HELP: BIG "Display" PROBLEM

[Guest]

My learned friends,

I have had to repost this as I cannot find the original post. I include,
details plus some additional information that I hope will enable you to help
me.

I cannot get access to windows in normal mode. Just before he sign in screen
would normally come up, the screen remains black and the mouse curser stays
in the middle of the screen and I am completely locked out; neither the mouse
nor the key board work. Also during the boot up the screen flickers, which
was not the case before. I can get in via safe, and the resolution and
colours are all distorted. The colours bleed into one another and there are
purple dots or specs all over the screen. I have tried a system restore to no
avail.

Needless to say I am worried about this. My PC is running windows xp home
ed. Service pack 2.
2.2GHZ P4
64MB Nvidia Geforce 3

I would like to know how to fix the problem, regarding, 1) getting into
windows in normal mode and also 2) the screen resolution and display issue.

Modification : The message I get says something, to the best of my
recollection, along the lines of:
Windows Display Driver
"The … display driver has stopped working normally. Save your work and
reboot the system to restore full display functionality. The next time you
reboot the machine a box will be displayed giving you a chance to upload data
about this failure to Microsoft."

However If I reboot. I am not always able to gain access to windows.. I have
only managed to gain access by a series of restarts and in the System
configuration utility opting for a Normal startup rather than a selective
startup. This seems to only temporarily solve the issue.

Any ideas?

 

[chusome]

1. Boot into safe mode
2. Goto start->run and type: devmgmt.msc and press enter
3. In the device manager window that appears double click on display
adapters.
4. In the display adapters sub-tree your video drivers will appear
(theres likely only one)
5. Right click on the video driver and choose uninstall. Click ok.
6. Now reboot into normal mode and windows will reinstall the video
driver.

If this doesn't work you'll need an updated driver from the
manufacturer of your video card/computer.

 

[chusome]

I should also note that in some cases these symptoms are caused by
faulty video ram.

 

[db]

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/...-8EB7A22FC6A0&dglist=&ptlist=&exp=&sloc=en-us


My learned friends,

I have had to repost this as I cannot find the original post. I include,
details plus some additional information that I hope will enable you to help
me.

I cannot get access to windows in normal mode. Just before he sign in screen
would normally come up, the screen remains black and the mouse curser stays
in the middle of the screen and I am completely locked out; neither the mouse
nor the key board work. Also during the boot up the screen flickers, which
was not the case before. I can get in via safe, and the resolution and
colours are all distorted. The colours bleed into one another and there are
purple dots or specs all over the screen. I have tried a system restore to no
avail.

Needless to say I am worried about this. My PC is running windows xp home
ed. Service pack 2.
2.2GHZ P4
64MB Nvidia Geforce 3

I would like to know how to fix the problem, regarding, 1) getting into
windows in normal mode and also 2) the screen resolution and display issue.

Modification : The message I get says something, to the best of my
recollection, along the lines of:
Windows Display Driver
"The … display driver has stopped working normally. Save your work and
reboot the system to restore full display functionality. The next time you
reboot the machine a box will be displayed giving you a chance to upload data
about this failure to Microsoft."

However If I reboot. I am not always able to gain access to windows.. I have
only managed to gain access by a series of restarts and in the System
configuration utility opting for a Normal startup rather than a selective
startup. This seems to only temporarily solve the issue.

Any ideas?

 

[Rock]

My learned friends,

I have had to repost this as I cannot find the original post. I include,
details plus some additional information that I hope will enable you to
help
me.

I cannot get access to windows in normal mode. Just before he sign in
screen
would normally come up, the screen remains black and the mouse curser
stays
in the middle of the screen and I am completely locked out; neither the
mouse
nor the key board work. Also during the boot up the screen flickers, which
was not the case before. I can get in via safe, and the resolution and
colours are all distorted. The colours bleed into one another and there
are
purple dots or specs all over the screen. I have tried a system restore to
no
avail.

Needless to say I am worried about this. My PC is running windows xp home
ed. Service pack 2.
2.2GHZ P4
64MB Nvidia Geforce 3

I would like to know how to fix the problem, regarding, 1) getting into
windows in normal mode and also 2) the screen resolution and display
issue.

Modification : The message I get says something, to the best of my
recollection, along the lines of:
Windows Display Driver
"The … display driver has stopped working normally. Save your work and
reboot the system to restore full display functionality. The next time you
reboot the machine a box will be displayed giving you a chance to upload
data
about this failure to Microsoft."

However If I reboot. I am not always able to gain access to windows.. I
have
only managed to gain access by a series of restarts and in the System
configuration utility opting for a Normal startup rather than a selective
startup. This seems to only temporarily solve the issue.

Any ideas?

If you can't find a post search for it using Google Groups Advanced Search.
This newsgroup is microsoft.public.windowsxp.general. Search on your name
as author.

http://groups.google.com/advanced_search?q=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en

One of the reasons you're having trouble with posts is because you're using
the awful web interface to what is actually a Usenet newsgroup. I recommend
using a newsreader instead. It is a much better experience. XP comes with
Outlook Express which can be setup for newsgroup access. Here is a link on
how to do this.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

 

[mikeyhsd]

what has that got to do with his video problem.
you just cannot help being the resident nanny and issuing the virtual spanking.



(e-mail address removed)

My learned friends,

I have had to repost this as I cannot find the original post. I include,
details plus some additional information that I hope will enable you to
help
me.

I cannot get access to windows in normal mode. Just before he sign in
screen
would normally come up, the screen remains black and the mouse curser
stays
in the middle of the screen and I am completely locked out; neither the
mouse
nor the key board work. Also during the boot up the screen flickers, which
was not the case before. I can get in via safe, and the resolution and
colours are all distorted. The colours bleed into one another and there
are
purple dots or specs all over the screen. I have tried a system restore to
no
avail.

Needless to say I am worried about this. My PC is running windows xp home
ed. Service pack 2.
2.2GHZ P4
64MB Nvidia Geforce 3

I would like to know how to fix the problem, regarding, 1) getting into
windows in normal mode and also 2) the screen resolution and display
issue.

Modification : The message I get says something, to the best of my
recollection, along the lines of:
Windows Display Driver
"The … display driver has stopped working normally. Save your work and
reboot the system to restore full display functionality. The next time you
reboot the machine a box will be displayed giving you a chance to upload
data
about this failure to Microsoft."

However If I reboot. I am not always able to gain access to windows.. I
have
only managed to gain access by a series of restarts and in the System
configuration utility opting for a Normal startup rather than a selective
startup. This seems to only temporarily solve the issue.

Any ideas?

If you can't find a post search for it using Google Groups Advanced Search.
This newsgroup is microsoft.public.windowsxp.general. Search on your name
as author.

http://groups.google.com/advanced_search?q=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en

One of the reasons you're having trouble with posts is because you're using
the awful web interface to what is actually a Usenet newsgroup. I recommend
using a newsreader instead. It is a much better experience. XP comes with
Outlook Express which can be setup for newsgroup access. Here is a link on
how to do this.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

 

[Guest]

My learned friends,

I tried the suggestion of friend Chusome. (Please note as Mikeyhsd rightly,
indicated, that the browser issue is besides the point and wholly irrelevant
to this problem) I did not work. I uninstalled the drivers for the graphics
card (64MB Nvidia Geforce 3 VC Ti500. It did not change the situation. Then I
reinstalled them. It worked for a few hours, but on a restart, the problem
had resurfaced. Now it is hit and miss. When I start the PC, the Windows XP
logo and loading bar is distorted, and, as I mentioned, sometimes I manage to
get to my desktop and sometimes, before the desktop sign in is reached, the
PC freezes and the screen is totally distorted with gray pixilation filling
up the bottom half of the screen. I have visited the NVIDIA website and tried
to install updated drivers. But again, this appears to only solve the problem
temporarily.

Please advise

 

[db]

this is a simple issue
because the symptoms
occur

a) soon after you power up

and

b) hardware failure, eg flickering.


it is basically unfair for
everyone to provide futile
suggestions when the basic
functionality of your o.s. has
not yet been determined.

you mentioned nvidia, so this
hardware upgrade / enhancement
may or may not be the problem.

therefore make sure you can
boot up to your standardized
o.s. without difficulties.

what i suggest to do is to
uninstall your video board
and use the standard video
port.

in addition, make sure
you do not have any additional
add - ons connected to your system
and boot up.

1) if the o.s. is functional then
you know where the problem is..

2) if the o.s. is dysfunctional, then
the issue of regaining a functional
o.s. is the priority at this time.

- db



My learned friends,

I have had to repost this as I cannot find the original post. I include,
details plus some additional information that I hope will enable you to help
me.

I cannot get access to windows in normal mode. Just before he sign in screen
would normally come up, the screen remains black and the mouse curser stays
in the middle of the screen and I am completely locked out; neither the mouse
nor the key board work. Also during the boot up the screen flickers, which
was not the case before. I can get in via safe, and the resolution and
colours are all distorted. The colours bleed into one another and there are
purple dots or specs all over the screen. I have tried a system restore to no
avail.

Needless to say I am worried about this. My PC is running windows xp home
ed. Service pack 2.
2.2GHZ P4
64MB Nvidia Geforce 3

I would like to know how to fix the problem, regarding, 1) getting into
windows in normal mode and also 2) the screen resolution and display issue.

Modification : The message I get says something, to the best of my
recollection, along the lines of:
Windows Display Driver
"The … display driver has stopped working normally. Save your work and
reboot the system to restore full display functionality. The next time you
reboot the machine a box will be displayed giving you a chance to upload data
about this failure to Microsoft."

However If I reboot. I am not always able to gain access to windows.. I have
only managed to gain access by a series of restarts and in the System
configuration utility opting for a Normal startup rather than a selective
startup. This seems to only temporarily solve the issue.

Any ideas?

 

[Bob I]

Drivers won't fixed defective hardware. Replace the card.

 

[Guest]

My learned friends,

I attempted to follow the advice of friend db. I device manager I
uninstalled the display device which was for my graphics card. Is this was
meant when you said I should uninstall my video board?

Also, I uninstalled the VGA. On restart, the windows logo and loading bar
was still heavily distorted, but I did get straight through to my desktop.

When I got to the desktop, the bottom right corner of the screen indicated
that 1. “Found New Hardware, Video Controller (VGA Compatible)†and after
that 2. “Found New Hardware, NVIDIA GeForce 3 Ti500.

As I fear that any restart does not guarantee that I will be able to get
back into windows. I ask for your advice as to the next step?

PS. Is friend Bob I correct in that, I need to replace the card? Is there
nothing that can be done without such meansures?

 

[Rock]

My learned friends,

I tried the suggestion of friend Chusome. (Please note as Mikeyhsd
rightly,
indicated, that the browser issue is besides the point and wholly
irrelevant
to this problem) I did not work. I uninstalled the drivers for the
graphics
card (64MB Nvidia Geforce 3 VC Ti500. It did not change the situation.
Then I
reinstalled them. It worked for a few hours, but on a restart, the problem
had resurfaced. Now it is hit and miss. When I start the PC, the Windows
XP
logo and loading bar is distorted, and, as I mentioned, sometimes I manage
to
get to my desktop and sometimes, before the desktop sign in is reached,
the
PC freezes and the screen is totally distorted with gray pixilation
filling
up the bottom half of the screen. I have visited the NVIDIA website and
tried
to install updated drivers. But again, this appears to only solve the
problem
temporarily.

Try a different video card. Did you find the other thread?

 

[db]

Not actually what I meant

The issue you have is likely
to be a physical one and not
a software problem. A "device
driver" is a software.

A video card is a piece of hardware
that is a physical card and
screwed onto your motherboard.

Can you not physically
remove the "video card"
and use your standard port
for your monitor?


You should be able to
turn off your computer,
unplug the power cord,
open up the pc and
unscrew the video card from the motherboard.

Then plug your monitor into the
regular port on the motherboard and
then restart your pc.

Then see if your pc is
working better.


My learned friends,

I attempted to follow the advice of friend db. I device manager I
uninstalled the display device which was for my graphics card. Is this was
meant when you said I should uninstall my video board?

Also, I uninstalled the VGA. On restart, the windows logo and loading bar
was still heavily distorted, but I did get straight through to my desktop.

When I got to the desktop, the bottom right corner of the screen indicated
that 1. “Found New Hardware, Video Controller (VGA Compatible)†and after
that 2. “Found New Hardware, NVIDIA GeForce 3 Ti500.

As I fear that any restart does not guarantee that I will be able to get
back into windows. I ask for your advice as to the next step?

PS. Is friend Bob I correct in that, I need to replace the card? Is there
nothing that can be done without such meansures?

 

[Guest]

My learned friend db, I am about to try your suggestion and remove the video
card. Can you clarify that once i have removed the video card, I should
simply plug the monitor back into the port it normally goes into. Nothing
else?

Please advise

 

[db]

removing the video card
would be very helpful to
resolving the issue you
posted with the nvidia
driver.

but we really do not know
if you actually have the extra
piece of hardware/nvidia card
installed. we take for granted
that most users who have issues
with a specialty device driver also
have a specialty device installed.

so the first step with analyzing
and resolving "your issue" with the
display is to simply insure your monitor
is plugged into the "standard port
on the motherboard".

the regular port is located on the backside
of the pc and within a cluster of standard
ports pre-built onto the motherboard.

be attentive and be sure to plug your
monitor into the standard video port
and not the serial port as they look
the same. the differences between
the two ports are the number of
pins. you will inadvertently bend
the pins if you try plugging your monitor
into the serial port instead of the video
port.

then reboot and see how your display
functions....


My learned friend db, I am about to try your suggestion and remove the video
card. Can you clarify that once i have removed the video card, I should
simply plug the monitor back into the port it normally goes into. Nothing
else?

Please advise

 

[Guest]

My learned friend db,

I attempted your suggestion just now. I removed the Nvidia video card.
However, I could not find another port that looked the same as the one
provided on the video card. The only other port on my motherboard that is for
use with a connector with pins is the serial port (that currently houses my
scanner). It might be worthy of note that I purchased this PC just over five
years ago.

As there seemed to be no alternative, I put the graphics card back in and,
needless to say perhaps, the problem persists.

Please advise.

 

[db]

well that is unfortunate
that there was no standard
video port monitor on your motherboard.

the video board may have been
installed as a substitute.

there is little options left
other than replacing the card
with one that may work.

but as a guess, the motherboard
only has the old isa ports, while
the newer motherboards have
pci.

it is unlikely that you can purchase
a replacement video card that
is of the isa type.

however, you may also want
to try a different monitor to insure
that the display issue is actually
a result of a degrading monitor and
not your video card.

i think this is a helpful alternative
and a hope that the problem is
the monitor, since they are readily
available which we cannot say the
same for isa type video cards.....

try a different monitor as a test.


My learned friend db,

I attempted your suggestion just now. I removed the Nvidia video card.
However, I could not find another port that looked the same as the one
provided on the video card. The only other port on my motherboard that is for
use with a connector with pins is the serial port (that currently houses my
scanner). It might be worthy of note that I purchased this PC just over five
years ago.

As there seemed to be no alternative, I put the graphics card back in and,
needless to say perhaps, the problem persists.

Please advise.

 

[Guest]

My learned friend db,

I am not sure, if the problem rests with the monitor. That said, you could
be absolutely right. But the reason I doubt it is that when get into the
desktop, and disable or uninstall the video card, while the booting sequence
has clearly distorted features, once I get into the desktop the display is
fine. The problem is that this state does not last long before distortion and
today, for example, the screen after some time sometimes just goes black.

Nevertheless, I will try your suggestion. I will try it with a different
monitor. Failing that I will get a new video card. I believe my motherboard
does have pci slots as I previously bought a USB2 pci card and was able to
install it in one of the spare slots. Can I assume that that such a slot will
be fine for an up to date pci video card?

Please advise.

 

[db]

yes, your assumptions seem
reasonable.

a) as i understand the issue,
you have a motherboard with
no standard video port so you
are forced to use a video card.

b) your motherboard has pci
slots and is approximately several
years old. but we can surmise
your video card is isa.

c) the monitor is causing display issues.

d) the nvidia device driver has been
disable, enabled, uninstalled, reinstalled.

as you may realize, although there
may be a simple cause for the problem,
trying to pin point it is proving a bit
tricky.

what we are trying to do is to eliminate
some of the possibilities.

1) we could not substitute the video
card, since you have no other port
to connect your monitor.

2) we could try to substitute the
monitor / display, since it may be
sufferring degredation and becoming
faulty.

in the interim, you might try gathering
additional information
if you go to start > run > msinfo32

in there you will find a wealth of information
that you can review.

on the right side, you will information
regarding hardware conflicts and
other useful data.

at the top in the menu there
are some tests you can do.

try running the directx diagnostics
and see if it reports anything of some
use for us to further diagnose this issue.


My learned friend db,

I am not sure, if the problem rests with the monitor. That said, you could
be absolutely right. But the reason I doubt it is that when get into the
desktop, and disable or uninstall the video card, while the booting sequence
has clearly distorted features, once I get into the desktop the display is
fine. The problem is that this state does not last long before distortion and
today, for example, the screen after some time sometimes just goes black.

Nevertheless, I will try your suggestion. I will try it with a different
monitor. Failing that I will get a new video card. I believe my motherboard
does have pci slots as I previously bought a USB2 pci card and was able to
install it in one of the spare slots. Can I assume that that such a slot will
be fine for an up to date pci video card?

Please advise.

 

[Nightowl]

b) your motherboard has pci
slots and is approximately several
years old.  but we can surmise
your video card is isa.
 
c) the monitor is causing display issues.

Excuse me jumping in, but as far as I can tell, the GeForce 3 Ti500 is
an AGP card (supports AGP 4X):
http://www.nvidia.com/page/pg_20010529897920.html

Also it doesn't sound to me particularly as if the monitor is at fault.
Graphics problems while booting and before Windows starts are often an
indicator that the card is failing.

Joe, I'd advise trying another monitor if you have one or can borrow
one, just to rule it out, then trying another video card. Try a "clean
install" by removing as many traces as you can of the old drivers: this
article explains how:
http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_3.html ("Old driver removal")

Good luck!

 

[Guest]

My learned friend db,

It has been some time since our last communication as it took longer than
anticipated to acquire another monitor. Nevertheless, I have plugged it in
and booted the PC. At the boot-up sequence the windows logo along with
loading bar is still distorted. Therefore, the problem remains. Can I assume
as that the problem must be with the graphics card? However, since I disabled
the graphics card (not uninstalled, but disabled) I no longer seem to have
problems getting to


I did as you requested regarding the msinfo32. The following is the
information recorded in “Hardware Resources: Conflicts/Sharingâ€

RESOURCE DEVICE

I/O Port 0x00000000-0x00000CF7 PCI bus
I/O Port 0x00000000-0x00000CF7 Direct memory access controller

I/O Port 0x000003C0-0x000003DF Intel(R) 82850/82860 Processor to AGP
Controller -
2532
I/O Port 0x000003C0-0x000003DF VgaSave

IRQ 16 Creative SB Live! Value (WDM)
IRQ 16 Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller

Memory Address 0xFC000000-0xFDFFFFFF Intel(R) 82850/82860 Processor to AGP
Controller - 2532
Memory Address 0xFC000000-0xFDFFFFFF NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 500

IRQ 19 NEC PCI to USB Open Host Controller
IRQ 19 Intel(r) 82801BA/BAM USB Universal Host Controller - 2442

Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF PCI bus
Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF Intel(R) 82850/82860 Processor to AGP
Controller - 2532
Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF VgaSave

I/O Port 0x000003B0-0x000003BB Intel(R) 82850/82860 Processor to AGP
Controller - 2532
I/O Port 0x000003B0-0x000003BB VgaSave

I admit that I do not know what the above means. Is there any other
information I can provide you with?
Do you think that the problem rests with the graphics card? If so should I
replace it. I cannot imagine where I would get a temporary substitute card,
just to test which may mean I will have to buy a new one.

Please advise.

-Joe

PS. To Learned friend nigthowl. I thank you for your suggetion. I will
Attempt them also and report back.