Free video test utility?

[Howard Schwartz]

My newest ``old'' computer is an ibm pentuim 3 with a 650Mhz cpu. The
motherboard includes an S3 trio 3d video chip, and my screen is now
sort of blanking to green only, intermittently, but fairly reliably after
the chip warms up.

Ordinarily I would consider this a sign of dying electronics. Yet, I
replaced the S3 drivers a while back and got trouble free video for
quite a while. More computer shuffling and the problem returned.

I tried to replace the chip with a rage II+ video card. Alas, the
monitor light goes on at first, but then returns to standby for
the rest of the boot. Perhaps this is a sign that this card
is sick too?

Anyway, is there a decent free video card test program that can
help me identify my vido problem(s)?

 

[Newfdog]

My newest ``old'' computer is an ibm pentuim 3 with a 650Mhz cpu. The
motherboard includes an S3 trio 3d video chip, and my screen is now
sort of blanking to green only, intermittently, but fairly reliably after
the chip warms up.

Ordinarily I would consider this a sign of dying electronics. Yet, I
replaced the S3 drivers a while back and got trouble free video for
quite a while. More computer shuffling and the problem re
turned.

I tried to replace the chip with a rage II+ video card. Alas, the
monitor light goes on at first, but then returns to standby for
the rest of the boot. Perhaps this is a sign that this card
is sick too?

Anyway, is there a decent free video card test program that can
help me identify my vido problem(s)?

I suspect that your monitor cable is bad or loose. Does moving it around
make any difference?

Newfdog

 

[milsabords]

I suspect that your monitor cable is bad or loose. Does moving it around
make any difference?

Newfdog

.... or your video card is not inserted correctly in its PCI or AGP connector
?

 

[Daniel Mandic]

Hi Howard!


Try a Bios Update for your Mainboard.




Best Regards,

Daniel Mandic

 

[Terry Russell]

My newest ``old'' computer is an ibm pentuim 3 with a 650Mhz cpu. The
motherboard includes an S3 trio 3d video chip, and my screen is now
sort of blanking to green only, intermittently, but fairly reliably after
the chip warms up.

probably monitor or cable, or could be chips, surface bonded chips sometimes
come unstuck.

Ordinarily I would consider this a sign of dying electronics. Yet, I
replaced the S3 drivers a while back and got trouble free video for
quite a while. More computer shuffling and the problem returned.

I tried to replace the chip with a rage II+ video card. Alas, the
monitor light goes on at first, but then returns to standby for
the rest of the boot. Perhaps this is a sign that this card
is sick too?

did you turn the onboard video off in bios?

Anyway, is there a decent free video card test program that can
help me identify my vido problem(s)?

Nokia monitor test. For monitor, but not diagnostic.

 

[Howard Schwartz]

I suspect that your monitor cable is bad or loose. Does moving it around
make any difference?

Nope. It was always a bane, that the end of the cable attached to the
monitor is usually buried inside the monitor. It does not have a connector
at the end that can be detached from the monitor. Thus, I do not know an
easy way to replace a monitor cable, short of using a soldering iron and
opening up the monitor case.

In my case, there is no indication the cable is at fault. One way I know,
is I attach the same cable to another computer with another adapter card,
and get no problems.

 

[Howard Schwartz]

or your video card is not inserted correctly in its PCI or AGP connector

Well the S3 chip is part of the motherboard. I doubt t he rage II+ is
not in the pci slot correctly - have tried it several times. And the
monitor first appears to go on, then goes back in suspend mode.

I now suspect this has something to do with win 98's ``multiple monitor'
capability and the unavoidable presence of 2 adapters in the computer:
Ordinarily one can remove a possible bad card and insert another. But
with one `card' onboard the motherboard, the bios is going to detect
2 video cards when I boot. It is possible it will not allow this, unless
I define each adapter as attached to a different monitor. I do not know
much about this technology, but have seen bits of it on the
display monitor settings screen.

 

[Howard Schwartz]

id you turn the onboard video off in bios?

Wish I could. I looked in the ibm bios but saw no way to do this.
I should look again more carefully. I suspect an alternative is to somehow
define multiple monitors, for multiple video cards.

Monitor itself is OK, since it works fine with another PC.

 

[Terry Russell]

Wish I could. I looked in the ibm bios but saw no way to do this.
I should look again more carefully. I suspect an alternative is to somehow
define multiple monitors, for multiple video cards.

should be something there, I can't recall any that couldn't be turned off

Monitor itself is OK, since it works fine with another PC.

Check the monitor cable plug and socket, sometimes bent or corroded pins
or contacts do that. Or a bad connection to the motherboard.

When it happens open the case and tap the chips and socket connection
with something non conductive. Fingers work if you are well grounded

If it is bad chip contact not much you can do about surface mounts,
sometimes an appropriately placed clothespeg ( no metal parts)
or other form of weigh or pressure on offending chip as a clamp or wedge can
fix a problem. Clamp, wedge, cable tie, whatever works.

You should see a video bios report and a prompt on the secondary monitor
if you enable it multiple monitors, unfortunately it will probably still
want to use
the onboard S3 as primary display.

 

[Howard Schwartz]

Good advice below, most of which I tried. Worst case, the chip itself is
bad. I thought this was it after manually plugging and unplugging the
monitor cable between t 2pcs. But they I had a long period of no trouble,
which came back recently.

Surely, there must be a way to replace an onboard component that goes
bad, with a PCI card that does the same job?

should be something there, I can't recall any that couldn't be turned
off

There is no obvious disable for the primary S3 video in the bios. There
may be a way using complex startup settings and so on. But this will
take some experimenting.

Check the monitor cable plug and socket, sometimes bent or corroded
pins or contacts do that. Or a bad connection to the motherboard.

I have checked this, and even switched cables - still no luck.

When it happens open the case and tap the chips and socket connection
with something non conductive. Fingers work if you are well grounded

Done this too, but can try being more ``forceful''.

If it is bad chip contact not much you can do about surface mounts,
sometimes an appropriately placed clothespeg ( no metal parts)
or other form of weigh or pressure on offending chip as a clamp or
wedge can fix a problem. Clamp, wedge, cable tie, whatever works.

You should see a video bios report and a prompt on the secondary
monitor if you enable it multiple monitors, unfortunately it will
probably still want to use
the onboard S3 as primary display.

Still can not figure out how to enable multiple monitors.


I suspect, I should stop posting on my problem, since it is of little
use to a freeware news group. Sure would like to find a video card
test utility, to learn if my S3 chip is toast.

 

[ms]

should be something there, I can't recall any that couldn't be turned
off


Check the monitor cable plug and socket, sometimes bent or corroded pins
or contacts do that. Or a bad connection to the motherboard.

When it happens open the case and tap the chips and socket connection
with something non conductive. Fingers work if you are well grounded

If it is bad chip contact not much you can do about surface mounts,
sometimes an appropriately placed clothespeg ( no metal parts)
or other form of weigh or pressure on offending chip as a clamp or wedge
can fix a problem. Clamp, wedge, cable tie, whatever works.

You should see a video bios report and a prompt on the secondary monitor
if you enable it multiple monitors, unfortunately it will probably still
want to use
the onboard S3 as primary display.

I saved this thread, have a similar problem on my old P166. I get frequent
screen freezes. Solution (crazy, I know), is to wiggle monitor cable
connector (which is firmly mounted to back of tower). Inside the case, back
of connector has cable to motherboard, everything seems solid, defies a
real fix, no fun.

Mike Sa

 

[Howard Schwartz]

I saved this thread, have a similar problem on my old P166. I get
frequent screen freezes. Solution (crazy, I know), is to wiggle
monitor cable connector (which is firmly mounted to back of tower).
Inside the case, back of connector has cable to motherboard,
everything seems solid, defies a real fix, no fun.

Wonder if there is some hardware fix for this: If brave enough to
take off monitor case, and have a soldering iron at the ready --
some coupler or housing so one can plug and unplug a monitor cable
into back of monitor?