HELP! My inVidia Driver won't install, stuck on Mac Default...

[Kevin808]

Hi all,

I need your help, like the thread title states, I can't install the nVidia graphics driver update, and the option to choose the nVidia driver as the video card driver is greyed out and the system is defaulting to the Mac driver which is not allowing me to use my GTX 980 in my Mac Pro. Right now I am using my old GT 120.

Some Specs :
2009 Mac Pro Flashed to 2010
OSX 10.11.4 El Cap
Hard Drive, Main : 480gb OWC PCIE SSD
Hard Drive, Storage : 3, 7200 RPM drives striped into 1
Hard Drive Bootcamp for Winblows : 1, 1gb OWC SSD
Video Card : EVGA nVidia GTX 980 SC (Currently using old GT 120)
RAM : 32 Gigs (All OWC)

This issue seemed to start happening at the start of the OSX update before this most recent one (!0.11.2?)

I have tired downloading other Drivers from MacVidCards Page :
http://www.macvidcards.com/drivers.html

...But none of those would install.


Here is a screenshot of the error :

And one of the unavailable states of the driver (Even after I authenticate / unlock my settings) :

Not sure what to do here, any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[flowrider]

^^^^Is this the Web Driver you tried to install?:

http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/100824/en-us

Lou

 

[Kevin808]

^^^^Is this the Web Driver you tried to install?:

http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/100824/en-us

Lou

Hi Lou, I'm not sure if that was one of the Drivers I originally tried, but I just tried it again and got the same error. I tried some of the older drivers from MacVidCard's page as well, but they said they were incompatible.

Here are some more screenshots...

I get this one when I restart the computer :

And this is one I get after logging in :

 

[monkeybagel]

You should have base video without installing the web driver. Do you have both the 120 and the 980 installed simultaneously? If so, perhaps try removing the 120 and see if it will install. I am running the current driver for 10.11.4 with a flashed 980Ti 6Gb without issue.

 

[Kevin808]

You should have base video without installing the web driver. Do you have both the 120 and the 980 installed simultaneously? If so, perhaps try removing the 120 and see if it will install. I am running the current driver for 10.11.4 with a flashed 980Ti 6Gb without issue.

I only have the GT 120 in, but I have never had an issue installing a web driver with the 120 in before. As you know it can be a bit of a catch-22 with unsupported cards. If you update OSX with the unsupported card in, it defaults to the OSX nVidia driver, and you get a black screen until you update the nVidia driver.

Not sure it will work, but I guess it's worth a try to throw the GTX 980 back in and boot it up to see if I get a screen. If not I can iTeleport into it to try running the driver again (hopefully).

I'll report back with the results. Thanks.

 

[flowrider]

Hi Lou, I'm not sure if that was one of the Drivers I originally tried, but I just tried it again and got the same error. I tried some of the older drivers from MacVidCard's page as well, but they said they were incompatible.

I can't access your links. have you tried removing the Nvidia Preference Pane and then installing the driver? There is also an uninstaller on the Nvidia Preference Pane. Get rid of it, and try installing again.

Lou

 

[Kevin808]

I can't access your links. have you tried removing the Nvidia Preference Pane and then installing the driver? There is also an uninstaller on the Nvidia Preference Pane. Get rid of it, and try installing again.

Lou

Oh, you can't see the screenshots? I tried embedding them but they seem to be getting blocked, that's why I included the links.

I did try un-installing the nVidia driver from the pref pane and re-installing it, but it did not work. Still getting the error at the end. I'll try finding another way to add them so you can see the error.

I also tried taking the 120 out, putting the 980 in, rebooting and then installing the driver with the 980 in (I VPN'd in remotely because I had a blackscreen). That didn't work either.

Any other thoughts / suggestions? I really want to avoid reinstalling OSX just for this one error.

 

[Kevin808]

I can't access your links. have you tried removing the Nvidia Preference Pane and then installing the driver? There is also an uninstaller on the Nvidia Preference Pane. Get rid of it, and try installing again.

Lou

Hi Lou, I tried to fix the links, please check if you can see them now, thanks.

 

[monkeybagel]

I only have the GT 120 in, but I have never had an issue installing a web driver with the 120 in before. As you know it can be a bit of a catch-22 with unsupported cards. If you update OSX with the unsupported card in, it defaults to the OSX nVidia driver, and you get a black screen until you update the nVidia driver.

Not sure it will work, but I guess it's worth a try to throw the GTX 980 back in and boot it up to see if I get a screen. If not I can iTeleport into it to try running the driver again (hopefully).

I'll report back with the results. Thanks.

I never expected to have video with the GTX 980Ti installed without a web driver, but it does get full resolution base video, non-accelerated. After the update, I installed the web driver successfully. I am not sure if the fact mine is flashed could affect mine showing video with no web driver or not.

 

[flowrider]

Hi Lou, I tried to fix the links, please check if you can see them now, thanks.

Yep, I can see them now. Absolutely No Idea why you can't install the Web Driver?

Lou

 

[monkeybagel]

Perhaps since all of this started when you updated to 10.11.4, maybe try downloading the 10.11.4 Combo Update and install it again, then see if you have better luck with the web driver.

 

[zoomfinder]

Kevin808,

I've been reading your report with great interest because I have a similar issue with my setup. I haven't been able to install WebDriver in my Mac Pro 3,1 to use GTX680 for some time now. My story is here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/web-driver-not-installing.1960651/

The problem occurs only on an external startup SSD and I can install the driver in my internal startup SSD with no trouble. The Mac OS in each volume has different setup, one for business use and another for graphic use, and it is quite possible that the problem is OS related but the 10.11.4 Update did't fix it.

monkeybagel,

Software Update always kicks in and OS X installation starts automatically these days. Where do I find the 10.11.4 "combo" which you talk about?

 

[Kevin808]

I never expected to have video with the GTX 980Ti installed without a web driver, but it does get full resolution base video, non-accelerated. After the update, I installed the web driver successfully. I am not sure if the fact mine is flashed could affect mine showing video with no web driver or not.

Wait a minute... so your saying that after an OSX update (Which sets the driver back to stock) your card still works? (Albeit unaccelerated) until you update the nVidia web driver? Did you get it flashed by MacVideoCards to have EFI? If so i'm totaly doing that. It is such a PITA swapping these cards in and out every month when OSX does an update and breaks it. If thats the case, it's got to be the EFI Upgrade thats allowing you to have video off the stock driver.
[doublepost=1459131643][/doublepost]

Yep, I can see them now. Absolutely No Idea why you can't install the Web Driver?

Lou

Nope, none at all, zero. I did nothing different than before. It has worked plenty of times. I am trying to do a cache cleaning using Northern Lights El Cap Cache cleaner app to see if maybe that might sweep out some files that are preventing the nVidia Driver to install, but the app won't run... it keeps telling me I don't have permissions because I typed the wrong Passcode which is BS. I'm feeling pretty cursed right now.
[doublepost=1459131714][/doublepost]

Perhaps since all of this started when you updated to 10.11.4, maybe try downloading the 10.11.4 Combo Update and install it again, then see if you have better luck with the web driver.

Can I go back to a previous build like 10.11.4? Or 3? That would be worth a try.
[doublepost=1459132382][/doublepost]

Kevin808,

I've been reading your report with great interest because I have a similar issue with my setup. I haven't been able to install WebDriver in my Mac Pro 3,1 to use GTX680 for some time now. My story is here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/web-driver-not-installing.1960651/

The problem occurs only on an external startup SSD and I can install the driver in my internal startup SSD with no trouble. The Mac OS in each volume has different setup, one for business use and another for graphic use, and it is quite possible that the problem is OS related but the 10.11.4 Update did't fix it.

monkeybagel,

Software Update always kicks in and OS X installation starts automatically these days. Where do I find the 10.11.4 "combo" which you talk about?

I just wrote you a long reply and then deleted it by mistake. Love when that happens. In short, I have had my OS on several different drives due to a recent drive failure, so I don't think that is necessarily my problem. But glad I'm not alone

 

[zoomfinder]

My card was flashed by my previous owner, or some one he bought it from. Doesn't a flashed card need to have WebDriver installed to run at all? I don't even know about these things but my card is working whether the driver is installed or not.

 

[austinpike]

My card was flashed by my previous owner, or some one he bought it from. Doesn't a flashed card need to have WebDriver installed to run at all?

No, the GTX 680 will work with or without drivers installed as there was an official Mac version that Apple supports.

Wait a minute... so your saying that after an OSX update (Which sets the driver back to stock) your card still works? (Albeit unaccelerated)

fwiw I have an MVC-flashed GTX 980, I get no screen image on stock drivers. (running 2nd display on GT120.) I just updated from 10.11.3 to 10.11.4, no difference.

 

[ActionableMango]

Wait a minute... so your saying that after an OSX update (Which sets the driver back to stock) your card still works? (Albeit unaccelerated) until you update the nVidia web driver? Did you get it flashed by MacVideoCards to have EFI?

That's how it works for me. I get an OS X update installed, and reboot. Screen is very noticeably not accelerated on reboot, but it is there. Nvidia control panel pops up and complains that the drivers don't match and do I want to update. So I update those, reboot again, and all is fine.

This is with a flashed 980 from MVC.

 

[monkeybagel]

Wait a minute... so your saying that after an OSX update (Which sets the driver back to stock) your card still works? (Albeit unaccelerated) until you update the nVidia web driver? Did you get it flashed by MacVideoCards to have EFI? If so i'm totaly doing that. It is such a PITA swapping these cards in and out every month when OSX does an update and breaks it. If thats the case, it's got to be the EFI Upgrade thats allowing you to have video off the stock driver.
[doublepost=1459131643][/doublepost]

That's correct. MVC flashed the 980Ti that I have. I have not read, even on their website, that one should expect video, but it does work on mine.