severe graphics problems and graphics card not responding. - Guild Wars Guru archive powered by Guild Wars Legacy

blurple

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Dec 2010

R/Me

02 Jan 2011 at 04:03 - 1

Well basically, here's my problem: So I'm playing for a while no problems and then out of nowhere framerate stutters then WHAM:

Screen goes like that, then goes black, then comes back on. Then I have to close the game cause theres too much static to possibly see anything you're clicking.

I also get the nvlddm error :
http://www.nvlddmkm.com/

So my question is has anyone else experienced this cause I have and it happens like every single time I play for more than 2 hours.

(and YES i have tried updating my video drivers.)

makosi

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Mar 2006

"Pre-nerf" is incorrect. It's pre-buff.

Requirement Begins With R [notQ]

Me/

02 Jan 2011 at 14:17 - 2

It's heat damage.

If you're overclocking the card then restore it to the BIOS clock speeds and enquire about other sorts of cooling. Perhaps taking the side off of the case will help if it's a desktop PC.

Monitor the temperature of your card (assuming it has a thermometer on it) with http://www.piriform.com/speccy and you'll be able to see the temperature limit at which the card is failing.

It might be time for a new graphics card, I'm afraid.

Quaker

Hell's Protector

Join Date: Aug 2005

Canada

Brothers Disgruntled

02 Jan 2011 at 16:30 - 3

In addition to the above, open up the machine and clean out any dust and debris (particularly from the video card). Make sure that any and all cooling fans are running properly.

End

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2008

Rubbing Potassium on water fountains.

LF guild that teaches MTSC (did it long ago before gw2 came out and I quit...but I barely remember)

N/A

02 Jan 2011 at 16:31 - 4

Quote:

Originally Posted by makosi

It might be time for a new graphics card, I'm afraid.

Ofc before going out and buying a new one grab a can and clean it out. And just hope no perm damage has been done

blurple

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Dec 2010

R/Me

02 Jan 2011 at 17:59 - 5

i already tried cleaning it and it helped, (before my computer was just shutting down altogether) I cleaned off a HUGE amount of dust blocking the vents, and it stopped the shut downs. now my comptuer doesn't shut down anymore , it just does this ^ . so instead of my whole computer shutting off , its just my graphics card crapping out on me, Which is just as bad.

So I guess ill try a more thorough cleaning. there was a bit of dust on the fan that I could go over with a q tip or something, but i dunno if it will help.

Quaker

Hell's Protector

Join Date: Aug 2005

Canada

Brothers Disgruntled

02 Jan 2011 at 19:13 - 6

Unfortunately, sometimes, after the RAM on the video card has been overheated a few times, it craps out more or less permanently.
Before you give up though, another thing you can do is to remove the video card from the computer, clean up the fan & heatsink on the card, and then reinstall the card, making sure it's fully seated. In some cases, iffy contacts on the card's socket can cause these sorts of problems - removing and re-installing/reseating the card can help.

blurple

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Dec 2010

R/Me

02 Jan 2011 at 19:29 - 7

I would try that if I even knew where my graphics card was located, i dont even know if i can remove it since its a laptop and you can't see anything tha resembled a graphics card when you open it up.

I mean, I apparently have a nVidia geforce 9500 m GS, but I can't see anything that says "nVidia" or "geforce" or "9500" on it when i open up my laptop, soI have no idea where the graphics card is located or if its onboard or what. The fan seems to just be blowing air onto a chunk of plastic.

Elder III

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jan 2007

Ohio

I Will Never Join Your Guild (NTY)

R/

03 Jan 2011 at 01:33 - 8

well being a laptop means it's probably time to look for a new PC, it's possible to that the heatsink for the mobile GPU could be replaced, but it's doubtful that it would solve the problem and in any case, doing anything about it will require a more or less complete dismantling of the laptop (can't say for sure about that without knowing the specific laptop). Onne thing you could try is a notebook cooling pad, but it's likely to be permanently damaged I'm afraid.

Stoney Malloney

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2006

Netherlands, Amsterdam

Connoisseur of Ectoplasm [eC]

W/

04 Jan 2011 at 07:28 - 9

Think I may have found a picture of it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MXM-II-Graphics-...-/170478463047

Hope this helps you out a bit.

Also, as to notebook cooling pad, it definitely does not hurt to get one regardless, it'll prolong your battery life of your laptop and can lower your laptop temperature by up to 10 degrees celsius (depending on if you get a good cooler).

Good luck!

Notorious Bob

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2009

Gwen's underwear drawer

The Curry Kings

R/

04 Jan 2011 at 12:40 - 10

Before you go pulling things apart, there is some other stuff to try. The nVidia drivers are crap and the nvlddmkm error has been around for years - nVidia have never been bothered enough to fix it. There are a few games that will drive your graphics card to the point where they have this type of brain f*rt - Guild Wars is one, World in Conflict is another. etc.

So, the things I would try...

1) Run GW in windowed mode - if the problem recurs does it only affect the GW window?

2) Run GW using the directx 8 command line switch which turns of many of the more testy 3D effects including shaders.

3) Manually lower the resolution and detail levels for GW and see if that improves stability.

4) If these fail then heat starts to look more like the culprit - which is bad news

gl

some-_1

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jan 2008

Reading, England

Zaishen Masters [ZM]

R/

04 Jan 2011 at 17:25 - 11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notorious Bob

The nVidia drivers are crap and the nvlddmkm error has been around for years - nVidia have never been bothered enough to fix it. There are a few games that will drive your graphics card to the point where they have this type of brain f*rt - Guild Wars is one, World in Conflict is another.

Really? I've been using nVidia for years and never once encountered this issue. It's most probably a heat issue as has been stated before and as OP is using a laptop heat dissipation whilst playing graphical games like this can become an issue (unless using a high-end laptop designed for it but even then without proper maintenance like removing dust etc, overheating will occur). Also the error appears to be more of a general error rather than a specific one. The error in this case, potentially being caused by overheating, isn't something nVidia can fix. Running GWs in DirectX 8 mode w/no Shaders will reduce stress on the card but will only serve as a temporary solution until the real cause is identified and resolved. If the card is on its way out it will still go eventually.

Notorious Bob

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2009

Gwen's underwear drawer

The Curry Kings

R/

04 Jan 2011 at 19:11 - 12

Quote:

Originally Posted by some-_1

Really? I've been using nVidia for years and never once encountered this issue.

Yes, really. The driver problem is one of the most frequently reported and consistently ignored issues with nVidia. The companies lack of response or a fix is very well documented. Some suggest that the only real solution is to switch to an ATI card :S

Have a quick google and you'll see reams of discussions on the nvlddmkm issue.

Strangely enough, another contributing factor to the driver falling over is an interaction with sound drives, particularly in integrated motherboards - so if you're in the habit of listening to music while gaming then that can also trigger this particular driver failure with associated display corruption.

some-_1

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jan 2008

Reading, England

Zaishen Masters [ZM]

R/

04 Jan 2011 at 19:18 - 13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notorious Bob

The driver problem is one of the most frequently reported and consistently ignored issues with nVidia. The companies lack of response or a fix is very well documented.

See:

Quote:

The error appears to be more of a general error rather than a specific one. The error in this case, potentially being caused by overheating, isn't something nVidia can fix.

OP's problems appear to be overheating. This cannot be solved with a driver update therefore nVidia can't do anything about it. Anyways lets keep on topic and not let this turn into an nVidia vs ATI thread please.

blurple

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Dec 2010

R/Me

21 Jan 2011 at 18:36 - 14

Well some- 1 you've already successfully done that on your own.

By the way, I've fixed the heating problem as seen in the screenshot but I still havne't got rid of the constant nvlddmkm crashes, which still happen when my temperature is at a low of 50C.

Just Sai

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Oct 2009

aotearoa

Mo/

21 Jan 2011 at 21:36 - 15

lack of maintenance leads to tears
look after your stuff man or expect more of the same.
a simple task like ensuring vents are clear can save you $100's

blurple

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Dec 2010

R/Me

22 Jan 2011 at 00:05 - 16

uh i already did that and they are clear

tijo

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Feb 2007

Montreal

[CDDR]

R/

22 Jan 2011 at 18:24 - 17

If you're feeling confident, head to forum.notebookreview.com and check to see if they have a disassembly guide for your laptop. Opening it up completely will allow you to remove some dust that can't be removed any other way. If you're out of your warranty, there's also nothing preventing you from replacing the thermal paste on your heatsink/s.

blurple

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Dec 2010

R/Me

11 Feb 2011 at 22:20 - 18

well i still havent fixed the problem and ive tried everything now, including cooling pad and countless different driver versions...... even replaceing the thermal paste on the heatsinks of both the cpu and gpu.... and i still get the problem even when the gpu temerature is only 50C.

Quaker

Hell's Protector

Join Date: Aug 2005

Canada

Brothers Disgruntled

12 Feb 2011 at 15:33 - 19

It's broken.......

rb.widow

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2009

12 Feb 2011 at 23:26 - 20

Got to agree with Quaker here, the card is done or is on its way, any time you put any load onto the GFX card its going to heat up and cause that, until the point where it will not post an image at all,

If your laptop is under warranty id be contacting them asking for it to be fixed.

If its not under warranty, you may get lucky if you have a store near you that deals with laptops, that may be-able to get you another main board for it, if however your laptop is older than say 3 years and out of warranty now maybe a good time to start checking for a newer one.

tijo

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Feb 2007

Montreal

[CDDR]

R/

15 Feb 2011 at 14:38 - 21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quaker

It's broken.......

Yep, it overheated and at some point and suffered permanent damage at some point.