Windows could not load the display installer

[jamespetts]

I get this message whenever I try to install graphics card drivers or remove the graphics card from Device Manager. I uninstalled the graphics card drivers after I found that I was unable to get into display properties. I tried installing them again over the top, but it quit with that error message. Now I can't reinstall them for the same reason. I'm stuck in painful 640x480 @ 60hz, and it's not fun.

The display properties problem started after I installed Civilization III - Play the World (an exapansion pack).

Nothing that I do makes any difference. I have tried removing the graphics card in Device Manager, with no success (same error). I have tried updating or reloading the drivers in Device Manager, but again the same error.

System specs are as follows:

PIII-600
Abit BX6 rev1
256Mb RAM
Win2k SP3
Matrox G450 graphics card (using latest drivers and BIOS)

I should appreciate any help very much indeed.

[Chucky Cheese]

Drivers Installation

...ahemmm

you are logged on as Administrator...right???

cc

[jamespetts]

Yes, of course. I've even tried in safe mode.

[The PIT]

Have you tried first running the matrox uninstaller and then rebooting and then re-installing.

[jamespetts]

I uninstalled from Add/Remove Programs, which invokes the uninstaller. However, if I get the same error while trying to remove generic entries from Device Manager, then this problem clearly goes beyond anything specific to Matrox drivers.

[jamespetts]

Ohh, and also, in Device Manager, it comes up with this error:

Your registry might be corrupted. (Code 19)

It shows both the G450 and a generic graphics card there, both with the same code. When I try to select "properties", the same, "Windows could not load the installer for display" message appears. Any ideas? :-)

[The PIT]

Don't like the sound of the registry error. Try running something like Nortons windoctor on it and see if that finds anything.
Go to Matroxs website and download the powerdesk uninstaller from the utilities section and run that. If still no go back your registry and then fire up regedit.
You can also run regedit and go down to hkey_local_machine>system>currentcontrolsetxxx>enu m>pci.
My G550 settings were located under the first vendor key. You can delete these. You probably find more than one currentcontrol set hence the xxx delete the Matrox entries from all just to be sure windoze doesn't do anything daft.
Then try re-installing.

[jamespetts]

I tried a lot of those things, but to no avail, so I reinstalled from the Windows 2000 CD (as an upgrade, without reformatting or anything), and, eventually, got it to work. It seems like the registry was corrupted in some inexplicable way.

Would anyone have any idea what might cause that? :-)