monitor shuts down

hi there,

i'm new here and pretty much un-tech savvy.
so here goes:
a month ago i was playing with a PC game and all of a sudden my screen just shuts down (black, starts looking for the signal, then goes into stand-by).
since then, any game i try will give me the same result.

i opened the case and removed the slot where the modem is located, so as to give the video card (nvidia geforce fx 5700le) more room to breathe, but nothing.
also, a coule of times the screen showed horizontal bright-colored lines, always to the same result: i have to force-shut off my HP pavilion a 120.it

i've been told it is the video card, but also that i might need upgrading my processor.
the first option seems more to the point than the second, but what do i know.

so i ran cpu-z and here are the results:

-------------------------
CPU-Z version 1.37
-------------------------

Processors Map
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of processors 1
Number of threads 1

Processor 0
-- Core 0
-- Thread 0


Processors Information
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Processor 1 (ID = 0)
Number of cores 1
Number of threads 1 (max 1)
Name AMD Athlon XP
Codename Thoroughbred
Specification AMD Athlon™ XP 2600+
Package Socket A (462)
CPUID 6.8.1
Extended CPUID 7.8
Core Stepping B0
Technology 0.13 um
Core Speed 2145.4 MHz (16.0 x 134.1 MHz)
Rated Bus speed 268.2 MHz
Instructions sets MMX (+), 3DNow! (+), SSE
L1 Data cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L1 Instruction cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L2 cache 256 KBytes, 16-way set associative, 64-byte line size
FID/VID Control no
K7 Thermal sensor yes


Thread dumps
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CPU Thread 0
APIC ID 0
Topology Processor ID 0, Core ID 0, Thread ID 0
Type 02001002h
Max CPUID level 00000001h
Max CPUID ext. level 80000008h

Function eax ebx ecx edx
0x00000000 0x00000001 0x68747541 0x444D4163 0x69746E65
0x00000001 0x00000681 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x0383FBFF
0x80000000 0x80000008 0x68747541 0x444D4163 0x69746E65
0x80000001 0x00000781 0x00000000 0x00000000 0xC1C3FBFF
0x80000002 0x20444D41 0x6C687441 0x74286E6F 0x5820296D
0x80000003 0x36322050 0x002B3030 0x00000000 0x00000000
0x80000004 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x00000000
0x80000005 0x0408FF08 0xFF20FF10 0x40020140 0x40020140
0x80000006 0x00000000 0x41004100 0x01008140 0x00000000
0x80000007 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x00000001
0x80000008 0x00002022 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x00000000

MSR 0x0000001B edx = 0x00000000 eax = 0xFEE00900
MSR 0xC0010015 edx = 0x00000000 eax = 0x0A0B1008


Chipset
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Northbridge VIA P4M266/KM266 (VT8375) rev. 00
Southbridge VIA VT8235 rev. 00
Graphic Interface AGP
AGP Revision 3.0
AGP Transfer Rate 4x
AGP SBA supported, enabled
Memory Type DDR
Memory Size 768 MBytes
Memory Frequency 134.1 MHz (1:1)
DRAM Interleave 4-way
CAS# 2.5
RAS# to CAS# 3
RAS# Precharge 3
Cycle Time (tRAS) 6


Memory SPD
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIMM #1

General
Memory type DDR
Manufacturer (ID) (0000000000000000)
Size 512 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2100 (133 MHz)
Part number

Attributes
Number of banks 2
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Registered no
Buffered no
EPP no

Timings table
Frequency (MHz) 100 133
CAS# 2.0 2.5
RAS# to CAS# delay 2 3
RAS# Precharge 2 3
TRAS 5 6



DIMM #2

General
Memory type DDR
Manufacturer (ID) Infineon (C1494E46494E454F)
Size 256 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2300 (142 MHz)
Part number HYS64D32000GU-7
Serial number 05020316
Manufacturing date Week 08/Year 03

Attributes
Number of banks 1
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Registered no
Buffered no
EPP no

Timings table
Frequency (MHz) 133 142
CAS# 2.0 2.5
RAS# to CAS# delay 3 3
RAS# Precharge 3 3
TRAS 6 7



Dump Module #1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
00 80 08 07 0D 0A 02 40 00 04 75 75 00 82 08 00 01
10 0E 04 0C 01 02 20 00 A0 75 00 00 50 3C 50 2D 40
20 90 90 50 50 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 C0
40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
50 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
60 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
70 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00


Dump Module #2
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
00 80 08 07 0D 0A 01 40 00 04 70 75 00 82 08 00 01
10 0E 04 0C 01 02 20 C0 75 75 00 00 50 3C 50 2D 40
20 90 90 50 50 00 00 00 00 00 41 4B 30 32 75 00 00
30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 B2
40 C1 49 4E 46 49 4E 45 4F 43 48 59 53 36 34 44 33
50 32 30 30 30 47 55 2D 37 00 00 00 02 01 03 08 05
60 02 03 16 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
70 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00


DMI
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DMI BIOS
--------
vendor Phoenix Technologies, LTD
version AM37320
date 08/01/2003


DMI System Information
----------------------
manufacturer HP Pavilion 06
product DF172A-ABZ a120
version 0bM0211RE101SALSA
serial CZB31404VY IT320
UUID FF040000-00030000-FF000000-00000000


DMI Baseboard
-------------
vendor unknown
model KM266-8235
revision unknown
serial KE1312332873


DMI System Enclosure
--------------------
manufacturer unknown
chassis type Desktop
chassis serial unknown


DMI Processor
-------------
manufacturer AMD
model AMD Athlon™ XP
clock speed 2133.0MHz
FSB speed 133.0MHz
multiplier 16.0x


DMI Memory Controller
---------------------
correction unknown
Max module size 32MBytes


DMI Memory Module
-----------------
designation A0
size 512MBytes (double bank)


DMI Memory Module
-----------------
designation A1
size 256MBytes (single bank)


DMI Memory Module
-----------------
designation A2


DMI Port Connector
------------------
designation PRIMARY IDE (internal)
connector On Board IDE


DMI Port Connector
------------------
designation SECONDARY IDE (internal)
connector On Board IDE


DMI Port Connector
------------------
designation FDD (internal)
port type 8251 FIFO Compatible
connector On Board Floppy


DMI Port Connector
------------------
designation COM1 (internal)
port type Serial Port 16450
connector 9 Pin Dual Inline (pin 10 cut)
connector DB-9 male


DMI Port Connector
------------------
designation LPT1 (internal)
port type Parallel Port ECP/EPP
connector DB-25 female
connector DB-25 female


DMI Port Connector
------------------
designation Keyboard (internal)
port type Keyboard Port
connector PS/2
connector PS/2


DMI Port Connector
------------------
designation PS/2 Mouse (internal)
port type Mouse Port
connector PS/2
connector PS/2


DMI Port Connector
------------------
designation USB0 (external)
port type USB


DMI Port Connector
------------------
designation AUDIO (external)
port type Audio Port


DMI Port Connector
------------------
designation ETHERNET (external)
port type Network Port
connector RJ-45


DMI Extension Slot
------------------
designation PCI0
type PCI
width 32 bits
populated no


DMI Extension Slot
------------------
designation PCI1
type PCI
width 32 bits
populated yes


DMI Extension Slot
------------------
designation PCI2
type PCI
width 32 bits
populated no


DMI Extension Slot
------------------
designation PCI3
type PCI
width 32 bits
populated yes


DMI Extension Slot
------------------
designation AGP
type AGP
width 32 bits
populated no


DMI Physical Memory Array
-------------------------
location Motherboard
usage System Memory
correction None
max capacity 1536MBytes
max# of devices 3


DMI Memory Device
-----------------
designation A0
format DIMM
type unknown
size 512MBytes


DMI Memory Device
-----------------
designation A1
format DIMM
type unknown
size 256MBytes


DMI Memory Device
-----------------
designation A2
format DIMM
type unknown


Software
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
DirectX Version 9.0c



i'm sure this has a lot to tell to someone, but i cannot make head or tail of it.

ANY help would be appreciated,

do i really need to upgrade my processor?
or the BIOS, for that matter?

and could this have anything to do with the strange behaviour of my monitor when playing games that up until a month ago i would play without a problem?

thanks A LOT!
hinton

 

Which games were you trying to play? Are all drivers up to date? I'm assuming the system meets min. req. for the games.
Doubt processor needs updated. Also have you cleaned inside of comp lately could be a heat issue also?

 

i was playing lego star wars with a geforce fx 5700le.
i had been playing for quite a while when all of a sudden the monitor just died on me.

from that moment on, even with star wars - knights of the old republic, which do not need pixel shaders or anything too fancy, the same thing has been happening.

nvidia drivers are up-to-date, so are directX (if it matters, anyway)
XP is constantly updated.

i followed a freind's suggestion and opened the case and cleand EVERYTHING in there (i do it every 6 months anyway, and the little fan on the video card had some little bundle of dirt on it.
could that have been it? it "seems" to be working now, i'll try and play...

thanks for your help,
hinton

 

OK, it's official: cleaning inside the case did not work.

but it did allow me to surf the web...
see, today i googled for my problem (nothing of consequence, of course) and i ended up installing lavalys' everest home edition. well, just trying to access the directX menu or the GPU menu under "video card" would freeze the monitor, and thet it would shut and re-start.

now i can at least access those menus

but after a few minutes of playing "knights of the old empire" the monitor shut itself off (music continues, by the way)

AAARGH!

 

It still sounds to me like a possible heat or driver issue. Did the problem start after any recent changes in hardware or updates? May want to try an older driver if you recently updated and issues started afterwards especially if it is an older card. Could try pulling card, cleaning and reseating. Be sure ALL drivers are up to date. Many problems in games can be related to sound issues also.

 

well, i did format my HD after the problem, so now it should be quite alright. drivers are updated, both nvidia and creative.

i just cleaned the video card, and i suppose it did make things a bit better.

also, i installed said games in another older HD with only XP home SP1 installed, and an old driver for the geforce. still gave me the same prob.

i'm quite lost here, and i realize this is difficult so thanks for trying

 

Sorry I was unable to help you resolve this issue. On another note after you reformatted did you install chipset driver and update them also. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be able to help with this. Good Luck

 

chipset driver...
if i only knew what it is...

i formatted the HD and reinstalled my XP using the CD-roms i was given when i purchased my PC, and followed instructions as per drivers install.

one thing though: i noticed the fan of the driver card does not rotate easily. don't know if and when it is supposed to go on, but i wondered wether that was causing a prob.
i am keeping the case open thoguh and still the same issue.

thanks for trying don't worry, maybe i should just install a different video card and see if the problem still persists

 

The chipset drivers are for the motherboard north and south bridges. Your comp uses VIA chipset drivers. Check the drivers download site here at MG for them, they should be there. Unless controlled by a program such as Cool 'n' Quiet the fan should come on immediately at full speed when the computer is turned on. How old is the card?

 

I would use the VIA Hyperion 4-in-1 driver 4.56v . It's the first 4-in-1 listed with the HOT symbol next to it. The others are for win98 and SATA and Raid users

 

downloading the driver now.
so this package fixes both south and north bridges?

card was purchased last year, that is one of the reasons i cannot explain this.
i have the latest drivers for it, of course...

do not have cool 'n' quiet, and i really cannot tell if the fan starts or not. it's too small and encased in a golden metal cage. but again, i am keeping the case of my PC open.
could the fan have somehow dislodged? i mean, like a nano-millimiter and now it doesn't run right?

 

Yes that should be the driver for your chipset which covers both bridges. It's possible the fan came loose but not likely unless you may have been pulling on it.

You know how to get to the Nvidia graphics properties? Right click on desktop go to properties>settings>advanced. There should be a tab with your card on it. Click on this and go to temperature settings and see what your card gpu temp is.

 

tried the properties, but cannot see anything pertaining my card temperature.
i am pretty sure i never noticed anything like this before.

and no, i did not play with the fan or anything, i never pulled it out of the socket before yesterday.

what about updating the BIOS? i tried looking for an update on the web but apparently i would have to pay for it (@ esupport.com), and i really don't know wether it's worth it or not, and wether i should trust this esupport or not.

BIOS is an AWARD; phoenix - awardBIOS v.6.00PG
the date for the system BIOS is 08/01/03
the date for the video BIOS is 02/18/04

 

You could update BIOS but do not feel that is the issue. There is an update at HP website dated 09/18/2003. FREE Download but fixes do not pertain to video cards. Did you find the Nvidia tab I mentioned in previous post? Right click Desktop go to Properties > click on settings> click on advanced button> new box will open and you should see the Nvidia display Tab. There is also an nvidia update at the website to provide support for newer cards you should install.
Link to download site for you comp:
www.hewlettpackard.com
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=228&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=314680

I would install all the newer drivers

 

When you installed video card did you disable the onboard video in the Bios? Or did comp come with a card?
Instructions for disabling onboard video:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...lc=en&product=314680&os=228&docname=c00007413

 

i believe i installed the BIOS update a little time ago but i see now it pertains AM37 cards, and mine is AM35... i hope i did not mess up!
but i am sure that i updated AFTER i experienced problems with the video.

should i install the Via/S3 ProSavage DDR driver update on HP's site do you think?

when i bought the video card i believe i just replaced the old one (definitely not on-board), and the "new" one has been working fine for a year now, so i do not think anything is amiss there.
my "harware device manager" tells me i have the GeForce 5700LE installed.

i tried following your sequence "settings> click on advanced button> new box will open and you should see the Nvidia display Tab"; it shows the GeForce 5700LE tab alright but i cannot find anything about temperature...

 

I belive the S3Savage is a specific card it would not hurt if you did install but is not necessary. The 5700 may not have the temp monitoring capability but there should be a tab for temperature settings. Change the view in the nvidia graphics controller to the reduced view or classic I'm not sure what it's called and I don't have it on this machine and can't check. But there is a way to change the view under the nvidia tab. I'm still thinking this is a heat issue though. Even with the case open you need air movement for the heatsink to work properly. Need to get temps of GPU. Do you have Sandra installed on this comp?. I believe it may tell you GPU temp.

 

ok, so latest drivers do not include temperature settings.
i am downlading nvidia ntune now, a stand-alone program that will let me check CPU temperature and god knows what else.

i don't have a sandra installed. well, my wife's name is sandra but i bet that doesn't count?

will do all tests and check temp and will write back.

 

well, now i can access a profile which allows me to overclock the video card, and supposedly gives me the card's temp. but i see NOTHING!!!
it says GPU FAN SETTINGS, but then i cannot change or even access them. does that mean that it does not see a fan at all? could be...

i did do a "stability test" with this new nvidia ntune on CPU, GPU and other things, and the PC passed all tests. does that mean anything at all? i think not.

did i mention that i am at a loss?

 

eyeblazin, i was at last able to get the ntune software to monitor GPU's tem:

here is the log:

Current Time (ºC) (ºC)
2006/11/17 10:27:37 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 10:27:41 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 10:27:45 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 10:27:55 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 10:27:57 123866.8 0


seems awful hot to me!

 

Im not seeing any temps here, if it's over 50C I would look into a new fan or try reseating the current one, but as you have already noted it turns hard, best bet may be to replace it. Also how many other fans are in the case and are they all working, I would recommend at least one in front bringing air into the case and one in rear removing air, one in the top if there is a place to mount. Especially be sure power supply fan is working and clean.

 

new log is just as unreadable to me:

Current Time (ºC) (ºC)
2006/11/17 13:25:29 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:25:34 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:25:37 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:25:41 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:25:45 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:25:49 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:25:53 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:25:57 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:26:1 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:26:5 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:26:9 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:26:13 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:26:17 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:26:21 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:26:25 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:26:29 123866.8 0
2006/11/17 13:26:33 123866.8 0


two more fans in the case, one on the back to remove air one in the moddle of the board to move it. both working.
last summer i was very worried about it cause it was so hot in italy.
didn't do anything after all becasue they both work fine so i thought what the hell...

will definitely think about a new video card (i would happily replace the fan but nvidia's website instructions doesn't make it sound too easy/safe, besides, don't think a fan would be so inexpensive. what do you reckon?).
first i will try and have someone lend me a different (nvidia) card and be absolutely sure it's really the video card.

thanks for your help and support eyeblazin

 

Actually fans are pretty cheap compared to a new card, usually starting around $4.00 US. Fan does not have to be bought at nvidia, can be bought elsewhere as they are pretty standard just be sure it is a VGA chipset fan. Newegg is a very good site and highly regarded but there are many others. Not sure about European sites maybe someone else can recommend one for there. The fan in the middle of the board is probably the CPU fan. As I'm sure it does get hot there you may want to look into putting a fan in the front of case to push air into it, they are very cheap and a good investment. If you can get another card to try that is a good idea as there is the possibility your power supply may be the culprit giving you trouble.

 

will follow your suggestions. a friend said it could also be the power supply only yesterday. hadn't thought of that, really.
anyway, thanks again for all your advices,

till next time.

 

If you decide to replace PSU be sure to get a minimum of 300 watts. You can also remove old one and open it and clean out well and retry it.

Buona Fortuna
eyeblazin

 

hey eyeblazin,


just wanted you to know that after waiting for the new video card fan, it arrived, and it's been smooth sailin' ever since.
i still cannot believe that a fan makes all that difference, but this just reminds me what i already know: my knowledge of HW is close to zero


taking the cue from this... ehm...
do you think you could help if i said i am seriously thinking about keeping the case, the HD, audio and video cards but changing all that should/need be updated/upgraded (CPU, motherboard, etc.)?
i have been thinking about htis for a while, ever since i bought a RAM stick last year actually, and noticed what an improvement i could get in my PC's general performance out of it.

i figure i could go around and ask people at various shops, but i'd never know if what they are advising me is because they want to sell (which happens most of the time); you have already helped me out big time here, so maybe if you have the time you could give me some advice?

thanks in advance,

 

Hello Hinton

Glad to hear you were able to resolve the original issue.
Yes I could make some recommendations if you feel confident enough that you could make the switchout. There is a little more involved than just swapping things out especially when installing the processor. My personal preference are AMD processors but there is really not much difference IMO. I will have to do a little research into your present comp to see what type MOBO you can put into the case etc. The problem right now is time as I am pretty busy with Xmas right around the corner and all. The other question would be how much you would be able to spend for the upgrade. If you would like PM me and we can work from there.

Eyeblazin