Geforce Drivers: Nvidia Control Panel Quick Start Guide

NVControlPanel_QSR174.
book Page i Monday, May 5, 2008 1:03 PM
GeForce Drivers
NVIDIA Control Panel
Quick Start Guide
Driver Release 174/175 for Windows

NVIDIA Corporation
May 2008
NVControlPanel_QSR174.book Page ii Monday, May 5, 2008 1:03 PM
Published by
NVIDIA Corporation
2701 San Tomas Expressway
Santa Clara, CA 95050
Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved.
This software may not, in whole or in part, be copied through any means, mechanical, electromechanical,
or otherwise, without the express permission of NVIDIA Corporation.
Information furnished is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, NVIDIA assumes no responsibility
for the consequences of use of such information nor for any infringement of patents or other rights of third
parties, which may result from its use. No License is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent
or patent rights of NVIDIA Corporation.
Specifications mentioned in the software are subject to change without notice.
NVIDIA Corporation products are not authorized for use as critical components in life support devices or
systems without express written approval of NVIDIA Corporation.
NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, Detonator, Digital Vibrance Control, ForceWare, GeForce, nForce, nView,
NVKeystone, NVRotate, Personal Cinema, PowerMizer, Quadro, RIVA, TNT, TNT2, TwinView, and
Vanta are registered trademarks or trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries.
International Color Consortium and the ICC logo are registered trademarks of the International Color
Consortium. Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel. DirectX, Microsoft, Microsoft Internet
Explorer logo, Outlook, PowerPoint, Windows, Windows logo, Windows NT, and/or other Microsoft
products referenced in this guide are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
in the U.S. and/or other countries. OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics Inc. Other
company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective owners with
which they are associated.
NVIDIA Corporation
2701 San Tomas Expressway
Santa Clara, CA 95050
www.nvidia.com
NVControlPanel_QSR174.book Page iii Monday, May 5, 2008 1:03 PM
NVIDIA Release 174/175 Graphics Driver Users Guide
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
About the NVIDIA Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Getting Support and Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. System Requirements and Driver Installation

Hardware and Software Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Installing Your NVIDIA ForceWare Graphics Driver Under Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Installing Your NVIDIA ForceWare Graphics Driver Under Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3. Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

Opening and Closing the New NVIDIA Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
About the NVIDIA Control Panel Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4. Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

Starting the NVIDIA Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
NVIDIA Corporation iii

NVIDIA Release 174/175 Graphics Driver Quick Start Guide
List of Tables
Figure 3.1 NVIDIA Control Panel Home PageWindows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Figure 3.2 NVIDIA Control Panel Home PageWindows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Figure 3.3 NVIDIA Control Panel Select a Task pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Figure 3.4 Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

NVIDIA Release 174/175 Graphics Driver Quick Start Guide
List of Tables
Table 2.1 Hard Disk Space RequirementsEnglish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Table 2.2 Hard Disk Space RequirementsFull International Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Table 3.1 File Menu Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Table 3.2 Edit Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Table 3.3 View Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Table 3.4 Help Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Table 3.5 Profiles Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Table 3.6 Display Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Table 3.7 3D Settings Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Table 3.8 Workstation Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Table 4.1 Graphics Driver Tasks in the NVIDIA Control Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

NVControlPanel_QSR174.book Page iv Monday, May 5, 2008 1:03 PM
Users Guide Table of Contents
iv NVIDIA Corporation
NVControlPanel_QSR174.book Page 1 Monday, May 5, 2008 1:03 PM
C HAPTER
INTRODUCTION
ThisquickstartisaddressedtousersoftheNVIDIAControlPanelsoftware.This
guidefocusesongettingyouupandrunningwithyourNVIDIAsoftware.
FortechnicaldetailsonthefeaturesandbenefitsoftheNVIDIAControlPanel
softwareanddetailsaboutsupportedproducts,drivers,andothersoftware,referto
theNVIDIAwebpagewww.nvidia.com.
Thischapterdiscussesthefollowingmajortopics:
AbouttheNVIDIAControlPanelonpage 2
GettingSupportandInformationonpage 4
NVIDIA Corporation 1
Chapter 1
Introduction
About the NVIDIA Control Panel

WelcometotheNVIDIAControlPanel,designedforMicrosoftWindowsXPand
WindowsVista.YoucanuseNVIDIAControlPaneltocontrolyourNVIDIA
hardwareandaccessotherNVIDIAsoftwareinstalledonyoursystem.
NVIDIA Driver Controls

Overview
Inadditiontosettingupbasicdisplayconfigurationssuchasdisplayresolution,
refreshrate,andmultipledisplayuse,youcan:
Tuneyour3Dsettingswithrealtimepreviewtomaximizeperformanceorimage
quality
Customizehow3Dapplicationsworkinyoursystem
Adjustyourscreencolorsandcontrast
Setcustomtimings
Controlvideoimagesettings
ChangeyourHDTVformat
ControlyournotebooksystempowerusingPowerMizer
ControlspecialworkstationfeaturessuchasFrameSynchronization.
2 NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

Chapter 1
Introduction
Feature Differences from the Classic Control Panel

ThefollowingarefeaturesthatwereavailableintheNVIDIAclassiccontrolpanel,
butwhicharenotavailableinthenewNVIDIAControlPanel:
Creating/ImportingColorProfiles
HighResolutionScalableDesktop
MultiViewDisplayMode(forNVIDIAQuadroNVSgraphicscards)
VideoZoom
EdgeBlending
nViewDesktopManager
nViewDesktopManagerisavailableasaseparateappletforWindowsXPonly.
Other NVIDIA Software Applications

Ifinstalled,otherNVIDIAsoftwarethatyoucanaccessfromtheNVIDIAControl
Panelincludes:
NVIDIAnTuneTM
NVIDIAMediaShieldTM
NVIDIANetworkAccessManager
Seetherespectiveuserdocumentationforinformationabouttheseapplicationsand
instructionsonhowtousethem.
Chapter 1
Introduction
Getting Support and Information

Online Help
Toopentheonlinehelp,either:
PressF1onyourkeyboard,or
SelectHelpfromtheNVIDIAControlPanelmenubarandthenselectNVIDIA
ControlPanelHelp.
Toaccesshelpbyusingakeyword,clicktheIndexbutton.
Tosearchthehelp,clicktheSearchbutton.
Also,whenasettingisdisabled(grayedout)andyouplacethecursoronthesetting,
theUserAssistanceareaindicatesthereasonitisdisabled.
Technical Support
ToaccesstheNVIDIATechnicalSupportwebpagegothefollowingwebaddress:
http://www.nvidia.com/page/support.html
System Information
YoucangetdetailedinformationaboutyoursystemandtheNVIDIAControlPanel
configurationaswellasversionandcopyrightinformation.
ToviewcopyrightandversioninformationabouttheNVIDIAControlPanel:
FromtheHelpmenu,selectAboutNVIDIAControlPanel.
Toviewdetailedsysteminformation:
FromtheHelpmenu,selectSystemInformationandclickonanyofthetabsin
theSystemInformationdialogbox.

C HAPTER
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND DRIVER

INSTALLATION
ThischapterliststhesystemrequirementsforinstallingtheNVIDIAForceWare
Release174/175graphicsdriver,andprovidesinstallationinstructions.Itcontainsthe
followingmajorsections:
HardwareandSoftwareSupportonpage 6
InstallingYourNVIDIAForceWareGraphicsDriverUnderWindowsXPon
page 8
InstallingYourNVIDIAForceWareGraphicsDriverUnderWindowsVistaon
page 11
Chapter 2
System Requirements and Driver Installation
Hardware and Software Support

Thissectionliststhe
SupportedOperatingSystems
SupportedNVIDIAProducts
SupportedLanguages
Supported Operating Systems

NVIDIARelease174/175GraphicsdriversareavailableforthefollowingMicrosoft
Windowsoperatingsystems:
WindowsXPMediaCenterEdition2005UpdateRollup2
WindowsXPMediaCenterEdition2005
WindowsXPMediaCenterEdition2004
WindowsXPProfessional
WindowsXPHomeEdition
WindowsXPProfessionalx64Edition
WindowsServer2003x64Edition
WindowsVistaHomeBasic
WindowsVistaHomePremium
WindowsVistaBusiness
WindowsVistaEnterpriseEdition
WindowsVistaUltimate
Supported NVIDIA Products

RefertothereleasenotesandNVIDIAdriverdownloadsiteforthelistofproducts
supportedbythedriverversionthatyouhaveinstalledonyourcomputer.

Chapter 2
Supported Languages
TheNVIDIARelease174/175GraphicsDriversupportsthefollowinglanguagesin
theNVIDIAControlPanel:
English(USA) German Portuguese(Euro/Iberian)
English(UK) Greek Russian
Arabic Hebrew Slovak
Chinese(Simplified) Hungarian Slovenian
Chinese(Traditional) Italian Spanish
Czech Japanese Spanish(LatinAmerica)
Danish Korean Swedish
Dutch Norwegian Thai
Finnish Polish Turkish
French Portuguese(Brazil)
Chapter 2
Installing Your NVIDIA ForceWare Graphics Driver Under

Windows XP
Before You Begin
IfyoudonothaveSystemAdministratoraccessprivileges,itisassumedthatthe
appropriatepersonwithSystemAdministratoraccessinyourorganizationwillset
upandinstalltheNVIDIAgraphicsdriversoftwareonyourcomputer.
Theinstallationprocesscopiesallnecessaryfilesforoperationintotheappropriate
directories.
TheNVIDIAControlPanelsystemfilesarecopiedtoyourWindows\System
directory.
System Requirements
NVIDIAControlPanelrequiresthefollowingminimumsystemconfiguration:
A600megahertz(MHz)processor,suchasanIntelPentiumIII,AdvancedMicro
Devices(AMD)Athlon,orequivalentprocessor
128megabytes(MB)ofRAM
Theminimumharddiskspacerequirementforeachoperatingsystemarelistedin
Table2.1,andTable2.2:
Table 2.1 Hard Disk Space RequirementsEnglish

Operating System Minimum Hard Disk Space
WindowsXP(32biteditions) 43.4MB
Table 2.2 Hard Disk Space RequirementsFull International Package

Operating System Minimum Hard Disk Space
TooptimizetheperformanceoftheNVIDIAControlPanel,thefollowingsystem
requirementsarerecommended:

Chapter 2
A1.5gigahertz(GHz)processor,suchasanIntelPentium4,anAMDAthlonXP
1500+,orequivalentprocessor
AnInternetconnection
System Requirement for NVIDIA SLI Technology (Advanced

Users)
IfyouareanadvanceduserofgraphicsandhardwareandwanttouseNVIDIASLI
technology,yoursystemmusthavethefollowingkeyhardwarecomponents:
AnSLIreadymotherboardthatsupportsaPCIExpresschipsetanddualx16
connectorsfortwoNVIDIAPCIExpressgraphicscards
TwoNVIDIAbasedSLIreadygraphicscardsthatareidenticalintermsofGPU.
Seehttp://www.slizone.com/page/slizone_learn.htmlforothergraphicscard
requirements.
OneNVIDIASLIConnector
Uninstalling the NVIDIA Display DriverWindows XP

Note:Itishighlyrecommendedthatyoufollowthestepsinthissectiontocompletely
uninstalltheNVIDIADisplayDriversoftwarebeforeupdatingtoanew
versionofthesoftware.
TouninstallthenViewsoftware,followthesesteps:
1 FromtheWindowstaskbar,clickStart>Settings>ControlPaneltoopenthe
ControlPanelwindow.
2 DoubleclicktheAdd/RemoveProgramsitem.
3 ClicktheNVIDIADisplayDriveritemfromthelist.
4 ClickChange/Remove.
5 ClickYestocontinue.
ApromptappearsaskingwhetheryouwanttodeleteallofthesavednView
profiles.
IfyouclickYes,allofthenViewsoftwareandallofyoursavedprofileswillbe
deleted.
Chapter 2
IfyouclickNo,thenViewsoftwareisremoved,buttheprofilefilesaresavedin
the Windows\nViewdirectoryonyourharddisk.
Yoursystemnowrestarts.
Installing the NVIDIA ForceWare Graphics DriversWindows

XP
1 FollowtheinstructionsontheNVIDIA.comwebsitedriverdownloadpageto
locatetheappropriatedrivertodownload,basedonyourhardwareandoperating
system.
2 Clickthedriverdownloadlink.
3 Thelicenseagreementdialogboxappears.
4 ClickAcceptifyouacceptthetermsoftheagreement,theneitheropenthefileor
savethefiletoyourPCandopenitlater.
OpeningtheEXEfilelaunchestheNVIDIAInstallShieldWizard.
5 FollowtheinstructionsintheNVIDIAInstallShieldWizardtocompletethe
installation.

Chapter 2
Installing Your NVIDIA ForceWare Graphics Driver Under

Windows Vista
Before You Begin
IfyoudonothaveSystemAdministratoraccessprivileges,itisassumedthatthe
appropriatepersonwithSystemAdministratoraccessinyourorganizationwillset
upandinstalltheNVIDIAgraphicsdriversoftwareonyourcomputer.
Theinstallationprocesscopiesallnecessaryfilesforoperationintotheappropriate
directories.
IfyouhavepreviouslyinstalledNVIDIAnTune,NVIDIArecommendsthatyou
uninstallnTunebeforeinstallingthisdriver.Afterthedriverinstalliscomplete,
youcanreinstallNVIDIAnTune.
TheNVIDIAControlPanelsystemfilesarecopiedtoyourWindows\System
directory.
System Requirements
NVIDIAControlPanelrequiresthefollowingminimumsystemconfiguration:
A600megahertz(MHz)processor,suchasanIntelPentiumIII,AdvancedMicro
Devices(AMD)Athlon,orequivalentprocessor
TooptimizetheperformanceoftheNVIDIAControlPanel,thefollowingsystem
requirementsarerecommended:
A1.5gigahertz(GHz)processor,suchasanIntelPentium4,anAMDAthlonXP
1500+,orequivalentprocessor
AnInternetconnection
Chapter 2
System Requirement for NVIDIA SLI Technology (Advanced

Users)
IfyouareanadvanceduserofgraphicsandhardwareandwanttouseNVIDIASLI
technology,yoursystemmusthavethefollowingkeyhardwarecomponents:
AnSLIreadymotherboardthatsupportsaPCIExpresschipsetanddualx16
connectorsfortwoNVIDIAPCIExpressgraphicscards
TwoNVIDIAbasedSLIreadygraphicscardsthatareidenticalintermsofGPU.
Seehttp://www.slizone.com/page/slizone_learn.htmlforothergraphicscard
requirements.
OneNVIDIASLIConnector
Minimum Hard Disk Space

TheharddiskspacerequirementforWindowsVista32bitisminimum41.0MB
forEnglishonly,and68.6MBforInternational.
TheharddiskspacerequirementforWindowsVista64bitisminimum56.4MB
forEnglishonly,and83.9MBforInternational.

Chapter 2
Installing the NVIDIA ForceWare Graphics DriversWindows

Vista
Installation Instructions
1 FollowtheinstructionsontheNVIDIA.comWebsitedriverdownloadpageto
locatetheappropriatedrivertodownload,basedonyourhardwareandoperating
system.
2 Clickthedriverdownloadlink.
3 Thelicenseagreementdialogboxappears.
4 ClickAcceptifyouacceptthetermsoftheagreement,theneitheropenthefileor
savethefiletoyourPCandopenitlater.
5 ExtractthezipfilestoatemporaryfolderonyourPC.
6 OpentheNVIDIAdriverinstallation.EXEfiletolaunchtheNVIDIAInstallShield
Wizard.
7 FollowtheinstructionsintheNVIDIAInstallShieldWizardtocompletethe
installation.
Note:Afterthedriverinstallation,Windowsmaydefaultto16bppcoloranddisable
theDesktopWindowManager(DWM).Toworkaroundthisissue,setthe
colorto32bppandthenrebootthePC.
Chapter 2

C HAPTER
UNDERSTANDING THE NVIDIA CONTROL

PANEL
ThischapterdescribestheNVIDIAControlPanelinthefollowingsections:
OpeningandClosingtheNewNVIDIAControlPanelonpage 16
AbouttheNVIDIAControlPanelInterfaceonpage 17
Chapter 3
Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel
Opening and Closing the New NVIDIA Control Panel

YoucanopentheNVIDIAControlPanelinseveralways:
RightclicktheWindowsXPorWindowsVistadesktop,thenclickNVIDIA
ControlPanelfromthecontextmenu,or
ForWindowsXP
FromtheWindowsStartmenu,selectControlPanel,thenintheControlPanel
window,doubleclickontheNVIDIAControlPanelicon.
ForWindowsVista
FromtheClassicViewoftheWindowsVistaControlPanel,clicktheNVIDIA
ControlPanelicon,or
FromtheControlPanelHomeviewoftheWindowsVistaControlPanel,click
AdditionalOptionsandthenclickNVIDIAControlPanelfromtheAdditional
Optionspage.
ToclosetheNVIDIAControlPanel,
FromtheFilemenu,selectExit,or
ClicktheCloseboxintheupperrightcorneroftheprogramwindow.

Chapter 3
About the NVIDIA Control Panel Interface

TheNVIDIAControlPanelprovidesaneasytouseinterfaceformanagingyour
system.
Whenyoustarttheprogramforthefirsttime,theNVIDIAControlPanelopenstothe
firstpagelistedinthenavigationtree.Onsubsequentvisits,thecontrolpanel
reopenstothelastpagevisited.TheNVIDIAControlPaneluserinterfaceconsistsof
thesemainareas,asshowninFigure3.1andFigure3.2:
MainTaskArea
SelectaTask(Navigationtree)
Menubar
Toolbar.
Tool Bar Menu Bar
Select a Task Pane
Control Panel Main Task Area
Figure 3.1 NVIDIA Control Panel Home PageWindows XP
Chapter 3
.
Tool Bar Menu Bar
Select a Task Pane Control Panel Main Task Area
Figure 3.2 NVIDIA Control Panel Home PageWindows Vista
Using the Main Task Area

Themaintaskarea,intherightpane,displaystheapplicationtaskpages.Thisarea
ofthescreeniswhereyouwillfocusmostofyourattentionasyouusetheNVIDIA
ControlPaneltoaccomplishyourgoals.Youcanaccessspecificpagesusingthe
navigatintreeintheSelectaTaskpane.

Chapter 3
Using the Select a Task Pane

ThenavigationtreeintheSelect a Task paneshowsalltheprimaryNVIDIAControl
pagesthatareinstalledonyoursystem.
Thepagesaregroupedaccordingtothesamecategoriesthatexistedintheprevious
versionoftheNVIDIAControlPanel.
Click to expand Click to open the

or collapse the corresponding page
category list. in the main task area.
Figure 3.3 NVIDIA Control Panel Select a Task pane
Chapter 3
Using the Tool Bar

TheToolbarprovidesquickbackandforthnavigationbetweenpages,andalsolets
youchooseaviewsetting..
Figure 3.4 Toolbar
Using the Navigation Buttons

Thebackandforwardbuttonsletyounavigatesequentiallyamongpagesthatyou
havevisited.
Youcanalsonavigatedirectlytoapreviouslyvisitedpagebyclickingthelistarrow
nexttothebackbutton.Thedropdownmenulistsallthepreviouslyvisitedpagesin
thequeue.Clickthepagethatyouwant.
Working with Views

Thecurrentlyselectedviewdetermineswhatoptionsareavailable.Therearethree
availableviews:
Standard
Advanced
Custom
MostcommandsareavailableforbothStandardandAdvancedviews.However,
someoptionsareavailableonlyiftheAdvancedviewisselectedbeforeopeningthe
applicationcategorypage.Also,taskpageoptionsmaydifferentdependingonthe
selectedview.Ifthecommandyourelookingforisnotdisplayed,returntothehome
page,selectadifferentview,andreturntothetaskpage.

Chapter 3
Tochangetheview:
FromtheViewmenu,selectStandard,Advanced,orCustom.
Note:FortheCustomcommandtobeavailable,youmustdefineacustomviewas
describedinthefollowingsection.
Defining Custom Views

YoucancustomizeNVIDIAControlPaneltodisplayonlytheapplicationcategory
pagesyouwanttoseeanduse.
Tospecifywhichthepagestodisplay:
1 SelectView>DefineCustomView...orforquickeraccess,usethetoolbarifyou
haveitenabled.
2 OntheCreateCustomViewpage,foreachapplicationcategorythatappears,
select(check)thecheckboxesforthepagesthatyouwanttoviewandclickOK.
3 ToleavetheCustomViewmode,selecteitherStandardorAdvancedfromthe
Viewmenuorforquickeraccess,usethetoolbarifyouhaveitenabled.
4 Toswitchbacktoyourcustomview,selectCustom.
Chapter 3
Using the Menu Bar

TheMenu barcontainsstandardWindowsmenusandmenusspecifictotheNVIDIA
ControlPanel,suchastheViewandProfilesmenus.
Menusthatareavailableonthemenubarmayvary,dependingontheNVIDIA
ControlPanelcategory(suchas,Display,Mobile,3DSettings,orothercategory)you
areusing.
File Menu
Commandsrelatedtoprinting,applyingchanges,andexitingtheprogramare
availableontheFilemenu.
Table 3.1 File Menu Commands

File Menu
Command Description
Print... Print the current task page.
Print Preview.... Preview the page before sending it to the printer.
Print Setup... Open the Print Setup dialog box to adjust your printer properties.
Exit Close the NVIDIA Control Panel program.
Edit Menu
Commandsrelatedtocutting,copying,pasting,andselectingitemsareavailableon
theEditmenu.
Table 3.2 Edit Menu Commands

Edit Menu
Command Description
Cut Cut the selected text and place in the clipboard.
Copy Copy the selected text and place in the clipboard.
Paste Paste the text currently in the clipboard to the location of the Windows cursor.
Select All Select all items on the current page.

Chapter 3
View Menu
CommandsrelatedtoviewingthevariouspagesintheNVIDIAControlPanel
applicationmodulesareavailableontheViewmenu.
Table 3.3 View Menu Commands

View Menu
Command Description
Standard Select to view and access the majority of commonly used and simpler tasks in
the NVIDIA Control Panel applications. When the Standard command appears
with a check mark, this means that the Standard view is currently active on your
NVIDIA Control Panel active.
Advanced Select to view and access certain complex tasks in the NVIDIA Control Panel
applications. These tasks often require some advanced experience using
graphics hardware and software (drivers). When the Advanced command
appears with a check mark, this means that the Advanced view is currently
active on your NVIDIA Control Panel.
Custom Select to choose a custom view. This command appears on the View menu only
if you have used the Define Custom Views command to customize showing/
hiding specific screens.
Define Custom View To see only those application pages you want to see and use based on the
application modules (Display, 3D Settings, etc.) that are installed on your
system, select Define Custom Views from the View menu.
Add Desktop Context This is selected by default, and adds the NVIDIA Control Panel menu item to the
Menu desktop context menu.
Show Notification (Windows XP only) Select to show the NVIDIA Control Panel notification tray
Tray Icon icon in the Windows taskbar notification area.
Clicking the NVIDIA Control Panel notification icon offers a quick way to
configure key NVIDIA Control Panel settings.
Help Menu
Commandsrelatedtoaccessinghelp,systeminformation,andcopyrightandversion
informationareavailableontheHelpmenu.
Table 3.4 Help Menu Commands

Help Menu Command Description
NVIDIA Control Panel Help Access the NVIDIA Control Panel online help.
System Information View detailed information about your system and the NVIDIA Control
Panel configuration.
About NVIDIA Control Panel View NVIDIA Control Panel version and copyright information.
Chapter 3
Category-Specific Menus
Thesmenusappearonlywhencertaincategorypagesareopen.
Profiles Menu
Commandsrelatedtosaving,loading,anddeletingprofilesareavailableonthe
Profilesmenu.
Table 3.5 Profiles Menu Commands

Profiles Menu Command Description
Load... Load a profile of display settings you have previously saved. Click to
open the Load Desktop Profile dialog box and select a .nvp file.
Save... Save the current configuration to a profile file. Click to open the Save
Desktop Profile and enter a name and path for the .nvp file.
Delete... Delete a profile. Click to open the Delete Desktop Profile dialog box
and locate a profile to delete.
Display Menu
ThismenuitemappearsonlywhenaDisplaycategorypageisopen.
CommandsrelatedtoyourdisplaysareavailableontheDisplaymenu.
Table 3.6 Display Menu Commands

Display Menu Command Description
Identify Displays Select to identify the displays configured with your system.
3D Settings Menu
Thismenuitemappearsonlywhena3DSettingscategorypageisopen.
Table 3.7 3D Settings Menu Commands

Show SLI Visual Indicators Select to verify that SLI rendering is enabled and working.
Workstation Menu
ThismenuitemappearsonlywhenaWorkstationcategorypageisopen.
Table 3.8 Workstation Menu Commands

Refresh View Select to refresh the graphical representation of the displays and
graphics cards installed on your system.

C HAPTER
ACCOMPLISHING NVIDIA CONTROL PANEL

TASKS
ThischapterprovidesinstructionsonhowtousetheNVIDIAControlPanelto
accomplishcommontasks.Itcontainsthefollowingsections:
StartingtheNVIDIAControlPanel
AccomplishingNVIDIAControlPanelTasks
Note:ForWindowsVistaSeveralfeaturesarecurrentlyunderdevelopmentfor
WindowsVistaandarenotyetsupportedintheNVIDIAControlPanel.
Consultthereleasenotesforthelatestlistofunsupportedfeatures.
Chapter 4
Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks
Starting the NVIDIA Control Panel

1 LaunchtheNVIDIAControlPanel:
UnderWindowsXP:
RightclicktheWindowsdesktop,thenclickNVIDIAControlPanelfromthe
contextmenu,or
FromtheWindowsStartmenu,selectControlPanel,then
intheControlPanelwindow,doubleclicktheNVIDIA
ControlPanelicon.
UnderWindowsVista:
RightclicktheWindowsdesktop,thenclickNVIDIAControlPanelfromthe
contextmenu,or
a ClicktheStarticon,thenfromtheStartmenuclickControlPanel.
b FromtheClassicViewoftheWindowsVistaControlPanel,clicktheNVIDIA
ControlPanelicon,or
FromtheControlPanelHomeviewoftheWindowsVistaControlPanel,click
AdditionalOptionsandthenclickNVIDIAControlPanelfromtheAdditional
Optionspage.

Chapter 4
ThecategoriesthatappearintheSelectaTaskpanedependonwhichNVIDIA
softwareisinstalledonyoursystem.Forexample,theMobilecategoryisnot
availableondesktopsystems.
2 FromthenavigationtreeintheSelectaTaskpane,clickoneofthelinkstoopena
specifictaskpage.
Eachcategoryinthenavigationtreelistsdifferenttasksthatyoucanaccomplish,
andeachtaskpageprovidesinstructionsonhowtoaccomplishwhatyouwant.
Movethecursoroverlistedoptionstoseeadescriptionandtypicalusagescenario
forthatoption.
Detailedinstructionsforeachtaskarealsoavailablethroughtheonlinehelp.
Chapter 4

Guide to Locating Tasks
Table4.1liststhepageintheNVIDIAControlPanelwhereyoucanfindcontrolsfor
accomplishingvariousgraphicsdrivertasks.
Table 4.1 Graphics Driver Tasks in the NVIDIA Control Panel

Feature Category - Page Notes
Advanced Timings Display - Manage Custom
Resolutions
Antialiasing 3D Settings - Manage 3D
Settings
Application Profiles 3D Settings - Manage 3D
Settings
Color Depth Display - Change Resolution
Custom Timings Display - Manage Custom
Resolutions
Desktop Color Settings Display - Adjust Desktop
Color Settings
Driver Settings 3D Settings - Manage 3D
Settings
Desktop Overlap Workstation - Adjust Edge Available only with NVIDIA
Overlap Quadro FX cards under Windows
XP.
Not available with Windows Vista.
Frame Synchronization Workstation - Synchronize Available only with NVIDIA
Displays Quadro G-Sync cards under
Windows XP.
Full-screen video mirror Video & Television - Modify Not available with Windows Vista.
Full-Screen Video Options Not available with GeForce 8
Series GPUs or later.
HDTV Setup Video & Television - Change
the Signal or HD Format
Multi-display configuration Display - Set Up Multiple
Dislays
nView Clone Mode Display - Set Up Multiple
Displays
nView Span Modes Display - Set Up Multiple Not available with Windows Vista
Displays
NVRotate Display - Rotate Display
Performance and Quality Settings 3D Settings - Adjust Image
Settings with Preview

Chapter 4
Table 4.1 Graphics Driver Tasks in the NVIDIA Control Panel

Feature Category - Page Notes
PowerMizer Mobile - Change PowerMizer Available only with notebook
Settings computers.
Refresh Rate Settings Display - Change Resolution
Resolution Settings Display - Change Resolution
Screen Position on CRT Display - Move CRT Screen
Position
Screen Position on TV Video & Television - Adjust
Screen Size and Position
SDI (Graphics to SDI Output) Workstation - Send Graphics Available only with NVIDIA
to SDI Output Quadro FX SDI cards under
Windows XP.
Not available with Windows Vista
SLI Configuration 3D Settings - Set SLI
Configuration
Temperature Settings Performance Requires nTune 5.05
TV Setup Video & Television - Change
the Signal or HD Format
Video Color Settings Video & Television - Adjust
Video Color Settings
Overclocking Performance Requires nTune 5.05
Chapter 4
Overview of the Categories

ThissectionprovidesanoverviewoftheNVIDIAControlPanelcategories.
UsingtheDisplayCategoryPagesonpage 30
UsingtheVideo&TelevisionCategoryPagesonpage 31
Usingthe3DSettingsCategoryPagesonpage 31
UsingtheMobileCategoryPagesonpage 32
UsingtheWorkstationCategoryPagesonpage 32
Using the Display Category Pages

Note:ForWindowsVistaSupportforsomefeaturesunderWindowsVistaisin
developmentandmaynotbeavailablewithyourForceWaregraphicsdriver
version.Consultthereleasenotesforthelatestlistofunsupportedfeatures.
Theactualtasksavailableonyoursystemdependonyoursystemhardware,suchas
thenumberandtypeofdisplaysconnected.UsetheDisplaycategorypagesto:
Runthewizardtooptimizeyourdisplayconfiguration
Changethedisplayresolution
Changethescalingonyourflatpaneldisplay
Adjustcolorsettings
Rotatethedisplay
Adjustcustomtimings(availableunderAdvancedView)
Configuremultipledisplays,includingSpanningorClonemodes.
Note:SpanningmodeswillnotbeavailableunderWindowsVista.

Chapter 4
Using the Video & Television Category Pages

Notes for Windows Vista
UnderWindowsVista,thispageappearsonlywhenaTVisconnectedand
enabledusingtheDisplaycategoryChangedisplayconfigurationpage.
SupportforsomefeaturesunderWindowsVistaisindevelopmentandmay
notbeavailablewithyourForceWaregraphicsdriverversion.Consultthe
releasenotesforthelatestlistofunsupportedfeatures.
whetherornotyouhaveaTVconnected.UsetheVideo&Televisionpageto:
Adjustyourtelevisionpicturequalityandvideocolorsettingsforthebestpossible
viewinginitsenvironment
Enablefullscreenvideomirroringsothatyoucanviewfullscreenvideocontent
ononedisplaywhiletheotherdisplayhasthesmallervideowindowwithvisible
controls
Changethepositionandsizeofthedesktop/videotobestfityourtelevisionor
HDTV(highdefinitiontelevision)screen
ChangethesignalformattouseforyourstandardtelevisionorHDTVaswellas
changecountryspecificsignalortheHDTVformat
Using the 3D Settings Category Pages

Note:ForWindowsVistaSupportforsomefeaturesunderWindowsVistaisin
whetherornotyouhaveanSLIreadysystem.Usethe3DSettingspageto:
Changetheimageandrenderingsettingsofyour3Dapplicationsandgamesthat
utilizeDirect3DandOpenGLtechnology
Assignspecific3Dsettingstoagamesothatthesesettingsautomaticallyload
whenagameislaunched(availableunderAdvancedview)
SetupyourSLIormultiGPUconfiguration
Note:GPUtemperaturemonitoringandGPUoverclockingfeaturesarenot
includedinthe3DSettingspage.Tousethisfunctionalityyoumustinstall
NVIDIAnTunesoftware.
Chapter 4
Using the Mobile Category Pages

TheMobilecategoryisavailableiftheNVIDIAsoftwareisinstalledonanotebook
computer.
Note:TheMobilepageisnotavailableunderWindowsVista.
Theactualtasksavailabledependonwhichfeaturesareincludedwithyournotebook
system.UsetheMobilepagetoextendyournotebookcomputersbatterylifeusing:
NVIDIAPowerMizertechnology
NVIDIASmartDimmertechnology
Using the Workstation Category Pages

TheWorkstationcategoryisavailableifyouhaveanNVIDIAQuadroFXgraphics
cardinstalled.
Note:ForWindowsVistaWorkstationfeaturesunderWindowsVistaarein
TheactualtasksavailabledependonwhichNVIDIAQuadroFXproductyouhave
installed.UsetheWorkstationpageto:
Synchronizeyourdisplaysusingframesyncorgenlocktechnology
Viewagraphicalrepresentationofthedisplaysandgraphicscardsinstalledon
yoursystem.
Manageserialdigitalinterface(SDI)output(requiresNVIDIAQuadroFXSDI
solution.)
Overlaptheedgesofadjacentdisplays.
Note:Displayedgeblendingisnolongeravailable.

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NVControlPanel_QSR174.

book Page i Monday, May 5, 2008 1:03 PM

Driver Release 174/175 for Windows

Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved.

Specifications mentioned in the software are subject to change without notice.

NVIDIA Release 174/175 Graphics Driver Users Guide

2. System Requirements and Driver Installation

3. Understanding the NVIDIA Control Panel

4. Accomplishing NVIDIA Control Panel Tasks

NVIDIA Corporation iii

NVIDIA Release 174/175 Graphics Driver Quick Start Guide

NVIDIA Corporation iii

NVIDIA Release 174/175 Graphics Driver Quick Start Guide

NVIDIA Corporation iii

Users Guide Table of Contents

About the NVIDIA Control Panel

NVIDIA Driver Controls

2 NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

Feature Differences from the Classic Control Panel

Other NVIDIA Software Applications

Getting Support and Information

4 NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND DRIVER

Hardware and Software Support

Supported Operating Systems

Supported NVIDIA Products

6 NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

Installing Your NVIDIA ForceWare Graphics Driver Under

Table 2.1 Hard Disk Space RequirementsEnglish

Table 2.2 Hard Disk Space RequirementsFull International Package

8 NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

System Requirement for NVIDIA SLI Technology (Advanced

Uninstalling the NVIDIA Display DriverWindows XP

Installing the NVIDIA ForceWare Graphics DriversWindows

10 NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

Installing Your NVIDIA ForceWare Graphics Driver Under

System Requirement for NVIDIA SLI Technology (Advanced

Minimum Hard Disk Space

12 NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

Installing the NVIDIA ForceWare Graphics DriversWindows

14 NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

UNDERSTANDING THE NVIDIA CONTROL

Opening and Closing the New NVIDIA Control Panel

16 NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

About the NVIDIA Control Panel Interface

Select a Task Pane

Control Panel Main Task Area

Figure 3.1 NVIDIA Control Panel Home PageWindows XP

Select a Task Pane Control Panel Main Task Area

Figure 3.2 NVIDIA Control Panel Home PageWindows Vista

Using the Main Task Area

18 NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

Using the Select a Task Pane

Click to expand Click to open the

Using the Tool Bar

Figure 3.4 Toolbar

Using the Navigation Buttons

Working with Views

20 NVIDIA Control Panel Quick Start Guide

Defining Custom Views

Using the Menu Bar

Table 3.1 File Menu Commands

Table 3.2 Edit Menu Commands