nVidia Drivers + Desktop Configuration

[Ogopogo]

Note: Per nVidia Customer Care, enterprise support is required to obtain deployment information. I managed to figure this out on my own, thus I have not signed their Mutual Non Disclosure Agreement. Should MSFN feel that this should not be posted, then remove it. If not, then heres some information for anyone who wants to find it.

Needed before beginning:

• Unzip app that will extract compressed EXEs (7-Zip for example)
  
• Custom nView profile (Created using nView Properties, saved in c:\windows\nview\[profilename].tvp or c:\documents and settings\all users\application data\nView_Profiles\[profilename].tvp)
  

The Forceware drivers are a typical InstallShield setup. Download the Forceware driver and Extract it (personally, I use 7-Zip). Run the following to record the answer file (located in c:\windows\setup.iss)

setup.exe -r

Replace the setup.iss included with the extracted driver installer with the one you just recorded. The drivers can now be installed (on other systems, since you just got done installing them on the current one) by running the following

setup.exe -s -f1 setup.iss

After running the install, the nView source files are extracted to C:\Windows\NV########.TMP\. The numbers are random each time. After rebooting, the temp directory will be deleted and the files will be located wherever necessary. This is when I copy my dualview.tvp to c:\windows\nview. Also, you can delete the following registry key: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce, value: nwiz; since we are trying to avoid GUI stuff here...

Reboot the system at this time. You can proceed with the next steps without doing so, but in HKCR the items for the nView stuff will point to the temp directory rather than the permanent directory, and nwiz.exe/nview.dll will not be in %PATH%.

After logging back in, from command line, execute the following:

nwiz.exe /installquiet
rundll32.exe nview.dll nViewCmd pon
rundll32.exe nview.dll nViewCmd loadprofile dualview all

nwiz.exe /installquiet configures some of the nView stuff, /installquiet suppresses all GUI prompts.

rundll32.exe nview.dll nViewCmd pon enables the nView Desktop Manager persistently.

rundll32.exe nview.dll nViewCmd loadprofile dualview all loads the dualview.tvp from c:\windows\nview, the all switch ensures that the full configuration is loaded.

For other calls to the nview.dll, try opening it with Dependency Walker. Some of calls will give you the options if you pass help to it (eg: runndll32.exe nview.dll nViewCmd help)

To address the rebooting issue, I created a batch script to run the commands above. I call it using CPAU, to ensure it runs with admin rights. I call the CPAU job using the RunOnce key (HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Runonce). Also, for bundling all of this together, I use NSIS.

I have noticed on my test system that I am unable to find/access the nView properties window after following this method. I am not sure what is really causing it, but at this point I'm happy just having a deployable solution.

- Ogo

[biatche]

nwiz.exe /installquiet

rundll32.exe nview.dll nViewCmd pon

rundll32.exe nview.dll nViewCmd loadprofile dualview all

is this completely optional?

[Ogopogo]

the following are optional:

rundll32.exe nview.dll nViewCmd pon

rundll32.exe nview.dll nViewCmd loadprofile dualview all

since they only turn on the nView Desktop Manager and load the profile specified (dualview in this case).

nwiz.exe /installquiet

Is probably required. It normally runs in GUI mode after reboot unless you remove the HKLM\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\runonce key for it. The /installquiet just makes it silent.

Edited April 25, 2007 by Ogopogo

[biatche]

nwiz.exe /installquiet configures some of the nView stuff, /installquiet suppresses all GUI prompts.

nview stuff like what?

in my setup, ive edited the registries so that, ill never see any systray icon and i also removed the context menu

so if you dont mind elaborating to me... what does the nview stuff do?

[cocjh1]

Thanks for the installation instructions, they work great however my system has a dual head display and I do not think these settings are held within the NVIDIA TVP file.

Is there any way to setup the display properties, maybe in a similar style to the desktop management above?

[ajua]

i think that the -R and silent installing shoud work normally. for me, there is no GUI stuff showing up after rebooting.

maybe for people with dual monitor have to use the profile in order to apply it at boot. for normal profile i have yet to search the registry yo find my custom settings.

[ElrickLandon]

Hi,

I'm using Asus GT520 Graphic card and i don't find any answer for me .

I need to setup display configuration in a silent installation of my video card drivers.

I would like to setup the display for display desktop on screen 2 by default instead of screen 1 which is hdmi output, i don't want to have to power-on my barco for change display properties after driver installation.

I don't find nwiz.exe after my driver installation like suggested in this topic, i figure that this application is no more provided on the new package maybe ?

I installed this driver package for information :

275.33-desktop-win7-winvista-64bit-international-whql.exe ^{173 Mb}

I also tried Nvidia command line like rundll32.exe nvcpl.dll, dtcfg setmode 1 1280 1024 32 60 bla bla.... but it doesn't do anything when i enter it, any suggestion ?

Someone can advise me how to force display configuration in a silent installation ? and how to make a proper silent install with these drivers ?

Thanks in advance.

Edited August 6, 2011 by ElrickLandon