What the Blank Blue Screen??!!

L

lowstandards

n00b
Joined
Jul 26, 2004
Messages
21
Windows XP Pro (SP2 and all updates)

Hi folks. I've got a problem on my hands. Just last week I ditched my 9800XT for a x850xt PE. Twice the power, indeed. However, twice the hassel as well.

You see, the problem I am about to outline has never happened with my 9800XT in the system. I am using CAT 5.7 drivers and am loving the FarCry, Dungeon Siege 2, Thief: DS, Doom 3 playing but am starting to worry.

Now to the problem: Twice so far (once in DS2 and once in FarCry) I'll be playing the game and all of a sudden my screen will flash to a Blank BLUE SCREEN and my speakers will emit an annoying high pitch screech and remain like this until cold reboot!!!
(RECALL that this NEVER happened with my 9800XT). Also, I am not and never have overclocked my video card..neither the 9800XT nor x850xt. However, I do overclock my Processor but since backed it back down to stock (3.0 GHZ) just in case.

Any ideas anyone?

As a result, I have turned error reporting on so that it will generate a report the next time it happens. Any clues on how to read the generated report?

Thanks so much.
__________________
P4 3.0ghz @ 3.5ghz
Abit IC-7
1GB PC-4000 DDR
Visiontek XTASY Radeon X850XT PE AGP 256MB
SB Audigy 2 ZS
160GB Maxtor SATA 150 h/d
 
Did you also do the following so that you may check for errors:

Disable automatic restart:
Start>right click My Computer>Properties>Advanced Tab>Startup and Recovery>Settings>remove check mark on Automatic Restart> hit OK.

Event Viewer:
Right click My Computer>Manage>Event Viewer is in the left pane. Expand it> Check the log for errors. Then search the error @
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/eventserrors.mspx
Also:
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;en-us;KBHOWTO

gl :)
 
I've had the exact same thing happen twice in the last couple months. It's so random it's hard trouble shoot. For me, there were no erros in the event viewer. It wasn't a BSOD - I already have that set so it will not reboot. The only thing that was the same each time was the game (Doom 3 res of evil and Tribes vengeance) was loading a level.
So far I've only updated my SB drivers, but I haven't had much trigger time to really test it. Like I said, it only seemed to happen about once a month for me. I am using the 5.6 drivers and I'll update them soon.
 
you are over clocking. could this be heat, power, or just instability? can you run prime 95 for hours?

just checking
 
Actually I am overclocking the processor but NOT the video card. I think I will try a Prime 95 tonight and report 2morrow morning. I never figured that Prime 95 would be necessary since I have NEVER had a lock up or any problems at my 3.5ghz speed with my 9800XT. ALL THAT CHANGED IN MY PC THAT GAVE ME THESE BLUE SCREENS WAS A NEW VIDEO CARD. No more, no less. Same drivers, everything. So why would a more powerful video card in my system cause my O/C'd processor to start acting up now? See what I'm saying?

Thanks for the suggestion, tho.
 
Probably try uninstalling and then re-installing the video drivers. I know the current drivers should pick the new card up and run with it, but you should do that just incase it hasn't. Also try to update as many drivers as you can (sound card, motherboard etc.).

All the power connectors are plugged in fine? And, if your testing doesn't find the problem, maybe try putting your old card in there, and see if that causes the problems, or alleviates them entirely - if it does you have a bung vid card.

But try everything ou said you are going to try out first. Maybe through a memtest in there as well, to test RAM and stress the system :)
 
Excellent idea. Prime95 tonight. Then memtest tomorrow night. Then old video card.

UPDATE: I just checked the video GPU temp after running FarCry for 30 minutes and it was at 81 Celcius. Oh, I hope it was Farenheit though because that is one high number. Anyone know what normal load temps for x850xt are supposed to be? 81 sounds pretty high considering an idle temp of 46.

thanks guys.
 
lowstandards said:
Excellent idea. Prime95 tonight. Then memtest tomorrow night. Then old video card.

UPDATE: I just checked the video GPU temp after running FarCry for 30 minutes and it was at 81 Celcius. Oh, I hope it was Farenheit though because that is one high number. Anyone know what normal load temps for x850xt are supposed to be? 81 sounds pretty high considering an idle temp of 46.

thanks guys.
Click to expand...

81 Celcius is not farenheit :p. I dunno a whole lot about these things (just now becoming somewhat puter literate) but it sounds like a heat problem.
 
Yeah, some sort of cooling issue I think. Try running a game with the side panel off next chance you get?
 
Hey folks. I tore the internet up and finally found the temps that the x800's can handle. The maximum temperature is 120 celcius. I know that sounds crazy to me too and I will try to find that website that stated that after work. But 80 is still pretty high.
 
Just got off phone with VisionTek Tech support and the gentleman kindly suggested that I RMA the product since it sounds to be defective. I will do so and play the hell out of the card when it comes in to see if the problem exists. Thanks for all the help guys. Stay posted for updates. ;)
 
In the meantime I got back with Visiontek tech support to verify what the safe temperature was for the card. I was told that they didn't know but the card IS known to have problems with the 5.7 and 5.8 Catalyst drivers. Some have been getting "overheating" messages with these drivers and the tech feels this may be a problem with my card. He suggested I go to their website and use their drivers instead. So I hit their website and they are 5.3 drivers! I'm not going backwards in drivers just to get my card to POSSIBLY work correctly. I would understand one driver set backward but not 4!!

already got RMA auth from Newegg. Let us hope.
 
Fixed? Hey guys, the problem was my processor!!! It is a 3.0ghz that I had overclocked to 3.5 for quite a while with no probs. I backed down to 3.0ghz when this problem started but still had the issue. I bought a slightly used one from a friend and I haven't had the problem since!! Thanks to all who have helped!
 
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