After performing a clean install of Windows Vista Ultimate RTM (Build 6000), I downloaded the NVIDIA driver 97.46 (current version, as of this writing) for my NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE graphics card. Well, here is what I saw when I tried to install the drivers:

Setup detected that the operating system in use is not Windows Vista. This setup program and its associated drivers are designed to run only on Windows Vista. The installation will be terminated.

When browsing NVIDIA user forums for solution, people advised that this is a known problem, and that the International drivers (97.46_forceware_winvista_x86_international_whql.exe) should work fine. I downloaded the international drivers (~50 MB), emptied the NVIDIA folder in the C:\ drive (this folder was created when I ran the setup earlier, which then failed), and ran the international driver (97.46_forceware_winvista_x86_international_whql.exe). This resulted in the same error as above.

When I contacted NVIDIA support, they asked me to download the international drivers, even though I already stated in the original inquiry that I’ve tried both the drivers. I just downloaded it again as the techs told me that I may have downloaded a different version of the “international” driver.

So I downloaded the 50 MB file again, and installing it resulted in the same error. The techs asked me if I’m using Vista RTM (note that I’ve provided the entire system specs in the original inquiry.) This case prolonged for a week and no solution was arrived at. NVIDIA techs had no clue, and informed me that they would notify me when they find an answer to this problem.

I desperately needed the Vista drivers because the text in my LCD monitor (Samsung SyncMaster 940BW) was extremely blurry as it was running in a non-native resolution, giving me a mild headache. 940BW’s native resolution is 1440×900, but that aspect ratio was missing in the Display Properties.

Manual installation worked!

Thanks to an user at the NVIDIA forums who hinted me about manual installation using INF file. That info was the ticket. The setup program extracted the drivers / supporting files to the C:\NVidia folder. Here is what I did and it worked!!

• Open Device Manager (devmgmt.msc)
• Double-click Display Adapters
• Right-click on the graphics adapter listing, and choose Update Driver Software…
• Select Browse my computer for driver software in the next screen
• Mention the path where the driver files were extracted by the NVIDIA setup program. This is usually C:\NVIDIA\WinVista\97.46

Voilà! The driver installation was successful! And the 1440×900 aspect ratio magically appeared in the Display Properties. No more blurry text now. I hope that proposed solution above helps many others, as well.

It’s quite surprising to see how the techs at NVIDIA missed this manual installation option, and how quickly they gave up on this matter. IMHO, there is certainly a scope for improvement on their side!