent possible damage to the graphics card and therefore cannot be disabled.

When I am playing the game World of Warcraft

and I Alt-Tab to a different application without exiting the game, my game screen shows corruption. How do I fix this?

This behavior has been observed on certain AMD dual core based systems. To resolve this issue, please download the AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor Driver and the AMD Dual-Core Optimizer from AMD's website at:

http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_871_13118,00.html

Next, you will need to download a patch from Microsoft to address power management issues with multi-processor systems. Please visit the following URL for more information on how to obtain this software:

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=896256

What is the difference between NVIDIA SLI, 3-way SLI and Quad SLI technologies?

The difference between the technologies is the maximum amount of graphics cards a system can accommodate. Currently, most ZOTAC GeForce 7-series and newer with the golden SLI connectors at the top of the cards support SLI technology.The difference between the technologies is the maximum amount of graphics cards a system can accommodate. Currently, most ZOTAC GeForce 7-series and newer with the golden SLI connectors at the top of the cards support SLI technology.

NVIDIA 3-way SLI technology is only supported with the ZOTAC GeForce 8 and 9 series with dual SLI connectors with compatible motherboard while Quad SLI technology requires two ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics cards.

What is NVIDIA SLI technology?

NVIDIA SLI technology allows a system to use multiple ZOTAC graphics card simultaneous to power a single display. The advantage to NVIDIA SLI technology is higher frame rates, higher levels of anti-aliasing and smoother graphical performance at high resolutions.NVIDIA SLI technology allows a system to use multiple ZOTAC graphics card simultaneous to power a single display. The advantage to NVIDIA SLI technology is higher frame rates, higher levels of anti-aliasing and smoother graphical performance at high resolutions.

Up to three ZOTAC GeForce-based graphics cards can be installed in a single system in 3-way or Quad SLI configurations. Support for NVIDIA SLI technology requires the motherboard and graphics card to be SLI ready.

What is NVIDIA Hybrid SLI technology?

NVIDIA Hybrid SLI technology allows the integrated graphics processor in select ZOTAC GeForce and nForce motherboards to function simultaneously with ZOTAC GeForce graphics cards for lower power consumption and an additional performance boost, using Hybrid Power and GeForce Boost technologies.

What is NVIDIA Hybrid Power technology?

Hybrid Power technology is NVIDIA’s latest solution to combat rising power consumption and noise levels with PCs. Hybrid Power technology allows a system with supported ZOTAC motherboard and graphics card to work together to provide on-demand graphics power.Hybrid Power technology is NVIDIA’s latest solution to combat rising power consumption and noise levels with PCs. Hybrid Power technology allows a system with supported ZOTAC motherboard and graphics card to work together to provide on-demand graphics power.

During causal use, where high-performance graphics power isn’t needed, Hybrid Power allows the system to use the GPU built into the ZOTAC motherboard and shuts off the ZOTAC GeForce graphics card, allowing power conservation and reduced noise levels.

When an application or game requires extra performance, the system dynamically turns on the ZOTAC GeForce graphics card for blazing-fast frame rates and increased visual realism.

What is GeForce Boost technology?

NVIDIA GeForce Boost technology allows users to take advantage of the graphics power from a ZOTAC motherboard GPU and ZOTAC graphics card for additional performance. GeForce Boost technology uses the ZOTAC GeForce series graphics primarily for rendering and utilizes the motherboard GPU as a turbocharger to increase performance in 3D games and applications, at no extra cost to the end user.

What display cards are offered by ZOTAC

ZOTAC design and manufacturer industry standard Grapgics Card class display adaptor cards for use on PC systems. Newer types of interface bus Graphics Cards are also under development, following the new trend in the computer industry.
The general performance and characteristics of display cards are related to the VGA chipset solution used on the display card. Please refer to the "Product" section of this Web Site for more information.

What causes -The DVD may be in use by another application

or it is copy-protected- error message when you try to play a DVD in Windows XP Media Center Edition?

When you try to play a DVD in Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition or in Windows XP, you may receive the following error message: "Media Center cannot play this DVD. The DVD may be in use by another application or it is copy-protected"

This problem may occur if you are trying to playback a DVD that has content protection encrypted to an HDTV over component video able in HDTV modes higher than 480p. To resolve this problem, lower your Media Center screen resolution to 480i or to 480p. This is by design due to Macrovision copy protection. If your HDTV has a DVI or HDMI input, you may choose to connect your PC using a DVI cable or a DVI to HDMI cable which supports higher HDTV modes when playing back DVD content.

What are the system requirements for the 8800GTX and 8800GTS?

8800 GTX: This graphics card requires:
PCI Express®-compliant motherboard with one x16 graphics slot 2 6-pin supplementary power connectors. Minimum 450W or greater system power supply (with 12V current rating of 30A)*

8800 GTS: This graphics card requires:

PCI Express®-compliant motherboard with one x16 graphics slot 6-pin supplementary power connector Minimum 400W or greater system power supply (with 12V current rating of 26A)*

*Minimum system power requirement based on a PC configured with an Intel® Core™2 Extreme X6800

What are the recommended motherboard BIOS settings needed in order to give me the best possible experience with my ZOTAC graphics card?

There is no industry standard among motherboard manufacturers for BIOS options. Each motherboard manufacturer will feature different BIOS options which work best with their products. The following recommended settings are BIOS settings when used with ZOTAC graphic cards. If these options are not present in your motherboard's BIOS, or differ in the way they are phrased, please consult with your motherboard manufacturer for further BIOS setting information:

Assign IRQ to VGA: Enable
PnP O/S Installed: Enable
VGA Pallet Snooping: Disable
PCI Bursting: Disable PCI Latency Timer: 128 Peer Concurrency: Disable
Video BIOS Shadowing: Disable
Video RAM Cacheable: Disable
USWC: Disable/UC
Pipeline Cache Write: Disable
PCI 2.1 Compliance: Enable (Only needed when using PCI graphic cards)
Passive Release: Enable
Delayed Transaction:Enable
VGA Boot Sequence:AGP (When using an AGP graphics card)
Graphics Aperture Size: 128MB (When using an AGP graphics card)
AGP Turbo Read Mode: Disable
AGP Turbo Write Mode: Disable

What are the 2 SLI connectors for on the 8800GTX? Do I have to use both of them?

The second SLI connector on the GeForce 8800 GTX is hardware support for potential future enhancements in the SLI software functionality. With the current drivers, only one SLI connector is actually used. Users can plug the SLI connector into either the right or left set of SLI fingers.

SLI function not working after graphics driver upgrade.

Before installing new drivers, make sure you uninstall all NVIDIA display drivers from the Windows Control Panel. Browse to the Start Menu > Windows Control Panel

> Add/Remove Programs, and search for "NVIDIA Drivers" or "NVIDIA Display Drivers," and select remove NVIDIA Display driver only. Reboot and install the new drivers.

OpenGL applications crash and print out the following warning:

WARNING: Your system is running with a buggy dynamic loader. This may cause crashes in certain applications. If you experience crashes you can try setting the environment variable __GL_SINGLE_THREADED to 1. For more information please consult the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS section in the file /usr/share/doc/NVIDIA_GLX-1.0/README.

The dynamic loader on your system has a bug which will cause applications linked with pthreads, and that dlopen() libGL multiple times, to crash. This bug is present in older versions of the dynamic loader. Distributions that shipped with this loader include but are not limited to Red Hat Linux 6.2 and Mandrake Linux 7.1. Version 2.2 and later of the dynamic loader are known to work properly. If the crashing application is single threaded then setting the environment variable __GL_SINGLE_THREADED to 1 will prevent the crash.

In the bash shell you would enter:
export __GL_SINGLE_THREADED=1
and in csh and derivatives use:
setenv __GL_SINGLE_THREADED 1

Previous releases of the NVIDIA Accelerated Linux Driver Set attempted to work around this problem, however the workaround caused problems with other applications and was removed after version 1.0-1541.

Nothing gets displayed on my second monitor; what is wrong?

Monitors that do not support monitor detection using Display Data Channel (DDC) protocols (this includes most older monitors) are not detectable by your NVIDIA card. You need to explicitly tell the NVIDIA X driver what you have connected using the "ConnectedMonitor" option; e.g.:

Option "ConnectedMonitor" "CRT, CRT"

My PC is HDCP compliant. When I attempt to playback content protected Blu-Ray or HD-DVD movies

on my dual-link digital LCD PC monitor, I receive an HDCP error.

Playing HDCP content requires HDCP ready components, including but not limited to an HDCP ready PC monitor or HDTV, graphics card, Blu-ray or HD-DVD disc drive, software video player and operating system. If your monitor features a dual-link DVI connection to support higher digital resolutions, it is possible that HDCP will not work with your graphics card even though your graphics card is HDCP ready . Certain older NVIDIA based GPUs support HDCP in single-link DVI mode only. Currently, only the GeForce 8 series GPUs, excluding the GeForce 8800GTX/GTS/Ultra, support HDCP over a dual-link DVI connection.

Linux - nvidia-installer does not work on my computer. How can I install the driver contained within the .run file?

To install the NVIDIA driver contained within the .run file without using nvidia-installer, you can use the included Makefile:
sh ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1.run --extract-only
cd NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1
make install

This method of installation is not recommended, and is only provided as a last resort, should nvidia-installer not work correctly on your system.

Linux - Introduction to the NVIDIA driver installer

After you have downloaded NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1.run, begin installation by exiting X, cd'ing into the directory containing the downloaded file, and run:
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1.run

The .run file is a self-extracting archive. When the .run file is executed, it extracts the contents of the archive, and runs the contained `nvidia-installer` utility, which will walk you through installation of
the NVIDIA driver.

The .run file accepts many command line options. Here are a few of the more common options:

--info
Print embedded info about the .run file and exit.

--check
Check integrity of the archive and exit.

--extract-only
Extract the contents of ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629.run,
but do not run 'nvidia-installer'.

--help
Print usage information for the common command line options
and exit.

--advanced-options
Print usage information for the common command line options as well as the advanced options, and then exit.

Installation will also install the utility `nvidia-installer`, which may be later used to uninstall drivers, auto-download updated drivers, etc.

Linux - Editing your X config file

In April of 2004, the X.org Foundation released an X server based on the XFree86 X server. Many Linux distributions will use the X.org X server in the future, rather than XFree86. The differences between the two X servers should have no impact on NVIDIA Linux users with two exceptions:
1) The X.org configuration file name, though it uses the same syntax as XFree86's XF86Config file, is called /etc/X11/xorg.conf; this README refers generically to these configuration files as "the X config file".

2) The X.org log file, though its output is nearly identical to the XFree86.0.log file, is called /var/log/Xorg.0.log; this README refers generically to these files as "the X log file".

When XFree86 4.0 was released, it used a slightly different XF86Config file syntax than the 3.x series did, and so to allow both 3.x and 4.x versions of XFree86 to co-exist on the same system, it was decided that XFree86 4.x was to use the configuration file "/etc/X11/XF86Config-4" if it existed, and only if that file did not exist would the file "/etc/X11/XF86Config" be used (actually, that is an over-simplification of the search criteria; please see the XF86Config man page for a complete description of the search path). Please make sure you know what configuration file your X server is using. If you are in doubt, look for a line beginning with "(==) Using config file:" in your X log file ("/var/log/XFree86.0.log" or "/var/log/Xorg.0.log").

If you do not have a working X config file, there are several ways to start: there is a sample config file that comes with XFree86, and there is a sample config file included with the NVIDIA driver package (it gets installed in /usr/share/doc/NVIDIA_GLX-1.0/). You could also use a program like 'xf86config'; some distributions provide their own tool for generating an X config file. For more
on X config file syntax, please refer to the man page (`man XF86Config`, or `man xorg.conf`).

If you already have an X config file working with a different driver (such as the 'nv' or 'vesa' driver), then all you need to do is find the relevant Device section and replace the line:

Driver "nv"   (or Driver "vesa") with
Driver "nvidia"

In the Module section, make sure you have:

Load   "glx"

You should also remove the following lines:
Load "dri"
Load "GLcore"

if they exist.   There are also numerous options that can be added to the X config file to fine-tune the NVIDIA X driver. Please see Appendix D for a complete list of these options.

Once you have configured your X config file, you are ready to restart X and begin using the accelerated OpenGL libraries. After you restart X, you should be able to run any OpenGL application and it will automatically use the new NVIDIA libraries. If you encounter problems, please see the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS section of the read me file that came with your driver.

Linux - Configuring TV-Out

ZOTAC video cards with a TV-Out (S-Video) connector can be employed to use a television as another display device, just like a CRT or digital flat panel. The TV can be used by itself, or (on appropriate video cards) in conjunction with another display device in a TwinView configuration.
If a TV is the only display device connected to your video card, it will be used as the primary display when you boot your system (ie the console will come up on the TV just as if it were a CRT). To use your TV with X, there are a few parameters that you should pay special attention to in your X config file:

o The VertRefresh and HorizSync values in your monitor section; please make sure these are appropriate for your television. Values are generally:
HorizSync 30-50
VertRefresh 60
o The Modes in your screen section; the valid modes for your TV encoder will be reported in a verbose X log file (generated with `startx -- -logverbose 5`) when X is run on a TV. Some modes may be limited to certain TV Standards; if that is the case, it will be noted in the X log file. Generally, atleast 800x600 and 640x480 are supported.
o The "TVStandard" option should be added to your screen section; valid
values are:

"PAL-B" : used in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Guinea,
Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, The
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain,
Sweden, and Switzerland
"PAL-D" : used in China and North Korea
"PAL-G" : used in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Malaysia,
The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,
and Switzerland
"PAL-H" : used in Belgium
"PAL-I" : used in Hong Kong and The United Kingdom
"PAL-K1" : used in Guinea
"PAL-M" : used in Brazil
"PAL-N" : used in France, Paraguay, and Uruguay
"PAL-NC" : used in Argentina
"NTSC-J" : used in Japan
"NTSC-M" : used in Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador,
Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, South
Korea, Taiwan, United States of America, and Venezuela
"HD480i" : 480 line interlaced
"HD480p" : 480 line progressive
"HD720p" : 720 line progressive
"HD1080i": 1080 line interlaced
"HD1080p": 1080 line progressive
"HD576i" : 576 line interlace
"HD576p" : 576 line progressive

The line in your X config file should be something like: Option "TVStandard" "NTSC-M" If you do not specify a TVStandard, or you specify an invalid value, the default "NTSC-M" will be used. Note: if your country is not in the above list, select the country closest to your location.

o The "ConnectedMonitor" option can be used to tell X to use the TV for display. This should only be needed if your TV is not detected by the video card, or you use a CRT (or digital flat panel) as your
boot display, but want to redirect X to use the TV. The line in your config file should be:
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "TV"
o The "TVOutFormat" option can be used to force SVIDEO or COMPOSITE output. Without this option the driver autodetects the output format. Unfortunately, it does not always do this correctly. The output format can be forced with the options:
Option "TVOutFormat" "SVIDEO"
or
Option "TVOutFormat" "COMPOSITE"
o The "TVOverScan" option can be used to enable Overscan where supported. Valid values are decimal values in the range 1.0 (which means overscan as much as possible: make the image as large as possible) and 0.0 (which means disable overscanning: make the image as small as possible). Overscanning is disabled (0.0) by default. Overscan is currently only available on GeForce4 or newer GPUs with either NVIDIA or Conexant TV encoders. The NVIDIA X driver may not restore the console correctly with XFree86 versions older than 4.3 when the console is a TV. This is due to binary incompatibilities between XFree86 int10 modules. If you use a TV as
your console it is recommended that you upgrade to XFree86 4.3 or later.

If I uninstall my graphics driver will I lose my monitor display?

No, your display will not stop working. The Microsoft Operating system will revert to a standard VGA driver or the same default driver that used during the original installation of the operating system.

I just installed a ZOTAC GeForce 8800GTX graphics card and my performance is much lower than I expected.

The NVIDIA Geforce 8800 family redefines the PC gaming experience with a revolutionary unified architecture and the first GPU to support Microsoft's DirectX 10. Packing this technology onto a GPU no easy task.

Behind these features is the NVIDIA Geforce 8800GTX GPU with a whopping 681 million transistors dedicated to the 2D, 3D and video processing, almost twice the number of transistors of its previous model, the Geforce 7900GTX. To drive such a powerful graphics card, the Geforce 8800GTX requires a power supply which can keep up with the hefty power requirements of your PC along with a Geforce 8800GTX installed. The Geforce 8800GTX requires a minimum 450W or greater system power supply with a 12v current rating of 30A. The Geforce 8800GTS requires a minimum 400W or greater system power supply with a 12V current rating of 26A. While most Geforce 8800GTX users power supply meets or exceeds the minimum wattage requirements, the power supply may fail the minimum current necessary to achieve consistant framerates during heavy use of the graphics card. For a list of NVIDIA certified power supplies for the Geforce 8800GTX, please visit SLI Zone.

Another cause for poor performance can be due to a user forgetting to connect both power cables to the graphics card. While the Geforce 8800GTX can boot with only a single power supply, to run at optimal speed, you need to connect two PCI-E 6-pin power cables to the two connectors on the graphics card.

It is also possible that previous drivers can be conflicting with the newest drivers for the Geforce 8800GTX. If you have any 3rd party display drivers installed on your PC, please uninstall them and then restart your computer. If you think you may have older NVIDIA drivers remaining, you may use a free third party utility called DriverCleaner to remove all traces of your "NVIDIA" drivers from your PC. After they have been removed, proceed to reinstall the latest Geforce 8800GTX.

I get the following crash analysis from Microsoft:

An error occurred in:

NVIDIA Graphics Driver

NVIDIA Graphics Driver was created by NVIDIA® Corporation. Please contact NVIDIA® Corporation for assistance and troubleshooting information or, to find out if a solution is available. For more information, see the NVIDIA® Corporation Web site

There are several factors that can contribute to system instability. Since the graphic card is always drawing to your screen, Windows will often report the graphics card or its drivers as the problematic device after a system error. In most cases, the problem is caused by another device or component in your system such as the motherboard, system memory, power supply or hard drive. Here are some tips to help you troubleshoot your computer.

Close unnecessary programs and processes in Windows XP and Vista.

Right-click a blank space on the Windows Taskbar and select Task Manager.
Click the Applications tab to view the list of active programs.
Click on any program listed in this window and click the End Task button.
Repeat until all programs have been closed.

The following steps are to close unnecessary processes in task manager:
Click the Processes tab to view the list of active processes.
Click the User Name column header to organize the processes by your login.
Click on any program listed next to your Windows login, other than EXPLORER.EXE and TASKMGR.EXE, then select the End Process button.

(Do not close processes running under SYSTEM, LOCAL SERVICE, or NETWORK SERVICE.)
Repeat the previous instructions until all programs/processes associated to your Windows Login are closed except for the following two:
TASKMGR.EXE
EXPLORER.EXE
DWM.EXE (Vista only)

If you have installed NVIDIA nTune please uninstall this utility for troubleshooting purposes through Windows Control Panel Add / Remove Programs.

Thereafter, close task manager and try to reproduce the problem.

Check and see if your motherboard chipset drivers are up to date. Since everything runs through your motherboard, the motherboard chipset drivers should be installed and up to date. Otherwise, this can lead to system instability. Here are the links to the most common motherboard chipset manufacturers:

AMD / ATI - www.amd.com
Intel - www.intel.com
NVIDIA - www.nvidia.com (for nForce Platform Processor only)
SiS - www.sis.com
Via - www.viaarena.com

If you do not know who makes your motherboard chipset, please consult with your PC manufacturer or your motherboard manufacturer for more information.

The following motherboard BIOS settings are suggested for better stability, but are not required settings:

Assign IRQ to VGA Enabled
VGA palette snooping Disabled
PCI Latency Timer 128
Video BIOS Shadowing Disabled
Video RAM Shadowing Disabled
USWC Options Disabled
PnP O/S Installed Enabled
Video BIOS Cacheable Disabled
Video RAM Cacheable Disabled
AGP Graphics Aperture 64MB (or half of your total system memory)

Incompatible system memory or bad system memory can also lead to system instability. Please verify that your system memory has been tested and is compatible with your motherboard make and model. There are 3rd party utilities which allow you to test the integrity of your system memory. One such program is Memtest86 which is available as a free download from the following URL:

www.memtest86.com

Just as important is your CPU. If it is malfunctioning, it will cause system instability. There are 3rd party utilities to test your CPU. One such utility is Prime95 which features a torture test which reports to you any errors generated by the CPU. This utility may be downloaded from:

http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm

If your NVIDIA Forceware display drivers are outdated, you may need to download and install the latest display drivers. You will find the latest Forceware unified display drivers for desktop graphic cards from our Software Downloads page at the following URL:

http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
From the software Downloads page, choose “GeForce” from Product Type. Choose your card series in the Product Series box. Select the operating system you are using and the Language of your Windows. Press Search for your card driver.

If your Zotac Graphic card features active cooling, check that the fan on the card is spinning. If it is not spinning, in particular when you are running a 3D application, then it can cause the card overheat. Last but not least, verify that your system meets the Zotac Graphic card system requirements.

If these steps do not resolve the problem, please contact your Zotac card dealer. If you received your Zotac Graphic card as part of a computer purchase, please contact the manufacturer of your computer.

I am unable to run OpenGL programs although my Direct3D programs run just fine.

The most common cause for this problem is installing a new video card, but using the Microsoft Windows default drivers which are installed automatically for certain graphic cards. The Microsoft Windows drivers are basic drivers which only provide Direct3D support, but no OpenGL support. For OpenGL, you will need to install the full retail drivers for your graphics card. Our Forceware unified display drivers provide support for both OpenGL and Direct3D. You may download these drivers from the NVIDIA Driver Downloads page.
If you are upgrading from a previous graphics card, please make sure that you also remove the drivers for that product. Otherwise, the drivers for your NVIDIA based graphics card and the previous graphics card may conflict with each other.

Lastly, check that you have installed the drivers for your motherboard chipset. The following list provides links to the most common chipset manufacturers. If you do not know who makes the chipset on your motherboard, please consult the manufacturer of your motherboard or your system builder:

ALI - www.ali.com.tw
AMD - www.amd.com
Intel - www.intel.com
NVIDIA - www.nvidia.com (for nForce Platform Processor only)
SiS - www.sis.com
Via - www.viaarena.com

I am having random lockups. How do I fix this problem?

There are several factors that can contribute to system instability. Since the graphic card is always drawing to your screen, Windows will often report the graphics card or its drivers as the problematic device after a system error. In most cases, the problem is caused by another device or component in your system such as the motherboard, system memory, power supply or hard drive. Here are some tips to help you troubleshoot your computer.

Close unnecessary programs and processes in Windows XP or Vista.

Right-click a blank space on the Windows Taskbar and select Task Manager.
Click the Applications tab to view the list of active programs.
Click on any program listed in this window and click the End Task button.
Repeat until all programs have been closed.

The following steps are to close unnecessary processes in task manager:
Click the Processes tab to view the list of active processes.
Click the User Name column header to organize the processes by your login.
Click on any program listed next to your Windows login, other than EXPLORER.EXE and TASKMGR.EXE, then select the End Process button.

(Do not close processes running under SYSTEM, LOCAL SERVICE, or NETWORK SERVICE.)
Repeat the previous instructions until all programs/processes associated to your Windows Login are closed except for the following two:
TASKMGR.EXE
EXPLORER.EXE
DWM.EXE (Vista only)

If you have installed NVIDIA nTune please uninstall this utility for troubleshooting purposes through Windows Control Panel Add / Remove Programs.

Thereafter, close task manager and try to reproduce the problem.

Check and see if your motherboard chipset drivers are up to date. Since everything runs through your motherboard, the motherboard chipset drivers should be installed and up to date. Otherwise, this can lead to system instability. Here are the links to the most common motherboard chipset manufacturers:

AMD / ATI - www.amd.com
Intel - www.intel.com
NVIDIA - www.nvidia.com (for nForce Platform Processor only)
SiS - www.sis.com
VIA - www.viaarena.com

If you do not know who makes your motherboard chipset, please consult with your PC manufacturer or your motherboard manufacturer for more information.

The following motherboard BIOS settings are suggested for better stability, but are not required settings:

Assign IRQ to VGA Enabled
VGA palette snooping Disabled
PCI Latency Timer 128
Video BIOS Shadowing Disabled
Video RAM Shadowing Disabled
USWC Options Disabled
PnP O/S Installed Enabled
Video BIOS Cacheable Disabled
Video RAM Cacheable Disabled
AGP Graphics Aperture 64MB (or half of your total system memory)

Incompatible system memory or bad system memory can also lead to system instability. Please verify that your system memory has been tested and is compatible with your motherboard make and model. There are 3rd party utilities which allow you to test the integrity of your system memory. One such program is Memtest86 which is available as a free download from the following URL:

www.memtest86.com

Just as important is your CPU. If it is malfunctioning, it will cause system instability. There are 3rd party utilities to test your CPU. One such utility is Prime95 which features a torture test which reports to you any errors generated by the CPU. This utility may be downloaded from:

http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm

If your NVIDIA ForceWare display drivers are outdated, you may need to download and install the latest display drivers. You will find the latest ForceWare unified display drivers for desktop graphic cards from our Software Downloads page at the following URL:

http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

From the Software Downloads page, choose "Graphics Driver" from the first box - Choose the correct "GeForce Series” if you have a GeForce, Riva TNT2 or Vanta based graphics card. Choose Quadro if you have a Quadro based graphics card -> on the third box, choose the operating system you are using and then click the Go button. This will take you to the driver downloads page for your graphics card.

If your video card features active cooling, check that the fan on the video card is spinning. If it is not spinning, in particular when you are running a 3d application, then it can cause the video card to overheat. Last but not least, verify that your system meets the full minimum system requirements provided by your video card manufacturer.
If these steps do not resolve the problem, please contact the manufacturer of your video card (please note that NVIDIA does not manufacture video cards but only designs video chips). If you received your video card as part of a computer purchase, please contact the manufacturer of your computer.

I am getting a blue screen or blank screen during Windows startup.

The Windows logo appears fine but once Windows has loaded, the screen goes blank or I get a blue screen. How do I fix this issue?

If you own a Logitech Quickcam web camera, this issue may be caused by the Quickcam software and its AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation) feature.Currently, there is no known fix from Logitech at this time however please visit the Logitech Troubleshooting website for instructions on disabling this feature to restore Windows functionality.

I am seeing this error message,

"You must remove any graphics cards that are not compatible with NVIDIA Scalable Link interface (SLI) technology before you can enable SLI", or SLI is not working. What can I do to fix this?

This error is generally caused by not configuring the system correctly to properly support SLI. There are many possible reasons. This article is designed to help you troubleshoot common errors that you might encounter when trying to get your graphics cards to work in SLI mode.
1) Your motherboard probably does not have the proper jumper setting enabled to support two graphics cards in SLI mode. Check with your motherboard/PC manufacturer for details on how to enable the correct SLI mode.

2) SLI mode is probably not enabled in the system BIOS (depending on the BIOS, your system may not use the exact term SLI, look for other terminologies such as PCI Express or PCIe related options). Check with your motherboard/PC vendor to see which BIOS setting(s) you need to set to properly enable SLI.

3) To properly enable SLI, certain motherboard manufacturer requires the reconfiguration of a daughter card to enable the support for dual graphics cards. Check your manual or vendor for setup instructions.

4) Your motherboard may not be providing enough power to the graphics cards. Many motherboards have a 4-pin power connector near the PCI Express x16 slot. This dedicated power for the PCI Express slots preserves the integrity of the power signal. Make sure your motherboard has all the necessary power connectors plugged in.

5) Your SLI connector may not be seated correctly on the graphics cards. Disconnect and reconnect the connector onto the card again. If you don't have the connector, please contact your PC or motherboard vendor to obtain one. Please note some GeForce 6 series graphics cards do not use the SLI connector.

6) If your graphics card such as the GeForce 7800GTS or GeForce 6800 GT comes with a 6-pin auxiliary power connector, make sure it is connected to your power supply's 6-pin power connector. If your power supply does not have a PCI Express auxiliary connector, please contact your graphics card manufacturer for a HDD to PCI Express power adapter.

7) Your power supply may not be providing adequate power in your system. We recommend a power supply with a minimum of 350 Watts for a basic SLI setup, but additional power is needed for a more complex system configuration. Check here for additional SLI power recommendations. For a list of certified power supplies, please visit this link; http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone2_build.html

8) Verify that your two graphics cards match. For example, a GeForce 7800 GTX must be paired with another GeForce 7800 GTX. Likewise, a GeForce 6600 GT must be paired with another GeForce 6600 GT.

9) Verify that Windows Device Manager is showing two identical graphics cards (Example, NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT) under Display Adapters. If not, your graphics card(s) is not installed correctly. Please verify that all the reasons mentioned in this article are resolved.

10) You motherboard may not have an updated system BIOS or chipset drivers. Contact your manufacturer for the latest. For system that has NVIDIA's nForce chipset drivers, you can download the latest driver from our web site, http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

11) Uninstall the NVIDIA display driver and reinstall the driver again. Verify that the OS recognizes the video cards that are installed (check Windows Device Manager). It should show the presence of your two video cards correctly with no errors and conflicts.

12) Your graphics card may not have the latest video BIOS. Check with your vendor and see if a new one is available.

13) It is possible that one of your graphics card is bad. Install your cards individually to make sure they both work.

14) Your motherboard, system or component probably hasn't been certified. NVIDIA SLI certification ensures a quality user experience by putting each component through a rigorous series of tests including diagnostics, benchmarking, burn in, and card interoperability. Only components that pass NVIDIA SLI certification can be called "NVIDIA SLI Ready." For a list of certified components (power supply, motherboard, CPU, memory), visit the following link: http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone2_build.html

15) Make sure SLI is actually enabled in NVIDIA's Display Properties. Look for the "SLI multi-GPU" panel and enable this option.

16) If you happened to update the latest graphics card drivers and SLI stopped working, before installing the new drivers, make sure you uninstall the previous NVIDIA display drivers from the Windows Control Panel.

How to identify ZOTAC Graphics Cards when looking for support

ZOTAC Graphics Cards are primarily identified from the model name as defined by ZOTAC, There are instances when your reseller attached a different model naming system to the product packaging, or the product is integrated into a PC system such that the exact name for the card is not explicitly shown. In these cases, if you know the card is a ZOTAC product, you can try to identify the model from the following features on the display card :
ZOTAC label sticker on large IC - VGA BIOS chip
VGA chipset IC (large surface mount device) marking at the middle of the car
Type and number of display RAM chips on the card, number of RAM chip installed
Printed Wiring Board identification number normally in the form of white marking printed in the form : 35-xxxx-xx-xx
VGA driver disk, label sticker printing

How often should I update my graphics card display drivers?

The general rule of thumb for graphic card display drivers is "if it isn’t broken, don't fix it". When we release a new product, over time, we learn more about the architecture, and are able to gain better performance from this architecture through the updated ForceWare unified display drivers. As a product matures, driver updates mainly provide bug fixes and compatibility with newer software.
If your ZOTAC graphics card is a newer model, it is recommended that you update your graphic card drivers regularly to get the best performance and experience from your PC. If your ZOTAC graphics card is an older model, then we suggest you update your drivers only if you are experiencing instability problems while running newer software on your PC.

For the complete list of changes, please download the Release Notes available from the driver downloads documentation page.

How do I uninstall my NVIDIA Forceware display drivers?

When an NVIDIA display driver update is performed, the new driver will remove the previous drivers during the installation processor. Sometimes it is not successful in removing the older display drivers which can lead to display issues later on as a result of conflicting drivers. As a basic practice, it is recommended that you first uninstall the older display drivers before updating to a newer version. To uninstall your current NVIDIA Forceware display driver from your system, please follow these steps:
1) Open the Microsoft Windows Control Panel
2) Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon
3) Depending on which driver version you are using, your graphics drivers may appear in differently in the list of programs installed.

-For older NVIDIA display drivers, it will be listed as "NVIDIA Windows Display Drivers". Click "Change/Remove" or "Add/Remove " button to remove the drivers from your system.

How do I revert to the previous driver I used in Windows XP?

To rollback to a previously used driver:1. Click the START button.
2. Select CONTROL PANEL from the menu.
3. Select PERFORMANCE AND MAINTENANE.
4. Select SHOW BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR COMPUTER.
5. Select the HARDWARE tab .
6. Click on the DEVICE MANAGER button.
7. Double click DISPLAY ADAPTERS
8. Double click your NVIDIA GeForce for properties
9. Select the DRIVER tab and click ROLL BACK DRIVER.

How do I identify which GPU series graphics card model I have?

You can look for a part number on your graphics card that identify either the GPU model or the product name designated by your graphics card manufacturer. If the graphics card is a retail board purchased separately, it will often feature a label with product information on the printed circuit board. Additionally, you may inspect the retail box for a product name. If your graphics card came as part of your PC purchase, then consult your PC manufacturer for additional information. Last but not least, if you have kept the receipt for your purchase of the graphics card, it may indicate the product name or model.

If your product already has display drivers installed, Windows can provide you with the product information. Open DirectX Diagnostic Tool by clicking the Start button , typing dxdiag in the Search box, and then pressing ENTER. This should brinng up the DirectX Diagnostic Tool. Click on the Display tab to bring up the Display panel. On this panel, beside the word "Name", your graphics card GPU model should be listed as shown in the image below.

In this example, the GPU model is the Geforce 7300LE.

How do I disable integrated/onboard graphics so my GeForce PCI card will work?

It is best to disable the onboard video electrically via a jumper or dip switch on your computers motherboard or in its system BIOS. Please refer to your computers user guide or contact your computer manufacturer for instruction on this process.In the event that your system does not support the above, you may be able to disable the onboard video card in the operating system using the instructions below.

Make sure that the new PCI video card is not installed in your computer.

Windows XP/2000

1. Right-click My Computer and select Properties.
2. Click the Hardware tab, and then click the Device Manager button.
3. Click View, and then Show Hidden Devices.
4. Click the Plus (+) sign next to the Display Adapters category to expand it.
5. Select the onboard graphics controller under Display Adapters and click Disable. Click OK to confirm.
6. Do not restart the computer until the controller is disabled.
7. Turn the computer off.
8. Install your PCI GeForce card and follow the included instructions from the card manufacturer.

Windows 98/Me
The following steps will first replace the onboard video drivers with standard VGA drivers:

1. Right-click My Computer and select Properties.
2. Click the Device Manager tab.
3. Click the Plus (+) sign next to the listing for Display Adapters.
4. Double-click the graphics controller under Display Adapters. A Properties window should appear.
5. Select the Driver tab and click Update Drivers. A Driver Update Wizard window should appear.
6. Click Next on the window that pops up.
7. Select Display a List of All Drivers and click Next.
8. Select the Show All Hardware option. Select Standard Display Types from the top of the Manufacturers window. Select Standard Display Adapter (VGA) and click Next. Do not restart the computer when asked to do so.
9. Click Start, Settings, and then Control Panel.
10. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel.
11. Locate any listing for the current video chip and double-click the Add/Remove button to remove it from the system.
12. Close all windows, and restart the computer when finished.

Disable the standard VGA driver:

1. Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel.
2. Double-click the System icon.
3. Click the Plus (+) sign next to the Display Adapter category to expand it.
4. Double-click Standard Display Adapter (VGA) to open the Properties window.
5. Remove the checkmark next to "Exists in all hardware profiles."
6. Click OK and close all windows.
7. Turn off the computer and install the new add in PCI GeForce based video card per the manufacturer's included instructions.

How do I determine which Forceware display driver version is currently installed?

Certain applications designed for Microsoft Windows may require a specific display driver version in order to function properly. While there are different ways to look up the currently installed driver version, the following methods are the quickest. Please follow the instructions below based on the Microsoft Windows Vista.1) If you are using Microsoft Windows Vista, begin by right-clicking with your mouse over the Windows desktop. This will bring up a small context menu. Select "NVIDIA Control Panel" to launch the control panel for the NVIDIA display drivers.

2) Select the “System information” from the left bottom corner.

-----

1) If you are using Windows XP or Windows Media Center, click on the Start button and select Run. This should bring up a window. In the Open field, type in "dxdiag" as shown in the image below. Then press the OK button.

2) This should bring up the DirectX Diagnostic Tool. Left-click over the Display tab (or Display 1 if you are running multiple monitors). Next to the word "Version", you will see a long string of numbers. The last 4 digits represents your driver version. In the image below, the last 4 digits are "9381" so the ForceWare display driver version would be "93.81".

How do i determine if I am running Windows Vista 32-bit or Windows Vista 64-bit?

The version of your operating system can be found by following these instructions:1. Launch the Windows Vista Control Panel
2. Under System and Maintenance select "Get Started with Windows"
3. Near the top right of the new page select "Show more details"
4. Under the "System" section of this page, the "System type" entry lists the version of Windows Vista currently installed. In the picture example below, this user is running Windows Vista 32-bit.

Note if you are running the "Classic View" of the Windows Vista Control Panel, you can get to the same screen by selecting "System,"

How do I connect my video card to my TV and enable TV output?

These instructions assume you are currently using the latest NVIDIA Forceware unified display drivers for your Zotac graphics card. If the directions differ from what you see in your Display Properties, it may mean you are using an older version of the Detonator drivers. You may download the latest drivers. http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.aspPreparing the graphics card for TV Output.

The first step in configuring your graphics card for TV output is to first identify what type of TV output connection is available on your Zotac graphics card card. The video output jacks are located on the backside of the video cards mounting bracket. Once you have identified the TV out jack on your graphics card, check that your TV features the same type of video input. If your graphics card only has an S-Video jack for TV out but your TV only has composite inputs, then you may still connect your graphics card to the TV using an S-Video to composite adaptor. Aftermarket S-Video to composite adaptors can be purchased from major electronics retail stores or online. To get the best quality picture on your TV, do not use a cable longer than 12ft. in between your graphics card and TV. Check that you have connected the graphics card directly to your TV. If there is another device in between your TV and the graphics card (such as a VCR, switch box, satellite dish, receiver etc.) it will interfere with the graphic card's ability to properly detect the presence of your TV. This will result in the inability to select your TV as an output device from within Windows. To prevent this, please ensure that the graphics card is connected directly to your TV. After you have connected the appropriate cable from graphics card’s TV output to your TV's video input, you may turn on your PC.

Enabling TV Out

Once you have verified all the connections are properly setup, you may then proceed to enable TV out through the NVIDIA display properties control panel. The panel will differ slightly in appearance depending on whether you have an NVIDIA based graphics card that supports a single display or an NVIDIA based graphics card that can support dual displays.

1) Right-click on the Desktop and select Nvidia Control Panel.

2) Select “Set up multiple displays” from the menu.

3) Choose display mode from the nView menu.

Does water-cooling or installing a third party cooling solution on my video card void the warranty?

Any modifications to the ZOTAC hardware will void the warranty on our products. The ZOTAC warranty does not cover any tampering with the physical hardware -- example: replacing the factory fan with third party cooling solutions such as different fans or water cooling solutions. Any physical damage such as burn marks, water damage or physical damage to the PCB will void ALL warranties.

Configuring multiple x screens on one card

Graphics processors that support TwinView (see the article titled "Linux - Configuring Twinview") can also be configured to treat each connected display device as a separate X screen.

While there are several disadvantages to this approach as compared to TwinView (eg: windows cannot be dragged between X screens, hardware accelerated OpenGL cannot span the two X screens), it does offer several advantages over TwinView:

o If each display device is a separate X screen, then properties that may vary between X screens may vary between displays (eg: depth, root window size, etc).
o Hardware that can only be used on one display at a time (eg: video overlays, hardware accelerated RGB overlays), and which consequently cannot be used at all when in TwinView, can be
exposed on the first X screen when each display is a separate X screen.
o The 1-to-1 association of display devices to X screens is more historically in line with X.
To configure two separate X screens to share one graphics chip, here is what you will need to do:
First, create two separate Device sections, each listing the BusID of the graphics card to be shared, each listing the driver as "nvidia", and assign each a separate screen:
Section "Device"
Identifier "nvidia0"
Driver "nvidia"
# Edit the BusID with the location of your graphics card
BusID "PCI:2:0:0"
Screen 0
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "nvidia1"
Driver "nvidia"
# Edit the BusID with the location of your graphics card
BusId "PCI:2:0:0"
Screen 1
EndSection

Then, create two Screen sections, each using one of the Device sections:

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "nvidia0"
Monitor"Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1600x1200" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubsection
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen1"
Device "nvidia1"
Monitor"Monitor1"
DefaultDepth 24
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1600x1200" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubsection
EndSection

(note: you'll also need to create a second Monitor section)
Finally, update the ServerLayout section to use and position both Screen sections:

Section "ServerLayout"
...
Screen 0 "Screen0"
Screen 1 "Screen1" leftOf "Screen0"
...
EndSection

For further details, please refer to the XF86Config(5x) or xorg.conf(5x) manpages.

Can I run two displays with the same image on both displays at different resolutions with my Zotac graphics card?

Having the same image on both displays is known as "clone" mode. Clone mode does not support different resolutions for the displays; you must run the same resolution on both displays. To run different resolutions on the displays we suggest running in "dual view" mode.

Can I run my PC and graphics card in Vista?

For a free analysis of Windows Vista compatibility with your system and graphics card, please run NVIDIA’s free The Way It’s Meant to be Played Vista Readiness System checker.

Are there any Vista updates from Microsoft that might improve 3D application or game performance and compatibility?

Microsoft recently released a Vista patch that addresses performance and compatiblity issues for a large number of games and applications.

Please see the following web page for more details

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/932246

FAQ Motherboards

What to do if the existing motherboard is not yet compatible to new CPUs

If the existing BIOS is not running well with the new CPU, check for the above factors. Some items, like BIOS upgrade or jumper re-config will do in most cases. But if the limitation is in the current capability or in the clock figures, do not force the CPU or the motherboard to run out of the specified rating, as this may cause unreliable operation or even permanent damage to the system !

What to do if I accidentally upgraded to a wrong BIOS content

If you are unfortunate to have accidentally upgraded to a wrong BIOS file, and the system is still able to boot up via hard disk drive or floppy, try the BIOS upgrade process again using the correct BIOS file, overriding the wrong file.If the wrong BIOS file had cause the system to fail starting up, or you cannot access the floppy nor hard disk drive, then you will need to take your system apart, remove the Flash BIOS IC from the socket, look for some experienced user or computer shop that have some form of EPROM writer device, and re-write the Flash IC with proper content. Similar process also holds for power failure in the middle of a BIOS upgrade session. Therefore, you are advised to take great care when you perform BIOS upgrade !

What precaution to note before doing BIOS upgrade

Make sure you get the correct BIOS file which is exactly matched to your motherboard's hardware type. Flashing a wrong BIOS content into the motherboard will result in the lost of funcions, or even failure to startup properly !

- Make sure the Flash update process is not interrupted. If the process is interrupted by a hardware reset or power loss, then the resultant BIOS might be corrupted, and the system will not startup properly next time !
You should go into CMOS Setup to re-affirm your configuration data inside the CMOS and the Flash after BIOS upgrade, such that the new data are properly saved into CMOS and Flash.

What is cache memory and how is it supported on motherboard

Cache memory is an important element in high speed computer systems. Cache memory serves as a high speed buffer between the fast CPU and the slower main memory (DRAM). Newer generation cache functions are implemented inside the CPU. Cache size range from 128KB to 12MB, depending on the CPU type.

What is BIOS and how does it affects your computer

BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is a set of computer program that contain the basic intelligence for the computer to do elementary jobs at the very low level, like power on self test, configuring the display screen, low level access to storage device....etc. This program is contained on non-volatile memory ICs, like EPROM or Flash IC chips. The compatibility of the computer with add-on hardware and software are largely dependent on these BIOS.

There are a few area of BIOS on a typical computer system : System BIOS, VGA BIOS, Keyboard BIOS, expansion card BIOS, each serving their own functions. Present day design of PC system normally have the System (motherboard) BIOS put into Flash or EEPROM IC, such that they can be easily upgraded via a software tool and a newer BIOS file. The following context is referring to the System (motherboard) BIOS.

What Drivers and Utilities are bundled with ZOTAC products

ZOTAC motherboards are normally bundled with CD Disk to carry the following functions :

- Flash BIOS upgrade utilities (AWDFLASH.EXE, WINFLASH)

- Display driver (applicable for on-board display function)

- Core chipset driver

- IDE hard disk master mode drivers (selected models only)

- USB driver (selected models only)

- Sound driver (applicable for on-board sound function)

- LAN driver (applicable for on-board LAN function)

What are the precautions when upgrading to newly launched CPUs

If the above factors are fully examined, and allows proper functioning, the following precautions still need to be taken :

- newer CPUs normally runs at higher speeds, and generate more heat, such that better ventilation will be needed to keep the CPU / regulator at a safe temperature.
- make sure CPU related jumpers, in particular voltage jumpers are correctly set. A wrong jumper may not fail the CPU immediately, but may cause unstable system in the long run.

Under what condition should I perform BIOS upgrade

Normally, when a motherboard is shipped out from the factory, it is carrying a BIOS version which can perform the functions in the general conditions. If your motherboard is working and is stable in your specific hardware / software configuration, we recommend that you DO NOT try to do BIOS update.

BIOS update is needed only when you are facing one or more of the following issues :

. Compatibility issues with certain hardware modules in your PC configuration, e.g. RAM or expansion cards

. Compatibility issues with software in your PC configuration, e.g. new operating system or application programs

. Problem with newer CPUs on the market, which were not yet available at the time of the motherboard shipment

. Newer motherboard BIOS features which were not yet available at the time of the motherboard shipment

*** [Caution]***
BIOS updating involves some risk if not handled properly. Please pay attention to the following points before attempting to do a BIOS update :

Power Supply Units Compatibility

On LGA775 (intel CPU) Motherboards

The intel LGA 775 (Celeron / Pentium 4) CPUs are taking significant power from the motherboard, which is provided from the Power Supply Unit. Make sure the Power Supply Units in these systems are capable of the following miniumum requirements :
at least 400 Watt (total power)
at least 15Amp in the +12VDC line (Add-on VGA card may require higher +12V circuit)
at least 2Amp in the +5VStandby line

Power Supply Units not meeting these requirements may result in degrade in functionality and reliability, or abnormal system shutdown / restart.

On Socket Socket AM2 (AMD K8 CPU) Motherboards

Similar to the requirements listed above for the intel Socket 775 CPUs, the AMD Socket AM2 CPUs also draws large power from the motherboard, which in turn takes from the Power Supply Unit.

Make sure the Power Supply Unit attached to Socket AM2 motherboards are at least 400 Watt (total power), and meets the current requirement listed above.

Is my Zotac motherboard's BIOS upgradeable

All Zotac motherboards BIOS are implemented by FLASH ICs, so are upgradeable. Zotac motherboard products are shipped with a certain version of BIOS that we believe to be satisfactory at the time of shipment. Later bug fix and enhancement to BIOS are available as BIOS upgrade files for download from our Web Site.However, due to the fast pace of changes on the PC market, there will not be continual engineering effort onto BIOS refinement to old products which had stopped production for a long time. Therefore BIOS for a certain product will be freezed from further change ultimately. Zotac system BIOS are tailor-made for Zotac products, and in no way should these BIOS be used on other platforms, nor should unknown BIOS file be put into Zotac motherboards.

I get low performance for my AMD CPU system.

To get full performance, the AMD CPU need install CPU driver.
Please obtain the CPU driver from AMD web site.

http://www.amd.com

How to upgrade memory on Zotac motherboard

System memory is upgradeable via adding or changing RAM modules on the motherboard. This involves component installation, so it requires some hardware knowledge of an experienced user.

Please identify what type of memory slots are available on your Zotac motherboard. Check for the unpopulated memory slots on the board. For better functionality and performance, similar nature modules (eg. same speed and type) should be used when installing multiple RAM modules on a motherboard.
Insert the RAM modules into the RAM slots with care, making sure the gold-fingers are fully inserted into the slot. Also mind the polarization notch on the slots and the module. If the module seems not fitting, do not force it in, try putting in with a different orientation.

How to perform BIOS upgrade

Get your new BIOS file and BIOS upgrade tool from the Web Site or other means. These files are normally in compressed format (eg. ZIP). Decompress the file to get the BIOS files. Identify which BIOS file is matching your motherboard.

Using Awdflash.exe in the DOS mode :

AWDFLASH is a Flash BIOS update tool intended to run in the DOS mode (NOT in the Windows DOS-Prompt). This is an executable file (AWDFLASH.EXE) which is included on the motherboard's bundled CD, under the path \\Utility \ Awdflash.exe

To do Flash BIOS update in the DOS mode, please follow the steps below :

(1) Get the motherboard BIOS file (.BIN) which is matched to the particular motherboard model.

(2) Create a DOS-bootable floppy diskette, copy the BIOS file and the utility tool Awdflash.exe to the floppy diskette. Or put the files to a subdirectory on the hard disk drive.

(3) Set the target PC system to boot from the floppy diskette, or boot hard disk drive to the DOS prompt.

(4) At the DOS prompt, type AWDFLASH, then

(5) Enter the target filename (.BIN) for the new BIOS.

(6) When prompted for "Do you want to save BIOS (Y/N)?" on the screen,

Key in "N" if there is no need to save the existing BIOS content

Key in "Y" if a backup copy of the existing BIOS is needed.

A filename would be provided by the user for the backup of existing BIOS binary file.

(7) When prompted for "Are you sure to program (Y/N)?" on the screen

Key in "Y" to proceed

(8) Wait until the Flash update process is completed

(9) Press the F1 key to restart the system, or turn off the system by the power button.

After the system is restarted, go into the CMOS Setup immediately (press DEL key during the POST), load the "Optimized Default" in the CMOS, Save and Exit, to ensure the new BIOS is running in the newly established CMOS parameters.

Using Winflash in Windows mode :

WINFLASH is a Flash BIOS update tool for running in the Windows graphic mode. WINFLASH consist of a few files, included on the motherboard's bundled CD, under the path \\Utility \ Winflash\

To do Flash BIOS update in the Windows graphic environment, please follow the steps below :

(1) Get the motherboard BIOS file (.BIN) which is matched to the particular motherboard model.

(2) Boot the target system to Windows, create a new folder on the hard disk, eg. \\Winflash\

(3) Copy all files from the bundled CD at path :\\Utility\Winflash\ to the newly created folder.

(4) Copy the BIOS file (.BIN) to the same folder.

(5) Double click the file Winflash.exe to start Winflash.

(6) If you need to backup the existing BIOS on the motherboard, click the tag "File" then "Save Old BIOS", and specify a filename for the backup BIOS. Click the box "Backup" to save the existing BIOS file to the hard disk.

(7) Click the tag "File" then "Update BIOS", and browse to the path for the new BIOS. Click the box "Update" to write the new BIOS file to the motherboard. Wait for the write process to complete, do not disturb it.

(8) When the dialog box "Do you want to REBOOT ?" appears, click "Yes" to confirm rebooting. The new BIOS will be effective only after the system is rebooted.

Remarks :
Other parameters can be set in the Winflash menu, which are useful for BIOS updating :

. Option (Clear CMOS) - the CMOS will be cleared after the BIOS is updated
. Option (CMOS Default) - the CMOS will be loaded with Default after the BIOS is updated
In any case, please go into the CMOS Setup and load the "Optimized Default" immediately after updating the BIOS. This is highly necessary, because some BIOS changes must be accompanied by CMOS Setup changes.

How to identify ZOTAC motherboards when looking for support

If you know the motherboard is a Zotac product, you can try to identify the model from the following features on the motherboard :
Zotac label sticker on large ICs
BIOS label sticker on Flash BIOS EEPROM ICs
Core logic IC (large surface mount device) on the board
Super I/O Controller IC near the rear edge of the board
CPU socket type - socket 775, socket AM2...etc
Number of expansion slots (PCI-E, AGP, or PCI) respectively
Number of RAM sockets
Printed Wiring Board identification number normally in the form of white marking printed in the form : 13x-xxxxx-xxxxx

Please collect these information and fill into the Technical Support Form, when asking for technical support via email.

How to identify what type of memory is supported on motherboard

ZOTAC motherboards use the industry standard DIMM for system memory. Different models have their combinations of DIMM Slots to suit the current market needs. The number of RAM Slots define the way that system memory is implemented, and the approach for expansion. Please refer to the user manual, and the motherboard's existing configuration for details.

How and when to use the Drivers and Utilities

If your Zotac product came as part a working system, then the driver and utilities may be already pre-installed on the hard disk, and you only need the drivers when you re-configure your system.

The Flash upgrade utility is used only when you are looking for an upgrade in the system BIOS. Please refer to the other sections for Flash BIOS upgrading.

How to check for compatibility of newly launched CPUs on existing board

Please consult your distributor / reseller / system integrator first. They may have already got information from Zotac on whether a newly launched CPU be able to run on the motherboard, or any change needed to jumper configuration. You may also look up from the Zotac Web Site for latest BIOS updates for CPU support.

You may even try to guess from the existing manual's information, and your knowledge on the new CPU. But this is only for experienced users with hardware knowledge. The area to be checked for include :

- CPU voltage requirement, ie., what CPU (core and bus) voltage does the new CPU take, and whether the motherboard is capable of providing these voltages.

- CPU current requirement, ie., how much current will the new CPU take. Some very new CPU operating in very high speed are taking a lot of current, such that the on board regulators may not be able to provide that amount of current.

- CPU clock figure and clock multiplier, as specified by the CPU. Some figures are not supported on certain motherboards, while some multiplier figures are not implemented on some CPUs.
- CPU ID / speed recognizable by the system BIOS. Newer BIOS, in general, are more capable to recognize newer CPUs, and correctly report their speed/performance figures.