System crashed after installing new graphics card.

SizeableSSonic · 07-17-2008, 08:36 PM

Alright, so I just installed my GeForce 9600 GT and it's driver. So far so good. (Also note I uninstalled the old ATi Drivers, and installed the Nvidea drivers from the disc included with the card.) However, while Steam was defraging CSS's files before I played, everything crashed, and I saw a blue screen for a split second, then it went to black and rebooted. When windows tried to load afterwards, it gave me a "Disk Read Error" every time. So, I decided to turn it off and deal with it later, and went to my friend's house, which is where I'm posting it from.

After about two hours, I went back home to turn he computer on again out of curiosity. Windows loaded fine. After I got to the login screen, I turned it off again to play it safe. Judging from how Windows loaded again after the computer was off for two hours, my guess is that this was a power/heat issue. Is that the case, or is it something else?

I'm not on an HP anymore, this is a completely new system we built ourselves. The specs are:

AMD Athon 64 X2 ~2.4 ghz per core
BFG Tech GeForce 9600 GT (came over clocked to 675 mhz instead of 650)
2 GB RAM
DVD Read/Write drive
200 GB Maxtor Hard drive
450 Watt ePower PSU

Innoc · 07-17-2008, 09:18 PM

Loose cable? I'd check to make sure that you don't have a loose one. I'd download the hard drive utilities for your drive and do the extensive test to make sure it's ok. Also, I suspect it's not your PSU, other than a loose power cable, as you weren't doing anything that would stress your system. I'd be looking at your drive or the controller. If that comes out ok I'd do a chkdsk and make sure that's clean.

SizeableSSonic · 07-17-2008, 09:39 PM

Yea, I'll definitely check the cables. When I installed the actual card, I was unsure about how the cable that came withe card was supposed to be setup with the cables for the fans and such. I think I should also note that the card (which is pretty big) ended up coming pretty close to the hard drive, although the two don't touch.

It should also be noted that the driver installation program warned me not to install the drivers, or there would be a chance they would mess with my system. I didn't think much of it, because others have run the same cards on XP with no problem.

The thing that bothers me is that it didn't happen instantly, but only mid way though Steam's defragmentation of CSS's game files on my disk. So I'm starting to wonder if that was what triggered it. After I did a search on the Steam Power forums, I found that the new Beta client of Steam had "Improved cache defragmenter to both defragment at the OS level and internal files." Also, reading a post from yesterday on there, it turns out the Beta was made public, I don't know if that means it's still a separate beta client that the public can now try, or if the client isn't a beta anymore an is the standard client, in which case it could be my client.

v3rtigo · 07-17-2008, 10:37 PM

I'd recommend downloading the latest forceware driver, rather than one from CD/DVD, they are usually pretty old. www.guru3d.com can help you with this.

Also, make sure your power supply is sufficient. I don't know how much power that 9600 draws, but that can cause some pretty nasty crashes and might even fry your equipment if you're out of luck. Don't just check for watts, but also for the +12v 'rail', as it is even more important.

SizeableSSonic · 07-17-2008, 10:43 PM

I do plan to install the new drivers.

Also, here is my PSU. It says it has +12V.

Tsukasa · 07-18-2008, 12:50 AM

Check all connections and run the computer with your side panel off. Take a straw and blow through the PSU fans to get the dust out of them (inside and outside PSU fan...while you at it do you cpu fan too, gives your equipment longer life). It sounds like your case doesn't get very much circulation, and honestly, the BFGs I wouldn't run without superior air cooling or water.

If it bsods another time or two running like that get a new power supply. I'd recommend a 500 or 600W PC Power and Cooling. They have a nice single +12V rail.

SizeableSSonic · 07-18-2008, 01:17 AM

Alright, I just got back on my PC, and started up again. I've been on for almost the same time as when it crashed, and it hasn't happened so far. I'm really starting to think this was a result of Steam's defragging, but 'm not gonna say for sure until I've been on long enough. The other thing is that when it crashed, it was in the middle of a 93 degree day, and my AC hadn't really cooled the room down yet. Now the Ac's been going, and it's at night, so that could also explain it.

Edit: Well, I ran it for around 20 mins doing various desktop things, then played Call of Duty 4. Got excellent frame rates with all settings maxed and 1024x 768 resolution with 4x AA. So, I think I have taken up my "brag about your computer post".

Thanks for the help guys, I did actually tighten up some connections that were loose just enough that it was barely noticeable, so that might have saved the day.

zSilver_Fox · 07-18-2008, 02:50 AM

Same thing happens to my cousin all the time, mostly due to his running Vista. Check drivers, or just keep rebooting and hope it goes away after awhile.

Then kick yourself for subscribing to the "People don't like Vista because it's new" school of thought.

Tsukasa · 07-18-2008, 02:59 AM

No, Vista is okay. It's not great, it's not bad. If it didn't have Dx10 I probably wouldn't run it.

SizeableSSonic · 07-18-2008, 04:32 AM

Actualy, this is XP. I now realize Vista is utter shit.

And now, of course, after a while, I get white dots in games, so it's definitely a power problem. Gonna start looking at 500-600 w PSUs.

Tsukasa · 07-18-2008, 05:13 AM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703005

Grab that one.

Hammock · 07-18-2008, 05:01 PM

If you're getting artifacts on your screen you might want to un-overclock the video card.

SizeableSSonic · 07-18-2008, 10:33 PM

As it turns out, this card acts weird. For instance, in any source game, if I change garphics settings even out of game, it crashes. WinRAR doesn't work either, I just get a white screen in the window when I hit extract. Also, anything with OpenGL flashed black, and the mose won't move. Yet if I bring up the task manager, the mouse in the application won't move. Close it, the app freezes again. The dots also seem to come to any game, D3D or OpenGL, after I try to use an OpenGL app. The card is supposedly compatible with OpenGL 2.1; could that be the problem?

Tsukasa · 07-18-2008, 11:05 PM

Turn your computer off for 40 mins, wait for it to get nice and cool, then turn it on and run something that you *know* causes problems. Pick something with small graphics requirements if possible, because this might be a heat issue (eg crysis would not be a good test as the card would reach maximal thermal load before you get to the menu).

If whatever test initially works, and over time you start getting snow, you have a heat problem. Either downclock the card, or buy a bunch of case fans (or get a better case). If the initial test fails, I would say RMA the card and if you still have problems get a better PSU.

Edit: oh, also, before you do this boot into safe mode, uninstall your graphics driver, reboot normally, install the latest graphics driver, and reboot again. This is to ensure no driver contamination. Also, post your GPU temps (under load, eg immediately after playing a game for 20 mins). Rivatuner will read them.

Innoc · 07-18-2008, 11:49 PM

New card... change of drivers....uninstall...reinstall...crash continues? I'm going to go with either heat or PSU....

SizeableSSonic · 07-19-2008, 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsukasa

Turn your computer off for 40 mins, wait for it to get nice and cool, then turn it on and run something that you *know* causes problems. Pick something with small graphics requirements if possible, because this might be a heat issue (eg crysis would not be a good test as the card would reach maximal thermal load before you get to the menu).

If whatever test initially works, and over time you start getting snow, you have a heat problem. Either downclock the card, or buy a bunch of case fans (or get a better case). If the initial test fails, I would say RMA the card and if you still have problems get a better PSU.

Edit: oh, also, before you do this boot into safe mode, uninstall your graphics driver, reboot normally, install the latest graphics driver, and reboot again. This is to ensure no driver contamination. Also, post your GPU temps (under load, eg immediately after playing a game for 20 mins). Rivatuner will read them.

I diud that with a multitude of apps. Doom (GZDOOM, no fancy effects though) Quake 2, and Glest, the open source RTS game. All three don't work at the menu, and all three use OpenGL.

Tsukasa · 07-19-2008, 05:54 AM

post your gpu temps idle and load

SizeableSSonic · 07-19-2008, 02:50 PM

Ok, I've installed Riva tuner, Ill play some games...

The thing is, I can play WoW and Team Fortress 2 just fine for however long a time. It's using OpenGL that causes problems, which suggests a driver issue to me. The card supports OpenGL 2.1, could that be an issue?

Tsukasa · 07-19-2008, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SizeableSSonic

Ok, I've installed Riva tuner, Ill play some games...

The thing is, I can play WoW and Team Fortress 2 just fine for however long a time. It's using OpenGL that causes problems, which suggests a driver issue to me. The card supports OpenGL 2.1, could that be an issue?

The card supporting 2.1 is a good thing. If you want to test your driver theory your going to have to reinstall windows. Otherwise, post your temps, we can eliminate all other sources of problems.

SizeableSSonic · 07-20-2008, 12:10 AM

Ok, idle temp is around 54-55 Degrees C. That's not good, is it? However, it seems the fan is at 25%.
I'll get load temps soon. If it is too hot, I have an external GPU fan that I can use.

07-17-2008, 08:36 PM	#1
SizeableSSonic Joystick Junkie D&A Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: I know where YOU live! Class/Position: Engineer or Sniper Gametype: CTF Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	System crashed after installing new graphics card. Alright, so I just installed my GeForce 9600 GT and it's driver. So far so good. (Also note I uninstalled the old ATi Drivers, and installed the Nvidea drivers from the disc included with the card.) However, while Steam was defraging CSS's files before I played, everything crashed, and I saw a blue screen for a split second, then it went to black and rebooted. When windows tried to load afterwards, it gave me a "Disk Read Error" every time. So, I decided to turn it off and deal with it later, and went to my friend's house, which is where I'm posting it from. After about two hours, I went back home to turn he computer on again out of curiosity. Windows loaded fine. After I got to the login screen, I turned it off again to play it safe. Judging from how Windows loaded again after the computer was off for two hours, my guess is that this was a power/heat issue. Is that the case, or is it something else? I'm not on an HP anymore, this is a completely new system we built ourselves. The specs are: AMD Athon 64 X2 ~2.4 ghz per core BFG Tech GeForce 9600 GT (came over clocked to 675 mhz instead of 650) 2 GB RAM DVD Read/Write drive 200 GB Maxtor Hard drive 450 Watt ePower PSU __________________ I like chocolate milk. Last edited by SizeableSSonic; 07-17-2008 at 10:57 PM.

07-17-2008, 09:18 PM	#2
Innoc Hitman 2 1 Actual Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: "Oscar Mike" Gametype: FPS or RTS (just say NO to MMO) Affiliations: Your Mom Posts Rated Helpful 8 Times	Loose cable? I'd check to make sure that you don't have a loose one. I'd download the hard drive utilities for your drive and do the extensive test to make sure it's ok. Also, I suspect it's not your PSU, other than a loose power cable, as you weren't doing anything that would stress your system. I'd be looking at your drive or the controller. If that comes out ok I'd do a chkdsk and make sure that's clean. __________________ Mooga on Obama: He can cut taxes. Actually do something useful. Punch Nancy Pelosi in the face. Just to name a few. You eventually run out of other people's money to spend.

07-17-2008, 09:39 PM	#3
SizeableSSonic Joystick Junkie D&A Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: I know where YOU live! Class/Position: Engineer or Sniper Gametype: CTF Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Yea, I'll definitely check the cables. When I installed the actual card, I was unsure about how the cable that came withe card was supposed to be setup with the cables for the fans and such. I think I should also note that the card (which is pretty big) ended up coming pretty close to the hard drive, although the two don't touch. It should also be noted that the driver installation program warned me not to install the drivers, or there would be a chance they would mess with my system. I didn't think much of it, because others have run the same cards on XP with no problem. The thing that bothers me is that it didn't happen instantly, but only mid way though Steam's defragmentation of CSS's game files on my disk. So I'm starting to wonder if that was what triggered it. After I did a search on the Steam Power forums, I found that the new Beta client of Steam had "Improved cache defragmenter to both defragment at the OS level and internal files." Also, reading a post from yesterday on there, it turns out the Beta was made public, I don't know if that means it's still a separate beta client that the public can now try, or if the client isn't a beta anymore an is the standard client, in which case it could be my client. __________________ I like chocolate milk. Last edited by SizeableSSonic; 07-17-2008 at 09:55 PM.

07-17-2008, 10:43 PM	#5
SizeableSSonic Joystick Junkie D&A Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: I know where YOU live! Class/Position: Engineer or Sniper Gametype: CTF Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	I do plan to install the new drivers. Also, here is my PSU. It says it has +12V. __________________ I like chocolate milk.

07-18-2008, 01:17 AM	#7
SizeableSSonic Joystick Junkie D&A Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: I know where YOU live! Class/Position: Engineer or Sniper Gametype: CTF Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Alright, I just got back on my PC, and started up again. I've been on for almost the same time as when it crashed, and it hasn't happened so far. I'm really starting to think this was a result of Steam's defragging, but 'm not gonna say for sure until I've been on long enough. The other thing is that when it crashed, it was in the middle of a 93 degree day, and my AC hadn't really cooled the room down yet. Now the Ac's been going, and it's at night, so that could also explain it. Edit: Well, I ran it for around 20 mins doing various desktop things, then played Call of Duty 4. Got excellent frame rates with all settings maxed and 1024x 768 resolution with 4x AA. So, I think I have taken up my "brag about your computer post". Thanks for the help guys, I did actually tighten up some connections that were loose just enough that it was barely noticeable, so that might have saved the day. __________________ I like chocolate milk. Last edited by SizeableSSonic; 07-18-2008 at 01:52 AM.

07-17-2008, 10:37 PM	#4
v3rtigo Lock 'n Loll! Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: 2fort Class/Position: Scout, Spy, Sniper Gametype: CTF Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	I'd recommend downloading the latest forceware driver, rather than one from CD/DVD, they are usually pretty old. www.guru3d.com can help you with this. Also, make sure your power supply is sufficient. I don't know how much power that 9600 draws, but that can cause some pretty nasty crashes and might even fry your equipment if you're out of luck. Don't just check for watts, but also for the +12v 'rail', as it is even more important.

07-18-2008, 12:50 AM	#6
Tsukasa Join Date: Sep 2007 Class/Position: O Gametype: CTF Affiliations: mimic- Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Check all connections and run the computer with your side panel off. Take a straw and blow through the PSU fans to get the dust out of them (inside and outside PSU fan...while you at it do you cpu fan too, gives your equipment longer life). It sounds like your case doesn't get very much circulation, and honestly, the BFGs I wouldn't run without superior air cooling or water. If it bsods another time or two running like that get a new power supply. I'd recommend a 500 or 600W PC Power and Cooling. They have a nice single +12V rail.

07-18-2008, 02:50 AM	#8
zSilver_Fox IRL Combat Medic Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ethanol Land Class/Position: D Medic Gametype: Conca Jumping Affiliations: ^iv Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Same thing happens to my cousin all the time, mostly due to his running Vista. Check drivers, or just keep rebooting and hope it goes away after awhile. Then kick yourself for subscribing to the "People don't like Vista because it's new" school of thought. __________________ I have a nasopharyngeal and webcam... First infraction! Flaming!

07-18-2008, 02:59 AM	#9
Tsukasa Join Date: Sep 2007 Class/Position: O Gametype: CTF Affiliations: mimic- Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	No, Vista is okay. It's not great, it's not bad. If it didn't have Dx10 I probably wouldn't run it.

07-18-2008, 04:32 AM	#10
SizeableSSonic Joystick Junkie D&A Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: I know where YOU live! Class/Position: Engineer or Sniper Gametype: CTF Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Actualy, this is XP. I now realize Vista is utter shit. And now, of course, after a while, I get white dots in games, so it's definitely a power problem. Gonna start looking at 500-600 w PSUs. __________________ I like chocolate milk. Last edited by SizeableSSonic; 07-18-2008 at 04:39 AM.

07-18-2008, 05:13 AM	#11
Tsukasa Join Date: Sep 2007 Class/Position: O Gametype: CTF Affiliations: mimic- Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703005 Grab that one.

07-18-2008, 05:01 PM	#12
Hammock D&A Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts Rated Helpful 13 Times	If you're getting artifacts on your screen you might want to un-overclock the video card.

07-18-2008, 10:33 PM	#13
SizeableSSonic Joystick Junkie D&A Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: I know where YOU live! Class/Position: Engineer or Sniper Gametype: CTF Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	As it turns out, this card acts weird. For instance, in any source game, if I change garphics settings even out of game, it crashes. WinRAR doesn't work either, I just get a white screen in the window when I hit extract. Also, anything with OpenGL flashed black, and the mose won't move. Yet if I bring up the task manager, the mouse in the application won't move. Close it, the app freezes again. The dots also seem to come to any game, D3D or OpenGL, after I try to use an OpenGL app. The card is supposedly compatible with OpenGL 2.1; could that be the problem? __________________ I like chocolate milk. Last edited by SizeableSSonic; 07-18-2008 at 10:44 PM.

07-18-2008, 11:05 PM	#14
Tsukasa Join Date: Sep 2007 Class/Position: O Gametype: CTF Affiliations: mimic- Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Turn your computer off for 40 mins, wait for it to get nice and cool, then turn it on and run something that you know causes problems. Pick something with small graphics requirements if possible, because this might be a heat issue (eg crysis would not be a good test as the card would reach maximal thermal load before you get to the menu). If whatever test initially works, and over time you start getting snow, you have a heat problem. Either downclock the card, or buy a bunch of case fans (or get a better case). If the initial test fails, I would say RMA the card and if you still have problems get a better PSU. Edit: oh, also, before you do this boot into safe mode, uninstall your graphics driver, reboot normally, install the latest graphics driver, and reboot again. This is to ensure no driver contamination. Also, post your GPU temps (under load, eg immediately after playing a game for 20 mins). Rivatuner will read them. Last edited by Tsukasa; 07-18-2008 at 11:11 PM.

07-18-2008, 11:49 PM	#15
Innoc Hitman 2 1 Actual Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: "Oscar Mike" Gametype: FPS or RTS (just say NO to MMO) Affiliations: Your Mom Posts Rated Helpful 8 Times	New card... change of drivers....uninstall...reinstall...crash continues? I'm going to go with either heat or PSU.... __________________ Mooga on Obama: He can cut taxes. Actually do something useful. Punch Nancy Pelosi in the face. Just to name a few. You eventually run out of other people's money to spend.

07-19-2008, 05:54 AM	#17
Tsukasa Join Date: Sep 2007 Class/Position: O Gametype: CTF Affiliations: mimic- Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	post your gpu temps idle and load

07-19-2008, 02:50 PM	#18
SizeableSSonic Joystick Junkie D&A Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: I know where YOU live! Class/Position: Engineer or Sniper Gametype: CTF Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Ok, I've installed Riva tuner, Ill play some games... The thing is, I can play WoW and Team Fortress 2 just fine for however long a time. It's using OpenGL that causes problems, which suggests a driver issue to me. The card supports OpenGL 2.1, could that be an issue? __________________ I like chocolate milk. Last edited by SizeableSSonic; 07-19-2008 at 09:57 PM.

07-20-2008, 12:10 AM	#20
SizeableSSonic Joystick Junkie D&A Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: I know where YOU live! Class/Position: Engineer or Sniper Gametype: CTF Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Ok, idle temp is around 54-55 Degrees C. That's not good, is it? However, it seems the fan is at 25%. I'll get load temps soon. If it is too hot, I have an external GPU fan that I can use. __________________ I like chocolate milk. Last edited by SizeableSSonic; 07-20-2008 at 12:34 AM.

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