Nvidia Graphics Card Problem?

I'm running Vitsta 34 bit

My computer's video card crashed a few months ago (I was using a Nvidia 8400 at the time and SL worked fine)

So I updated my video card to a Nvidia 9400 GT...but when I open SL, it only runs for about 5 minutes, then my screen goes totally blank, completely blacks out, and I cannot do anything and have to restart. (I know it's having problems with the graphics card because this blank screen was the same problem I had when my old card crash.)

So I began to wonder if my new Nvidia 9400 GT card is incompatible with SL...which would be strange because its a newer and better card

I checked the SL system requirements page and it says "NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better"
And I do have better...but the page doesn't specifically list the Nvidia 9 series

So does SL have a problem running the Nvidia 9 series?

Is that a Chinese knock-off like Bucksstar coffee or Pizza Huh?

The 9400GT is compatible with SL, so that's not the problem.

First of all, go to Nvidia.com and make sure your drivers are up to date. Also check for updates for other components like the sound card, motherboard and network adapter. Also make sure Windows is up to date.

If the issue persists, look for hardware problems. Do a surface scan of the hard drive and check the memory. Also get a program to monitor the temperature of the CPU and graphics adapter to make sure they're not getting too hot. Make sure the computer is getting proper ventelation, the fans are working and it's not full of dust.

Microsoft's Windows memory diagnostic http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp will be useful checking for defective memory.

Speedfan http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php will monitor temperatures inside your computer.

sounds like overheated, loose or bad ramm to me. open that case clean it out and remove and replace the ramm make sure they are seated well. make sure you get everything free of dust specialy pay attention to the cpu heat sink and any case fans

If you upgraded your graphics card WITHOUT uninstalling the previous drivers and installation, then thats why its doing what it is. Uninstall the previous drivers, reboot, install the newer cards drivers, then update the driver. Restart and you should be good.

I opened my "Add/Remove Programs" tool. And when I located Nvidia drivers on the list, this is the message I see

This will remove the NVIDIA Display Driver. All driver components and thier coorresponding entries in the system registry will be permanently removed from your system. Do you wish to continue?

I'm worried to uninstall because I'm not sure if doing so would make my screen go black again. And it also says things would be permanent. But this is wrong, right? I can uninstall with no problem?

yeah, you should have no problem at all.
After you uninstall it should just view your graphics card as a PnP monitor

Milla is right, the 9400 is completely compatible.

Yes, uninstalling the drivers completely is quite safe. The system will use its default video driver, so you will still be able to use the machine for anything that doesn't require special Nvidia capabilities. I'd download the new drivers first to sompleace local before uninstalling. I'd also reboot the machine after uninstalling the drivers, before installing the new ones.

I've never heard of the blank screen being a symptom of bad drivers, but it sounds plausible. If that doesn't work, though, try reseating the card and, if you can, substitute in a different video cable (and little adapter connector, if you're having to use one).

I would recommend using Driver Sweeper instead of the add/remove programs window. It can remove problem settings and files that Windows sometimes misses.

http://www.guru3d.com/category/driversweeper/

Black Screen of death.. Happend to my old Nvidia GForce MX4000 long ago. My buddy is a Computer Wiz, and he said thats a sign of a dying card..

Just giving my 2 cents.

So you know, just because a card is in a newer series doesn't mean it's a better card. With nVidia's 4-digit numbering convention, the second digit is typically the most important. The first digit denotes the manufacturing series, and the second tells the card's performance level within the series.

The only significant difference between the 8 and 9 series is power consumption. nVidia chanced their manufacturing process with the 9 series, allowing them to create cards that offered the same performance levels and lower power usage levels. Aside from some minor bells and whistles added to a few of the various models, that's really it.

I hate to tell you this, but if you look at the actual performance specs, it's arguable that you actually downgraded, rather than upgraded. On many crucial performance specs, the 8400 ranks somewhere in between a 9400 and a 9500. The 9500 is considered to be the successor to the 8400. The 9400 is a small step down in performance.

So, you upDATED, but you didn't necessarily upGRADE, if you follow my meaning. A real upgrade would have meant a higher second digit, regardless of series. Newer doesn't always mean better, in and of itself. You have to look at the actual specs when making decisions.




It's debatable whether you have "better". You have "newer", certainly, but not necessarily "better". Ignore for a moment the fact that the 6600 has an older interface (AGP instead of modern PCIE), so it's not going to be usable in most modern machines, the actual performance specs of the 6600 are about the same as those of the 8400 and in most areas, and are actually better than 9400 in some.

Again, the second digit is what's most important with nVidia cards. The first doesn't tell you much beyond when the card was designed. For performance, the second digit is your first indicator. After that, look at the specs, and make an educated purchasing decision.

I hate to make anyone feel bad about a purchase they've already made, but the truth is what it is.




SL has no particular problem with the 9 series, but it does have problems with low end cards of all types. And I hate to break it to you, but anything with a 4 in the second digit is low end. I wouldn't go with anything below a x6xx myself.

That said, it should work, just not incredibly well.

My guess is you've got a driver problem, especially given the fact that you said you tried to use Add/Remove Programs to upgrade. Don't EVER do that. Windows is not capable of fully removing old drivers on its own, let alone installing new ones. This is where a lot of people run into trouble. You need a good driver removal program. I recommend DriverCleaner. I've never used Driver Sweeper, but I'd imagine it probably would do the job too.

Here's the procedure I recommend you always follow when updating drivers:

1. Download the latest driver from the nVidia website. Don't install it yet; just download it.

2. If you don't already own DriverCleaner, go to drivercleaner.net, and purchase it for $10. It's well worth it. It's the only way I know of to ensure a completely clean uninstallation of an existing driver, short of removing all files and registry entries by hand, which is not a good idea to try.

3. Restart Windows in Safe Mode. To do this, tap F8 as your computer is first booting up, to bring up the Boot Manager, and then pick Safe Mode from the list.

4. Run DriverCleaner now, and remove your existing nVidia graphics driver.

5. Restart normally.

6. Now install the driver you downloaded in Step 1.

With any luck, SL should work now. If not, then my next guess would be something is physically wrong with your hardware. Perhaps the new card isn't seated properly. Try removing it and putting it back in place. It's also possible it's overheating, or that it's simply a bad card. If you can't get it to work, call nVidia, and have them send you out a warranty replacement. If the new one has the same problem, then you may have damaged your motherboard when you swapped out the cards. Hope that that's not the case, because replacing a motherboard is no small task.

Your "computer wiz friend" is an idiot making that type of judgement. He's only about 5-10% accurate.

What you are suffering from is a graphics driver crash and unrecover or recover. Basically what's happening is your graphics card is doing something, that either your not installed correctly driver does not like, thus the screen turns black and the system attempts to recover the driver. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. When it does, the computer is usable, SL will remain open but entirely a black window. Only way out of this is CTRL + ALT + DEL and end the process for SL. If that fails, then a hard shutdown is required, and 40% of the time is the case.

Fixing this can be difficult, I've delt with it before in my time. Custom nvidia drivers are made and generally work pretty good. If your having an issue, take a look into the most stable version of drivers for your card. Then downgrade the driver to that period. Example, my most stable drivers for my gaming rig is like 178.xx, I'm using a custom driver set at 182.xx. Some drivers work better than others.

Let me know if this is still an issue, if it is, try the CTRL + ALT + DEL and you might find you wont have to restart each time. Determining the best graphic driver however could be complicated, and would require patience.