So you set up your brand new server (or desktop), everything’s fine. You apply all updates and stuff. Then you install the Nvidia drives and reboot. And bam, there you have your BSOD.

SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION

or something about nvlddmkm.sys. Then your only option is to boot in safe mode, uninstall the freshly installed drivers and reboot. If you go to device manager, you may see something like this:

The driver trying to start is not the same as the drive for the POSTed display adapter

Fortunately, there are hints on how to solve this:

Since UEFI actually operates as a mini operating system that hands the hardware over to windows, its quite possible the uefi hand-over is not working in a manner that the spring update likes.

Bingo. My server is a SuperMicro SuperServer 4028GR-TRT which defaults to Legacy boot. Of course I changed this to UEFI, and then the OS was installed in UEFI/GPT as well. So how come it won’t work with the display adapter? That’s how:

Yeah. You need to change these Legacy options to UEFI too, and then it will work just fine. Cheers.