sucky problem!

this is the continuation of my "having problems with 3D" topic i posted long time ago. now i really want to be sure.

symptons: screen blinks, fades black, monitor turns off, it stops showing anything (like when computer is off but monitor on) and comp crashes. even if i restart the comp, it doesn't show video.

how to fix it: i discovered a way to fix it: shake the case. this just makes video show again though.

when does the symptons happen: when i'm working/playing with 3D programs/games. i think this happens when system temperature is too high too (without 3D), i'm not sure. BUT the 3D games makes system overheat.

example: i'm playing NFSU1, the system overheats (i installed this program that alarms me when this happens), i keep playing and then "symptons" show.

when did this start to happen: one day. hehe i just know nobody did anything to the comp before this started to happen.

i don't understand why it stops showing video. i mean, i used to play this 3D game 10h+ a day everyday and symptons never shown, and now i can't even play for 5mins.

but instead, i play this 2D game and absolutely nothing bad happens.

the comp is clean inside. all fans are working. no virus, no anything.

the video card is a GeForce FX 5200.

i think it's the video card. what about you? any ideas?

thanks.

Check temperatures on the video card. specifically check the fan on the video card, and also to see that it's seated properly.

Shaking a case is never an answer.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

When you shake, are you shaking the monitor, or the computer case?

If monitor, probably a bad part, or broken solder joint.

If case, sounds liek your video card may be loose in the socket.

hey Crono, i don't know how to check the temperature on video card. i use this program that was in the motherboard cd... which won't open.. grr... well it says "Processor Zone, System Zone 1, System Zone 2". i don't know which of those is the video card, i don't even know if any of those is for the video card.

you gave me a program, everest. it doesn't say the temperature, it only shows info about the computer. if it says the temperature, where is it?

shaking is never the answer? at least it works!

rs6: computer case.

Are you completely certain that the graphics card is at the bottom of
it's socket? Somehow this shaking thing makes me suspect that your card
is somewhat loose.

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''Everyone wades in s**t until they're competent enough to walk on it. Jesus style.''
Dystopia - Empires

Most of video cards don't have a temperature sensor.

You should check if your video card fan is still working, and indeed, just check every bloody connection inside your computer, because shaking stuff to make things work is weird.

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:: Forceflow.be :: Nuclear Dawn developer

The fan on the graphics card could be broken but that still doesn't explain why the shaking helps.

As stupid as it sounds, check all your signal cables, cables in and outside the case and the socket of the graphics card itself. Make sure everything is in it's place and holds. This sounds very much like a loose cable.

You said that the program actually tells you something's overheat so getting a new/better fan might be a solution. Maybe the problem came with summer-time and generally higher room temperatures...

hey i just checked the video card and Oh! it doesn't have a fan. it just have that silver/gray/whatever spiky thing. hehe.

Pvt.Scythe: i don't know.

once again: i can't open the case because it still has that stupid warranty that we don't really need and i feel like breaking it right now......

"how did you check your video card then?" well one side of the case is transparent.

i know you can't help further if i don't check inside. if i open it someday i'll let you know! but for now keep 'brainstorming'.

reaper47: it's winter here.
i think the things that overheat are the processor.. and i don't know what else. the program is Intel Active Monitor.

Your video card is heatsinked, then.

Check your processor. Is there a lot of dust in your case ?

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:: Forceflow.be :: Nuclear Dawn developer

asterix_vader said:
once again: i can't open the case because it still has that stupid warranty that we don't really need and i feel like breaking it right now......

don't break it, use it!

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i eat paint

Forceflow: it's clean inside.

fishy: yes i should.

i'm wondering, is it normal that the system overheats when you run a... let's say, a "big" program that uses a lot of momery? because this game always makes system overheat. how do i stop it?

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting reaper47</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>...so getting a new/better fan might be a solution.</DIV></DIV>
maybe.

eeh can any of you come here and check it? i'll let the first one who gets here break the warranty!

Well, the more stress the program lays on your components, the hotter they get.
When your computer crashed, boot it back up and go check the temperature sensors in your BIOS. They give accurate information about the status of everything.

Also, it might be your HD overheating. There are tools out there to monitor your HD's temperature (if it has a sensor, most newer ones have, though). HDDmonitor or something, I think. (google)

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:: Forceflow.be :: Nuclear Dawn developer

A hard drive overheating is not an issue. Failing to rotate the disc ... yeah. Heat, not really. It's very resilient. And to limit that in any case, you can make it so the HDD turns off after being idle. But, the thing is made to be used without any sort of heat sync and the controller card should be fine. This is along the same lines as saying your memory needs a heat spreader, it's bulls**t.

There could be something wrong with an application if everything is clean and the sensors are fine (it's very cheap and easy to have a sensor on a video card and most, which have fans, have them. If there is no fan then temperature is not an issue.)

It could be loose or there could be a software problem.

As far as heat goes in general ... only graphics cards really get hotter from being used intensely. Ram is always being used so that's a pretty constant heat manufacture. The processor is always hot and doesn't really raise in temperature all too much. HDD and Power Supply really make the most heat otherwise. In other words, heat will be rather constant. Which means it's probably not the issue here. Heat, can make the system crash, however, you would get a warning or something when booting again if something got too hot (CPU). If it was the graphics card then you'd see artifacts before a system crash.

So, either, some memory could be bad, or there is a software problem. Most likely it's the latter (out of those two).

The next thing you should check is WHAT programs make the computer crash. Are you sure it's just games?
You can also check the log which will tell you about all OS errors that would halt the system or anything like that. (If you have XP Pro, I don't think it's in home edition)

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Boot up in safe mode, and run some stress tests.

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:: Forceflow.be :: Nuclear Dawn developer

it crashes when the system is overstressed?

if these games make system overheat, that means it's too stressed right?

the last week i had many programs open? and i heard the fans were accelerated, then the screen started to blink, so i closed some programs and it didn't crash and stop'd to blink.

the first time this happened a little window popped up when windows loaded.
it said something about a 'grave, serious' problem caused by the video card.

the same message appeared some days ago after the comp crashed.

aaand how do i run stress tests?

It ain't the heat!

Let's not forget that shaking the case actually helps! I can't think of any reason why shaking the case should bring back a video signal - except for a loose cabele (or a more serious loose contact inside).

(I just watched Dr House, excuse my theoreticism :wink: )

i was playing a game right now (the 2D game that never made comp crash) and:

screen started to blink, then froze, monitor turned off (no video) but winamp kept working, that meant windows didn't crashed at all. then music started to ... stop-play-stop-play. since i didn't want my char to die, i turned off the router, and when there is not internet connection, this game closes, and it did. it closed and monitor turned on again, video again.

so.. what does that mean? video card right? stupid cheap video card!

What does the router have to do with the video card working? Nothing, that's what.

The more you talk about this the more it sounds like a software problem. Drivers, maybe an application. Is there a specific application that you have running when this occurs? Or is a certain device being used when this occurs? Have you gotten any BSODs that would tell you what device is the issue, if it's a device at all?

Saying your screen went blank so you turned the router off and then it came back really doesn't describe the problem, it just implies that it isn't hardware.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Well -- he said he was playing a computer game. Unplugging the router makes the game quit, and that's when the monitor worked again. So its more about the game (and the stresses it puts on the computer to run it?) than the router.

it seems like Addicted to Morphine understood better what i tried to say.

anyway i don't want to bother you all with this anymore.

thanks for your help and time!

It sounds a lot like a software issue (which is what I said and what ATM said also, even if he doesn't realize it). Check your drivers for your video card and chipset, primarily.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Yeah, I was fumbling blindly in the dark. How computers actually work isn't a forte of mine.