• Competitor rules

    Please remember that any mention of competitors, hinting at competitors or offering to provide details of competitors will result in an account suspension. The full rules can be found under the 'Terms and Rules' link in the bottom right corner of your screen. Just don't mention competitors in any way, shape or form and you'll be OK.

NVidia Help Page + OC advice / Steps to take if your 6800 isn't working

i dont think i can overclock, the mobo only allow 166hz whereas the memory slot allows pc3200 (strange), i jsut get low fps basically no kinda lag jsut low fps, ive reformatted, update mobo bios aswell, installed 67.22's, ive tried 3 driver sets all the same really, my cpu score is a lot lower than other peoples when i compare scores on 3dmark03.

my barton runs at very hot (40-65), mayb this has damaged it in sumway?
 
Originally posted by Vegeta
i dont think i can overclock, the mobo only allow 166hz whereas the memory slot allows pc3200 (strange), i jsut get low fps basically no kinda lag jsut low fps, ive reformatted, update mobo bios aswell, installed 67.22's, ive tried 3 driver sets all the same really, my cpu score is a lot lower than other peoples when i compare scores on 3dmark03.

my barton runs at very hot (40-65), mayb this has damaged it in sumway?
Click to expand...

id focus on that CPU issue, might be time for a christamas treat, new mobo and a 3200 costs nowt really, and will let your 6800 open up fully, outside of that i cant help, i have no reason to think the GC is to blame.
 
well i jsut tryed hl2 on full settings 1024*768, 4X aa, 4 X af

i get 8fps at the start, and it doesnt go above 3o until i get into the room with barney, even then its idleing jsut below 60 (depends where i look)

btw which 3200/mobo do u mean is cheap?
 
Last edited:
Steps to take if your 6800 isn't working

Well when I was having problems with my 6800gt I emailed support and got back this in an email so I thought I would post it on here as it has some ok tips for newbies and it did actually have the solution to my problem on it, although I'd sorted the problem before I received this email :p (cpu overclock)



DO THE STEPS:
You will need to earnestly step through the process of checking all of the points in this message. Though this process is lengthy, please bear with it. Most of our customer's issues are solved, or at least exposed, by following our troubleshooting steps. These are steps, which for the most part are not included in the help documentation, as they relate to issues that are system/Windows specific. If you have done any of these things before, you will want to do them again to eliminate them from the potential causes - one more time. It never hurts to be too careful. This will also help us narrow down the cause of your problem to specific areas if none of these steps are successful in solving your issue. We edit this list on a case-by-case basis, so if steps are included here it is because your issue is potentially related to all of these fixes.





TRY THE CARD IN ANOTHER COMPUTER:

As a 'good' first troubleshooting step, try the card in another computer to see if the symptom(s) follow(s) the card. Moving the card to another system where possible is the quickest way to isolate the actual problem. If not, the problem still exists in the computer (by way of a software, drivers, code of some form or hardware component malfunction) and needs to be addressed. If the problem remains with the PC, I'm attaching plenty of information to get you going on that. If the problem DOES follow the card, call us so we can deal with that.





POWER SUPPLY:

In General:

A large percentage of “pre-built” machines do not have the wattage necessary to run an GeForce FX or higher series video card upgrade (though other series cards and home built machines can have this problem as well.) Many people that upgraded their power supplies when they purchased the last video card or sound card upgrade may have purchased supplies to resolve similar issues with the systems back then. A lot has changed, and these new super-fast motherboard and processors along with these wattage hungry video cards have put the customers in the same boat again. These problems are general in nature – ranging from fuzzy icons on the desktop, to non-booting or system beeps to crashes in 3D renders.



How to Test:
First, you will want to check that the power supply is large enough to support an upgrade of this type. You can do this by examining the sticker, required to be there by the FCC, on the power supply. You’re looking for a number that is typically bigger than 100 and listed by a title that says output or maximum output. It should not have a "v" next to it - though it may have a "w". Some people may have to remove the power supply from the machine in order to see this sticker. There is a handy tool that will give you a rough, but good MINIMUM estimate for what the power supply should output at (can't say cos it's a competitor) This estimate does NOT include the extra 20-30% of wattage you should have available for startups and on demand spikes on top of the minimum. To be safe, add 30% to the minimum recommended number to estimate your safe operational minimum wattage range. If the power supply's maximum output is less than that number, you need to upgrade it immediately.



How to Test 2:

Download and install Everest Home Edition from http://www.lavalys.com and click the entry “Sensor” under “Computer”, and keep your eye on the +12 volt rail. If it dips below 12 volts, and does so frequently while the system’s running, then that could be the source of your issues.



Deal With It:
1.) The box only says “250w minimum and 300w recommended”.
It is literally impossible to estimate what each individual system will require in wattage as each system is unique and every item in a system adds to the wattage requirements. The minimum is requirement is for early Athlon (pre-gigahertz) and P2 or P3 systems running with a minimum of accessories. All Athlon (greater than 1 gigahertz) and Pentium 4 systems must have 300-watt power supplies as part of the specifications for the processors, and move up the scale from there.
2.) How long do I have?
Power supplies are mechanical and like any mechanical part when they are stressed their life is dramatically reduced. Overdrawn power supplies have a tendency to burn out and cause boot problems. This is an issue best addressed as soon as possible relative to the overdraw amount. It is also not possible to reduce the available wattage when a supply is stressed, making it hard to trouble shoot even if components are removed to bring the wattage requirements down to an acceptable level.



Fix It:
A power supply with the appropriate wattage should be purchased. It is usually a good idea to obtain a power supply that is much larger than needed, as any future upgrades will only be successful if there is enough power to support them. Be sure to check if the power supply is ATX before upgrading as some power supplies are proprietary and the case will not accept a standard ATX power supply (sometimes listed on the sticker).



Other Required Reading:

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/power-supply.htm

http://www.pcnineoneone.com/text/powersupply.txt



(Also checkout TomsHardware.com for articles about comparison tests they’ve done for quality and durability of many different brands of power supplies. Very informative!)

http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20021021/

http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20030609/





LATEST BIOS:
Next, you will want to visit your motherboard manufacturer's website to get the latest BIOS flash for your motherboard and inquire whether or not the chipset you are installing is fully compatible or has an AGP driver update. Even if the motherboard or computer manufacturer does not specifically state an AGP issue was addressed in the latest BIOS code release, please keep in mind that almost NO MANUFACTURER will list all bugs fixed in the release notes. As a precursor to providing technical troubleshooting, the BIOS of your system must be of the latest release, as all troubleshooting steps may be corrupted and in vain as the specific problem may be 100% resolved by the latest BIOS code.



Also, while you are at the manufacturer’s website you will want to check for any drivers for windows that your motherboard needs in relation to the rest of your chipset (PCI bus, Onboard LAN or Sound, IDE, etc.).



Then you will want to check your bios settings. Below is a list of our recommended BIOS settings (note: not all of these items will necessarily be available on your system):





PREFERRED BIOS SETTINGS:
Assign IRQ for VGA: Enable
PnP O/S Installed: Enable
VGA Pallet Snooping: Disable
PCI Bursting: Disable
PCI Latency Timer: 128
Video BIOS Shadowing: Disable
Video BIOS Cacheable: Disable
Video RAM Shadowing: Disable
Video RAM Cacheable: Disable
USWC Options: Disable (or set to UC)
Pipeline Cache Write: Disable
PCI 2.1 Compliancy: Enable
Passive Release: Enable
Delayed Transaction: Enable
VGA Boot Sequence: AGP or PCI (Based on the installed card)
AGP/Graphics Aperture Size: ½ the amount of installed system memory
AGP Turbo Read Mode: Disable
AGP Turbo Write Mode: Disable
AGP WS Write: Highest Possible Value
AGP WS Read: Highest Possible Value
AGP Transfer Mode: 4x (or the highest setting available)
AGP Clock:2/3
AGP Aperture: ½ the installed RAM (Example: 256 RAM - Set Aperture to 128)
Video BIOS Shadow: Disabled
Video BIOS Cacheable: Disabled
Video RAM Cacheable: Disabled
C8000-xxxxx-Cacheable: Disabled
Peer Concurrency: Enabled





DISABLE ANY ONBOARD GRAPHICS:
Be sure that if you have an onboard video card it's disabled or that AGP is enabled in the BIOS, if that option is available. Otherwise, the onboard will need to be disabled in Windows, the PC hut down, and the cable moved immediately to our card. If this is not done, the computer, or Windows, can re-enable the card. Do NOT uninstall the drivers for the onboard graphics or Windows will redetect the device and either put it back, or prompt you for a driver every time the computer restarts, until you provide it one.





OVER-CLOCKING:

In General:

Systems that have one or more components over-clocked above factory hardware design can cause system instability. As all forums on the web usually indicate with no uncertain terms, that the steps they outline may cause your system to crash or cause some other strange anomalous behavior. Faster and Faster video cards in these systems will be more and more susceptible to these symptoms as they have increasingly more “pipelines” to the processor, and expect “answers” back in a specific time. Slower cards are usually sturdier or stable in an over-clocked system as they operate at only a certain speed with a limited number of pipelines to the processor.



If you are over-clocking the AGP slot voltage or frequency, or if you’re using a Windows-based tool to over-clock your BFG card, the warranty is voided. New NVIDIA drivers give you the ability to over-clock your video card. Be advised, when you select this option, you are required to select “I Agree” to the terms in order to proceed. These terms clearly state that damage can occur and can affect your manufacturer’s warranty. For your reference, we’re providing the Terms & Conditions here:



TERMS AND CONDITIONS



WARNING: THE SOFTWARE UTILITY YOU ARE ABOUT TO ENABLE ("UTILITY") MAY CAUSE SYSTEM DAMAGE AND VOID WARRANTIES. THIS UTILITY RUNS YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OUT OF THE MANUFACTURER'S DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO: HIGHER SYSTEM VOLTAGES, ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES, EXCESSIVE FREQUENCIES, AND CHANGES TO BIOS THAT MAY CORRUPT THE BIOS. YOUR COMPUTER'S OPERATING SYSTEM MAY HANG AND RESULT IN DATA LOSS OR CORRUPTED IMAGES. DEPENDING ON THE MANUFACTURER OF YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM, THE COMPUTER SYSTEM, HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE WARRANTIES MAY BE VOIDED, AND YOU MAY NOT RECEIVE ANY FURTHER MANUFACTURER SUPPORT. NVIDIA DOES NOT PROVIDE CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPPORT FOR THIS UTILITY. IT IS FOR THESE REASONS THAT ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY OR GUARANTEE IS EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. BEFORE ENABLING AND USING, YOU SHOULD DETERMINE THE SUITABILITY OF THE UTILITY FOR YOUR INTENDED USE, AND YOU SHALL ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.





DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES



ALL MATERIALS, INFORMATION, AND SOFTWARE PRODUCTS, INCLUDED IN OR MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS UTILITY ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" FOR YOUR USE. THE UTILITY IS PROVIDED WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NONINFRINGEMENT. NVIDIA AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE UTILITY IS RELIABLE OR CORRECT; THAT ANY DEFECTS OR ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED; OR THAT THE UTILITY IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. YOUR USE OF THE UTILITY IS SOLELY AT YOUR RISK. BECAUSE SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT PERMIT THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES, THESE EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.





LIMITATION OF LIABILITY



UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL NVIDIA AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM THE USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE UTILITY. THIS LIMITATION APPLIES WHETHER THE ALLEGED LIABILITY IS BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER BASIS, EVEN IF NVIDIA HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. BECAUSE SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, NVIDIA'S LIABILITY IN SUCH JURISDICTIONS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.



IF YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREE TO ALL OF THE ABOVE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, CLICK THE "I ACCEPT" BUTTON BELOW.



IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ALL OF THE ABOVE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, THEN CLICK ON THE "I DO NOT ACCEPT" BUTTON BELOW, AND DO NOT ENABLE OR USE THE UTILITY.



In summary, they warn you that you may use the utility built into the driver only if you understand that you alone are responsible for what happens after you over-clock the card. The same applies for any Windows-based 3rd-Party utility. If you understand that damage can occur, and you will own the card outright with no valid warranty expressed or implied, then you may do what you will.



Special Note about CoolBits:

Regarding removing CoolBits from your system. If you used CoolBits to over-clock the card, you can remove it by removing and reinstalling the driver. CoolBits is nothing more than Windows Registry settings, and will no longer apply if the driver has been removed/reinstalled.



Deal With It:

Many motherboards now come with Over-clocking as a full feature. They offer you the ability to operate the RAM at a higher speed (voltage and frequency), the Front Side Bus (or FSB as it’s commonly known) at a faster rate, the Processor at a higher clock speed as well as the AGP specs as mentioned before. As a primary troubleshooting step for many symptoms involving a crashing driver in a system where it’s well known to be over-clocked, step all devices and functions back to standard or stock speeds. Retest for any anomalies, and leave the settings where they are (at stock) for the remainder of all troubleshooting.
 
Last edited:
WINDOWS UPDATES:
In General:
Windows updates are critical to any applications performance including general OS errors and performance. If Windows critical updates are not done, errors may result in 3D renders, video display, general application load and run and a host of other issues in Windows. Windows recommended updates would most notably have an effect when dealing with FX series cards, as they are Direct X 9.0 compliant. Also it is important to note that if Windows updates supply any drivers for any device, users will want to make sure that device is using the latest driver from the manufacturer and that it is installed and functioning properly, as devices that are not functioning properly can cause errors that mimic video card errors. Obviously, at times Windows driver updates are not always the most current available, and Windows updates in general will only address issues related to how things run in Windows (i.e. not errors in display during post or bios setup screens)


How to Test:
Simply go to http://www.windowsupdate.com/ and do a scan using the system you wish to update.


Deal With It:
1.) I know my Windows system is completely updated.
Again, it is imperative that these things (Windows-related files & Service Packs) be updated to their most current version and takes very little time to scan if any are needed. It is best to double check just in case as issues that occur at this level are relatively simple to address and will corrupt any further troubleshooting results.

Fix It:
Download and install the needed files. The site is very user friendly, though it may be rather time consuming and users will want to revisit the windows update site to make sure that all updates are done as some can only be installed one at a time and others may cause additional updates to be needed. Make sure you skip any hardware drivers that relate to the video card as Windows Update may place an older, possibly incompatible version of the driver. That means a driver that is WHQL certified, but doesn’t possess the information about your brand new card. (Like a new 6800 series Asylum card). Make sure “Automatic Update” is not the option you have selected for your Windows Update type, as it is most likely to put this older driver in place. Select the option to “Review All Updates” before installing them.





IRQs:

You will want to check the IRQ assignment for the video card.



In General (taken largely from AMD’s white papers):

The easiest way to explain an IRQ is to think of it as a unique identifier. The IRQ process is similar to an auction. The CPU is the auctioneer and the peripherals are the bidders. Each bidder has a flag or paddle to get the auctioneer's attention. If more than one bidder has the same flag, there is chaos. Almost all primary components, such as graphics, sound, modem, etc., require at least one IRQ, regardless of whether they are cards or built onto the system boards. Many older devices require their own unique IRQ (their unique flag) with respect to all of the other devices.



Note that some components (like video cards) cannot share IRQs. This can cause undesirable visual effects. There are 16 IRQs (15 usable) in a computer system. Here is a typical assignment of these IRQs:



IRQ 0 System- System Timer
IRQ 1 System- Keyboard
IRQ 2 System- Cascade able PIC
IRQ 3 System- Serial Port (COM 2 and COM4)
IRQ 4 System - Serial Port (COM 1 and COM3)
IRQ 5 Available- General Adapter Use
IRQ 6 System- Diskette Controller
IRQ 7 System- Printer 1
IRQ 8 System- CMOS Real-time clock
IRQ 9 Available- General Adapter Use
IRQ 10 Available- General Adapter Use
IRQ 11 Available- General Adapter Use
IRQ 12 System- Mouse Port
IRQ 13 System- Math Co-processor
IRQ 14 System- Hard Disk Controller
IRQ 15 Available- General Adapter Use



As you can see, there are five (5) IRQs that are not assigned by the system design (5, 9, 10, 11, and 15).



Note: there are actually more possible assignments for IRQs up to 255. However, any IRQ past 15 is simply a duplicate of one of the 15 listed above. Furthermore, IRQs above 15 are assigned a lower priority than the first 15 IRQs listed. Therefore, when a video card is assigned an IRQ above 15 there are several issues to consider. First, it is important to understand why the OS assigned the video card an IRQ that was not in the 5 available primary IRQs. The most common reasons for this are usually found in the following 3 places: bios update, chipset update and power supply wattage or defect. It is also possible for a defective card or slot to cause this issue, however, in most cases severe issues such as display corruption will indicate this type of problem. Also, it is important to understand that while a card will often function with this type of IRQ assignment, doing so will likely cause some performance issues. In many cases reassigning an IRQ to one of the primary available IRQs to the video card will result in a performance increase as well as address or fix more serious issues.



How to Test:
In Windows 98/ME:
Right click on the “My Computer” icon and select properties.
Select the “Device Manager” tab.
Expand the “Display Adapters” by clicking on the + sign.
Right click on the NVIDIA card and select properties.
Select the “Resources” tab and see what the IRQ is (labeled Interrupt Request).

In Windows 2000/XP:
Click “Start” >> “Run”.
Type in “devmgmt.msc” and hit enter.
Expand the “Display Adapters” (by clicking on the + sign).
Right click on the NVIDIA card and select properties.
Select the “Resources” tab and see what the IRQ is (labeled Interrupt Request) and that there are no conflicts (listed on the bottom of the page). "This setting can not be changed within the operating system. If the IRQ assignment is greater than 15 you will want to reassign it to a different IRQ (preferably 11)."



Deal With It:
In some cases it is not always necessary to change the IRQ, as sometimes performance is nominally affected by an unfavorable assignment. However, even in these cases it is important to address the reasons WHY the assignment occurred, as that is likely a source of current issues or potentially a cause of future issues (as in the case of overdraw on a power supply). If the IRQ does need to be reassigned there are several potential fixes, however it is important that any issues that originally caused the unfavorable assignment be addressed.



Fix It:

In Any Version of Windows Other Than 2000/XP:
If the card is a PCI card it is possible that changing slots will change the IRQ assignment. Changing the IRQ assignment directly in the bios MAY also affect the assignment in Windows if the option is available. Lastly, uninstalling and cleaning the driver files for the device may also potentially reassign the IRQ to something that is favorable.



In Windows 2000/XP:
While assigning the IRQ in the bios is sometimes successful in Windows 2000/XP, it is rarely the case that when it is available that it actually works. Windows 2000/XP’s HAL has a tendency to ignore such bios settings and has been designed to remember its original assignment regardless of how many times the card is uninstalled and reinstalled. There are several Microsoft Knowledge Base Articles on the subject that detail how to get the OS installed in a manner to reassign the IRQs, based on what is currently installed that should leave the systems programs intact.

As a final option, you can also reformat and reinstall Windows using the prescribed manner to install a “Standard PC HAL”, install the chipset drivers before installing the video card drivers and then install the latest drivers with favorable results. In both cases however, important data should be backed up as IRQ reassignments can sometimes cause system crashes and obviously reinstalling the OS with formatting the drive will erase all data.



Here are the pertinent article numbers and their website locations on the Microsoft website:



ARTICLES PERTAINING TO WINDOWS XP IRQs



Troubleshooting Device Conflicts with Device Manager

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 310126

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=310126



A general description of IRQ sharing in Windows XP

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 314068

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314068&Product=winxp



How to force a Hardware Abstraction Layer during an upgrade or an installation of Windows XP

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 299340

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;299340&Product=winxp



HOW TO: How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 315341

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315341/EN-US/



HOW TO: Manage Devices in Windows XP

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 283658

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;283658



HOW TO: Specify a Specific or Third-Party HAL During Windows Setup

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 216251

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;216251



Explanation of error codes generated by Device Manager

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 310123

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310123&Product=winxp



How Windows XP Determines ACPI Compatibility

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 314088

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;314088



Unable to change resource settings in Windows XP Device Manager

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 315278

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;315278



A general description of IRQ sharing in Windows XP

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 314068

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;314068



HOW TO: Specify a Specific or Third-Party HAL During Windows Setup

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 216251

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=216251





ARTICLES PERTAINING TO WINDOWS 2000 IRQs



How to Troubleshoot Windows 2000 Hardware Abstraction Layer Issues

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 237556

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;237556



How to Upgrade Windows 2000 to Use an ACPI HAL

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 246236

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;246236



Disabling ACPI Support in BIOS Results in Error Message (Windows 2000)

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 197055

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;197055



Unable to Change a Resource Setting in Device Manager (Windows 2000)

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 269491

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;269491



How to Troubleshoot Windows 2000 Hardware Abstraction Layer Issues

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 237556

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;237556



How to troubleshoot unknown devices that are listed in Device Manager in Windows 2000

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 244601

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;244601



General Description of IRQ Sharing in Windows 2000

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 252420

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=252420



How Windows Determines ACPI Compatibility

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 216573

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;216573




DIRECT X:
You may want to try reinstalling Direct X. Reinstalling Direct X is only possible in Windows XP - all other operating systems will need to be reinstalled to reinstall direct X. You will likely want to postpone a system reinstall until you have backed up your information and as a last resort. You can find the latest REDISTRIBUTABLE VERSION of Direct X here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...11-62FE-4F61-ABA1-914185249413&displaylang=en





SCRUB THE DRIVERS:
There are issues with some games with the drivers from 61.77 and older. You can review the "Release Notes" for each driver and you will see what I mean. First, go to www.driverheaven.net/cleaner for version 3.3 of the program Driver Cleaner you’ll use to remove the currently installed drivers. Install it, and select the option “Nvidia Fix” during the installation procedure. Reboot.



Go to "Add/Remove Programs" in the Control Panel. Remove the first nVidia graphics driver selection, then reboot as directed. Cancel the Hardware wizard. Then go back to "Add/Remove Programs" in the Control Panel. Remove the second nVidia graphics driver selection, then reboot as directed.



After the reboot, cancel the Hardware wizard. Open the READ ME file for Driver Cleaner from the file menu, and scroll down to the appropriate section for your system. Then open the Driver Cleaner program, and use it as they direct you to. This should scrub the system of any offending driver related files, references and records. If you had another manufacturer’s graphics card installed before (in this Windows implementation), select that manufacturer from the list and clean those drivers from the system too.





TRY THE LATEST DRIVERS:
Next, you can try the newest driver, as these issues are being addressed between NVIDIA and the game manufacturers.
ForceWare 66.93 WinXP/2K

http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_66.93



My guess is you will see some success using these drivers.
 
OPEN GL GAMES:
Now, here's what NVIDIA recommends to help game performance and problems with OpenGL games:

1) You should verify that hardware acceleration is enabled.

2) Go into your Control Panel -> double-click on the Display icon -> click on the Settings tab when the Display Properties appears -> click on the Advanced button -> click on the Advanced button -> click on the Troubleshoot tab -> make sure Hardware Acceleration is turned up all the way.

3) Also check that the display driver is installed correctly.

4) Click on the Start button -> select Run -> in the Open field, type in "DXDIAG" -> then click on the OK button -> when the DirectX Diagnostics tool appears click on the Display tab -> look at the version listed, the last 4 digits should end with at least "6177", if it doesn't show this, then the driver did not install correctly.

5) From this screen, also check that AGP Texture Acceleration is enabled if your video card is an AGP graphics card.

6) OpenGL will not operate when your graphics card is in Windows DualView mode. Check if your system is in DualView mode by going into your Display Properties -> click on the Settings tab -> check if there are two monitor icons on this panel. If there are two monitor icons, left-click over monitor #2 and check if the option "Extend my windows desktop onto this monitor" is enabled. If it is, then remove this check. Then click on the OK button.

7) Be sure that there are no programs running in the background that can affect the performance of your system. Virus protection programs, Instant Messengers, Download accelerators, Software Firewall Programs and System Restore/Crash Guard utilities can often lead to slower 3D performance and game crashes. Disable these utilities and any other programs before you run any 3D-intensive programs.



8) Also, check that your system meets the minimum system requirements for the application you wish to run. If your system does not have enough free memory, then it can affect the performance of your system.

9) Lastly, if you have never installed drivers for your motherboard chipset, then you may want to download and install the latest chipset drivers for your motherboard. This will allow your motherboard to communicate with your graphics card properly.
 
I wouldn't go as far as doing all those tests (maybe one of two of them). I'd get on the phone explain the problem then ask for an RMA number. Thanks for sharing though.
 
I guess a lot of those tests could apply to graphics cards in general, a lot of people seem to ask a lot of the things listed
 
Originally posted by BlackEyedAngel
I think this should be stickied as a good starting point for troubleshooting, especially as lots of people are running 6800 cards now.

Hope a mod agrees.
Click to expand...

I agree,however as only 3 stickies are allowed per forum I'll merge it into the Nvidia Help & OC stickie :).
 
Cheers for the additions toker, ive neglected to update for a bit due to the (touch wood) smooth running of my system of late, all extra info is appreciated to keep the thread nice and comprehensive.

UEX
 
Ultra_Extreme said:
Well the XfX has the same volts as the normal 4001100 bios only is clocked higher 425/1150 so its up to you but it shouldnt be more risky, however it is less likely to work and you are m,ore likely to get artifacts etc but go for it :)
Click to expand...

Hi I have downloaded the files xfx 400 1100 and 450 1200 and the bios editor, I have taken a copy of my bios, it's a MSI 6800 gt, I have also looked into the other files with the bios editor, I'm a little confused, my bios shows nothing on the 2d boxes, the xfx shows 435 and 600 the 450 - 1200 shows 450 600, but hte one that I'm having problems understanding is the 400 - 1100 it shows 11264 11264 in the 2 d boxes.

What does this do and why has my card got empty 2 d boxes and why is the 400 1100 bios so different in the 2d boxes.

Hope someone can explain as I was going to flash my bios with that one but I feel uneasy now I have seen they look so different to the other bios's.

Thanks :)
 
my mate bought one of these a few days ago, appeared to be working fine at first, installed the drivers then, when he rebooted blocks appeared everywhere during boot up!

Question is, can it be fixed or shall i tell him its RMA time? (not bought from OC btw)
 
Cragnut - yes RMA it, tis most likely broken, corruption in the bios boot up is usually fatal.

kimandsally - i have to say i dont know there. avoid the 400-1100 if it says that or edit it correctly (400[core]-550[mem])
 
About to flash my lovely new Galaxy 6800GT and have a few questions:
1) If I flash the card, what exactly does it do? Does it just set the default clock speeds to 400/1100 and up the voltage by 0.1V?
2) If so, will this mean I can overclock the card further? I already have it clocked at 420/1100 at about 49C idle, 60C load.
3) If things go wrong or I just want to go back to the original bios, how do I do that?

Thanks :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom