Very garbled image, even in BIOS, cannot load Windows...HELP!!!

C

chrisjh

n00b
Joined
Aug 22, 2005
Messages
4
Everything was working well on my computer until last night - I decided to run an old OpenGL program that I had written last year, just to play around with it and reminisce on old times. However, right after opening the executable, the computer froze. So I think, no big deal, I'll just hard-reboot and everything will be ok. Nope. Not even close. When the computer comes back on, the screen is incredibly garbled. I don't know how to describe it other than to liken it to the original Nintendo, when you tried to turn it on and the pixels were all off. You know - some parts of the screen look right, while others are completely messed up. Regardless, it's impossible to see what I'm doing in the BIOS.

Here is what I'm running:

Windows XP Pro
Asus P4C800 Deluxe
Intel P4 3.00c (remember this one? hyper-threading, 800 MHz fsb...ooo-rah)
2x512 MB Corsair XMS 2-3-3-6
Visiontek Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB
2x80 GB Maxtor 7200 RPM 8 MB
Antec TruPower 430 W power supply
SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS sound card
Lite-On SOHW-812s@832s DVD burner
Lite-On (something or other) CD burner
Dell 2001FP monitor

I thought it might be the DVI connection, so I swapped to the Analog connection. No go there, same problem. I then reseated the video card, RAM, and reconfigured the power cords so that the optical drives and the floppy drive were not connected. Again, same problem. Then I took out the video card, liften up the heatsink, and blew off the dust (there was a lot! how'd that happen?) with an air duster thing-a-majig. Then I put the heatsink back on (should I have applied thermal paste?), put it back in the comp, and tried again. SAME PROBLEM.

I have no idea what is causing this. I think that the video card is overheating/not getting enough cooling, and is therefore producing the garbled image. Unfortunately I have no spare video card to test this out, no spare computer (or friends' computers - I just moved to Pittsburgh and know no one yet) to swap video cards/retrieve hard drive data, and I can't read anything on the screen. As such, going into the BIOS does nothing, and the computer will just freeze even if I stay in there (I think the video card shuts down because it is overheating, then the screen goes blank). Needless to say, I can't get into Safe Mode either.

My best guess is to get a cheapo video card and see if that's the problem. If you guys have any recommendations about where to get an incredibly cheap card (sooner rather than later, although I'd rather not get something from Best Buy or Office Depot since their cheapest cards are around $70, so I may be forced to order online and wait for shipping), then please let me know. If you by any chance have had this problem before, please let me know. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Basically, if you can help me get my baby working again, then please let me know. I can't live on my laptop forever!

Also, why would this only happen AFTER running the OpenGL program?

Thanks in advance.

Chris
 
RMA time my friend. Artifacts like that are usually a memory or power issue. If you can test the card in another rig go for it, but odds are the card is toast.

I'm in the same boat right now, my 6800GT should be received by leadtek today. Hope they don't take to long returning it to me...... :mad:
 
I think you've blown your AGP slot.

Try a PCI card and see if you get the same problem.

I dunno how you could blow your agp slot from running some software, but I got the exact same symptoms when I massively over volted my 9800pro's mem voltage and fried it.
 
Had the same problem with my first 6800gt oc. Turned out the video card fried. RMAed (BFG is awesome) and got a new card...all was fine afterwards.
 
Yeah, I'm beginning to think the video card is dead. Unfortunately, I was extremely dumb and threw away both the receipt and the original proof of purchase from the box, so I don't get to take advantage of VisionTek's lifetime warranty. Ouch.

The good news is that I found a couple old video cards in the area (yeah Craigslist!), one PCI and one AGP, so tomorrow I'll be able to tell for sure whether it's the video card, the AGP slot, or both. I really hope it's just the card...

Anyway, thanks for your guys' help, I really appreciate it. Also, even though this was my first post in the forums (fora, technically), I have been a big fan and reader of the forums since they started, and can really appreciate the amount of knowledge and willingness to help that you guys show. Well done. :)

Best,
Chris
 
Well, I found the problem - the video card is definitely fried. And I think I know why - I had forgotten that I've been slightly overclocking for the past 2 years in order to get my memory latency to 2-3-3-6. I think this upped the voltage to the AGP slot, slowly killing my video card in the process.

So now I have a vintage Rage 128 Pro card in here, set everything back to default in the BIOS, and am slowly saving up for an All-In-Wonder (probably an X800 Pro at best, more likely a 9800 Pro).

Interesting side-effect of defaulting the BIOS settings - my processor is now running at 3006.8 MHz with a FSB of 801.8 MHz...before it was down to something like 2998.8 MHz. Whatever, that's not a problem right?

Anyway, at least the mobo is fine and it's just the video card that's dead. Gives me an excuse to get a tv tuner anyway... :cool:
 
chrisjh said:
So now I have a vintage Rage 128 Pro card in here
Click to expand...

lol - beautiful.

Sorry to hear about the troubles, but its good you got them sorted out.
 
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