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Sitara
Minmatar
Solar Flare Trade and Production
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Posted - 2009.07.24 10:40:00 -
[1]
OK, this is fairly long so apologies, but its a really wierd one and I'm about tearing my hair out !
So my wife's PC started blue screening - most often (but not always) when running a heavy 3D app - and getting some wierd sort of pink fuzzy corruption around the screen (on the blue screen that is - also visible on the game screen or the desktop just before it happens).
It started happening occasionally but now it happens within a few seconds of booting up a game and you can (at most) get away with half an hour or so of working on the desktop after boot before it happens.
Its hard to catch the text on the blue screen due to the short time its up and the corruption but I did spot something about being unable to restart the video drivers.
Its a Core 2 Duo 6420, nice Asus motherboard, 4 Gigs (4x1Gb) of DDR800, XFX 8800GS GFX card, Tagan 500w PSU with plenty of power, 250 Gig Seagate Barracuda, dual screens, M$ Habu mouse, USB keyboard running Vista Home Premium - all updates / latest drivers installed.
I installed temperature monitoring stuff for MB, CPU and GFX card when I built the thing - she checks regularly while its running under full load - all running well within the zone (that 8800 runs hot but it's supposed to - always made me nervous tho).
First thought - fried GFX card - bought a new 9800 - same issue.
Second thought - RAM - tried running it with 2 of the RAM sticks - same issue, tried with the other 2 - same issue. (surely not all 4 got fried !)
Third thought - Motherboard - bought a new one - put it in - same issue.
Fourth thought - CPU(!?) - had a spare Core 2 8400 lying around for a PC build for a friend - put it in - same issue.
Fith thought - PSU - had a spare PSU lying around - put it in to test - same issue.
So at this point its practically a brand new PC ! (and I'm shouting at the bloody thing)
The symptoms to me (GFX corruption and blue screen) seem to point to a hardware fault - but I'm now wondering if a reformat and reinstall is the way to go (bleh).
Anyone else had similar issues or got any ideas what might be causing this ? Help me please OOPE - my sanity is fading fast !!
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Zakarazor
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Posted - 2009.07.24 10:43:00 -
[2]
i'm far from a computer expert but you have already gone through most of the hardware so it should be a software problem.
one more thing though...have you looked at the powersupply? i have heard of powerpikes causing stuff like that before...
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Alex Raptos
Caldari
Phoenix Rising.
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Posted - 2009.07.24 12:16:00 -
[3]
Edited by: Alex Raptos on 24/07/2009 12:16:52
First off, Define "runs hot" because even though cards can be engineered to withstand heats of up to 100c~ long exposure to even 80c~ can fry a card.
Secondly, you do not mention which Operating System you are using, or even if multiple monitors are involved. If you are using XP, then:
1. Go to Start -> Control Panel -> System
2. Go to Advanced
3. Under the Startup and Recovery section, click Settings...
4. Under System Failure un-check "Automatically restart"
If using Vista:
1. Go to Start > Control Panel > System
2. Click "Advanced System Settings". It should be in the "Tasks" sidebar.
3. Under "Startup and Recovery" click the Settings button, and under "System failure" disable "Automatically Restart"
Then, wait for it to BSOD again i guess, but this time write down the full error code 00x000000 Etc, and if needed the reason it gives for failure. Some googling of the error code may or may not help.
There was also issue's a while back with both nVidia and ATI cards where, in vista, if multiple monitors were being used the graphics card driver would occasionally fail and then failure to restart the graphics driver would cause the computer to blue-screen.
Then there is the PSU, If there has been a power spike in your PSU it may be likely that all four RAM modules are now defective. Download MemTest and run the computer with as little background programs as possible (And turn Aero off if using it with Vista). Set it to test all of your RAM (4096mb) and leave it for a few hours (Let it make at least two passes, 200%, although this may take a while its advised to do so.)
I experienced alot of graphics focused errors because my cooling was insufficient for my card (Stock Asus cooler on the ATI4850) and even though the card is said to be able to run at upwards of 90c perfectly safely, it was crashing frequently. You might want to see if you can do anything to keep the card cooler and if that stops the crashing, see about a long term fix.
Last thing i would say is to make sure your drivers are up to date and if not, remember to fully uninstall your current ones before installing the new ones.
 Originally by: Dirk Magnum
I've become gay for Mark Harmon despite my initial reservations about the show NCIS but nobody will ever know
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Vyger
Interstellar Brotherhood of Gravediggers
Privateer Alliance
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Posted - 2009.07.24 12:47:00 -
[4]
Just a tip for capturing the BSOD error message.
Use a digital camera to take a picture of it, you can then view it at your leisure.
Oh, and when I had a graphics problem it turned out to be a fried graphics cable and not the card itself. This probably isn't your problem but thought I'd throw it in there as you may not have tried replacing your cables.
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Barakkus
Caelestis Iudicium
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Posted - 2009.07.24 14:51:00 -
[5]
If you're getting video corruption just before the bsod you gfx card is probably overheating, make sure there are no other cards seated next to it and see if that helps. I almost melted my M-Audio Delta card b/c it was sitting right next to my video card and was getting the same thing a while back.
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Zartanic
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Posted - 2009.07.24 18:11:00 -
[6]
Edited by: Zartanic on 24/07/2009 18:12:18
Also make sure if your graphics card needs two power connectors (mine does) they are both plugged in. Mine works with one, goes blue screen when I do anything that taxes it. Also replace all cables.
Of the two problems I've had in the last few years though its always been the power supply. Some cheap ones cheat on the wattage ratings and are not up to the job.
Finally, a connector to your HD or the HD itself may be faulty.
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Sitara
Minmatar
Solar Flare Trade and Production
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Posted - 2009.07.24 20:39:00 -
[7]
Thanks for your thoughts guys 
I'm working on it - will let you know when I figure it out 
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Iasius
Mercurialis Inc.
Wildly Inappropriate.
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Posted - 2009.07.24 20:52:00 -
[8]
Edited by: Iasius on 24/07/2009 20:53:03
I have a Nividia 8800 GTS 512MB that ran really hot like up to 90C. A year after i purchased it i got a custom Zalman HSF for it. Runs up to 65C now  But the damage to the GPU has already been done. I get slight gfx defects in EVE around Amarr POS's and Source Engine game Neotokoyo is unplayable with so many artifacts.
Please resize image to a maximum of 400 x 120, not exceeding 24000 bytes. ~Saint |
Alex Raptos
Caldari
Phoenix Rising.
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Posted - 2009.07.24 21:03:00 -
[9]
Originally by: Iasius
EVE around Amarr POS's
Thats quite li8kely a bug with the actual graphics not your card. POS graphics have been bugged since apocrypha.
Originally by: Dirk Magnum
I've become gay for Mark Harmon despite my initial reservations about the show NCIS but nobody will ever know
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Sitara
Minmatar
Solar Flare Trade and Production
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Posted - 2009.07.26 18:12:00 -
[10]
Hmm, several rebuilds of various combinations of hardware I have here, 2 installs of Windows later and its looking like the old motherboard, memory and vid card are all fried 
It's also looking like the new vid card I bought got fried when I put it in to replace the old one (when I thought a fried card was the issue) 
Got a spare cheap PCI-E card arriving next week to check but the PC built with all the new hardware works 100% (like running 2 instances of memtest to keep the CPU @ 100% for 6 hours stable) till I try anthing GFX related - then it crashes with display corruption (after like 1 sec of running 3D Mark 2006).
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