Blank Screen on Startup

GMill · 07-14-2009, 03:48 PM

Hey guys, just recently I was playing a game and then my computer froze, but the picture changed into nothing I have seen before. There were red like dots all around my screen. So I restarted my computer and it booted up fine but when it got to the welcome screen, it blurred again and had red dots. After a couple restarts it eventually told me I had a missing or corrupt system32/system file. So I inserted my WinXP disc and did a recovery and after the restart it worked fine. Now for the icky part.

When I got home last night, I moved my mouse to resume windows and after the resume, the red dots and blurs are back! Ugh. So now my computer boots up (nothing on the screen, just my computer turns on, fans and all) and after some seconds it comes back from a blank screen with the red dots. I figure this is the welcome screen where I log on, because the timing feels like it.

I have searched for solutions and this is what I have done so far, (after all these I tried booting):
-Cleaned all dust off of the heatsinks and CPU fans, as well as the whole case.
-Reseated my 2 RAM sticks in the other 2 slots, went from blue blue to black black. After this no luck, still a black screen
-Reseated my GPU to the other PCI Express x16 slot, still no luck

This is my problem and I need to fix it fast, going to a LAN next weekend in Sacramento lol

Any help or insight is much appreciated, thanks guys!

rhagz · 07-14-2009, 04:15 PM

Video card is dead. Nothing more to it really, try throwing another one in to verify.

MagicNumbers · 07-14-2009, 04:15 PM

I think the missing/corrupt file means a corrupted registry. Not sure about the red dots/blurry image on your monitor, but it sounds like you need to do a system restore.

GMill · 07-14-2009, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicNumbers

I think the missing/corrupt file means a corrupted registry. Not sure about the red dots/blurry image on your monitor, but it sounds like you need to do a system restore.

Well I am fairly sure I fixed the corrupted registry, cause it booted fine after I ran the WinXP CD restore. And after that I ran registry mechanic to clean up all of my other registry files.

Fozzik · 07-14-2009, 08:16 PM

rhagz: quick draw, wide shot.

rhagz · 07-14-2009, 08:24 PM

Wide nothing, that's all there is to it. Red dots in and out of 3D applications is 99% of the time a result of blown VRAM. In games only after extended periods could just be heat, but still isn't good.

The registry error was just a side effect of massive hardware failure during an operation.

Did it look anything like this?

GMill · 07-14-2009, 08:36 PM

They are close to that, but when I get them I don't see actual picture, I see thick black and white lines, and these lines are covered by them. They look like this .--. .--. .--.

I have heard its either heat problems relating to the GPU, or CPU. When I get home from work I am going to remove my CPU fan to check the thermal paste.

rhagz · 07-14-2009, 08:41 PM

Yeah, I know what you are talking about. The shape is different. It's from bad VRAM. It can be caused by heat, but it should not happen at desktop unless your GPU fan isn't blowing at all.

What is the video card anyway?

GMill · 07-14-2009, 08:43 PM

EVGA 8800GTX, my 2 yr warranty is expired by a couple months

so if the GPU is the culprit, Im going to borrow my friend's GPU for the LAN lol.
Hopefully EVGA will go easy on me tho, I plan on building a new system in Oct/Nov with Win7 and the i5 series

Loopy · 07-14-2009, 08:57 PM

Interesting. My EVGA 8800GTX died on me last week with major artificing much like yours did, it was also approximately 2 years old. Though I have a lifetime warranty on mine and a new one i already on the way from EVGA. Why do you only have a 2 year warranty?? Most EVGA cards have a lifetime one.

rabb1t · 07-14-2009, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loopy

Why do you only have a 2 year warranty?? Most EVGA cards have a lifetime one.

Not the same everywhere. Pretty much just the states has lifetime. Up in Canada or over in Europe it's different/limited.

GMill · 07-15-2009, 06:12 AM

Oh my lol I wasn't aware all products were lifetime, I bought it through Tigerdirect, if that matters. I was checking the site (quick scan) and saw their warranties, all products ending in TX have a 2 year warranty. How do I know if mine is lifetime? Sorry its late

I may be missing something huge!

rabb1t · 07-15-2009, 01:25 PM

Since it's Evga if you bought it in the states it should have lifetime coverage. I know the 8800 GTX is one that qualifies.

Question is - did you ever register it? And if not, is it too late? (You always always want to register your GPU the minute you have booted up after installing it.)

You should be able to go to the site and register it and then see if you can RMA it.

It's very likely though that the 8800 GTX has hit end of life, so be prepared to get trade-in value towards something else.

I'd recommend you consider something like the GTX 275, though a GTX 260 Core 216 should be a fair step up. Certainly don't go lower than a GTS 250 1 gig, as anything less would be a step sideways, possibly even down. (The GTS 250 / 9800 GT/GTX are roughly equievalant in power, which are only a hair above the 8800 GTX.)

The only reason I could think of for an 8800 GTX not having lifetime coverage if bought in the states would be if it were a refurbished/b-stock item.

rhagz · 07-15-2009, 02:06 PM

Heh, came across this today by coincidence. Same exact problem you have on the same exact card. All you need is an oven!

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1421792

GMill · 07-15-2009, 04:08 PM

Lol crazy you said that Rabb1t I was asking myself the same thing, so I scrambled to find my EVGA info, and I did in fact register it, and within 30 days. I was so proud of myself lol :X
Ill post what I do when I get home

Thanks for all your help again rhagz and rabb1t! You guys are 2 for 2 with my problems lol, much love!

Fozzik · 07-15-2009, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhagz

Wide nothing, that's all there is to it. Red dots in and out of 3D applications is 99% of the time a result of blown VRAM. In games only after extended periods could just be heat, but still isn't good.

The registry error was just a side effect of massive hardware failure during an operation.

Did it look anything like this?

I was just teasing.

It does sound like maybe more of the same Nvidia BGA problems just like they've had with their mobile chips and the Xbox 360 "red ring of death". All caused by hairline cracks in the balls attaching the GPU to the PCB. Reflowing the balls might fix things short-term (putting the board in the oven? I'm assuming, I didn't read the link.), but the cracks will probably come back.

They are caused by the large difference in thermal coefficient of expansion (CTE) between the GPU itself and the printed circuit board it's attached to... the GPU heats up and expands more rapidly than the board, so it causes shearing stress on the solder balls.

Anyway...the real solution is probably to underfill the GPUs, which I think Nvidia started doing with the newer Xbox 360s. Improving heat dissipation doesn't hurt either, I would think...better coolers would reduce the CTE problems some.

I know I registered my vid card when I got it...but I can't remember the account info...hopefully I've got it stashed somewhere in case it ever blows up on me.

rabb1t · 07-16-2009, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fozzik

just like they've had with their mobile chips and the Xbox 360 "red ring of death". All caused by hairline cracks in the balls attaching the GPU to the PCB.

They died 'cause their balls cracked?!

Quote:

I know I registered my vid card when I got it...but I can't remember the account info...hopefully I've got it stashed somewhere in case it ever blows up on me.

Not really important with Evga. If it's registered and your name, they can find you by serial number. (Though you may have to call if you can't get through to the forums.) I'm pretty sure though you can retrieve your infos you've forgotten just by having them send said infos to the email bound to the serial number.

Fozzik · 07-16-2009, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabb1t

They died 'cause their balls cracked?!

Some of the funniest conversations you'll ever overhear in a surface mount assembly lab are the ones about BGA balls. Lead-free balls are especially amusing, because they aren't as shiny and don't wet nearly as well in a lot of applications. *giggle*

I'm a true professional. Sometimes.