Display Driver atikmdag / nvlddmkm Stopped Responding

Atikmdag / nvlddmkm fix update
I would just like to say thanks to all those who have posted their fixes in the comments section below!
- 16.12.2009 - There have many more solutions suggested below
- 3.12.2008 - More and more solutions have been posted below
- 24.12.2007 - Seems some are having success using a variety of methods see the comments below
- 1.11.2007 - If you have found a solution please leave a comment below - click here
Purpose of this article
This error has been a constant problem on my new PC for the last 8 months. This particular error exists on both ATI and Nvidia cards and on a whole range of different PC builds.
The error you receive on the cards is different because obviously the driver that stops has a different name, but the symptom is the same, the screen will go blank and then sometimes the game/application will recover or it may crash. A small message will appear on the bottom right hand side of your screen if you are using Vista.
ATI Cards: Atikmdag has stopped responding and has successfully recovered
Nvidia Cards: nvlddmkm has stopped responding and has successfully recovered
This page contains all the information I have collected and possible fixes and puts them in one place.
This page will be constantly updated until a 100% Fix is found - the fixes that are listed work for some but not for others - so you might have to experiment a little until a solution is found
I will point Nvidia users to the best solutions for them and then list possible fixes for ATI users - I am a ATI card user myself and have found a few fixes which increase the stability of my system - this has reduced the frequency of the error but has not eliminated it entirely.
Best Forum Discussions about the atikmdag / nvlddmkm error
ATI atikmdag Discussions
Nvidia nvlddmkm Discussions
Fix 1 - Vista Users - ATI and Nvidia Users
Windows Hot fixes
Some users have solved the problem by actually uninstalling a windows hot fix, the "KB952287" patch. (Vista Users)
Matthew Utah (Popular Fix)
Posted at 6:14pm on August 25th, 2008
I had this problem and found it quite annoying. Due to other circumstances, I reinstalled Windows Vista, and found that I did not have this problem before installing updates. In fact, installing update KB952287 caused this problem to start, and when I un-installed this update, it went away.
I looked up the update, and it deals with some very specific SQL server issues that I will likely never deal with, so it will stay gone on my machine.
Karen Texas
Thank you Matthew from Utah!
Your solution worked for me.
I un-installed "update KB952287" and the problem is gone.
I also use the AMD 780G chip set.
Possible Helpful Patches
- KB938194 - An update is available that improves the compatibility and reliability of Windows Vista
- KB938979 - An update is available that improves the performance and reliability of Windows Vista
You may have these fixes installed already, write them down then check if you have them installed.
To check if you have them : start menu / control panel / system and maintenance / Windows updates / View update history
Fix 2 - Only using one stick of Ram - All Users
According to several posts I have read over the internet a sure-fire way to rid yourself of this problem is to only have one stick of ram in your PC. I personally have not tried this method as I only have 2gb of ram, reducing it to 1gb would not be enough for me as I am using Vista and have to run several applications.
quote from ocforums:
'Drivers, software, vista driver structure and sub-level timings, etc...simplest way to get rid of the problem is to run one single RAM stick...I kid u not. 1 ram stick and u will see the issue vanish almost instantly!'
If you are so sick of this problem and can reduce your PC to only one stick of ram then give it a go.
*Warning* Only remove ram if you know what you are doing - you can quite easily damage your components if you are not use to repairing computers.
Fix 3 - Cleaning the Registry
Some people report cleaning the registry and removing unecessary files using a registry cleaner has solved the problem for them.
Registry Cleaners with Free Registry Scans
Fix 4 - ATI users XP and Vista - Total Fix of the atikmdag error on my System
*Warning* You do all of this at your own risk - I am not responsible if anything goes wrong
Update 30.9.2007: I managed to totally remove my atikmdag error now following the information below
My PC Build:
- P5W DH Deluxe
- Intel Core 2 Duo 6300
- 2gb Geil Ram 800 mhz
- Radeon HIS IceQ3 Turbo 1950 Pro
Tools you need:
Stage 1
- Disable UAC - Vista Users (see below) - reboot
- Disable any Antivirus software
- Remove Current drivers
- Reboot into safe mode - to do this you wait until after the bios screen has disappeared (bios is the start-up screen) then tap the F8 key until the windows booting options come up - select safe mode
- Run Driver cleaner - select the following options below and then click start

- Empty your recycle bin
- Reboot into normal mode
- Install Catalyst 7.9
- Turn Antivirus and UAC back on
- Reboot your PC
Stage 2
This stage is what removed the error for me. My ATI card is a HIS Ice3q 1950 Pro which is an overclocked video card. Doing some research I found that it wasn't very stable running at the speeds it is set at, so I made one small change to the VPU clock speed. Obviously I don't know what card you have and weather this will make any difference for you, but I can say that before most games had this error every 5 minutes of game play and after I haven't had the error since.
On the ATI tool main menu you will have your graphics card clock speeds. My core speed was 621 I reduced this to 600 and pressed set clock - the tool set it to 594 - I saved the profile and that was it - that little adjustment removed the error. Your graphics card will run at different speeds to mine, but it might be worth dropping the core speed by 20 points to test if this works - also make sure you go to stage 3 as well.
Stage 3
- In ATI tool select the setting button - bottom right of the main panel
- At the top - open the menu and scroll down and choose 'Fan control'
- Tick the box 'Override Fan Speeds'
Select dynamic based on GPU temperature and set it up like the screenshot above - save this profile so you can load it the next time you need it - then press apply - *Warning* - Some say that fix the percentage at 100% and that's it, but I wouldn't advise that as you may wear out your fan much faster than normal.
I'm hoping the above has also fixed your error - if it has or hasn't leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
Fix 5- Various methods that work for some - Vista Users
Reading through all the hundreds of posts I took down notes and kept a record of what worked for some people, some responded saying that it worked, some say it made no difference. So give some of these a try and see if it makes a change.
Turning off Aero: Start / control panel / under appearance and personalization / change the color scheme / Select Windows classic theme and apply.
Turning off UAC (User Account Control) - *Warning* UAC is designed to help keep your PC more secure - try this if nothing else works, turn it back on if it doesn't help.
Type msconfig into the search bar (pic below) - run the program
Select tools and scroll down to disable UAC and click launch (see pic) - reboot your PC

Fix 6 - More Possible solutions to the atikmdag / nvlddmkm error
This is basically as far as it goes for now, but these are few other fixes that you could try:
Fixes from comments below:
Robb from Canada:
Had the same problem until I set my bios setting to auto! Now everything is good to go!
Steve from Australia:
If you are using EXTENDED DESKTOP WITH DUAL MONITORS then disable it and revert back to using one monitor.Ta Da! no more crashes!
Greg from UK:
I have got the system stable by uninstalling the ati driver and using the standard vista vga driver, aero and window transparency don't work, nor do any of the screen savers but no more BSOD..
- Possible fix - worth a try - Vista Users
- Another possible fix for Vista users from the Hard Forum
Still Isn't Fixed? - if you still have problems or can offer a solution to the atikmdag or nvlddmkm error please post a comment below - Thanks!
Comments to date: 198. Page 1 of 6. Article Rating: 
Simon Vrhnika |
|
well in my case Sapphire Radeon HD 4670, nothing helps. Made short movie in MPEG2-DVD format and playing it in WMP crashes the whole PC. | |
Juan Argentina |
|
Hi people..,most of the problems you have experienced are because a defective power supply..don´t trust your power supply spec..have it measure by a technician, then start thinking something else.. | |
Dave UK |
|
My problems started with a motherboard replacement. Having researched everything I could on the web (this is the best source) I have come to the conclusion that any system has a level of hardware and software instability depending on the compatibility of the various hardware components and the software used. | |
Derek Reid Glasgow |
|
Ah I cant post the links.. It is the DNA drivers or the nuncleic drivers I got to work. | |
Derek Reid Glasgow |
|
DNA drivers / Nucleic. | |
CMP Germany |
|
I think the problem comes from faulty hardware.. | |
cypherscout USA |
|
Long term solution: Underclocking my RAM caused this issue when configured in Dual-Channel setup. | |
yodalr Croatia |
|
I tried many solutions offered here. The problem went totally away after I installed the latest ATI drivers. | |
E Foster jersey |
|
I just ran into this problem a few days,I'm not into computers but do know some basics, I tried some of the suggestions but none worked. | |
Misha The Netherlands |
|
@ MAtthew: I uninstalled hotfix KB952287 and the problem got less! | |
Reza Iran |
|
I tried another graphic card , Asus 4890 instead 4670 , but nothing change. | |
Chris L London |
|
I found cutting 4 sticks of RAM to 2 worked, then turned memory frequency down to 1066Mhz from 1333 did the trick with the full 8GB. | |
Roar Norway |
|
Got this error at the prewievscreen before trying to print anything. | |
Jim France |
|
I use Vista on a Toshiba Satellite laptop with 3GB of ram and Nvidia Go 7300 graphics. | |
Reza IRAN |
|
I had this problem too, about a years ago, on both XP & Vista. I updated my vga driver and problem fixed in xp , not vista. | |
Jack Oakland, CA |
|
I believe this crash is being caused by insufficient power flow to the graphics card! | |
cypherscout USA |
|
I confirmed that removing a stick of memory (dual channel to single now) works around the issue. | |
hoockhand Edmonton, Canada |
|
Thank you for all of your help I wish I knew about this page before this summer because I sent my laptop in to get this fixed and it showed up again. | |
Navid Thisted |
|
I fixed the Nvidia crash by down clocking the card a little bit.. After that - No crashes at all | |
justawolf Florida |
|
I tried a lot of the fixes: memory, uac, power supply and finally shut off Aero. Shutting off Aero did it for me. Win7-Ult, HIS HD4670 AGP 1 Gig.. Bad part is I Like Aero.. sigh... | |
Michael Australia |
|
Hey guys I'mm having the same problem, its only just started to happen and I have no idea why.. | |
Sam USA |
|
Hello, I have a windows 7 ultimate running 2 HD2900XT ati 1 gig graphic cards. | |
Rei158 Tallinn |
|
I found a solution with other helps, at least it was my problem. | |
Nathan Australia |
|
Wooo hoo! Fingers crossed I've finally fixed it!! | |
Bettesone Yvan Diest |
|
I use windows 7 ultimate with I7 processor. | |
TearDust Norway |
|
Fix 3 didn't work for me either >. | |
TearDust Norway |
|
got the problem to. atikmdag not responding. | |
Ässä Finland |
|
Thank you for this great forum, It have gave me lots of hope, and help me at least a little!!!! | |
Steen Lemvig |
|
I am having the problem too. | |
superchad indiana |
|
I have a gateway NV56 and recently got this error when playing SimCity 4, every time I right click and and move the cursor the screen goes black and I minimize to see this message, nothing here works can anyone help? | |
Turtle bolt Florida |
|
I get "Display driver Atikmdag stopped responding and has successfully recovered" and a screen with vertical lines based on the colour the games are displaying after playing games for a period of time. | |
kelvinc norway |
|
I have this issue on Windows 7 RC too. | |
Discipline Rotterdam |
|
Had this for 2 years, almost bought new memory, switched of Aero running stable now for 5 hours, which is a record. | |
Boris UK |
|
I got the same problem that is shown on the picture: | |
Misiek Koko |
|
My problem disappeared when I turn up clock memory on VGA. I have Radeon 4850 with GPU 625 MHz and Memory 2000 MHz(Default 625/1980). | |
Comments Form
Your Name: | |
Your Location: | |
Country (flag): | |
Article Rating: | |
Your Comments: | |
Security check * | |


