When using the uninstall routines from AMD, Intel, or Nvidia, remnants often remain that can cause problems. To uninstall the existing graphics driver cleanly, you should always use “DDU” – “Display Driver Uninstaller.”

It is advisable to first download DDU and the new desired driver and then disconnect from the Internet so that Windows cannot immediately download and install any drivers via Windows Update. It is best to use it in safe mode.

Then you can run DDU and select the desired procedure (first the driver type, then how to proceed). After restarting, you can now install the new driver and then restore the Internet connection.

This is particularly useful when replacing the graphics card with another one.

Der Beitrag Cleanly remove graphics drivers in Windows erschien zuerst auf flohs blog.

Not too long ago, I came across modified drivers for AMD Radeon GPUs that are supposed to fix bugs and maximize performance.

First, I read about the so-called “NimeZ” drivers, which later became the R.ID mod drivers. The project has now been set up in a really professional manner and even seems to enjoy official tolerance or support from AMD.

With this post, I primarily wanted to point out that such a thing exists and that it can be a real gift, especially for older TeraScale or GCN-based GPUs (more modern or better DirectX support, newer WDDM, better performance and compatibility, less bloat…). AMD’s graphics drivers have never been known for exceptional stability or long-term support, so any improvement is welcome.

In a quick test with a TeraScale 2 GPU (Radeon HD 6650M with 1 GB DDR3, notebook), I noticed a repeatable improvement in the double-digit percentage range (Unigine Heaven) without overclocking.

I wish you success with your tinkering, and don’t forget to uninstall the old driver with DDU.

Der Beitrag Modified drivers for AMD Radeon GPUs erschien zuerst auf flohs blog.

I will try to keep this section as brief as possible, as it is a very individual matter.

BIOS-Update:

If the BIOS has not yet been updated to the latest version (F.60 Rev. A), I would do so now at the very latest.

The updater runs on Windows, so an operating system must be installed—preferably Windows 7, which was originally installed on these notebooks when they were shipped.

Link to the file:
BIOS F.60 Rev. A for the 8540p (archive.org)

What operating system(s) would be suitable for the EliteBook 8540p?

Driver support starts with Windows XP, which was also the prerequisite for upgrading this notebook model in the first place. I ultimately decided on the following, very maximum operating system configuration:

• Windows XP Pro, Service Pack 3 (32-Bit)
• Windows 7 Ultimate, Service Pack 1 (64-Bit)
• Windows 10 Pro, 22H2 (64-Bit)
• Windows 11 Pro, 24H2 (64-Bit)

The limit is four systems regardless, as MBR is not only limited to a maximum partition size of 2 TiB, but can also only handle a maximum of four primary partitions, and Windows can only be booted from these. Because Windows XP should be installed on it, MBR forces me into these limits (as previously written in the “SSD” article in this series, XP only supports MBR).

I won’t document the exact installation of these systems here, as there is more than enough information on the internet if you have any questions.

The order is particularly important:

First, install Windows XP. It is best to use another computer to create an NTFS partition of the desired size on the planned drive beforehand. Of course, set this up as a primary partition at the very front of the data carrier.

Then insert the drive into the notebook, start the Windows XP installation either from an optical data carrier or USB stick (boot menu), and install it on the existing partition. Just that for now, no drivers, etc.

Then start the Windows 7 setup in the same way, create a new partition behind the existing XP partition during the process, and install. Again, no drivers for now.

Now do the same with Windows 10.

Finally, do it again with Windows 11.

So, from old to new.

This process has the advantage that with each additional operating system that is newer than the previous version, the older system is automatically recognized and entered into the boot loader. Ultimately, there are four selectable entries when booting the notebook (or possibly three, because Windows XP uses a different boot loader than all subsequent versions).

These can of course be customized. For legacy systems like this, I use EasyBCD, which has always worked very well, always on the latest operating system (i.e., install it on Windows 11!).

Why is that…?

To ensure that the latest possible boot loader is used in the MBR – especially since, starting with Windows 8, the so-called “Metro” look can also be enabled optionally with EasyBCD. It looks nicer and more modern, so I usually use this one.

If an entry is missing, it can also be quickly added later with EasyBCD.

All that remains for me to say is that the appropriate drivers from HP should be used for Windows XP, the same applies to Windows 7 (Note: was a 32-bit or 64-bit system installed?), and everything runs smoothly with the drivers for 7 for Windows 10 and 11.

For original graphics cards, search for the latest driver from Nvidia and use the one that matches your operating system. For unofficial modifications like I did, use the modified, compatible, and latest driver.

Click here for the original drivers from HP

Next, I will summarize this project and what I would do differently next time.

Der Beitrag <h5>RetroBook 8540p #11: </h5><h3><b>Software Setup</b></h3> erschien zuerst auf flohs blog.

Since the Quadro 2000M now appears to be running on the hardware side, the previously downloaded Nvidia graphics drivers must now be installed, matching the respective operating system.

However, these do not work out-of-the-box, but must be slightly modified.
In order for the modified version of the drivers to be installed, driver signing must be temporarily disabled in Windows 10 and 11. This should not be relevant for Windows XP, Vista, 7, or 8/8.1.

How to disable driver signing:

• Restart the computer by holding down the Shift key and clicking on “Restart” in the Start menu.
• Now “Please wait” should appear and, depending on the PC, it should restart.
• Now select the “Troubleshoot” button.
• Then click on “Advanced options” -> “Startup settings”
• A list of possible options should appear; select “Restart”
• When Windows restarts, the list should appear again and you can select the correct entry, “Disable driver signing” by pressing “7”
• Then simply wait until the operating system has completely restarted. The driver should now install without any problems.

The signature is only checked during installation. Once everything has been installed and the computer has been restarted, this check is automatically re-enabled and the driver still runs without any problems.

Let’s get started with the driver modification:

I will now show you the procedure for Windows 11 Professional. For Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 8.1, the procedure should be identical or very similar. For Windows XP, the procedure differs slightly as fewer files need to be edited. Fortunately, you can see this immediately by simply paying close attention to the file names and entries (just ignore the missing files).

I have successfully performed this driver modification on Windows XP Pro SP3, Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1, Windows 10 Pro 22H2, and Windows 11 Pro 24H2, and everything is running 100% stable.

Getting started:

Now, pretend you want to install the driver normally and click “OK” here:

Until the setup, which runs automatically after unpacking (with the usual administrator rights prompt in between), then reports “The graphics driver could not find compatible graphics hardware”:

Then finish the setup with “X” or “Close” and navigate to the directory
where the driver was previously temporarily unzipped. By default, this would be at least in Windows 10 and 11:

C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\377.83\Win10_64\International\Display.Driver\

C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\377.83\Win10_64\International\Display.Driver\

Find out the PCI ID of the installed GPU:

Now open Device Manager and find the graphics card that should not yet have a “real” name (“Microsoft Basic Display Adapter,” the standard driver).

Once you have found it, right-click on the graphics card entry and open “Properties”.
From there, go to the “Details” tab and select “Hardware IDs” in the combo box that appears.

Then copy the first entry with CTRL+C or the context menu, or simply compare it with the following entry and then conveniently copy everything that follows without modification if the string matches:

The PCI ID of my Dell MXM card is:
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DDA&SUBSYS_1521103C&REV_A1

Note the vendor (manufacturer), i.e. Nvidia (“10DE”), which makes sense. The Quadro 2000M obviously has the device ID “0DDA”, so far so good. But here’s where it gets interesting: the Sub-ID appears to be “1521” and this is completely missing from the driver. That’s where the problem lies, so let’s change that now.

If the PCI ID copied earlier in Device Manager now shows a number other than “1521” at the location shown, this number must be replaced with the different number in all subsequent text (in which case it is a Quadro 2000M from another board partner, with a different internal model number).

Reminder:
This driver modification applies EXCLUSIVELY to this specific Nvidia Quadro 2000M type. Other models may be compatible, but everything that is now being changed would have to be adapted, otherwise nothing will work.

Next, files need to be edited:

Notepad++ is very helpful for this kind of thing, firstly because of the option to obtain administrator rights retrospectively (which you also need in a subfolder of C:\ to edit files) and secondly because of the convenient context menu entry for opening files. Nevertheless, I will show the process here using Windows’ own “Editor.”

The easiest way is to find the sections beginning with “Entry” using the search function in the editor you are using (CTRL+F). The following entries must be added, first in the file:

nv_dispwi.inf

In the entry (quite high up in the file):

[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64.10.0…14310]

[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64.10.0…14310]

Add at the end of the block:

%NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.10DE% = Section003, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DDA&SUBSYS_1521103C

%NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.10DE% = Section003, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DDA&SUBSYS_1521103C

Then in the entry (directly below):

[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64.10.0]

[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64.10.0]

Add the same at the end of the block:

%NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.10DE% = Section003, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DDA&SUBSYS_1521103C

%NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.10DE% = Section003, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DDA&SUBSYS_1521103C

Last entry in this file (at the bottom):

[Strings]

[Strings]

It is best to insert this under the existing entry “Quadro 1000M”:

NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA = "NVIDIA Quadro 2000M"

NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA = "NVIDIA Quadro 2000M"

…this ensures that the GPU is correctly recognized and displayed throughout the system.
Note that this entry is completely missing (as is the screenshot), but curiously, many other Quadros from this generation and model series are present. Perhaps the Quadro 2000M was only available to OEMs who received special drivers at the time?
The NVS 5100M is also missing here.

Next up is this file:

nvblwi.inf

In the entry (again quite high up in the file):

[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64.10.0…14310]

[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64.10.0…14310]

Add at the end of the block:

%NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.103C% = Section003, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DDA&SUBSYS_1521103C

%NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.103C% = Section003, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DDA&SUBSYS_1521103C

Then in the entry (directly below):

[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64.10.0]

[NVIDIA_Devices.NTamd64.10.0]

Add the same at the end of the block:

%NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.103C% = Section003, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DDA&SUBSYS_1521103C

%NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.103C% = Section003, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DDA&SUBSYS_1521103C

Here too, most recently in this file in the entry (far below):

[Strings]

[Strings]

It is best to insert this under the existing entry “Quadro 2000M” with a different ID:

NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.103C = "NVIDIA Quadro 2000M"

NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.103C = "NVIDIA Quadro 2000M"

Finally, it’s time to tackle this file:

nvdmwi.inf

Only the entry:

[Strings]

[Strings]

Also to be supplemented with “Quadro 2000M” with the other ID:

NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.1028 = "NVIDIA Quadro 2000M"

NVIDIA_DEV.0DDA.1521.1028 = "NVIDIA Quadro 2000M"

Next, the entire “NVIDIA” folder should be copied to a directory where users also have write permissions. The easiest place would be the desktop.

This is very important to note, as I otherwise received various error messages regarding file permissions and the installation was canceled!

Now we should be able to install the driver

You can then restart the installation with “setup.exe”:

…Great, it seems to be working!

Once the installation is complete, you can check that it was successful in Device Manager, preferably after restarting the system:

If everything works, the temporary “NVIDIA” directories and the previously downloaded driver package can be deleted.

Unexpected positive side effects:

As a bonus, you can now see in the Windows 10 or 11 Task Manager that the Quadro 2000M is listed as a GPU in the “Performance” tab and can therefore be monitored. This was not the case with the NVS 5100M, which was too old – none of the cards offered by HP as compatible should be able to do this.

This is because, unlike the NVS 5100M, the Quadro 2000M supports DirectX 11 and thus also a newer WDDM from Microsoft – this compatibility is a prerequisite for this functionality. We now have this virtually free of charge:

To ensure that everything really works, I put a 3D load on the card for a longer period of time (see next post). Then I tested the DisplayPort (on the left side of the notebook) and the VGA port (at the back next to the power supply connection), both of which work without any problems.

Let’s move on to what was inevitable.

Der Beitrag <h5>RetroBook 8540p #8: </h5><h3><b>GPU drivers</b></h3> erschien zuerst auf flohs blog.

Not too long ago, I came across this fossil of a monochrome laser printer, with a request to dispose of it:

⧉ HP

⧉ HP

⧉ HP

Before throwing it away, I googled it, and my interest was piqued. Should I save this device from the scrap heap? I immediately liked the fact that it only has two buttons and a power switch on the side, that’s it. The easiest way to decide something like this is to weigh up the pros and cons compared to a modern printer.

The starting point:

We currently have two printers in use, both of which are multifunction devices.
Both are laser printers, a monochrome Brother* and a color HP Color LaserJet Pro (Newer model*):

⧉ Brother

⧉ HP

I also ended up with the Brother, as well as the HP LaserJet 2100M.
I bought the HP second-hand—it prints well, quickly, and can do just about anything.
Years ago, it replaced a very unreliable HP Photosmart inkjet printer (due to infrequent use). So why have multiple printers?

The original toner cartridges for the M477fdw* are expensive, and I have had several very unpleasant experiences with refilled or non-original cartridges from various toner and printer manufacturers. In addition, the durability of the wear parts is no longer what it used to be.

The Brother has the great advantage of being monochrome—meaning it only has one toner cartridge—black.
These are relatively inexpensive*, even from Brother directly. Other replacement parts such as rollers or replacement drums are also affordable, at least. Unfortunately, they didn’t skimp on buttons and key combinations.

It prints well, but has already had to work hard and therefore shows slight signs of wear.

What does he need to be able to do to be considered?

My requirements for a printer, in order to decide whether I consider a model to be worth using, are clear:

• Network-compatible, preferably via Ethernet, Wifi if no other option is available
• Low maintenance costs
• Acceptable print quality
• Preferably not an inkjet printer—long periods of non-use are very unfavorable (drying out)
• OPTIONAL: Drivers that don’t cause any problems

After looking in the service manual (https://www.laserexpressinc.com/manuals/HP/hp-lj-2100-service-manual.pdf, archive.org) and the German user manual (https://printego.de/mediafiles/pdf/Laserdrucker/HP/HP%20LaserJet%202100-handbuch.pdf, archive.org) the decision has been made:
If financially feasible and repairable, the HP LaserJet 2100M will remain in use!

Why and how come? Simple:

• The mechanics are very robust.
• Any relevant spare parts are easy to obtain.
• The print quality is really good at 1200 x 1200 dpi, especially considering its age.
• IEC power connector*. Standard.
• The documentation is very good. It could hardly be better.
• No ozone, it’s that modern – luckily, because that would have been a deal-breaker. Health comes before economy.
• The “M” model has an additional 4 MB memory bar installed at the factory, along with PostScript capabilities! (Presumably, M stands for Macintosh, which was necessary or advantageous at the time).
• Toner is cheap*, even from third-party suppliers, and lasts a very long time (5000 pages at 5% coverage!).
• The RAM is expandable (4 MB was standard, so the “M” model with an additional 4 MB has a total of 8 MB)!
• The most important thing for me: you can optionally upgrade to network functionality!

If you read a little about this printer on the Internet, you will find that it seems to have been a real “workhorse,” and many older people among us still mourn the loss of this model series today. Especially in HP’s home country – the USA.

Having a monochrome alternative to the existing Brother is also no mistake, because who knows if something will become irreparably defective one day.

Is it printing at all?

First, I simply pressed the two buttons on the large dial to print a test page. That’s what it says in the manual.

Disappointing, everything is covered in streaks and the opacity is only half there – but at least the rest seems to be working, no unusual noises, etc.
The proportions are correct where the print should have been, i.e., the mechanics are working as intended (the spacing is good, no perspective distortion, etc.).

Next, as also described very well in the manual, open and close all maintenance flaps.
What do I see? The toner is ancient, from a third-party supplier, and has also been refilled with a bottle (the necessary hole was sealed with tape). There was also some toner dust on the toner roller, which shouldn’t be there. All of this could explain the poor print quality.

In addition, the “interior” is visibly dirty, especially the rollers.
So first of all, remove everything you can, blow it out, and clean everything carefully (isopropanol*).

Without knowing whether it would help, I went in search of a better, preferably original toner cartridge:
I quickly discovered a significantly overpriced but originally packaged HP toner cartridge (96A) from a commercial supplier. It couldn’t have been any cheaper than new old stock:

⧉ HP

⧉ HP

Once the toner arrived, I installed it immediately. The printer itself had already been thoroughly cleaned and reassembled.
And lo and behold: the 2100M prints, and even prints really well!

On the first clearly legible test page of the 2100M, I discovered that this model had printed just ~13,200 pages in its “working life” – which is really not much for a business laser printer (a toner cartridge is supposed to last for 5,000 pages, so the device has probably only seen three). The service manual states on page 13 that this model is designed for approximately 15,000 pages per month.

Of course, this value could have been reset, as I will do later.
But the overall condition actually contradicts this – not even the plastic housing is anywhere near yellowed. There was also no typical wear and tear inside, such as grooves, scuff marks, or a lot of paper abrasion.

What can be improved? More RAM!

From a technical point of view, the printer must have a total of four RAM banks, one of which is permanently assigned and directly equipped (i.e., without a slot) with 4 MB.
Therefore, there are only three slots under the plastic cover above the mainboard, of which the rearmost slot in the 2100M is additionally occupied with the special “4 MB incl. PostScript emulation” module described above. This results in a total of 8 MB RAM.

⧉ HP

⧉ HP

⧉ HP

To expand the whole thing, I bought two used DIMMs with 4 MB each for the two RAM slots still available on the printer’s mainboard, adding 8 MB – giving a total of 16 MB with PostScript emulation.
According to the manual, a maximum of two 32 MB modules would have been possible, resulting in a total of 72 MB (32 + 32 + 4 + 4), or even 100 MB if the 4 MB PostScript DIMM had been removed.

At the time, however, only the aforementioned 4 MB modules were really affordable and compatible for me to purchase, and more RAM doesn’t directly make the printer faster, it just provides more space for data (let’s be realistic, $50 plus shipping for ONE 32 MB memory module would be completely disproportionate, which was roughly the price).

I didn’t plan on breaking any world records with PDFs, so I found 16 MB acceptable (better than 8 MB).
If I ever come across larger sticks in the right format (8 MB, 16 MB, or ideally 32 MB) at a reasonable price, I might replace them after all. But I don’t think so.

What else can be improved? The interface, network!

In my opinion, the most important upgrade by far, which suddenly makes the old device very useful again, is mentioned on page 36 of the user manual—the possible expansion cards that fit into the device—for network functionality. The mere fact that this EIO card slot (EIO = Enhanced Input/Output, proprietary to HP) exists at all (on the motherboard, top right connection) shows that devices used to be designed differently – more durable, more maintainable. These are the compatible options:

Without one of these cards, printing is only possible via the parallel port (LPT), LocalTalk, or infrared—none of which are particularly convenient options these days. USB was not yet available on this model, but I wouldn’t have wanted local printing anyway. It is possible to adapt LPT to USB at a reasonable cost, but as I said, networking is the goal.

So I went in search of the only sensible option available today (100 Mbit, i.e., Fast Ethernet—this will definitely work with any network device such as a switch or router upstream; 10 Mbit is already very outdated. I don’t think the theoretically higher speed of 100 Mbit will have much influence on the actual data transfer speed of the printer—everything else in this Stone Age device limits it anyway) in the list above.

I was able to purchase a used JetDirect 600N card in what I consider to be the optimal J3113A version, i.e., Fast Ethernet (10/100 Mbit), for just €12.40 including shipping:

⧉ HP

⧉ HP

Communication via the network was initially impossible because the existing configuration had disabled DHCP (statically configured). By reading the manual, a full reset of everything was quickly accomplished without having to use LPT, and the 2100M now happily communicates at 100 Mbit on the local network via an IP assigned by the router, as DHCP is now reactivated (and working perfectly).

Controls, settings?

It should be mentioned that this printer, more precisely via the now retrofitted JetDirect-600N print server, could also be configured with software that is as old as it is completely incompatible today called “JetAdmin” or a web interface (yes, seriously!). I even got the software to run on Windows XP.

It turned out that this exercise was not in vain – after a full reset, the printer was set to the US-typical “LETTER” format with regard to page margins and standard format, but I was able to change this back to “DIN-A4” using the software. The test page already looked much better in terms of the side margins. I then changed the name of the printer there as well, to make it easier to find on the network.

The web interface only runs in a (very) old version of Internet Explorer with the Java plugin enabled – that also just about worked under Windows XP, but even then I had to turn down or disable absolutely every security setting to get it to work. It was very slow, but at least it worked. Incidentally, the default format setting described above cannot be changed there.

The software actually expects Windows 95, 98, or 2000 – you can tell.

Driver?

Fortunately, this wasn’t a problem at all with this old printer, which I hadn’t expected.
Anyone who has ever had to struggle with a printer driver knows how exhausting and time-consuming it can be—especially when the manufacturer’s drivers are huge but only have limited compatibility (hello, modern HP!).

In this case, however, HP in the 90s deserves praise. But this is probably also due to the technical simplicity of the device, which can only print in black and white and nothing else—a lot has changed since then.

How to get your older darling ready for printing:

Windows provides the necessary drivers via Windows Update. The following procedure installs the printer on modern operating systems such as Windows 10 or 11:

• The printer must, of course, be connected to the network, have an IP address, and be in working order—or it must be connected locally to the LPT port or to a USB port via an LPT-USB adapter.
• Open “Settings” and select “Bluetooth and devices”
• Select “Printers and scanners” and then click the “Add device” button.
• After a brief unsuccessful search, the text link “Add manually” will appear. Click on it.
• The first entry is spot on: “My printer is a little older…” – Correct, so click “Next”
• The LaserJet 2100M should then appear in the list. Click on it and click “Next”
• When selecting the driver, click on the “Windows Update” button.
• Now it takes a while for Windows to download all (!) INF printer drivers available online from Microsoft.
• When the lists finally appear, select “HP” or “Hewlett-Packard” on the left and “HP LaserJet 2100 Series (PCL 6)” on the right.
• Click “Next” to install the driver. It doesn’t take long, and you’re done!

I think this is a great solution, I can’t say otherwise. If all printers worked so smoothly, this issue wouldn’t be such a pain so often. Here you can see how the printer was correctly installed under Windows 11:

Conclusion and thoughts on this printer:

As expected, the device is very slow when it comes to complex documents—really extremely slow.
Large PDFs with many pages can take tens of minutes to print (graphics in particular slow it down considerably). This is where you really notice the extremely outdated hardware struggling with modern data volumes (16 MB of RAM isn’t exactly a lot either, which doesn’t help).

For text documents or simpler print jobs, on the other hand, it is downright fast, and the print quality is very good, which surprised me. The opacity is comparable to a brand-new laser printer, as is the sharpness.

Based on my experience with this model, I would say that it is ideal for use as a label printer, e.g. for shipping labels, in conjunction with self-adhesive paper labels (e.g. from Avery Zweckform*). Or for invoices, delivery notes, labels, and data sheets. Anything that consists mainly of text or simpler structures. The 2100M can play to all its strengths with such requirements and is incomparably robust and inexpensive.

I also find it technically interesting that inside there is an Intel 80960J RISC processor with an impressive 66 MHz driving a 33 MHz bus. Who can say that their printer has “Intel Inside”?
Even if it’s not an x86 processor, which Intel is known for.

All the components I bought for upgrading or retrofitting cost less than €50, including everything except paper. Monochrome laser printing doesn’t get much cheaper than this – the brand-new toner cartridge could last for 5,000 pages.

I’m satisfied and confident that this 2100M has the potential to last for decades to come.
Finally, here is a photo of the “nameplate” on my model:

Der Beitrag HP LaserJet 2100M – A surprising dinosaur erschien zuerst auf flohs blog.