Installing older video driver

[Magnum4c]

I recently installed a new EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti and the latest driver for it. Unfortunately, an older game I want to play does not work with this driver, and everything I've read online suggests I need to uninstall the new driver and install NVidia's older 186.18 version driver in order to get this game to run properly.

I am running the Vista 64 bit OS. I found this driver on the NVidia site: NVIDIA DRIVERS 186.18WHQL, but it doesn't appear to support my new graphics card. Is there a 186 version driver that will work with this card, or am I just going to have to give up on trying to play this game? (The game is Dracula 3 from Microids and Kheops Studios, both defunct.) The specific issue I'm having running the game is choppy video. I've tried turning off anti-aliasing but that only helped a very small amount, still not enough to make it playable.

Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[KSoD]

Drivers | GeForce

The oldest drivers for that card are 310.70. Check out the older drivers available for that card on this page and see if any of them are compatible with the game. If not you might be outta luck. There was never any 186.18 drivers made for this card.

 

[Magnum4c]

Thanks! I'll try them. Cheers!

 

[Magnum4c]

A couple more questions:

Driver version 310.70 is better but the game still has strange (choppy? curser jumpy? weird acting...) video. Someone on the Nvidia forums suggested using driver 306.97, but when I went to download it, the "Supported Products" tab for the driver doesn't say it will install on a GTX 650Ti...the closest supported GPU is the GT 650M. So, will it work on my card, or was this possibly an oversight by the poster on the Nvidia forum?

Also, what is the procedure for installing an earlier driver version? Do I need to uninstall the one I'm using before installing the older one, or can I install the older one on my system and then "roll back" to it? If I need to uninstall the newer one first, do I have to separately uninstall all the various components of it; i.e.: 3D Vision Controller Driver, 3D Vision Driver, the Graphics Driver, the Update 1.11.3, and the HD Audio Driver?

Thanks for all the help. I wish I were a little more techno-savvy!

 

[KSoD]

It would be an oversight. The driver you listed is for the Mobile version of the card. Hence the GT650M label.

Yes you need to uninstall the newer driver first. The system will not recognize the old drivers and use them over the newer ones.

I don't know if you have to remove each component separately. I have my own method I use for drivers.

http://www.techist.com/forums/f128/removing-driver-within-windows-7-using-device-manager-246852/

It works for me every time.

 

[Joe C]

you should remove your driver before downgrading to an older driver.
You can use Drive Sweeper
Guru3D - Driver Sweeper


Edit: Ninja'd

 

[Magnum4c]

I don't know if you have to remove each component separately. I have my own method I use for drivers.

http://www.techist.com/forums/f128/removing-driver-within-windows-7-using-device-manager-246852/

It works for me every time.

Is the procedure the same for Vista 64?

Edit: Sorry, I just clicked on your link where you said you didn't know if it works the same in Vista....

 

[Yevrag35]

Is the procedure the same for Vista 64?

Edit: Sorry, I just clicked on your link where you said you didn't know if it works the same in Vista....

Yes, Vista will use the same method. I'm also fairly positive that right-clicking "Computer" gives the "manage" option, if it doesn't just open up control panel and choose it from there.

 

[Magnum4c]

Thanks!

 

[Magnum4c]

So, after a frustrating couple of hours uninstalling/restarting/installing drivers, I was finally able to get the oldest version I could get that supports my card installed. For whatever reason, it's never as easy for me as anyone else to do these things, even when I follow explicit directions like in Mac's prior post.

Running Dracula 3 with it ain't gonna happen....now there is massive "lag" when panning a screen, and the choppiness during cut-scenes is no better, if not a little worse. I'm resigned to the idea that newer nVIDIA cards and drivers just don't play nice with this 5-year old game (see beginning of this thread).

Anyway, that brings me to my (hopefully) last question on this matter (as I've already indicated, I am somewhat technically challenged): I know from above posts that I can't revert to an earlier driver without uninstalling a newer one, but do I need to uninstall the earlier version driver before installing a later one, or will the later one overwrite it?

Cheers!