diff --git a/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp b/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
index c74c3d6ee..6becf999c 100644
--- a/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
+++ b/src/osgUtil/SceneView.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include <osgUtil/GLObjectsVisitor>
 
 #include <osg/Timer>
+#include <osg/GLExtensions>
 #include <osg/Notify>
 #include <osg/Texture>
 #include <osg/VertexProgram>
@@ -239,6 +240,10 @@ void SceneView::init()
 
     _initCalled = true;
 
+    // force the initialization of the OpenGL extension string
+    // to try and work around a Windows NVidia driver bug circa Oct 2006.
+    osg::isGLExtensionSupported(_renderInfo.getState()->getContextID(),"");
+
     if (_camera.valid() && _initVisitor.valid())
     {
         _initVisitor->reset();