Dual Graphics cars

[xxx-Zodiac]

I have (2) HP Z-840s with 64gb ram and Dual Xeon processors
I have a (2) Quadro M4000 in one and (2) Quadro P4000 in the other I can get either to work in pars. but I cannot get a P4000 to work with a M4000 in the same machine. I was trying to level out my 2 computers. The P4000 works but then the M4000 says drives cannot load.

I have tried reloading the drivers etc but still no go. any one have any idea why?

[VH2000]

forget it !

[SDH]

Don't forget it.

I'll get you some added info shortly, also.  We have been working with high end HP workstations running two video cards simultaneously from XP into W7Pro64, to now with W10Pro64.  I'll focus on W10 now.  Windows update from MS will not give you the best drivers.  They always are behind the times, and yet if you don't update from nVidia and your current nVidia drivers fall behind the date of the MS-provided-through-Windows-update drivers then W10 will force those over yours.  The solution is to check every 6 months or so and update yours from nVidia before the MS ones found by Windows Update are newer.

Number 2:  The ones you get from Windows Update are not as good as the ones you get straight from nVidia.  We run expensive FDA-certified high resolution medical monitors and the ones we got forced on us by W10 Windows Update did not include the special grayscale drivers that nVidia includes hidden in the normal driver package you get as default straight from nVidia.  So, I never let our video drivers get too old and thus W10 never trigger the auto-"update" to deficient drivers from Windows Update.

Number 3:  I've found you need to fully uninstall your older nVidia drivers before you do an initial update to the most recent drivers, and you need to do that in a compulsive fashion.  That method is coming as a follow-up shortly here.

Number 4:  You don't need to install all of what nVidia offers in the driver package... you want to do a "Custom" install from number 3 on, details coming shortly.

Number 5:  Good news... the installers/uninstallers from nVidia have gotten much better over time.  Your work clearing out the old stuff will pay off from now on.

Number 6:  We stick pretty close together inside our nVidia card families.  For example, we still use some of the older Quadro 2000/2000D cards together, no issue.  W10 64-bit driver updates for those from nVidia stopped in 2018 but they are still working fine.  The cards I consider best for our needs and cost/benefit ratio now are the Quadro K2000/K2200 and the Quadro K2000D.  The "D" designation means the card has 2 dual-link DVI ports, rather than 1 DVI port and two DisplayPort ports above.  For our medical monitors the best two cards in one workstation are identical K2000D cards inserted into the upper and lower PCIe x16 slots.  Dual link DVI cables are virtually equivalent in bandwidth to DisplayPort cables, but the plug ends are much more robust.  We have had DP cable plug ends break apart on us, and we can't risk shorting out expensive 3MP and 5MP medical monitors.

Number 7:  Disconnect from the internet.  You don't want W10 sniffing around as you do the next steps.  You want to do a full uninstall of anything the "NVIDIA Control Panel" first via W10 Control Panel/ Programs and Features app/ then uninstall any leftover nVidia apps from that, then restart.  Then you need to turn on Show hidden files and folders and go into the root level of your C drive and delete anything anything nVidia from root C and the 3 Program files you can now see.  Restart again.  your primary slot is the upper one.  Your primary port on your primary card is the one closest to the motherboard (for us it is always a dual-link DVI port.  BIOS screen will always be fed from that port on that card in that upper slot if you do this right.

Number 8:  Already have downloaded the correct W10 64-bit installer package onto your desktop.  When you look for drivers from nVidia it will show you cards that can be fed from that one combined driver package.  What you will see first from: https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

(after you have entered one of those properly):

Don't go with the Option 2 of automatic.....  click on SEARCH .  This opens a page showing 3 tabs... click on Supported Products.  There, under Quadro series, is this:

From experience, if you have two of the shown cards in place (KEY POINT) when you are installing the drivers from this package showing it supports those two you will succeed.  Also, you MUST uninstall the old drivers fully for this to work or you will get cross-talk between old and new drivers that should not be present together.  Older nVidia installers/uninstallers did not do as good of a job of clearing debris as the newer ones.

Hold off on doing anything until I add to this post to show you how I do a Custom install, coming shortly.

[SDH · Accepted solution]

Here are the details, part of a documentation project I'm working on.  A PDF version is attached below.

nVidia drivers download and install secrets:  This technique has worked very well for years now, and it gets all you need installed without unnecessary added software.  I check for updates to the Quadro K2000/K2000D version of the nVidia cards about every 6 months, and there is no need to check for updates to the Quadra 2000/2000D cards because those are no longer being updated.  How to check for these:  Go to https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us and this opens a page with multiple dropdowns.  Set them as follows: NVIDIA RTX / Quadro, Quadro Series, Quadro K2000D (or other nVidia card if used), Windows 10 64-bit, Production Branch/Studio, English (US), then click SEARCH.  This takes you to the download page which currently shows that version 472.12 for that card.  Click on DOWNLOAD and save the installer onto your desktop.  Sometimes W10 pushes these downloads into your Download folder.  Do not sign up if nVidia offers a “Stay up to date” page… click on “Skip & Continue to Download” beneath SUBMIT if that offer-page opens.  Note that there are 3 tabs in the prior page, including SUPPORTED PRODUCTS.  This same installer can be used for all the nVidia cards shown under that tab and theoretically you might be able to use any of the cards listed under that tab together as long as they were both in place during the install.  I have not tested that, and I do not recommend that because the method I have personally certified is to use matching (or near-matching) cards as I have detailed, preferably two K2000D cards for our HP PACS workstations.  If you choose to use two older Quadro 2000D cards instead their latest drivers downloaded this way will be 377.83, from 1/18/2018.  Those cards are not as fast as the K series but still work fine.  An advantage with the K series cards is that they are still receiving driver updates from nVidia.

Uninstall technique:  If you are doing an upgrade from another type of nVidia card or an upgrade from W10 default nVidia drivers use this long method of clearing all nVidia software/drivers possible.  FIRST DISCONNECT FROM THE INTERNET because otherwise as you uninstall W10 will go sniffing for replacement drivers from the MS Windows Update driver archive.  Those are not what you want.

Go to the W10 Control Panel.  It is there just as in W7 but you need to search for it.  Go in there to the “File Explorer Options” app, and under that app’s View tab and activate the “Show hidden files and folders” button (as detailed also below in section VI).  Click on Apply. 

Next go within the W10 Control Panel to the “Programs and Features” app/ start by uninstalling the NVIDIA Graphics Driver first, and only thereafter uninstall any added NVIDIA app shown.  These may include a nVidia HD audio driver and a NVIEW entry.  Do not restart yet… choose later.  Now navigate to the root level of your C drive (which is where the system folders are) and delete any nVidia entry at that surface level.  Then go down lower in that C folder and work sequentially through the 3 “Program” folders, deleting any nVidia entry.  You might not be able to delete all items at this stage but if a nVidia folder can’t be deleted at least delete any contents within it that you can.  Now you can restart, and generally the video cards will begin running on generic Microsoft video drivers at this point (which you can see via Device Manager/ Display adapters/ NVIDIA Quadro K2000D/ Properties/ Driver tab).

The display may be running at low resolution, but you only need to see enough to launch the new nVidia installer you have on your desktop, via a single right click on it and slide down to “Run as administrator”.  This long method is the best to use in all situations when my custom install method has not been done before.  Thereafter that quicker custom update method has been working very well with the later nVidia installers.  Remember to go back and activate the “Do not show hidden files and folders” button in the W10 Control Panel’s File Explorer Options app.

Special Custom install technique:  The launched installer first checks for compatibility/ agree with the license/ choose the Custom option/ click NEXT/ go from bottom up starting by first checking the lowest box (to Perform a clean install)/ then uncheck the boxes by RTX Desktop Manager and HD Audio Driver.  Don’t miss any boxes hidden low in the dropdown list.  Leave Graphics Driver checked, and click NEXT.  The install now proceeds, the monitors likely will flash, when done you should do a full shutdown and cold boot.  You may have to use the keyboard combo Ctrl + Alt + Delete to get to the power-off control.  At this step I try to remember to confirm that both video cards are running the same latest nVidia drivers via the Device Manager pathway detailed above… I have seen rare cases where somehow the drivers end up generic on one card and nVidia drivers on the other identical card.  This has not happened for some years now likely because the nVidia installers/uninstallers have improved over time.