I wonder if this has to do with your dual boot setup...
 
Seems like for the majority of us these drivers 295.73 are the best to come out
 
I don't doubt your skill and prowess but your operating on a higher fringe tolerance and maybe your tolerances of the drivers are lower than the average system...
 
For the basic Win 7 install, SLI setup...nothing fancy...these seem to work fine..
 
Have you exhausted the possibility of a hardware issue...be it the motherboard, card, sli bridge???
 
I would probably save everything and do a breadboard build and keep it basic without the dual booting stuff and see how that works...there seem to be too many variables at play 
 

CHughes

I wonder if this has to do with your dual boot setup...

Seems like for the majority of us these drivers 295.73 are the best to come out

I don't doubt your skill and prowess but your operating on a higher fringe tolerance and maybe your tolerances of the drivers are lower than the average system...

For the basic Win 7 install, SLI setup...nothing fancy...these seem to work fine..

Have you exhausted the possibility of a hardware issue...be it the motherboard, card, sli bridge???

I would probably save everything and do a breadboard build and keep it basic without the dual booting stuff and see how that works...there seem to be too many variables at play 

I had that problem one time.  I was having issues in SLI and I did all kinds of troubleshooting and I was getting pissed.  I took off the case side panel and was just looking around and I though to myself "No way it could be that easy." and I just took off the SLI bridge (since it works without it, just eats a little more bandwitch on the PCI-E lanes) and it worked with no problems.  One new SLI bridge later and I was back in business.  However, from what I remember it doesn't seem to be related to his issues.  The only time I had these issues was with the Realtek network drivers from Windws and that was an easy fix.
 
However, and SLI bridge check wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.  Has that been something that you have done?

... Any how Mania, give that a shot with a spare drive, I'll let you know if I have any problems with my 3 way sli. 

CHughes

So then Maniacvvv?, did you already try a different SLI bridge or remove it entirely and then test each card with the latest drivers in the system by itself without SLI to make sure it's not a hardware issue? 

If you dismiss every other suggestion and insist that it's Nvidia or Windows ONLY, then your setting yourself up for failure...

You need to scrap any preconceived ideas of what you may think it is, and start over.  Regardless of how trivial or "nah couldn't be it" you may think it is.  A good researcher or scientist will always tell you this...When you hear hoofbeats...think horses..not zebras :)

I had a bad habit of jumping to the worst case scenario and working backwards from there...I would suggest a different approach...start with the simplest and progress from there...

A breadboard build is still the best way to isolate issues IMHO.

I still think this is a hardware issue

Agreed
 
I have tried using a different SLI bridge, to rule that out.
I have also tried switching the primary card around.
I have flashed my cards, so they are using a identical BIOS (at EVGA's suggestion) 
I have tested with all other drives disconnected to remove the dual boot issue.
 
My system is very well tested and the testing is documented.
This is my primary working desktop and I am using it 10-15hrs a day, as I have been since 2009. 
 
No driver prior to 290.36 (285.79) causes any problems or issues whatsoever.
No failures or any other issues of any kind have I ever seen with -any- other drivers.
 
I am currently back on 285.79 and have 75hrs+ of issue free use, testing and gaming, since the last 295.73 loading failure.
Thats at least 75 restarts and 30 cold boots, without -any- issues...  
 
If I put in 295.73 the install will go fine, SLI will setup correctly and I can test with Mark11 and Heaven...
Within a day or two, I will cold boot my computer and suffer from device detection failure and the Nvidia driver will not load.
 
That kinda rules out everything but the Driver itself and how it is interacting with Windows at Startup.
While I am willing to consider it might be something in my config that is conflicting, just what that is is unknown as this issue also is happening to others with different MB's, different system drivers and different videocard configs..... 
  
   
 

Thanks
 
I am certain that the problem will resolve, either on Nvidias or my end.
And its much less frustrating than a "solid" problem, since I do have prior Nvidia drivers still working perfectly.
 
I also have yet to wipe the entire system clean, and will not be certain its not OS issues until I do so.
*I am putting that off, until the next driver release.   

NazcaC2

Can you post updated screen captures of your Device Manager and NVIDIA Control Panel?

Sure, what would you like to see.. when it happend?
 
Here is the Device manager shot of the cold boot failure

 
This is my standard NVCP setup (used with 285.79 and 295.73)

 
And my standard NVCP SLI/PhysX setup


  
  
 

NazcaC2

I take it you've tried right clicking both entries and clicked Uninstall from the Device Manager. 

Judging by the Event Viewer with the PnP entry, it seems to be having difficulty with Plug and Play.

Yes, tried the uninstall from Device Manager
The driver -will- reinstall and tests fine, but will still suffer from a cold boot failure
*so far, 7 failures all the same within 48hrs
 
I do get (for me) the following, every time I uninstall a driver and am perparing to install a new one
(including 285.79)

 
I tried a reboot at this point and safe mode, but have yet to ever get more than one card to load the Standard VGA Adaptor
After the driver is installed, both cards are properly loaded and it has never caused any problems. 
 

NazcaC2

Do you have another computer with another pair of cards in SLI to test in the problematic system?

 
I do not have another system that will support dual 580's
 
And remember, my system is only problematic with drivers higher than 285.79
With my current 285.79, I have no problems to fix.. everything is working/testing correctly and zero issues or failure are seen

NazcaC2

Please see my updated post #104.

Yes, I belive I will try that
 
But I will have to put back in 295.73 and NOT run the tool until the driver fails, as I dont think the tool will do anything running 285.79 as there are zero device issues and nothing in any of the records or event viewers.
 
Thank you very much for the suggestion, I had not thought of trying that
Great idea bro! 

*Update
 
Running the tool on my current setup and 285.79 showed only one entry for my SteelSeries G6V2 keyboard.
It showed (correctly) that I do not have a driver installed for my keyboard and that one was available.
*I use the PS2 connection and run with the Windows "default" keyboard driver for my G6V2.
This is intentional as I perfer the default.

 
 
Tomorrow I will load the 295.73 and wait till it fails, and then run the tool again.
 

NazcaC2

Did it see anything wrong with the Display Adapters entries and suggest to fix?

 
None whatsoever, didnt expect any as 285.79 does not exibit any issues.
I will report back after reinstalling 295.73, donr expect anything then either...
Will have to -wait- till it fails and then run the tool and see what it says with two code 43's showing

I do not, nor have I ever seen a code 43 on my videocards until Nvidia drivers after 285.79
 
I can install 295.73 perfectly fine, seup my NVCP and SLI and test and game.... no issues.
I can hot restart (no failures seen), but after 5-17 cold restarts (longest so far was 48hrs) I will go to cold start the computer, and Windows will -fail- to load the 295.73 drivers and show the code 43's posted..
 
I can then uninstall the driver (reboot) and the normal one adaptor laoded and one not is seen, and then I can put back in 295.73 or 285.79, without any problems...
But if I use any driver past 285.79, a some point within 48hrs a cold start will fail to load the Nvidia driver
 
That is the issue. With 285.79 or below no problems have -ever- been seen of anykind.
I have appox 500hrs using 285.79, it has never failed
If I put in 295.73, within 48hrs a cold boot will -fail- to load the Nvidia driver... 
 

NazcaC2

In the meantime, while working with EVGA on an answer, contact NVIDIA either through their forums by PM'ing ManuelG or this thread: http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=223426 referring them to this thread.

Bro!
 
"-SLI settings not available/driver issues when SLI enabled following installation and then system is reboot, disabling ethernet controller/using PS/2 keyboard"
 
You are a hell of a guy.
The above is noted as a BUG in 295.73 (also noted as FIXED) for the next driver release.
 
This would 'appear" to mimic what I have seen with my ethernet and the latest drivers.
*After a few of the driver loading failures, going into Windows has shown the ethernet adaptor disabled and or loading late... 
I am going to have test this with another keyboard, but thats the most convicing description I have seen so far for what has been happening.
I totally had no thoughts that my PS2 connection might be involved, and thinking back to the PS2 issues in 2006 it makes a alot of sense.... 
 
Thank you for the link
 
 
 
 

*Update
 
I can -confirm- that switching from a PS2 keyboard connection to a USB connection -resolves- the issue of of the SLI option not being seen in the Nvidia 290.36 and 290.53.... 
This is extremely encouraging, as this was the first issue that was seen after 285.79
 
I will be installing 295.73 tomorrow morning without the PS2 connection and will report back if the driver continues to work after 48hrs.
 
I am highly hopeful that NazcaC2 has pointed me in the right direction

Yeah, Im going to get a good nights rest and drop 295.73 in first thing in the morning when I'm fresh.
If 295.73 is still loading fine after 48hrs, I will be very impressed... after 72hrs I will consider it a "fix" for my issue.