Is there a right/wrong way to install M11x R1 GPU drivers?

The reason I ask is I am very computer saavy, ive always updated drivers for every system I use and I even do this kind of thing for a living. I just got my m11x R1 and uninstalled the GPU driver, rebooted to safe mode, ran Driver sweeper, got rid of all the remnants of the Nvidia driver. Rebooted and installed the NEWEST GPU driver from Dell.com for the m11x R1 which is 197.72. During the install I blue screened...So I rebooted, tried again and the driver "installed" but it wont acutally work. It still shows nothing installed correctly in Device manager regardless of it saying "Driver installation complete". Now I was thinking since these are hybrid drivers, do I have to install these in a special order? Like turning on discrete before hand or anything like that?

Thanks.

 

Heh doesn't it suck that every new laptop you get, you have to figure out in what order to install drivers. Laptop companies don't usually provide instructions on what order to install things leaving us consumers to figure out for themselves.

Yea there probably is a special way. I have an m11xr2 and yesterday I was reformatting it to figure out the best order to install drivers. I found out that when you start from the factory image, first you install win7 updates, then install the 335m driver, reboot, THEN install intel HD graphics driver.

Unless someone else has done it, looks like you'll have to figure out through trial and error and a couple of factory restores. heh.

EDIT: Oh, and with Dell drivers you don't have to uninstall the previous driver. Installing it will simply overwrite the previous driver. Dell does provide installation instructions on their website. They just don't say in what order.

 

@SRT4 - Dell drivers usually install clean. Sounds like you did your prep work by un-installing the previous driver, cclean or driver remover and then install new. I would try it again, if it still gives an issue maybe switch to a different version.. say 197.45 or whatever supports the hybrid switching.

Please note that Nvidia tools causes blue screens and I have never got them to work correctly with the m11x. I use EVGA precision for any GPU "fine tuning". I am sorry to hear of your issues. You may want to search for Kopicha or Nautis's 258.96 hybrid driver install. Make sure it's the R1 install and not the R2.

Best wishes, StevenX

 

Thanks, yep the 2nd time I just overwrote the Dell drivers OVER my current ones and it worked fine...it shows the update and all.

@STEVEN, I will look into new hybrid drivers soon enough, I just dont wanna get a headache just yet since I just got this thing. Love it, all the games I currently play run SMOOTH! (SC2, WoW, Crysis, LOTRO).

 

Yep know your pain - had to to a second total win 7 installation, first thing I installed after the OS was the drivers - seems to have been kinda successful switching is still hit and miss - more hit right now - just checked then and switching worked.

On occasion she will totally fail to load any drivers, so I just shut down and re-boot - if the switching does not work I check device manager normally there is an error like insufficient resources, once I reboot it normally starts working again.

Nvidia are known for crud drivers so why expect any different on the alienware!!!

 

Is there something wrong with the default drivers?

 

Downloaded from dell website and installed right over old drivers works perfectly.

 

If you get BSOD, replace(In Device Manager, right-click "Mobile Intel 4 Series" under "Display adapters" and go to "Update"> Browse>Let me pick> Standard VGA> Next) the Intel graphics driver that Windows 7 automatically installs with the Standard VGA driver and you should be fine.