[AngryAmy]

Hiiiii, 1st time caller long time viewer here!

OK my problem is with my new Graphics Card its an ATI Radeon 9600 .. well its not new but its 2nd hand and works on my sisters computer, its my 'upgrade'
Ive done heaps of research on the problem but am now going to ask for help becuase i cant find any meaningful info!

The problem is that when i put the card in, and yep ive setup the bios, when i get into windows, if i get to the desktop and dont open any applications its fine, its only when i do some, like open up My Computer, that it decides it needs to freeze and then turn the monitor off, and it will come back from death after like 3secs of nothingness if im lucky, but that will only happen once, the when i try to do anything else, it reboots me

Im not sure what else i can say, i can anwser any question and try any solution because im desperate that i junked my old card

Heres some info, but im not sure if it will help
Windows Xp Pro
Service Pack 2
im not sure on how to find out what kind of MotherBoard i have, all i know is that its a VIA
I have 512mb of RAM and a 2.4ghz Processor
It says R96 and 256mb on the card itself
In the BIOS it says this:
AGP MODE - AUTO
AGP APERTURE SIZE - 256MB
AGP FASTWRITE - DISABLED
PCI DELAY TRANSACTION - DISABLED
DRAM CAS# LATENCY - AUTO
DRAM VOLTAGE - NORMAL
AGP VOLTAGE - HIGH



thats about all i know of srry if it dosent help too much, is there anyway from looking at these pictures that it says the card is incompatible or having power problems or ANYTHING that would give me some info?

THX SO MUCH GUYS!!

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Have you got .net framework installed?

[Retired Tech]

Have you got .net framework installed?

[AngryAmy]

Hi Keith! =p

hmm, no i dont sorry, im not too sure what it is either


tyty!

[Retired Tech]

Notes:
ATI recommends Windows XP Service Pack 2 or higher to be installed.

You must have Microsoft .NET Framework installed prior to downloading and installing the Catalyst Control Center

The Catalyst Uninstaller is an optional download. We recommend using this utility to uninstall any previously installed Catalyst drivers prior to installation.

This covers it

http://msdn.microsof...s/framework1_1/

Run Microsoft Update, it should be offered direct but you may need to check the optional updates

http://update.micros...t.aspx?ln=en-us

Return to Microsoft Update because there is a service pack, then again because there is a hotfix for the service pack

Are you using these drivers

http://filehippo.com...d_ati_catalyst/

[AngryAmy]

Yep i have Service Pack 2 installed
i will download those drivers and get back to you, thx for you help!

[Retired Tech]

Make sure you get .net framework first

The ATI site will have the cat uninstaller (300kb) on the XP Radeon download page if you want to use it

[Johanna]

AngryAmy- shut that auto reboot option off, too. I have no idea why MS made that the default, but it gets comps stuck in a loop when there is a problem. You sound savvy enough to know how to look up an error message, should one arise down the road.

Control Panel> System> Advanced> Start Up & Recovery Options> Untick "auto restart"

Johanna

(nice catch, Keith!)

[AngryAmy]

Hi Jo
i unchecked automatically restart
rebooted
before the desktop even loaded, i got a blue screen STOP message thingy, it said something about the cause was an "ati2dvag driver" and "The device driver got stuck in an infinite loop."
"*** STOP: 0x000000 EA (0x82699528, 0x82DE3948, 0xF8BA4CB4, 0X00000001)"
rebooted
got into the desktop, this popped up:

then the screen went black, after 5secs it rebooted on its own again grrrrr

"You sound savvy enough to know how to look up an error message" hehe thx


Chris, i have downloaded the ATI drivers from your link and am currently downloading the .net thing, as i went through the instructions on the link you provided and it says i do not have it installed so i am currently downloading it from here i hope its the right one, ill get back to you when everything is installed

my brother says it could be a problem with power, but i dont see how it is if it says there is a driver issue on that nasty blue screen and if the card works perfectly untill im in windows for a little bit =(


anyway, ill keep in touch, thx for the help!

[Retired Tech]

Run Microsoft Update after you install dotnet to get the service pack, then again to get the hotfix



How to use Event Viewer to view and manage Event Logs in Windows XP

Event Viewer

In Windows XP, an event is any significant occurrence in the system or in a program that requires users to be notified, or an entry added to a log. The Event Log Service records application, security, and system events in Event Viewer. With the event logs in Event Viewer, you can obtain information about your hardware, software, and system components, and monitor security events on a local or remote computer. Event logs can help you identify and diagnose the source of current system problems, or help you predict potential system problems.

Event Log Types

A Windows XP-based computer records events in the following three logs:

• Application log

The application log contains events logged by programs. For example, a database program may record a file error in the application log. Events that are written to the application log are determined by the developers of the software program.

• Security log

The security log records events such as valid and invalid logon attempts, as well as events related to resource use, such as the creating, opening, or deleting of files. For example, when logon auditing is enabled, an event is recorded in the security log each time a user attempts to log on to the computer. You must be logged on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group in order to turn on, use, and specify which events are recorded in the security log.

• System log

The system log contains events logged by Windows XP system components. For example, if a driver fails to load during startup, an event is recorded in the system log. Windows XP predetermines the events that are logged by system components.

How to View Event Logs

To open Event Viewer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Click Performance and Maintenance, then click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in.

2. In the console tree, click Event Viewer.

The Application, Security, and System logs are displayed in the Event Viewer window.

How to View Event Details

To view the details of an event, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Click Performance and Maintenance, then click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in.

2. In the console tree, expand Event Viewer, and then click the log that contains the event that you want to view.

3. In the details pane, double-click the event that you want to view.

The Event Properties dialog box containing header information and a description of the event is displayed.

To copy the details of the event, click the Copy button, then open a new document in the program in which you want to paste the event (for example, Microsoft Word), and then click Paste on the Edit menu.

To view the description of the previous or next event, click the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW.

How to Interpret an Event

Each log entry is classified by type, and contains header information, and a description of the event.

Event Header

The event header contains the following information about the event:

• Date - The date the event occurred.

• Time - The time the event occurred.

• User - The user name of the user that was logged on when the event occurred.

• Computer - The name of the computer where the event occurred.

• Event ID - An event number that identifies the event type. The Event ID can be used by product support representatives to help understand what occurred in the system.

• Source - The source of the event. This can be the name of a program, a system component, or an individual component of a large program.

• Type - The type of event. This can be one of the following five types: Error, Warning, Information, Success Audit, or Failure Audit.

• Category - A classification of the event by the event source. This is primarily used in the security log.

Event Types

The description of each event that is logged depends on the type of event. Each event in a log can be classified into one of the following types:

• Information

An event that describes the successful operation of a task, such as an application, driver, or service. For example, an Information event is logged when a network driver loads successfully.

• Warning
An event that is not necessarily significant, however, may indicate the possible occurrence of a future problem. For example, a Warning message is logged when disk space starts to run low.

• Error

An event that describes a significant problem, such as the failure of a critical task. Error events may involve data loss or loss of functionality. For example, an Error event is logged if a service fails to load during startup.

• Success Audit (Security log)
An event that describes the successful completion of an audited security event. For example, a Success Audit event is logged when a user logs on to the computer.

• Failure Audit (Security log)

An event that describes an audited security event that did not complete successfully. For example, a Failure Audit may be logged when a user cannot access a network drive.

How to Find Events in a Log

The default view of event logs is to list all its entries. If you want to find a specific event, or view a subset of events, you can either search the log, or you can apply a filter to the log data.

How to Search for a Specific Log Event

To search for a specific log event, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Click Performance and Maintenance, then click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in.

2. In the console tree, expand Event Viewer, and then click the log that contains the event that you want to view.

3. On the View menu, click Find.

4. Specify the options for the event that you want to view in the Find dialog box, and then click Find Next.
The event that matches your search criteria is highlighted in the details pane. Click Find Next to locate the next occurrence of an event as defined by your search criteria.

How to Filter Log Events

To filter log events, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Click Performance and Maintenance, then click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in.

2. In the console tree, expand Event Viewer, and then click the log that contains the event that you want to view.

3. On the View menu, click Filter.

4. Click the Filter tab (if it is not already selected).

5. Specify the filter options that you want, and then click OK.

Only events that match your filter criteria are displayed in the details pane.

To return the view to display all log entries, click Filter on the View menu, and then click Restore Defaults.

How to Manage Log Contents

By default, the initial maximum of size of a log is set to 512 KB, and when this size is reached, new events overwrite older events as needed. Depending on your requirements, you can change these settings, or clear a log of its contents.

How to Set Log Size and Overwrite Options

To specify log size and overwrite options, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Click Performance and Maintenance, then click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in.
2. In the console tree, expand Event Viewer, and then right-click the log in which you want to set size and overwrite options.

3. Under Log size, type the size that you want in the Maximum log size box.

4. Under When maximum log size is reached, click the overwrite option that you want.

5. If you want to clear the log contents, click Clear Log.

6. Click OK.

How to Archive a Log

If you want to save your log data, you can archive event logs in any of the following formats:
• Log-file format (.evt)
• Text-file format (.txt)
• Comma-delimited text-file format (.csv)

To archive a log, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Click Performance and Maintenance, then click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management. Or, open the MMC containing the Event Viewer snap-in.

2. In the console tree, expand Event Viewer, and then right-click the log in which you want to archive, and then click Save Log File As.

3. Specify a file name and location where you want to save the file. In the Save as type box, click the format that you want, and then click Save.
The log file is saved in the format that you specified.

REFERENCES

For more information about a specific event or error, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft...entserrors.mspx

For additional information about how to use Event Viewer, see Event Viewer Help. (In the Event Viewer snap-in or Computer Management window, on the Action menu, click Help).

APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

• Microsoft Windows XP Professional

[Johanna]

The error message confirmed a driver issue. I am confident that if you follow Keith's advice, you will solve your problem. Please post back if you run into a glitch. Please post back if you are successful, too. It makes our day when people take the time to let us know something we did was useful. Keith will be pleased to know he helped.

Johanna