[Squall-Leonhart]

Affected: GeForce 8800 GT and higher, 9600 GT and higher, or any GeForce 200 series and higher, using driver version 186.xx and up.
While poking around Process Explorer, I stumbled upon a process having a curiously high handle count. Having dealt with leaky components before, I identified the 64 handle/minute pattern almost immediately.

Figure - Process Explorer viewing nvSCPAPISvr.exe open file handles​

As the description indicates, this particular component (a Windows service) is responsible for some sort of NVIDIA Stereoscopic feature. With some Bing’ing around, I discovered this functionality is only useful if you use 3D glasses shown on the NVIDIA 3D Vision product page.
While I could have simply stopped the service – which shouldn’t be configured to start Automatically to begin with – I decided to dive a little deeper to understand the issue.

NVIDIA Stereo 3D Vision service bug causes handle leak - Within Windows

 

[Princess Garnet]

I have some version of the Windows 7 WDDM drivers (some optional version) and the nVidia Control Panel identifies itself as version 186.35, yet however, I do not see such a process listed in Task Manager nor Process Manager. I have a GeForce 8800GT, and am using Windows 7 x86-64.

 

[makotech222]

nice LZ, 1337 posts.

Your version of drivers is too old. bump up to the 190.xx versions it should be there.

 

[Squall-Leonhart]

indeed, they have been in the drivers since one of the 186 drivers..

weren't in their at 185...

 

[Princess Garnet]

The article said driver versions 186.xx and up have them, and I have a 186.xx version, yet don't have this process running/problem with it. If not all 186.xx versions have this issue, the article should clarify that.

As for my driver versions, at least for now in Windows 7, I've just been using the WDDM ones. They've been working fine for me.

 

[makotech222]

oh my bad, i was pretty sure 190 was what introduced 3d stuff.

 

[Squall-Leonhart]

The article said driver versions 186.xx and up have them, and I have a 186.xx version, yet don't have this process running/problem with it. If not all 186.xx versions have this issue, the article should clarify that.

As for my driver versions, at least for now in Windows 7, I've just been using the WDDM ones. They've been working fine for me.

186.18 is the only official 186 driver for windows 7.

 

[Princess Garnet]

So you're telling me WDDM drivers I got through Windows Update aren't official? That seems a bit backwards. The drivers identify themselves as "NVIDIA Compatible Windows7 Display driver, Version 186.35".

In any case, even if that was the only official version, as my version is newer/higher than it, it's odd how it doesn't have this problem, when the lower one does.

 

[Squall-Leonhart]

Windows update drivers are crippled, they don't come with the Additional packages, like physx, stereo3D, and its only since the later windows vista drivers that they even include a control panel and opengl icd.

btw

"NVIDIA Compatible Windows7 Display driver, Version 186.35"

the bolded says it all. they aren't official nvidia drivers from nvidia, they are windows update distro.

 

[Princess Garnet]

Yes, I kind of figured that out, but they are still 168.xx drivers, and unofficial though they may be, they're still existing 168.xx drivers. However, if Microsoft doesn't package any of the side stuff with it's nVidia drivers (namely, this Stereo3D thing that is the cause of this), that may explain why this version lacks the problem, and why the article mentions nothing of it. Also, while the separate Phys-X package is still apparently used, it's built into the nVidia Control Panel/drivers now, so the WDDM drivers aren't lacking Phys-X or anything.

Also, the fact that it includes the Control Panel is why I've stuck with it so far (that, and at least as of now, it's standard drivers are somewhat recent, and being updated at intervals). Once I get the official release of Windows 7, I'll likely worry about using the actual nVidia drivers.

 

[Project Epsilon]

man, thanks for the heads up! even if there was no leak, i'd still disable this crap...

 

[Hatorijr]

it was causing me issues not long back and i disabled the whole stereo 3d driver thing and had no issues with it since.

 

[Princess Garnet]

Update (8/10): A NVIDIA representative has indicated the fix will be “available in the next driver release” sometime this month.

NVIDIA Stereo 3D Vision service bug causes handle leak - Within Windows

 

[Squall-Leonhart]

nvidia needs to get in touch with grestorn, since they've ****ed with something in the profile service......

 

[Princess Garnet]

It appears 182.50 may be affected by this bug too? Due to driver issues with my monitor, I've been using this older version, and that process had over 5,000 handles before I killed and disabled it. That was more than the 2,336 the article listed as a high count, so I assume it isn't only 186.xx drivers that have this problem. Either that, or installing the 190.xx drivers and then installing these older ones can do that.

 

[Squall-Leonhart]

the 3D stereo driver isn't uninstalled by overinstalling older drivers.

 

[Haithm]

190.62 is released and still they did not mention anything about this problem.
I downloaded both:
190.62_Win7_Desktop_Release_Notes.pdf
190.62_WinVista_Desktop_Release_Notes.pdf