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multi-coloured pixels freezing pc

peter tron

peter tron

peter tron

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Joined
6 Oct 2012
Posts
277
Location
(do-or-die) Wye, Ashford, Kent, UK.
hi guys,

this started yesterday, and it has happened again since.

i'm guessing it has to be gpu hardware related, and i have had time to read about on the internet concerning this issue.

as i'm typing this, it could happen at any moment, so until i can switch back to my trusted old power pc mac tower, i need to fire this off quickly.

apart from taking the gpu and cleaning out any dust, have you guys got some troubleshooting before i realise i have to throw money at the problem and buy another gpu?

br

barry
 
i'm using nvidias 350.12 driver for my gtx 460.
there is a newer 353.62 driver.
do you think i should install this newest one.
up to this point, i thought if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
which might not be very true at the moment...
 
well, a new development.

there was another freeze. this time the pc attempted a restart, but got stuck in a boot loop.
i booted in safe mode ok.
i'm assuming you recommend i should install the latest nvidia drivers to see if this rectifies the issue?
i will try this out tomorrow.
i do hope it is a software driver issue and not the gpu itself, as i have had it just under three years, and was hoping it would last longer.

baz
 
Well it certainly can't hurt to try another driver.

I'd also recommend using DDU as well.
 
I only mentioned the driver because there have been reports of recent drivers causing corruption and crashes. It is worth a shot before assuming it is bad hardware.
 
i've been using my current driver for months with no problems.
can issues arise [such as recently in stalled software] that could cause the driver to misbehave?
 
the problem has now got much worse.
rebooting in safe mode now has the same problem.

i was doing some final clearing up, as the nvidia folder was still there in the c drive and the problem happened again!

i tried rebooting in safe mode and the problem is still there.

i don't understand, in safe mode there should be nothing to do with my nvidia card or any of its associated drivers.

safe mode seems to be infected by the same problem now.
 
Last edited:
Do you get the same problem when in the BIOS as well?

If you do, then your card is probably borked.
 
the lines are there in the bios screen too.

does safe mode use the gtx 460 in low power mode, or does it use the onboard standard vga card?
 
Last edited:
peter tron said:
the lines are there in the bios screen too.

does safe mode use the gtx 460 in low power mode, or does it use the onboard standard vga card?
Click to expand...

I think safe mode will use your primary graphics card.

Lines in BIOS?

Guessing it's on it's way out.
 
any point in reseating the card and cleaning out possible clogging dust, if any?
i am considering a new card though.
 
A 10 minutes bake in the oven can work wonders... I have recently "fixed" 2 7970 cards with bad ram (red shimmering vertical artifact bars on screen from boot) by chucking them in the oven at a fair old heat and leaving them too cool in there. Some people say it reflows solder joints but I don't believe that as the oven doesn't get hot enough. Either way it worked for me, just remember to strip all coolers and plastic off first and don't come crying to me if you burn your house down.
 
MeEsH BaKkA said:
A 10 minutes bake in the oven can work wonders... I have recently "fixed" 2 7970 cards with bad ram (red shimmering vertical artifact bars on screen from boot) by chucking them in the oven at a fair old heat and leaving them too cool in there. Some people say it reflows solder joints but I don't believe that as the oven doesn't get hot enough. Either way it worked for me, just remember to strip all coolers and plastic off first and don't come crying to me if you burn your house down.
Click to expand...

A proper reflow oven is just a glorified desktop electric oven. All it does is ramp the temps up to 225c and hold it there for ten minutes, then cools back down.
The only thing you're missing with a conventional oven is the controller with all the sensors to make sure the temps stay close to 225c for ten minutes before shutting the oven down, but you have a human doing that job :p.

I bet some of the newer programmable electric ovens would work just as good as a reflow oven, just set it to cook for ten minutes at gas mark 7/220C lol.
 
i suppose what have you got to lose when all else fails!
it's either the bin or cooking, if all other troubleshooting falls short :p
 
Is the card still in the warranty period as you say it's just under three years?

Also... doing a reflow (especially if you do it without using flux) will only ever be a temporary fix, and even more so if it's not using lead in the solder (because the heating/cooling cycles make it brittle compared to leaded solder).
 
i bought the card used from someone on ebay.
i still have the packaging it came in, so i assume any info would be in there.

i also want to start a new thread to ponder upgrade choices for new cards.
since i bought the 460 [2 3/4 years ago] prices have come down for cards that were a step up from my 460.

560ti's go for about £60.

should i start a new thread for this, or carry on?
 
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