ATI graphic cards NOT so good! - Guild Wars Guru archive powered by Guild Wars Legacy

blingdudel

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

Isle

??? unsure

Mo/R

27 Feb 2007 at 21:29 - 1

so anyway my pc gets the blue screen of death a few minutes into playing guildwars so ive given up! BUT not yet it says "0_0DRIVER0_---)0" im guessing thats a driver issue so thats obviously gonna be the graphics card isnt it

Name 256MB ATI Radeon X1300PRO
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_7183&SUBSYS_03021028&REV_00\4&F15 FA5E&0&0008
Adapter Type Radeon X1300 Series (0x7183), ATI Technologies Inc. compatible
Adapter Description 256MB ATI Radeon X1300PRO
Adapter RAM 256.00 MB (268,435,456 bytes)
Installed Drivers ati2dvag.dll

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
Activation Status Activation Pending (30 days remaining)
System Name (not telling)

System Manufacturer Dell Inc.
System Model Dell DXP061
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 6 GenuineIntel ~2128 Mhz
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 6 GenuineIntel ~2128 Mhz
Name SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC
Manufacturer SigmaTel
Status OK
PNP Device ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_8384&DEV_7618&SUBSYS_102801DB& REV_1002\4&329F3825&0&0201
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\sthda.sys (5.10.4991.0 nd444 cp1, 1.10 MB (1,156,648 bytes), 14/12/2006 21:03)

If anyone can help me on what to do thanks if its driver updates PLZ give a link THX in advance!

EternalTempest

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jun 2005

United States

Dark Side Ofthe Moon [DSM]

E/

27 Feb 2007 at 21:34 - 2

Try updating the video card driver to the newest 7.2 ati drivers.
Also check your Dell to see if there a newer audio driver.

Also update direct x -> http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.mspx

blingdudel

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

Isle

??? unsure

Mo/R

27 Feb 2007 at 21:39 - 3

i cant update my directx its on 9 thats the latest for windows xp isnt it?

Tarun

Technician's Corner Moderator

Join Date: Jan 2006

The TARDIS

http://www.lunarsoft.net/ http://forums.lunarsoft.net/

27 Feb 2007 at 21:47 - 4

Post the code from the blue screen and any other information available.

blingdudel

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

Isle

??? unsure

Mo/R

27 Feb 2007 at 21:57 - 5

Got the Code i just crashed my pc to do it but what the hay "0_0DRIVER0_---)0 if this problem persists contact your computer manufacterer and/or go into safe mode and disable drivers in turn to find your problem"

Not much there the only over info is it saying windows was closed to prevent damage to the computer!

Tarun

Technician's Corner Moderator

Join Date: Jan 2006

The TARDIS

http://www.lunarsoft.net/ http://forums.lunarsoft.net/

27 Feb 2007 at 22:03 - 6

Note how at the bottom it says, "STOP: 0x000000508" and below that "ati3diag.dll". Those are critical pieces of information needed for diagnosing your issue. You will have a similar STOP code and a *.sys or *.dll file listed.

Dex

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Chicago, IL

Black Belt Jones

R/Me

27 Feb 2007 at 23:20 - 7

Lol. Wanna see some blue screens cause by nVidia drivers (can you say, "nv4_disp.dll infinite loop")? By your logic that would mean nVidia graphics cards are not so good. Dang, I guess graphics cards are "NOT so good!"

It's funny when people blame companies (nVidia, ATI, Intel, AMD, ArenaNet, etc.) for their computers being screwed up.

BSOD's caused by video drivers are VERY common. Have you taken any steps to troubleshoot your problem, or would you like me to cast a magic "fix your computer" spell?

You probably just need to clean up your driver install and update your drivers, Luke.

http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/xp/radeonx-xp.html

Make sure you uninstall your old drivers first.

Note: your computer is not a Playstation. If you're going to play games on it you might want to learn this and that about troubleshooting problems, as problems are quite common for PC gamers.

Fungus Amongus

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare] | [Rare] Alliance

28 Feb 2007 at 03:36 - 8

I have been recently experiencing the same problem. The worst part is that my PC wouldn't even boot after a few crashes. I figured a bad power supply at first, but swapping to a new one didn't do anything. I pulled an old PC that had a Radeon 64mb something or other and put it in. I ran GW for a few hours with no problem, froze up, and now I am back to square one. I can't even get my system to boot at all.

I wish I had a solution to your problem but I don't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dex

You probably just need to clean up your driver install and update your drivers

Any idea how to initiate that if you can't get a system to boot?

FoxBat

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Apr 2006

Amazon Basin [AB]

Mo/Me

28 Feb 2007 at 04:19 - 9

If it's a video driver issue, safe mode should get around it long enough to diagnose and fix (keep hitting F8 as your system first boots up and choose it from the menu)

blingdudel

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

Isle

??? unsure

Mo/R

28 Feb 2007 at 17:06 - 10

i will try and take a picture with my camera AND wondering, i tryed guildwars i didnt log in i left it on menu opened outlook express closed it and ding ding ding it died! Its has to be something to do with the graphics card and im too sacared to try flight simualtor X !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dex

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Chicago, IL

Black Belt Jones

R/Me

28 Feb 2007 at 18:20 - 11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fungus Amongus

Any idea how to initiate that if you can't get a system to boot?

How far into the boot process does your computer get? Does it begin loading windows, or does it not POST (power on self test) at all? What I mean by POST is: does it make it through the memory test and all that and start loading Windows before it fails?

As was mentioned, you can try pressing F8 as Windows starts to load and try to load Windows in Safe Mode. This would allow you to make driver changes. However, if your PC isn't booting at all it doesn't sound like your particular problem is driver related. It's more likely bad memory, a bad video card, or a bad hard drive.

blingdudel

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

Isle

??? unsure

Mo/R

28 Feb 2007 at 19:18 - 12

im not sure what you said but it loads windows still its like a cycle play guildwars crash play guildwars crash! its not a bad video card ITS NEW or hard drive ITS NEW but i could be bad memory i have dell with numbers which tell you what the error was when it completly fails and it failed in memory some how 2Gigs

Pkest

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2006

Hooded Reavers of Eternal Life(Ankh)

R/

28 Feb 2007 at 19:27 - 13

You may need to update the agp port drivers for your motherboard (assuming it's an agp card). Not sure if pci express mbs have drivers for the ports or not but worth checking into.

Also if you upgraded from another card you may need to be more aggressive about removing the old drivers. See if there's a specific util for completely cleaning out old drvers for your older card.

If this was a card that was working ok then make sure the fan is functional and try cleaning and reinstalling the drivers as they may have become corrupted.

Dex

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Chicago, IL

Black Belt Jones

R/Me

28 Feb 2007 at 20:24 - 14

I'm wondering if the OP has even tried updating his drivers. It's not hard.

1. Download DriverCleaner Pro (Google it) and the new Catalyst drivers (link above in one of my previous posts). Download the driver only (not the CCC).

2. Open Control Panel --> Add/Remove Programs. Uninstall your current driver. Reboot.

3. If Windows brings up the Add New Hardware Wizard cancel out of it. Run DriverCleaner Pro to completely clean your driver install. Reboot.

4. Again, cancel out of the Add Hardware Wizard if it comes up. Install the new graphics driver. Reboot.

5. Adjust your Windows graphics settings however you want. You're done.

If you won't at least try that I don't know how you expect any of us to help you. I'm not coming to your house!

Seriously, are you even trying, or are you still waiting for that magic spell?

BTW - just because your memory and video card are new does not mean they cannot be bad. I've seen plenty of brand new hardware that's bad or failed within the first week of use. Never leave something out of your troubleshooting process just because it's new. You may miss an opportunity to return it if it's bad.

Fungus Amongus

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare] | [Rare] Alliance

28 Feb 2007 at 23:59 - 15

Thanks a ton for the help, Dex. It doesn't solve my problem but hopefully will help the OP.

I subbed an older vid card and worked for a few hours. I ran fine playing GW with each ram stick (I pulled one, played a while, pulled the other, played and all was ok). My issue must be mobo or HD.

Again, the time you spent answering questions and offering your advice is greatly appreciated, Dex.

easyg

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jul 2005

Hawaii

FPS

Mo/Me

01 Mar 2007 at 09:01 - 16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fungus Amongus

Thanks a ton for the help, Dex. It doesn't solve my problem but hopefully will help the OP.

I subbed an older vid card and worked for a few hours. I ran fine playing GW with each ram stick (I pulled one, played a while, pulled the other, played and all was ok). My issue must be mobo or HD.

Again, the time you spent answering questions and offering your advice is greatly appreciated, Dex.

You said in an earlier message that you couldn't boot. Dex asked if you could boot in safe mode.

Were you not able to boot in safe mode?

If not, does your mb give you a POST error code? If yes, could you tell us what the error code is? You may have to check the manual. Would help if you could mention the mb model, revision, and the BIOS and version.

Vandal2k6

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Sep 2006

Manchester, UK

The Manchester Marauders

W/Rt

01 Mar 2007 at 12:27 - 17

0x00000050: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

Requested data was not in memory. An invalid system memory address was referenced. Defective memory (including main memory, L2 RAM cache, video RAM) or incompatible software (including remote control and antivirus software) might cause this Stop message, as may other hardware problems (e.g., incorrect SCSI termination or a flawed PCI card).

blingdudel

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

Isle

??? unsure

Mo/R

01 Mar 2007 at 15:17 - 18

Heres 1 photo out of three!

blingdudel

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

Isle

??? unsure

Mo/R

01 Mar 2007 at 15:19 - 19

DEX thanks for your help and please can you stop insulting me it getting a bit annoying! havent had 1 message from you thats not mean

you know the playstaion bit etc

blingdudel

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

Isle

??? unsure

Mo/R

01 Mar 2007 at 15:20 - 20

Heres NO:2 of 3 its ATI it says on picture 1 oh NO!

blingdudel

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

Isle

??? unsure

Mo/R

01 Mar 2007 at 15:23 - 21

Heres the last picture

blingdudel

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

Isle

??? unsure

Mo/R

01 Mar 2007 at 15:32 - 22

picture 3 sorry if this is repost didnt appear bout hour ago

Dex

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Chicago, IL

Black Belt Jones

R/Me

01 Mar 2007 at 16:41 - 23

Quote:

Originally Posted by blingdudel

DEX thanks for your help and please can you stop insulting me it getting a bit annoying! havent had 1 message from you thats not mean

you know the playstaion bit etc

I'm not trying to be mean, you're just not helping us to help you, and that's getting a bit annoying.

You're blaming your problems on ATI, which is silly seeing as how you've done nothing to try to fix your problem. It's obvious that your problem could very likely be driver related. Have you tried updating your drivers as I've suggested several times (and posted a link to the drivers as well as instructions)? That is STEP ONE to troubleshooting a problem like this. Right now you're still on step ZERO. So far you've posted 3 pictures of exactly the same information, which has done nothing but make it more obvious that you need to try updating your video driver.

Again, not trying to be "mean", but we can't help you if you won't help yourself. There is no magic spell, my friend. I'll try to sound nicer (my previous posts weren't intended to be "mean"), ok?

MegaMouse

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jan 2006

south mississippi

Warriors Of Melos WOM

E/N

01 Mar 2007 at 17:53 - 24

I agree with Dex, you need to upgrade or reinstall your graphics drivers. It seems that the errors give the clue. If your card was faulty then the errors wouldn't mention the .dll files. Uninstall your video card driver and install new ones from Dell or ATI (sometimes Dell does something to the ATI base drivers that make it almost impossible to use the ones from ATI so you may be stuck with the ones friom Dell). Also looking at your screenshots is your computer on a network and do you actualy have permission to do this operation that needs to be done? If not then you may be up crap creek without a paddle or boat.

Mega Mouse

EternalTempest

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jun 2005

United States

Dark Side Ofthe Moon [DSM]

E/

01 Mar 2007 at 17:59 - 25

blingdudel, when you created the topic "ATI graphic cards NOT so good!"'
It gives the wrong impression that all ati graphic cards.

The thing about techs is, some are passionate about there favorite company when it comes to AMD vs Intel, Nvidia vs ATI, etc.

That and the impression that your still blaming ATI w/o trying some of the things suggested that have been to cause issues by having corrupted / out of date video card drivers.

Have you tried going to ati website and updating to the newest driver?

Dex

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Chicago, IL

Black Belt Jones

R/Me

01 Mar 2007 at 19:02 - 26

Quote:

Originally Posted by EternalTempest

blingdudel, when you created the topic "ATI graphic cards NOT so good!"'
It gives the wrong impression that all ati graphic cards.

The thing about techs is, some are passionate about there favorite company when it comes to AMD vs Intel, Nvidia vs ATI, etc.

That and the impression that your still blaming ATI w/o trying some of the things suggested that have been to cause issues by having corrupted / out of date video card drivers.

Right. Beyond that, though, (I personally don't play favorites when it comes to brand names) in my experience 90%+ of computer problems are configuration issues that aren't the fault of the hardware manufacturer. Especially in the world of gaming hardware, things change and drivers and configurations need to be updated. Drivers and configurations can be damaged and corrupted. These aren't product flaws - they're simply realities of gaming on a PC. That's why I pointed out that your PC is not a Playstation...I wasn't trying to be condescending.

Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is a simple process of elimination beginning with an educated guess as to where to begin. In this case, all signs point to a high probablility of a video driver issue. Therefore, step 1 in the troubleshooting process should be to clean up the video driver installation and make sure you're using an up-to-date driver. If the problem remains after that then we move on to the next most likely culprit.

So...blingdudel...we've given you what help we can at this juncture. The next step is up to you. If it's not clear what it is you need to do to update your driver let us know what you're having trouble with and we'll try to help you.

kaheiyeh

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

Australia

Reapers of Solace

Mo/A

01 Mar 2007 at 19:51 - 27

Happened to me when I didn't install my new video card properly.

You should:
- Do a System Restore to a time before you installed the card.
- Insert the CD that came with the video card and install the drivers on it.
- Download the Catalyst 7.2 drivers from the ATI website.

If you can't boot into Windows because of the BSOD, try booting into safe mode and doing a system restore there.

Dex

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Chicago, IL

Black Belt Jones

R/Me

01 Mar 2007 at 20:23 - 28

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaheiyeh

Happened to me when I didn't install my new video card properly.

You should:
- Do a System Restore to a time before you installed the card.
- Insert the CD that came with the video card and install the drivers on it.
- Download the Catalyst 7.2 drivers from the ATI website.

If you can't boot into Windows because of the BSOD, try booting into safe mode and doing a system restore there.

To be honest, I think that poses a risk of muddling the driver installation even more than it already is.

- Uninstall driver
- Use DriverCleaner Pro
- Install new driver

^ much cleaner and less likely to cause a problem

Kaida the Heartless

Desert Nomad

Join Date: May 2006

N/

01 Mar 2007 at 20:32 - 29

After gathering some information, it appears that you are not the only person with this problem. Ati3duag.dll is giving people across the internet a problem. A simpel google search will reveal this. Check the internet to find an updated version of the file and replace it. Kaheiyeh also gave some valid suggestions. Of thier suggestions, try downloading catalyst first.

Btw, I use ATI cards and mine works wonders! :]

Dex

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Chicago, IL

Black Belt Jones

R/Me

01 Mar 2007 at 20:39 - 30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaida the Heartless

After gathering some information, it appears that you are not the only person with this problem. Ati3duag.dll is giving people across the internet a problem. A simpel google search will reveal this. Check the internet to find an updated version of the file and replace it. Kaheiyeh also gave some valid suggestions. Of thier suggestions, try downloading catalyst first.

Btw, I use ATI cards and mine works wonders! :]

Well, if you Google the name of just about any DLL that's part of a common device driver you'll get a lot of results like that. I did google that .dll just now. Most of the people having trouble with that DLL were reporting it about 2 years ago. The solution for the ones that had one (that I read, anyway)? Newer version of the DLL.

UPDATE DRIVERS!!!!!!!!

If you think that's fun, Google "nv4_disp.dll". <---- DLL that's part of nVidia video drivers

Gorebrex

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

01 Mar 2007 at 21:59 - 31

0x00000050: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

Requested data was not in memory. An invalid system memory address was referenced. Defective memory (including main memory, L2 RAM cache, video RAM) or incompatible software (including remote control and antivirus software) might cause this Stop message, as may other hardware problems (e.g., incorrect SCSI termination or a flawed PCI card).
Dont foget about memory if un/reinstaling drivers doesnt work. If driver reinstall doesnt help. try turning PC off, then pull 1(ONLY one) stic of EAM, then reboot, and try GW again. By the way, does this happen with other programs, or is it just GW?

aeroclown

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2005

Louisiana

E/Mo

01 Mar 2007 at 22:12 - 32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dex

To be honest, I think that poses a risk of muddling the driver installation even more than it already is.

- Uninstall driver
- Use DriverCleaner Pro
- Install new driver

^ much cleaner and less likely to cause a problem

Dex, I am not sure of the last time you used DriverCleaner or if you have had any experiences like mine, but I would say to be cautious when using it. I used DCP about 2 months ago for a driver update, and something went horribly wrong, in fact I have read quite a number of post on the issue across several tech forums including Driver Heaven that seem to indicate something is or was up with DCP or a driver package. Apparently from what I understand, ati/amd in its last release which I have 7.1 they chose not to include all the normal files during installation, and as such DCP removed files that were not replaced during the installation. It causes a fatal unrecoverable crash, that results in a clean system install or repair. It removes some file that is important to the windows video subsystem. I have an ati card, and I don't know that the problem extends to other devices or version. I have lost some faith in DCP, so, before anyone jumps right on the DCP bandwagon and uses it, you might want to use the included ati uninstaller, and follow the uninstall procedure in the ati/amd knowledge base. If that dosn't do it for you then you can give DCP a run. That was my last personal experience with DCP, it worked before, so all I can do is hope that it was a vendor packaging thing.

Dex

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Chicago, IL

Black Belt Jones

R/Me

01 Mar 2007 at 22:19 - 33

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeroclown

Dex, I am not sure of the last time you used DriverCleaner or if you have had any experiences like mine, but I would say to be cautious when using it. I used DCP about 2 months ago for a driver update, and something went horribly wrong, in fact I have read quite a number of post on the issue across several tech forums including Driver Heaven that seem to indicate something is or was up with DCP or a driver package. Apparently from what I understand, ati/amd in its last release which I have 7.1 they chose not to include all the normal files during installation, and as such DCP removed files that were not replaced during the installation. It causes a fatal unrecoverable crash, that results in a clean system install or repair. It removes some file that is important to the windows video subsystem. I have an ati card, and I don't know that the problem extends to other devices or version. I have lost some faith in DCP, so, before anyone jumps right on the DCP bandwagon and uses it, you might want to use the included ati uninstaller, and follow the uninstall procedure in the ati/amd knowledge base. If that dosn't do it for you then you can give DCP a run. That was my last personal experience with DCP, it worked before, so all I can do is hope that it was a vendor packaging thing.

That's good to know. The last time I used DCP was when I swapped out an nVidia card in a machine with an ATI card. I had a driver problem and used DCP to repair it. I have to admit that it's been a few months since I've used it.

Perhaps it is better to simply use the ATI uninstaller utility first and err on the side of caution. Thanks for pointing that out, aeroclown.

On that note, I would still try to avoid using System Restore or the old drivers from the CD that came with the card. IMO System Restore should be a last resort...I've seen it completely wreck Windows installs in the past and I don't trust it 100%.

Empedocles

Academy Page

Join Date: Jul 2005

R/

01 Mar 2007 at 22:41 - 34

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeroclown

Dex, I am not sure of the last time you used DriverCleaner or if you have had any experiences like mine, but I would say to be cautious when using it. I used DCP about 2 months ago for a driver update, and something went horribly wrong, in fact I have read quite a number of post on the issue across several tech forums including Driver Heaven that seem to indicate something is or was up with DCP or a driver package. Apparently from what I understand, ati/amd in its last release which I have 7.1 they chose not to include all the normal files during installation, and as such DCP removed files that were not replaced during the installation. It causes a fatal unrecoverable crash, that results in a clean system install or repair. It removes some file that is important to the windows video subsystem.

I used it yesterday, and reinstalled 7.2 ati drivers without any problems. Might have been lucky, but just to let you know.

Vandal2k6

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Sep 2006

Manchester, UK

The Manchester Marauders

W/Rt

01 Mar 2007 at 22:43 - 35

I bet it's a RAM fault. Any takers?

Dex

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Chicago, IL

Black Belt Jones

R/Me

01 Mar 2007 at 22:52 - 36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vandal2k6

I bet it's a RAM fault. Any takers?

That particular STOP error is oftentimes a RAM issue or IO issue, but in this case I'm not going to put that at the top of my list. It can be caused any time there's a low-level memory address jumble, including from within the Windows HAL. Seeing as how others in the past have solved this problem with a newer version of the DLL, I'm still going to have to make "driver problem" my primary suspect....but that's just me...

Aside from that, the possibility of a driver problem is just sooooo easy to eliminate with a simple driver update that it's just too tempting to get that one out of the way first. Running a full cycle with Memtest can take hours.

Fungus Amongus

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare] | [Rare] Alliance

01 Mar 2007 at 23:22 - 37

Quote:

Originally Posted by easyg

You said in an earlier message that you couldn't boot. Dex asked if you could boot in safe mode.

Were you not able to boot in safe mode?

If not, does your mb give you a POST error code? If yes, could you tell us what the error code is? You may have to check the manual. Would help if you could mention the mb model, revision, and the BIOS and version.

Back to my state with this issue:

When I try to power up I get nothing. I don't hear my hard drive begin to spin up, I get nothing on the monitor, nothing. I just find it odd that I had a few memory dump stops, then got absolutely nothing. I put in and old vid card and things worked fine for half a day. Now I'm back to getting absolutely nowhere when I power up. I wish i could get safe mode, but no matter what I try I still get nothing. I have turned on then kept pressing F8, but to no avail.

Dex

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Chicago, IL

Black Belt Jones

R/Me

01 Mar 2007 at 23:28 - 38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fungus Amongus

Back to my state with this issue:

When I try to power up I get nothing. I don't hear my hard drive begin to spin up, I get nothing on the monitor, nothing. I just find it odd that I had a few memory dump stops, then got absolutely nothing. I put in and old vid card and things worked fine for half a day. Now I'm back to getting absolutely nowhere when I power up. I wish i could get safe mode, but no matter what I try I still get nothing. I have turned on then kept pressing F8, but to no avail.

Uh oh. Something might have died on you. You are getting power, though, right? Your fans power up, power light turns on, etc.? If not it's probably your power supply. If so, it could be a lot of things. Do you get any beeps?

Here's the first thing I would try in that situation: pull out all of your expansion cards except for the video card and unplug all of your drives (hard disk, optical drives, etc.). Make sure the video card, memory, and all remaining cables are seated properly. See if it will POST with the bare-minimum hardware (PSU, motherboard, memory, CPU, and video card). If not, one of those 5 things has died. The video card is a likely suspect, but if you've gone through 2 of them it could also be something else. It's also possible that your PSU has a problem and is now proceeding to fry your other components. Let's hope it's something simple.

If you're not seeing the POST screens on your monitor there isn't much hope of seeing anything that comes after that (like Windows...safe mode or no).

Fragorders

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

SD

-No Guild-

N/E

01 Mar 2007 at 23:59 - 39

I have ati cards in my Mac and my PC (Mac has a x800 pro, PC a 1950 Pro) and havent had a single problem with them. Just realize that PC's and driver issues are "nature of the beast" and the only thing you can do is keep on top of all of those updates. My father in law had a nice laptop pc, never did any regular maintance with it (defrag, ect) and the HD totally crapped out on him. Also, it didnt help that when ever it freezed he would just pull the plug out, and never once did a fresh install. Oh well, I hope all of those ideas that were given works out for ya!

PS- DEX kick A$$ picture of Maynard~! How did you like the new CD?

Tarun

Technician's Corner Moderator

Join Date: Jan 2006

The TARDIS

http://www.lunarsoft.net/ http://forums.lunarsoft.net/

02 Mar 2007 at 01:17 - 40

For the OP:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/321637
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330182

Go to http://ati.amd.com and go to their Driver Download section. Match your model card and get the drivers ONLY download.

If you recently upgraded the graphics card, you still need to uninstall your old drivers. Go ahead and uninstall any/all graphics drivers you have installed.

When you reboot, it will be on Windows default drivers and your screen resolution will most likely be 640x480. Cancel out of any "New Hardware Detected" screens, install your new drivers and reboot for them to apply.