[Cheat_DEcoder]

My mother's computer has been having some problems recently. A while back when it was still working it had errors about the graphics driver not being able to reset. I upgraded the graphics driver and it still continued to crash. Now I would login and 2-10 minutes later the screen would corrupt and then 5 seconds after that the screen would go black and the monitor would not get an input signal. I know this is a hardware problem but I want to be absolutely 100% sure this is a graphics card problem before I buy a new one. I have attached a picture of this problem.

The computer is using Windows 7 32-bit.

Edited by Cheat_DEcoder, 06 November 2010 - 01:22 AM.

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It is almost impossible to be absolutely 100% sure with hardware problems because many things can affect a piece of hardware. If me, I would make sure my system is clean of malware, and heat trapping dust and that the graphics card fan, if it has one, spins freely. Also make sure the case is providing adequate front to back air flow. Check your temps.

Then I would download and save (but not install) the latest graphics driver. Then uninstall the old driver and reboot to make sure the registry is clear. Then install the new driver.

If still having problems, I would want to make sure the power supply is good before spending money on a new card.

[Digerati]

It is almost impossible to be absolutely 100% sure with hardware problems because many things can affect a piece of hardware. If me, I would make sure my system is clean of malware, and heat trapping dust and that the graphics card fan, if it has one, spins freely. Also make sure the case is providing adequate front to back air flow. Check your temps.

Then I would download and save (but not install) the latest graphics driver. Then uninstall the old driver and reboot to make sure the registry is clear. Then install the new driver.

If still having problems, I would want to make sure the power supply is good before spending money on a new card.

[Cheat_DEcoder]

Yes I have cleaned the inside of the machine. I don't think it has anything to do with dust. I do not have any spare RAM for testing so my main bet is still on the GPU.

I will check the fans and underclock the CPU and see if problems still occur.

[Cheat_DEcoder]

Yeah the GPU fan stopped working. I guess that pretty much does it. Gotta buy a new one.

[Digerati]

Well, you can try replacing the GPU fan, but they are not always easy to find. Note I did not mention anything about spare RAM - but swapping in a known good PSU, on the other hand would be something to consider, if the fan were not obviously stopped.

[Cheat_DEcoder]

The computer uses a PNY verto Geforce 7600 GS AGP card. The fan is built in.