My graphics drivers are buggering up, what do I do?

Question

I have an N~Vidia Ge-Force 4 MX 440 which I constantly have to re-install the drivers for. Sometimes it will fail to run on some games and other times it will revert back to 16bit colour + 640 x 480 screen resolution. I want to solve the problem for good (or for at least until I get a new graphics card). What do I do?

Stop telling me that my graphics card has too little memory, thats not the problem the drivers are the problem (I'm not stupid!) they keep failing to launch, causing me to have to reinstall my drivers. Please read my question before you answer it.

I'm running Microsoft Windows XP Professional.

N~Vidia Ge-Force 4 MX 440:
64 MB Video Memory
Microsoft DirectX 8 support

This is what I usually play:
Minimum System Requirements for The Sims 2
If you have a T&L capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM then you need at least:
800 MHz processor or better
256 MB RAM if Windows Vista, XP, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 2000
At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space

Minimum System Requirements for The Age of Mythology
Microsoft® Windows® 98/Me/XP/2000
PC with 450 MHz equivalent or higher processor
128 MB of system RAM
1.5 GB available hard disk space
32x speed or faster CD-ROM drive
16 MB video card required
Sound card, speakers or headphones required for audio
Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
56.6 Kbps or better modem for online play

Which both don't exceed my computers capability.

Answer 1

With driver on, graphic rendering is run your graphic card hardware. Without driver, the OS cannot utilize your card to render the graphic you see on screen

This means that there's a possibility that the card may be malfunctioning, hardware wise. probaly certain minor componenets, it'll only lock up when you utilizing your card, like running games

Answer 2

Are you running XP, Win 2000, Win 98?

N~Vidia Ge-Force 4 MX 440:
64 MB Video Memory
Microsoft DirectX 8 support

I am guessing your video (64MB, DirectX 8) crashes because your video card does not meet the minimum game requirements. To solve you will need to upgrade to a better video card.

Your computer is probably between 4 and 7 years old; this makes spending over a $100 on a new card a waste of money. For this reason I would recommend a X1650PRO for about $60. Inexpensive and good enough for light to moderate gaming.

Higher end video cards will probably require updating your power supply at additional cost to meet the amperage and wattage requirements. Further if your computer is old you probably will not be able to play the latest extreme games with even the most expensive video card available.
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DirectX 8 was introduced in November 2000.
DirectX 9 was introduced in December 2002.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directx
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My opinion for a new video card:
For playing the latest extreme games a FRAPS (frames per second) of 50 or higher.
For moderate games a FRAPS of 30 or more.
For no games a FRAPS of 18 or more
Refer to:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html
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I only listed PCI x16 cards. You may require an AGP or PCI style video card slot instead.

HIS Hightech H165PRF256N-R Radeon X1650PRO 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Ready Video Card - $59.99 after $10 rebate
FRAPS = 30.8
HDTV / S-Video Out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161037
The X1650PRO is not really a gaming card as it’s FRAPS = 30.8 but still 50% faster than the 6600GT; FRAPS=20.6. The 6600GT is faster than the ATI Radeon 9800pro you are currently using.

8600GTS From $132 (Supports DirectX 10)
FRAPS = 53.6
HDTV / S-Video / Composite Out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=8600GTS&x=25&y=36
http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=256-P2-N761-AR&pwindow=specs&family=23
Minimum of a 400 Watt power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 22 Amp Amps.

7900GS From $119 (supports DirectX 9)
FRAPS = 52.2
HDTV / S-Video / Composite Out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=7900gs&x=0&y=0
http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=256-P2-N624-AR&family=22
Minimum of a 400 Watt power supply with a minimum recommended +12 Volt current rating of 20 Amp Amps.

Answer 3

You would be well advised to buy a new graphics card, one with more video memory.