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I've got a Lenovo U460 with switchable graphics (an Nvidia G305M), running Windows 7. I'm trying like hell to just get the NVidia graphics to work at all, and it's very frustrating.
At one point (today), when I booted the machine, I had access to the NVidia settings application. Now, I can't get it. I've been in and out of the BIOS toggling between "Discrete Graphics" and "Switchable Graphics" multiple times, to no avail. All I see is the Intel graphics setup application. Attempts to install a new NVidia driver fail because the driver install script doesn't think that there's an NVidia chip in the machine (though of course there is).
When I boot it into Windows when "Discrete Graphics" is forced by the BIOS, it comes up with some weird driver that's neither the Intel driver nor NVidia.
Is there some sort of utility to forcefully flip the machine into NVidia mode? Why would the NVidia driver have shown up for a little while, only to completely disappear?
edit — turns out that forcing the "Discrete" option in the BIOS makes the NVidia chip be the only option, and for now since that's what I want that's what I'll go with.
Pointy
Posted 2012-01-27T23:32:36.520
Reputation: 763
1You have to install the special switchable graphics package. Installing the driver separately will not work. (You should still see both GPUs in Device Manager.) – Shinrai – 2012-01-27T23:37:14.320
But this was a factory install. Just 45 minutes ago I was able to bring up the NVidia settings dialog. – Pointy – 2012-01-27T23:38:56.777
I do not see anything but the Intel GPU in the "Device Manager", though I'm not sure I know what that is; I'm looking at the computer's Hardware inventory in the control panel. All that shows up is the Intel hardware. – Pointy – 2012-01-27T23:44:54.400
@Shinrai also what exactly is this "switchable graphics package"? Where does it come from? – Pointy – 2012-01-27T23:47:20.063