Display goes dead black - new install of Win7 x32

Geeks:

I really need help. Maybe I am beyond help. I am bleary-eyes, er, bleary-eyed and growing despondent. You know how it is. But I just can’t give up.

Problem: Screen intermittently goes to black, as in no signal ~at all~ to pixels (not just black rendering). It looks like a power save mode.

Mom’s computer died so I am resurrecting an old machine so mom can do minimal tasks like read email. She is not a gamer, she’s an old lady who needs basic internet access. The most demanding task she might encounter is watching some video...but the computer display has to stay on for that. The box I was given lacked only hard drives, so I put two 80 GB SATAs in and now am struggling with Win7 x32 and the blanking screen.

There are no precious files, and no data to save, so complete reinstall of Windows 7 x32 is less bothersome for me than most, if I only knew what divers to put in, and when to do that, or when not do that. Of course I continue to install software and tweak what’s there so avoiding a re-install is preferred if that’s possible.

I installed from within XP; started XP Pro SP-3, accessed the install disk, and I continued to follow the prompts from there.

I was not asked for any drivers with this install, although I had chipset and some other drivers on a thumb drive handy.

I have since allowed massive updates to windows online, and used SlimDrivers to find and install, you guessed it, drivers (all that it found).

I wish I understood all these BIOS/CMOS settings better. Perhaps someone can guide me through this in order to have ALL the proper settings....link to screenshots of every relevant screen, below

I wonder if the motherboard can handle the graphics instead of the nVidia board? I wonder how to try that?

I tried the "Windows Button" + "P" while screen was black to attempt changing where windows might have been sending display rendering data (like to multiple screens or a projector)...no love.

I wonder if the MoBo is OK? I wonder if things get too hot?

I wonder if Windows is making a record somewhere that can tell us what to fix.


Remedies I have attempted (for days and days now).

Changed cables
Put Power settings on performance; killed screensaver.
Uninstalled Bing Desktop (Windows reverted to Windows Basic due to a conflict somewhere; Bing picture would go away in favor of a black desktop background (icons present))
Tried VGA connection (Computer has no HDMI)

Ran Speccy – here is the link
Stared at Belarc Advisor – results available here
Ran Open Hardware Monitor – screen shot here
Monkeyed with BIOS/CMOS settings – screen shots are here I really wish I could know how to set all of these.

RAM test OK according to Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
Eliminated all Device Manager flags (some present on Network Adapters earlier in this fiasco)
Suspected CPU/board temps (CPU and case fans are working now – I discovered the case fan has "Auto", "Lo" "Med" & "Hi" settings; I changed it from "auto" to "Hi")
Raced to Event Viewer (to beat the BLACK Screen Of Death) and made a movie for your viewing pleasure – available here (go full screen and use the pause button)

Made notes relating to “more information” about errors recorded in Event Viewer, posted below.
Brought it back to my house and access Mom’s box via TeamViewer...(may have caused one of the errors?)
Most of the Kernel errors are from me forcing restarts.

I will continue to plod ahead (including malware scans), and am certain to have more questions....and to make more changes...

The screen does seem to stay alive for longer periods now. It would die in a few minutes before; now it’s alive for a couple of or even a few hours, but not overnight yet...at least no last night.

I’ll post this now praying that someone with experience and patience will come along (as is always the case on the awesome site)...and that they will guide me, or shoot me.

Best,

~drcarl


ERROR NOTES FROM EVENT VIEWER

====================
WMI <--persists on most recent reboot
Event filter with query "SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 60 WHERE TargetInstance ISA "Win32_Processor" AND TargetInstance.LoadPercentage > 99" could not be reactivated in namespace "//./root/CIMV2" because of error 0x80041003. Events cannot be delivered through this filter until the problem is corrected.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/05e27889-b729-4a98-bae3-e91f8b204c5e.aspx
================
Kernel <--persists on most recent reboot
Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-EventTracing/Admin
Session "Microsoft Security Client OOBE" stopped due to the following error: 0xC000000D
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/su...g System&Version=6.1.7600.16385&Language=1033 <--no results
====================
C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Co <--persists on most recent reboot
The description for Event ID 1 from source C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\NvStreamSrv\nvstreamsvc.exe cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

The following information was included with the event:
C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\NvStreamSrv\nvstreamsvc.exe
Can't get user token [1008]
===================================
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error querying for the IVssWriterCallback interface. hr = 0x80070005, Access is denied. <--persists on most recent reboot
. This is often caused by incorrect security settings in either the writer or requestor process.

Operation:
Gathering Writer Data

Context:
Writer Class Id: {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220}
Writer Name: System Writer
Writer Instance ID: {921ea876-46ff-412b-aa6f-bed5cd75b617}

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/f2697b0d-797c-4a75-b95d-4766bf4ffd43.aspx





===================================
Kernel
The driver \Driver\WUDFRd failed to load for the device USBSTOR\IEEE1667Silo&Ven_&Prod_&Rev_&Silo_102\079A100890708ECC&0&102_1.
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/3164.event-id-219-windows-kernel-pnp.aspx
(my Thumb Drive?? – was plugged-in while restart)
==============================
DNS error message fix:
Name resolution for the name www.bing.com timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded.
http://social.technet.microsoft.com...ent-id-1014-microsoft-windows-dns-client.aspx
=================================
The shadow copies of volume C: were aborted because the shadow copy storage could not grow due to a user imposed limit.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/0e7c3161-e09d-488b-848b-e2debf6b1938.aspx (what's a shadow copy?)
==================================
Name resolution for the name gfwsl.geforce.com timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded.
http://social.technet.microsoft.com...ent-id-1014-microsoft-windows-dns-client.aspx
==============================

(I see my system is sometimes posted as a signature...Note that this is not MY system I am obsessed with, but the one I am putting together for my mom - Oh! Her display is a Samsung SyncMaster T220 HD)

 

Hi ploader, nice to 'see' you. I started this new thread to kind of simplify and sum up. ANYway, tried a connection with the DVI cable to my cool NEC monitor: "no signal". Tried a VGA, er, D-Sub...same deal. Trying a different monitor was the first thing to do this day, so at least that's done.

Someone mentioned pressing the "Num Lock" button while it's in the blackout state as an indicator of the MoBo's health. I don't understand how that works, but made a note to try it. Overnight, I gave it a couple of tasks: complete scan with Malwarebytes, and then a couple hours later, a scheduled complete scan with MSE. I have not yet learned how to MAKE it blackout.

This morning, the first time I got up, I was encouraged because when I turned the power button on, there WAS a screen displayed. I clicked a login icon and that worked. I powered-down the monitor, left the box ON, and went back to bed. When I got up the second time (after 'puter ON and monitor OFF)....I powered-up the display and ... boo hoo. blackout. Tried the Num Lock and that indicator light works with the toggle.

Right now the monitor sits there in blackout, waiting apparently in some kind of a pseudo power save kind of mode, waiting, ready to laugh at me, after I try my next trick. No, actually the monitor is begging me to get it right; it WANTS a signal! I am leaving it blacked out in case I want to do some kind of test while in that state. That probably won't last long. After I eat something, I am likely to restart the computer to look at the Event Viewer which probably has no new information.

I wonder if it's a power supply problem? I wonder if I should remove the video card, clean it, bake it in the oven at 350 then re-seat it? I wonder if the MoBo is OK? I wonder if the MoBo has it's own video driver and how to try that!?!

Back in a bit. Thanks for your input.

~drcarl

 

I am opening up the scrap machine I harvested two HDs from. Seeing what kind of harvestable PSU and graphics card (if any) it has. I bet it has a PSU. I will also touch the Mom's machine to feel for hot spots and inspect for MoBo touching chassis, or any signs of being burned up or unusual (not that I even know what I am doing),

 

UPDATE: Took some more photos. Please look at them. Might these little "cans" be the root of the suddenly occurring blackout monitor state?

(I rotated the images so you don't feel like you're upside down)

Here is the link to my Graphics Board Gallery

Next, I am trying to learn if the MoBo has onboard graphics handling ability...and if so, how to enable it?

 

BIG NEWS: NVIDIA chat support says "....the blown capacitors ARE able to cause a blackout at random times (probably with a heavy load) and the display can come back with a restart...for who knows how long...it is surprising that display works at all"

They gave me a link to a minimal card (opposite a gamer's card) here - and told me I could uninstall all but the Graphics Driver (found in Programs) and even Win 7's Aero should work (and stop getting switched to Windows 7 Basic).

I believe the $25 "PCI-ex 16" card is needed (since there is visible physical damage and these symptoms).

I wonder if there is a need to get the better "GT 610" kind of card - mom is the opposite of a gamer, though I want her videos to look nice. (Monitor has HDMI and DVI-I inputs)

 

Thanks....but, um...the motherboard is a Gigabyte...the graphics card shown in the photos >>HERE<<and which is seated into the motherboard is a GeForce...I suppose it's more obvious to me bacuse I am so intimately familiar with it by now.

I will take a very close look at the MoBo as well, and I will skip breaking open and inspecting the PSU which also has capacitors.

Next, I am off to BBuy to get a card and to have them do the "price match" thing with prices on Amazon (shipped and sold by) and/or sold by Newegg. I will have them teach me what a "rail" is because the graphics card that I have in mind needs "a minimum of 16 amps on the +12V rail".

Of interest Wikipedia article: Capacitor Plague

Also of interest is the possibility of bad/blown capacitors, (especially if in the power supply?), can cause power to get dirty/surge/spike/overload/? elsewhere so as soon as I learned that, and was satisfied that I had targeted my problem, I shut the rig down ASAP so that other components were not exposed to bad, or to too much power.

That's all for now. Updates if relevant.

 

New Graphics Board did the trick. All is well. Thanks for being here.