Graphics Problem

[Pommie5]

Can anybody help or advise please.
I switched on my PC yesterday and I found my graphics kept on cutting in and out.
The screen would go black and then click back on again and this kept happening. When it did settle, everytime I clicked on the screen, it would cut in and out again.
I have a 256Mb GeForce FX5600XT
I reinstalled the driver and then installed the latest driver from Nvidia. Nothing changed.
I cheched all the normal settings in display and refresh rate and they were as normal.

I then replaced my graphics card with one that had been taken out of my sons PC on a recent upgrade which I knew was working ok
This was a 128Mb GeForce FX5200.
Again nothing changed.
I visually checked for anything I could see on the motherboard. I could not see any dirty or loose contacts.

I then decided that I would re-format the drive and reinstall the O/system. I found that the screens froze on reinstallation when I had either the 256Mb or 128Mb cards in.
I found an old card in the cupboard a 32Mb GeForce MX 100 and this allowed me to reinstall the O/system. I have tried to get the 256 and 128 cards to operate and they are exactly the same..

My question is to ask if this sounds like a motherboard problem or if not, what else can I do or check to find the problem.

My PC is a Pentium IV 3.06 on a ASRock P4VT8 motherboard with 1Gb of dimm memory.

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

Did you check the monitor and its cable? If hte same problem exhibited
itself with a different graphics card, it could point to the monitor.
--
Cari (MS-MVP)
Printing & Imaging
http://www.coribright.com/windows



"Pommie5" > wrote in message
...
>
> Can anybody help or advise please.
> I switched on my PC yesterday and I found my graphics kept on cutting
> in and out.
> The screen would go black and then click back on again and this kept
> happening. When it did settle, everytime I clicked on the screen, it
> would cut in and out again.
> I have a 256Mb GeForce FX5600XT
> I reinstalled the driver and then installed the latest driver from
> Nvidia. Nothing changed.
> I cheched all the normal settings in display and refresh rate and they
> were as normal.
>
> I then replaced my graphics card with one that had been taken out of my
> sons PC on a recent upgrade which I knew was working ok
> This was a 128Mb GeForce FX5200.
> Again nothing changed.
> I visually checked for anything I could see on the motherboard. I could
> not see any dirty or loose contacts.
>
> I then decided that I would re-format the drive and reinstall the
> O/system. I found that the screens froze on reinstallation when I had
> either the 256Mb or 128Mb cards in.
> I found an old card in the cupboard a 32Mb GeForce MX 100 and this
> allowed me to reinstall the O/system. I have tried to get the 256 and
> 128 cards to operate and they are exactly the same..
>
> My question is to ask if this sounds like a motherboard problem or if
> not, what else can I do or check to find the problem.
>
> My PC is a Pentium IV 3.06 on a ASRock P4VT8 motherboard with 1Gb of
> dimm memory.
>
>
> --
> Pommie5

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

This is where an ancient PCI graphics card kept in that box of bits comes in
handy.
--
Cari (MS-MVP)
Printing & Imaging
http://www.coribright.com/windows



"Pommie5" > wrote in message
...
>
> Hi Cari,
> Thanks for your help.
> I have checked using another monitor and just to be certain another
> cable.
> Unfortunately still the same. As a last resort I have the PC in bits,
> the motherboard is out and I am giving everything, particularly the AGP
> slot a good looking at. Let you know how I go on.
>
>
> --
> Pommie5

[Pommie5]

Hi Cari,
Thanks for your help.
I have checked using another monitor and just to be certain another cable.
Unfortunately still the same. As a last resort I have the PC in bits, the motherboard is out and I am giving everything, particularly the AGP slot a good looking at. Let you know how I go on.

[Pommie5]

Just to conclude,
I could not identify what was wrong and ended up getting a new motherboard and everything is back to normal (after a lot of re-installing).
Yesterday whilst I had all the bits and pieces all aver the desk, my 13yr old son commented on hearing a "pop" from the back of the CPU on the evening prior to my PC's demise. Although it must have certainly run on for the remainder of the evening, I now conclude that something on the MB must have blown.
Thanks for your help

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

Sounds like a condenser went bang. Not common (you'll be glad to know) but
it happens sometimes. Always remember to use a power strip with voltage
protection to connect the PC to A/C power, as it tends to be power related.
Power spikes may not hurt 'normal' applicances but can be deadly to PCs.
--
Cari (MS-MVP)
Printing & Imaging
http://www.coribright.com/windows



"Pommie5" > wrote in message
...
>
> Just to conclude,
> I could not identify what was wrong and ended up getting a new
> motherboard and everything is back to normal (after a lot of
> re-installing).
> Yesterday whilst I had all the bits and pieces all aver the desk, my
> 13yr old son commented on hearing a "pop" from the back of the CPU on
> the evening prior to my PC's demise. Although it must have certainly
> run on for the remainder of the evening, I now conclude that something
> on the MB must have blown.
> Thanks for your help
>
>
> --
> Pommie5