please help me, cant use NVIDIA Geforce 310m!

**majx804** · April 21st, 2012, 09:22 PM

I just bought a ASUS K42J series laptop, then i knew that it had 2 graphics card, Intel(R) HD graphics and NVIDIA GeForce 310 m. Then it was still using the Intel(R) graphics card. So i really wanted to use the NVIDIA Geforce 310m since it was more powerful then Intel HD graphics but then when i enabled it on the device manager, it went black screen!

Also when I open the NVIDIA Control Panel, it says "you are not currently using a display attached to an NVIDIA GPU". Please help me!

(

**RicheemxX** · April 21st, 2012, 10:13 PM

Typically with laptops with these dual card/hybrid setups the second, faster card won't kick in until there is a need for it. This allows the laptop to conserve power and battery life. What are you doing with the laptop that would require using the second card? If you aren't doing anything too graphically intensive you might want to leave the settings as is.

**ShyguyXPC** · April 21st, 2012, 11:29 PM

usually the setting to enable the Geforce card is in the nvidia control panel, or some other display setting, might be an option in the system tray when right clicked on.

usually you don't mess with anything in device manager itself.

try right clicking the desktop and see if there is any settings for display settings or options. and dig around in there.

Otherwise usually when there is multiple displays to choose from, with nvidia cards in the control panel, you can set a Global setting or a specific program or game that is installed to set it to use the Nvidia card.

I know on desktops with 2 different Nvidia cards you can select which card to use for some games and programs, same thing with using an Onboard nvidia chip and a dedicated card.

**lost-and-found** · April 22nd, 2012, 03:13 AM

I assume your laptop is using the Optimus configuration? If that is the case, for normal non high intensive tasks the nvidia driver will leave the work on the integrated graphics processor. It will only switch to using the nvidia gpu when it deems it beneficial (i.e. graphics intensive applications).

In an Optimus configuration, you shouldn't mess with the graphics options in device manager. The reason your screen went dark is because the nvidia chip does not have its own frame buffer (memory that is used to output data to the screen). Instead, when the driver enables the nvidia gpu for work, the gpu sends screen data to the integrated chip's frame buffer. This requires the driver to turn off output from the integrated gpu before the nvidia gpu can use it. Since you bypassed the driver, and enabled the nvidia gpu behind its back, the nvidia gpu did not have access to the integrated gpu's framebuffer.

**ShyguyXPC** · April 22nd, 2012, 11:33 AM

that explains the blank screen, no frame buffer to store visual data in, before being displayed.

I remember a while back there was a user with a similar related topic and I had shown on some laptops with similar configurations there is a way to specify which GPU to use for programs so it will switch to that GPU when program is run, but I forget where the thread was, and with so many of my posts I'd be searching for hours for it.

**lost-and-found** · April 23rd, 2012, 01:12 AM

I'll ask around at work to see if there is a way to manually add programs to run under the discreet gpu on Optimus.

**ShyguyXPC** · April 23rd, 2012, 02:40 AM

I could of sworn that there was, but if anyone here can find out, it should be you.

I just remember there was a thread a while back where someone was trying to switch between Intel and the Discreet GPU, I don't remember if it was Nvidia or not, I'm assuming it was, since I have not seen many if any, lately, Dual GPU Intel and AMD GPU's in notebooks.

but I remember I had put a link in that thread from another site that explained how to force/switch to the Discreet GPU, and pretty sure it was an Nvidia, but then again not 100% sure either.

**emma157** · April 23rd, 2012, 02:40 AM

i need a driver for the same if anyone has, cant find one on google.

**ShyguyXPC** · April 23rd, 2012, 02:54 AM

based on the lack of intelligence from your other post (never bothered to read the whole thread, especially since it was already solved, and then to suggest someone change their motherboard FOR A LAPTOP...?, to fix a USB issue, yeah, that just screams "know how"), it doesn't surprise me you can't find your drivers via google.

Maybe try and find the drivers from your computer or laptops manufacturers site...

Just a thought...

or find out what Graphics chip you have, and go to that companies website (ATI/AMD or Nvidia or Intel)

**lost-and-found** · April 24th, 2012, 01:58 AM

Shyguy, I didn't get to asking at work today, but a quick google found this for adding applications to Optimus. Majx, you can try this to have the nvidia GPU used for a given application:
Procedure to add an application to NVIDIA Optimus Technologyâ€™s dedicated video 3D settings - ThinkPad

**ShyguyXPC** · April 24th, 2012, 03:09 AM

actually, those directions are similar to what I had posted in that other thread, part of my reply in Post #3 above was sort of describing that.

the directions to set the programs for Nvidia GPU are in the same location as I was describing.

Its the same thing if your running more than one Nvidia GPU on your desktop, same process to assigning a program for one or the other.

Thanks for posting that.

**majx804** · April 24th, 2012, 03:25 AM

lost-and-found, but i cant still open the NVIDIA control panel.......
it always says this error, "You are not currently using a display attached to an NVIDIA GPU."
How can I solve this problem???

**ShyguyXPC** · April 24th, 2012, 04:22 AM

I would think you would go back into device manager and do the opposite of what you did. switch back to the Intel Display device instead of Nvidia. THEN try to go back into the Nvidia Control panel.

**majx804** · April 24th, 2012, 09:25 PM

but i'am already using the Intel Display device... still it wont work!

**lost-and-found** · April 24th, 2012, 11:43 PM

hey majx. I don't know off the top of my head what could be causing this error, but let's see if we can figure this out.

Did you by any chance update the drivers on your laptop from what came as standard?
Did you by any chance stop any nvidia related services using msconfig or the processes manager in windows?

**majx804** · April 25th, 2012, 10:03 PM

lost-and-found, I already updated my drivers and I didn't stop ANY nvidia related services...

**lost-and-found** · April 26th, 2012, 02:08 AM

Did you have problems getting to the nVIDIA control panel with the original drivers as well? If you could access the nv control panel with older drivers, maybe reverting back to them would help, and if you update don't download from the nvidia website, but from asus (since this is an optimus config and each manufacturer can make minor modifications to the driver settings).

If you had problems with getting to the control panel even with the older drivers then I'm not sure. From looking online the message you get seems to be a conflict between the intel drivers and the nvidia drivers and may require Asus' help.