Video problem

[Falci]

A friend of mine just bought a Ge Force graphics card but it ain't working properly.

Win XP is displaying wierd pink edges on the monitor. Like the little monitor in the screen saver setup and the folders that appear when you copy and paste something. They're all displaying the pink edges that should be invisible.

I tried to update the drivers but it didn't work.

She said that first they instaled a FX 5200 and then a MX 4000 and both have the same problem.

Any ideas anyone? The guys that sold it to her couldn't fix it either.

[Looney]

Sounds like a monitor problem then... Do you have a monitor you can swap out that one with? If nothing else just to see if that may be it...?

[Inga-KX]

Seems like artifacts due to overclocking, try decreasing your core and memory clock frequencies, it could be that drivers set a wrong level as default.

[Falci]

As We checked later... games doesn't seen to be working either.

We tried One Must Fall Batlegrounds but the textures and visual effects are just screwed up. Everyone of then.

[Inga-KX]

Try your friend's card on some other pc and see what happens, if it's not working mistakenly OCed and you still get the messy stuff, there's a big chance the card could be damaged, but once again, it seems something wrong at driver/registry level to me.

[Falci]

How do I check and change overclocking in the board? I forgot where to look for it.

[Inga-KX]

Here (http://oc3dmark.octeams.com/tip02.html)

You need to focus on the "Clock Frequencies" and be careful!.

[Looney]

Before you burn up your hardware ask your self, Did you overclock, did the person that owns the comp Overclock it... If not, chances are likely it isn't. Check the monitor.

[Inga-KX]

I once installed a MSI GeForce FX5500 256mb, it didn't seem to work and kept crashing (black screen), later, after several attemps, we could get to windows and found out the memory and core clock values were set too low as default (almost 0), so if that's possible, you can't discard the possibility it could have been set too high against the owenr's will.

[Looney]

You have to take into account also that he installed 2 different cards with the same result. Being the case, the odds are better for it not to be the GFX card it's self. First thing to do is check/reinstall/update drivers (he did that), Check DXdiag settings (assuming he has done this), Swap out Video card (He has done this), Check monitor...

The chances of both cards being underclocked or overclocked is slim, not that it couldn't happen, just less likely. ;)

[Falci]

I haven`t been with my friend yet, but I remember sometimes the monitor "turns off" right at the moment windows XP finishes loading. And it won't turn on again unless we rebbot the system.

I'm don't think it's overclocking the cause of all this mess, but we should always check.

Oh... and turn off means that it'll have the power light red (instead of green) and it won't display anything.

[Inga-KX]

Hmmm, if both cards won't work, then it must be the modo, I highly doubt it's a monitor problem.

[Looney]

I haven`t been with my friend yet, but I remember sometimes the monitor "turns off" right at the moment windows XP finishes loading. And it won't turn on again unless we rebbot the system.

I'm don't think it's overclocking the cause of all this mess, but we should always check.

Oh... and turn off means that it'll have the power light red (instead of green) and it won't display anything.


What is the resolution set for?
What size is the Moitor.. 13... 15...17 inch?
How old is the monitor?

[Inga-KX]

Hey mister, if you recall, he says games are unplayable cos the textures and effects are screwed up. No matter how damaged a monitor can be, it's impossible to get textures and that sort of stuff affected by that ;)

[Looney]

So tell me how that is impossable and can't be a monitor problem or a case where the Monitor is to old to handle a resolution that the comp is set for. Look, I'm A+ certified and know my shit. I may not know everthing, but I know how to get to root of a problem. If your monitor is bad/old all kinds of strange stuff will happen.
Example:
If you have an old monitor (Which We Don't know yet) is hooked up to a box that has come from someone that can run at a higher res than your monitor.... (Reloading the drivers should fix this, though going into safe mode is a better way)

Brokren pin in the cable will case this, a bad Monitor/Comp PSU could cause this, Bad MoBo... the list goes on...

So tell me smart guy how is it impossable that it can't be a Monitor? ;)

[Inga-KX]

You talk as this guy had a 13 inch VGA from early 90's :D

An old monitor might not display stuff in high res, a damaged monitor or damaged cable might not allow colors to display properly, a damaged monitor can turn off whenever it feels like doing so, never said that wasn't impossible....now tell me how textures and visual effects can be screwd up by that Mr.Iknowmyshit ;)

[Looney]

I don't know, why would a bad monitor display things improperly.....hummmm

Is this a question like "Who is buried in Grants tomb?"

Edit:

You talk as this guy had a 13 inch VGA from early 90's

As someone that has been to Brazil, and have seen the high prices of electonics there... Yes I can easly think that. That is why I asked.

[Inga-KX]

As someone that has been to Brazil, and have seen the high prices of electonics there... Yes I can easly think that. That is why I asked.

I doubt someone with 2 video cards can be that poor...

[Falci]

A) She doesn't have 2 video cards. She bought 1 and the guys from the store changed it for another thinking the card was causing the problem you are helping me to figure out.

B) Her monitor ain't that old. I think it's one or two years old. It's running at 1024 x 768 and it works fine, despite the weird problems you already know.

I'll see with her if the guys from the store tried to format and reinstall everything. Maybe it could help.

And please, don't fight each other over my friends problem. Thanks.

[Looney]

If she is running XP, you would do better just to use the built in restore points and turn it back to a working state. Save you money and hassle on taking it in for a reload.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/getstarted/ballew_03may19.mspx

[Falci]

If she is running XP, you would do better just to use the built in restore points and turn it back to a working state. Save you money and hassle on taking it in for a reload.


Well, She bought a new HD too, so they just instaled everything up.(She just bought all these parts) Altough I'm afraid they were stupid enough to just copy the hole old HD to the new one... hum... nah, it ain't possible.

I talked very fastly with her today and she told me they did reload everything up and it didn't solve it.

[Looney]

By any chance, do you know if the techs used her monitor or one of theirs to test it out? They can go bad even if they are new. If they did... I'm begining to think that they may have done some strange copy of the O/S If you know how, just give it a reload your self. It's not real hard.

[Inga-KX]

Well, it's over I think, both cards won't work on the same machine even after a total cleanup, that means it's due to hardware issues, which I'm now sure relate to the mobo.

[Falci]

She told me her monitor is 5 years old. So I was worng about it's age.

I told her to take the pc back to the store and tell the guys there to put the FX 5200 back and reload everything up.

They (there) think it's a mainboard problem and told her to buy a new one.

I told her to test what I just said, and if it fails... buy a new Mainboard.

[Inga-KX]

Just curious, what model is her mobo?.

[Falci]

I don't know and I'm pretty sure she probably doesn't either...

[Inga-KX]

Oh well, no prob.

[Tyberious]

So tell me how that is impossable and can't be a monitor problem or a case where the Monitor is to old to handle a resolution that the comp is set for. Look, I'm A+ certified and know my shit. I may not know everthing, but I know how to get to root of a problem. If your monitor is bad/old all kinds of strange stuff will happen.
Example:
If you have an old monitor (Which We Don't know yet) is hooked up to a box that has come from someone that can run at a higher res than your monitor.... (Reloading the drivers should fix this, though going into safe mode is a better way)

Brokren pin in the cable will case this, a bad Monitor/Comp PSU could cause this, Bad MoBo... the list goes on...

So tell me smart guy how is it impossable that it can't be a Monitor? ;)

I was just going to mention your technical background. To my it sounds like it is either an overclocking problem or board problem. Place your bets!

[Falci]

It seens the guys at the store were able to fix the problem with the video card. The guy instaled a PCI card without uninstalling the GeForce MX 4000 and probably did something I don't quite know and my friend didn't told me either that solved it. Funny is to see that the PCI video card is not being used it's just there, marked with the yellow ! in the windows Hardware manager...

Well, thanks for the help guys.

[Inga-KX]

Last thing someone would expect to happen *squint*

[Tyberious]

intereting to say the least. The techs down here did the same with a PCI addin soundcard that wasn't working (it was an onboard soundcard).