[Kleptomaniac]

Hey geeks,

 

I've having some issues trying to install my Geforce 590 drivers after a clean reinstall of Win 7. There's a bit of a story of events that lead to me finally deciding to reinstall everything from scratch. I'll get into that later incase there's some vital clues there.

Currently after successfully installing win 7 and all the software for my G1 Assassin (rev1) mobo, everything seems fine, until i try installing drivers for the GTX 590.

On restarting the system gets stuck on a black screen after the win 7 logo every time, no matter if i install the Gefore 590 drivers that came in the disc the card came with, or the latest drivers downloaded directly from Nvidia, or the default drivers win 7 tries to install after an update.

The only way i can get the system to boot up problemly is to go through system repair (or safemode) and restore to a previous restore point, before the graphics card driver installation. Even after doing that though, i noticed the initial G1 Killer skull boot screen looks slightly corrupted, with white dotted lines running across the screen, ONLY after i try installing graphics card drivers. Before i tried that everything looked fine with the win 7 and mobo software installs (including all win 7 updates to date).

 

At this point i'm not sure if it's the graphics card that's failing (because of the driver install thing), or the mobo (because of the corrupted boot graphic). I'm hoping it's not both, as they're not exactly cheap pieces of equipment.

I've pulled out the graphics card and had a good look at everything, and i don't see any obvious signs of anything having blown up or burned out on either the mobo or gpu.

 

I custom build the system just over 3 yrs ago from scratch and it worked beautifully up until recently. I did a clean system reinstall every year or so to maintain a clean system.

 

[BASIC SYSTEM SPECS]

CPU: Intel Core i7 960 3.2GHz
RAM: Corsair 12GB DDR3 1600MHZ
MOBO: G1 Assassin (Rev 1.0)
GPU: GeForce GTX  590

 

I'm normally capable of builidng and maintanining my own system, but when it comes to diagnosing problems like this, i don't always know where to begin.

Alright, now for the long story of events. Sorry if it sounds like rambling:

 

[THE LONG STORY]

 

For a couple of weeks my computer was starting to act a little odd, slowing down or freezing up for a second or two occasionnally when ever i was playing a full screen video on one of my 3 24" screens, while i did some work on the others. It only ever seemed to happen while playing videos, but it seemed to stop after i tried disabling hardware acceleration in the video player i was using (VLC).

 

I originally suspected the issue may have been caused by a bad graphics driver update (i suspected Comodo firewall was being a [bleep] while i was AFK as the program updated) and i was planning on getting around to doing a full clean system reinstall of Win7 to fix the problem (i did try uninstalling and reinstalling the latest graphics driver etc) once i finished some important uni assignments i had due in the next couple of weeks.

 

Anyway, last week i noticed while typing up an assignment in msword that the system would start to slow down/stall again, and green lines started to appear periodically on the screen i had MSword full screened over. I wasn't sure if this was just MSword reacting to the system slowdown, or something else. I end tasked all unnecessary running programs and the system appeared to get back to normal. Then the green lines appeared after a few minutes when the system started to stall again, so i decided that alright, it's time i did a complete clean reinstall to try to fix what ever was causing the problems so i restarted my computers after making sure all my important documents had finished backing up via googledrive.

 

On restarting however i noticed that the initial boot screen looked to be graphically corrupted (horizontal white lines over the G1 Assassin Skull graphic), and the system would then get stuck on a black screen after the win 7 logo. I decided to pop in my win 7 disc and do a full clean reinstall after disconnecting all my extra HDDs, and this appeared to fix the weird boot screen corruption and everything seemed to be working fine with the clean reinstall, and i started installing all my motherboard drivers and etc.

 

I then decided to do a quick restart to make sure everything was still fine, and everything still seemed fine. The initial boot screen looked fine, and windows loaded as normal. Then after i installed my graphics card drivers from the disc that came in the box (it's worked fine in the past and i wanted to test to see if the original problem was caused by the latest driver download or not). It gave me a bit of an error on the first install about "Geforce experience" failing to install while everything else did. To be safe i tried uninstalled, then reinstalling all the nvidia drivers and software again. On restarting i noticed that the boot screen appeared corrupted again, and the system went black screen again after the win 7 logo.

 

I've tried uninstalling and installing several versions of the graphics card driver, including letting windows find one what would work best, but each time, as soon as something was installed, the system would get stuck on a black screen on restarting (plus the corrupted looking boot screen), until i restored back to the previous restore point (before the graphics card driver installs).

 

--------------------------------------

 

With no graphics card drivers installed atm (it does actually boot properly), I noticed in the Device manager, under Other devices, there's a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark icon over the "3D Video Controller" device, which i'm guessing is because the graphics card doesn't have any drivers installed. Right clicking on properties it says

 

"The drivers for  this device are not installed. (Code 28).

There is no driver selected for teh device information set or element."

 

I have clicked on update drivers but again, once it installs any graphic drivers it refuses to boot past the win 7 logo (black screens).

 

I've been reading around, and i'm not sure about what steps to take next to try to determine what exactly is wrong, or broken. I cant actually unplug the GTX590 and boot the system on it's own as the only DVI connectors on the system are on the actual graphics card. There's no where else for me to plug a monitor in to see if the system boots up or not.

 

So at this point, i figure it's either the graphics card, or the mobo at fault. I'm going to try testing the graphics card on a friends old rig to see if it'll install properly there. ASSUMING it's compatible, he has an old rig he doesnt use anymore. And ASSUMING the [bleep] card actually fits into the case. haha. But that might not be for another few days.

Is there some other way of testing to see if there's hardware failure somewhere? some diagnostic program that'll do it's thing and tell me what's buggered?

 

I can try and see if i have an old (working) graphics card somewhere and try to install that into my current system to see if it still gets stuck on the black screen after installing drivers. But that's going to take some searching around, and i think i've given away all my old components.

 

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

I know the GTX590's warranty expired, like a week ago, so i'm hoping it's not busted and that there's a simple fix somewhere.

The G1 Assassin's probably expired too, but it's not as expensive to replace if it is busted. Plus i remember about a year ago the build in sound card on that seemed to stop working, but then i got a betters sound card, and i didn't think to check if that was working again after my next reinstall. :S

Edited by Kleptomaniac, 23 May 2014 - 08:39 PM.

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Gday.

If you card is OK on your friends rig, then look at the GI and PSU.   If your friend has a card you can borrow, (be good if it draws high Amps) test on your MB, if OK, probable the PSU failing/low volts on a rail.

 

As you can boot OK with GPU rivers, try this untill you can do the tests.

Download the latest from the manufacturers web sit, no Beta, save to the desktop.

Please only read from this iste, > http://www.guru3d.co...r_download.html

Download from this site, decline any third party software during installation, > http://www.softpedia...oad-242367.html

[iammykyl]

Gday.

If you card is OK on your friends rig, then look at the GI and PSU.   If your friend has a card you can borrow, (be good if it draws high Amps) test on your MB, if OK, probable the PSU failing/low volts on a rail.

 

As you can boot OK with GPU rivers, try this untill you can do the tests.

Download the latest from the manufacturers web sit, no Beta, save to the desktop.

Please only read from this iste, > http://www.guru3d.co...r_download.html

Download from this site, decline any third party software during installation, > http://www.softpedia...oad-242367.html

[Kleptomaniac]

Turns out my GTX590 was too big to fit into the test rig so that wasn't an option. However, i did manage to borrow a working graphics card to test it on my rig, and everything worked normally, so i guess that means it's definately something to do with the GTX590, which sucks.

 

I've been reading a lot about people having other similar issues with their GTX590s after driver issues, so i'm guessing something similar happened to mine. :/

I'm not sure if there's some possible fix like flashing the card's bios, i'm still looking into what other's have done with theres.

 

If the card is just dead, is it a total write off, or is sending it off for repairs a possible option (manufacturer warranty ran out)? I would imagine any repairs would be just a bandaid and that it'd eventually clunk out again wouldn't it?

[iammykyl]

First up, I would contact the GPU support, politely complaining that warranty has just run out and the card has died, would they effect a repair and how much is it likely to cost.  

When you say dead, does that mean than even the fan/s don't spin?   Have you tried the uninstaller from Reply #2?

[Kleptomaniac]

First up, I would contact the GPU support, politely complaining that warranty has just run out and the card has died, would they effect a repair and how much is it likely to cost.  

When you say dead, does that mean than even the fan/s don't spin?   Have you tried the uninstaller from Reply #2?

 

Yup, i've tried using DDU to do a complete uninstall of all the NVIDIA drivers & software after my initial attempt (post reformat) caused a BSOD after the Windows logo and lists "nvlddmkm.sys", which is an Nvidia driver.

I have installed the lastest (non beta) 335.23 driver from the NVIDIA's website and also tried installing the latest drivers from the ASUS' (the manufacturer's) website after using DDU again to uninstall the last attempt. On either attemp it now seems to go to the BSOD i mentioned instead of hanging on a black screen after the windows logo.

I haven't tried installing the bios from the Asus website yet though, as i've heard BIOS updates can sometimes be problematic, but i might have to give it a go if nothing else seems to work if it's possible without installing drivers for the card. Although the only BIOS on the ASUS website looks to be from 2011.

Oh and, the card lights up and the fans run as normal, so it's almost like the card is functioning perfectly fine hardware wise, but for what ever reason as soon as any kind of drivers are installled then the system hangs or goes BSOD after the win 7 logo on restart.

 

I've send of an email to ASUS technical support kindly letting them know of the problem and that the card's warranty just expired and to see what repair options (if any) they are willing to offer. I'm still waiting for a response, but i don't think i should get my hopes up. :/

I'll try contacting the online store i bought it from and see if they'll be able to do something, even if it's just sending it off to Asus on my behalf.

 

One thing i noticed while testing my rig with the other working gpu card i borrowed was that the initial corrupted boot up screen completely disappears when the GTX590 isn't plugged in. But as soon as it's plugged back in (with no drivers installed) the same corruption reappears on the G1 Killer boot up screen. It's odd. Something within the card's BIOS or software?

 

-Update: The online store i bought the GPU from has got back to me and confirmed that the warranty did just expire and recommended i contact Asus directly to see what they're willing to do. So i guess i just need to wait for Asus to get back to me and hopefully be of some assistance. Sigh
 

Edited by Kleptomaniac, 25 May 2014 - 06:48 PM.

[iammykyl]

I would leave a BIOS update for the GPU until you try everything else.

Oh and, the card lights up and the fans run as normal, so it's almost like the card is functioning perfectly fine hardware wise, but for what ever reason as soon as any kind of drivers are installled then the system hangs or goes BSOD after the win 7 logo on restart.

Until the drivers are installed, the card is not under load, may not draw full power, but under load, the PSU may not deliver correct Amps.  This could also explain the corrupted and non corrupted BIOS screen, faulty PSU.  Did the card you tested with require less volts/amps?

 

Just noticed your update, hope Asus comes to the party, fingers crossed.

 

I suggest you get a base system to work from.   With the PSU off, > remove the GPU, >  then, move the jumper to the clear CMOS pins, hold down the case power on button for ten seconds, > move the jumper back to the default pins, > restart the computer and enter BIOS, > set time and date, > select BIOS Defaults, > Save and exit.  

Run Speedfan and or HWMonitor and post a screenshot showing the Volt reading.   Any corruptions of BSOD?  Then, install the video drivers and restart.   Any corruption or BSOD?

 

Shut-down, install the GPU, restart, Any corruptions?Install the drivers, Result please.

[Kleptomaniac]

Yeah the card i tested only required a 6 pin power cable where as the GTX590 required 2x4.

So you think it might be a PSU issue and not a GPU one? I've previously unplugged my sound card and all non root HDDs in case it was a power issue. but that didn't seem to do have any effect.

I'm not familiar with the procedure you described. Is it to test power levels at the PCI slot the GPU was seated on? I'll have to google/youtube the procedure to get more info. What's it called?

I've tried resetting the mobo BIOS settings to default before just in case there was something there, but that didn't make any change to the problem.
I've also previously gone into BIOS to check the system status and i didn't see any warnings for any of the Volt readings, although i'm no expert with that level of things.

 

I can try using HWMonitor and post the current results now. Or is it best to do that procedure you mentioned first to get anything useful? I've attached a screenshot just in case.

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[iammykyl]

Thanks for the infor.

Just realized you would not be able to do a screenshot without the 590 installed as you don't have any other video output, so scrap that bit.  I have edited reply #6 and pasted here what to do.   Holding in of the power button drains any residue power that may be in the system/BIOS, a precautionary step, can help on some systems when troubleshooting.   Reading of the volts when in the BIOS only shows the system ste when idle when you in fact need reading when under load.

HWMonitor is showing abnormal volt readings, but this could be the monitor false reading, so please run Speedfan when doing the test again.

********************

Modified instructions. > I suggest you get a base system to work from.   With the PSU off, > remove the GPU, >  then, move the jumper to the clear CMOS pins, hold down the case power on button for ten seconds, > move the jumper back to the default pins, > restart the computer and enter BIOS, > set time and date, > select BIOS Defaults, > Save and exit.  

Run Speedfan and or HWMonitor and post a screenshot showing the Volt reading.   Any corruptions of BSOD?  Then, install the video drivers and restart.   Any corruption or BSOD?

Did the card you borrowed and tested with require less volts/amps?

[Kleptomaniac]

Ah, sounds like you want me to reset the CMOS using the jumper method (had to google that). Wouldn't that achieve the same thing as when i reset it by removing the battery for 10 minutes?

In any case, i did it, but i had to use a screw driver to bridge the 2 cmos pins as the mobo didn't come with a jumper cap. I followed all the steps you mentioned and booted the system but the G1 Killer boot up screen was still corrupted.

I took a screen shot of the readings on both SpeedFan and HWMonitor (attached).

 

I also tried installing the GTX590 drivers again (after recording the readings), and on restarting the boot up screen was still corrupted but after the windows logo it went BSOD, but didn't list any drivers like before (the BSOD looked corrupted too, i don't remember if i mentioned that before).

 

I've had to uninstall all the Nvidia drivers again to get the system to boot up normally.

 

Oh, and the card i tested with (that worked) was a GTX 8800gs, which i believe consumes around 105W, where as the GTX590 i've got consumes

365W (max) according to the manufacturer website.

I have a 875W PSU which should be plenty for my rig.

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 

Edited by Kleptomaniac, 26 May 2014 - 05:58 PM.

[phillpower2]

If I may chime in here folks 

 

You have 12GB of Ram, can I ask what capacity the modules are, are they all the exact same brand and spec and into which slot/s each stick is inserted.

 

The GPU is not identified in the HWMonitor or Speedfan screenshots, have you tried the card in one of the other available video card slots.

[Kleptomaniac]

If I may chime in here folks 

 

You have 12GB of Ram, can I ask what capacity the modules are, are they all the exact same brand and spec and into which slot/s each stick is inserted.

 

The GPU is not identified in the HWMonitor or Speedfan screenshots, have you tried the card in one of the other available video card slots.

 

Feel free to chime in.

 

There are three 4GB ram sticks, all by the same manufacturer and specs (bought as a set). They haven't been changed or removed since their initial installation 3 years ago.

The mobo can handle up to 24GB of ram and i'm running Win 7 64bit which is capable of handling 12GB. The 3 RAM sticks are currently in the DDR3_1, DDR3_3, and DDR3_5 slots as instructed in the mobo manual for a 3 module configuration.

 

The GPU is plugged in but no drivers are installed so i'm not sure if that's why HWMonitor and Speedfan aren't identifying it.

I did try switching the card to another slot early on but the same issue still occurred. I switched it back to the primary PCI slow though.

 

I'm interested to work out if it's the PSU or GPU atm. I was planning on just buying a new GPU (GTX780) since the manufacturer replied with a poorly written email instructing me to perform some basic test (which I've already previously done) and then email another email address to inform them of my problem.

If it is the PSU then i'd be wasting $$$ on a new GPU if i go ahead.

But if it is the GPU then I'd be wasting $$$ buying another PSU first to make sure. UGH.

 

Every sign seems to point to the GPU, but i don't know what else i can do to make sure it's the culprit, other than to just buy a new equality powerful GPU and see what happens.

I wonder if i can just take it into my nearest PC repair shop and have them test it on a similar rig there. It might cost me some $$$ specially if they spend some time trying to work out what could be wrong with it. In which case id could have just bought new components and tested it myself. :S

[iammykyl]

You could eliminate the PSU as the cause if, a PC repair shop will test it for you, must be under load test.   Ring around, my local one will test for free, hoping, I think, to make a possible sale.   Some will charge a small fee.  

 

Thanks Phillpower2, you are welcome any time to stickybeak

[Kleptomaniac]

You could eliminate the PSU as the cause if, a PC repair shop will test it for you, must be under load test.   Ring around, my local one will test for free, hoping, I think, to make a possible sale.   Some will charge a small fee. 

 

Sounds good, I'll ring around and see what i can find. What do i tell them to test for? If the (875W) PSU can supply full power or something? It provides some power, hence the PC turning on and booting up. Just not enough for the GPU?
 

Edited by Kleptomaniac, 27 May 2014 - 10:58 PM.

[iammykyl]

Ask them if they can test a PSU under full load and the actual reading they get from each rail, written down.

If they are outside of specs you will probable need a new one, but let us know the results before purchasing. 

> http://pcsupport.abo...e-tolerance.htm

[phillpower2]

Remove your Ram, blow out the slots then reseat the Ram securely.

 

Restart your computer and check the temperatures/voltages in the BIOS, no screenshot is required just make a note of the temperatures and the +3.3V, +5V and the +12V and post them with your next reply.

 

NB: BIOS voltage readings.

The readings are not conclusive in the BIOS as the computer is under the least amount of load, if they are higher or lower than what they should be though it does suggest a PSU problem.

 

HWMonitor and Speedfan will often show a GPU to be Unknown but I have not noticed it being unreported altogether before.

 

You are welcome btw iammykyl and thanks