I finally figured out why I kept on getting VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE BSOD’s when installing Windows 8 on my SuperMicro workstations. It turns out that the problem goes away when I use a PCIe slot associated with CPU #1, instead of a slot associated with CPU #2.
Some history on my adventures with Windows 8 and SuperMicro SuperWorkstations:
I got ACPI_BIOS_ERROR BSOD’s while installing Windows 8, SuperMicro provided a Beta BIOS that resolved the problem.
The Windows 8 install hangs if installing to a SSD drive on a LSI 2308 SAS controller, that issue is still unresolved, but can be worked around by connecting the SSD to the Intel SATA controller.
I got VIDEO_TDR_ERROR BSOD’s while installing Windows 8 with a NVidia Quadro 5000 graphic card, same with an ATI FirePro V7900 or a NVidia GeForce GTX 680 or an ATI HD 7970. And this post is about resolving that problem.
SuperMicro released v1.0a BIOS updates for the X9DAi and X9DA7 motherboards used in the 7470A-T and 7470A-73 SuperWorkstations. I was hoping this will resolve the VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE BSOD’s, but no.
The X9DA7 BIOS updated without issue, but the X9DAi update reported an error at the end of the update process; “Error when sending Enable Message to ME”.
I contacted SuperMicro support, and they asked me to make sure that there is no jumper on JPME1. There is no mention of JPME1 in the motherboard manual, but it is located next to JIPMB1, next to PCIe slot #1. The header had a jumper on pins 2 and 3, where the same header on the X9DA7 motherboard had a jumper between 1 and 2. I removed the jumper, and the BIOS update succeeded.
From some reason your Nvidia® display driver and/or one of your other system/motherboard drivers are either obsolete or corrupted.
How to solve the nvlddmkm.sys BSOD
Warning! - Don’t manually try replace that file under any circumstances by another one. Many users try to download that file from random sites, and then they experience other problems. It just doesn’t work that way.
In order to solve the problem you need to make sure that your Nvidia® display driver as well as all your system drivers, and motherboard drivers aren’t outdated/corrupted, and if so, replace them with their ‘healthy’ and most updated versions.
Doing that manually is a time consuming, too risky, and inaccurate task. (You can never tell which are the most updated and exact required drivers). Anyway, I found that the safest (and by far the fastest) way to replace those problematic drivers is by using a reliable drivers repair tool.
To summarize - in order to repair this nvlddmkm.sys BSOD run a quick drivers scan and at the end see which drivers are causing this error, then install their latest, official, and most updated versions.
A little request...
Since each of you got a differently configured OS, I’d like to know the exact symptoms that you encounter with this problem. Feel free to post this information at the bottom of this page. Thanks.