NVidia Drivers On Vista

NVIDIA (for a while) hasn't had much luck with drivers on Windows Vista (link).

When you install Windows Vista, it is likely that Microsoft will install drivers that work very well for you. However, if you uninstall that driver, it is entirely possible Windows will never figure out how to get it working again and you will be stuck in a state of bad graphics and terrible resolution.

If you find yourself in this state, you probably won't find any drivers for your NVIDIA card on Vista. However, you may find the following links useful:

X86 (32 bit) drivers

X64 (64 bit) drivers

Those appear to be the latest drivers available for Vista. See the supported products tab of the site to see if your card qualifies.

If you install an incorrect driver you will most likely have a terrible experience. Windows may boot fine, but video intensive applications (like playing a game or a DVD) will probably result in a blue screen. Poor video drivers are a common reason for blue screens in Vista.

As a note, I am using this driver: link for my nVidia Quadro FX Go1400 256MB without problems. It's an older release but I'm too afraid to try anything else since I have a lot of giant applications installed.

Caution: Update your video drivers at your own risk! While Windows usually does OK at recovering or providing recovery options via safe mode, the last thing you want is your PC stuck in a blue screen/reboot loop because your video driver is crazy.