Windows Crashing?

[Trick]

Currently experiencing the following problem:

PC Boots up to login screen
Login successfully
Then after a few minutes (this varies), the screen goes black and monitor displays "no signal", keyboard has locked up, but main PC is still on.

I press the reset switch, on reboot it either:

1. Screen goes black just before the login screen appears
2. Lets me login and then goes black

I turned the pc off for a while (30mins) then tried again. Was able to get into windows and do a system restore to a week before. Everything was ok for a while, then it did the same. Therefore I assume there is not a driver issue.

Im thinking it may be related to the graphics card or even the monitor?
So the only way to check this out is to borrow some kit of someone and try it out.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this before?

[pcwizard]

Could be the graphics card.
Do you have built in graphics too?

Try getting into safe mode and disabling the graphics card and force windows to use the default settings.
If it runs then it's the graphics card or, if it runs ok in safe mode then it would point to the graphics card.

[patio]

I agree it could be one or the other.
Borrow a known working monitor and see if it does the same.
If so it's the card...borrow a known good card and swap yours out and install the new card drivers. If possible try it on both monitors...

patio.  

[Trick]

My first thought was that it was due to the graphics card...

Anyway, tried diff monitor - no difference..

Then swapped the graphics card, first thing i noticed was that the heatsink was RED HOT! and the pc was only on for 5 mins before i swapped it over...pretty sure the thing is shutting down due to overheating.

Put an old card in, hey presto, works without crashing.

Going to try my monitor on it later, when i find the correct cable (monitor was running off digital link and the old card is vga only)


Cheers all.

[patio]

Sounds like that vid card is failing...was the fan on it running ? ?

patio.  

[Trick]

Yeah, fan was running fine...

Card is only a few months old, and not even overclocked.

[Trick]

Just when i thought it was safe....

PC still crashed. however this time it does not reboot. Windows loads up, then when it is opening everything (usually when the task bar fills up) it freezes.
I can still move the cursor, but it doesnt appear to be doing anything. Cant access windows menu or click any icons.

The strange thing is, if i reboot and enter my guest account (limited) then it loads fine, but i just cant do anything due to lack of permissions.

I end up doing another system restore (after booting from safe m0de), putting it back a week, then it works completely fine. Everything is functional, Until i reboot again, then its back to square one.

Sounds like maybe a program is corrupting it?
The only way round this as i can see it is to do a re-install. I dont fancy it, but cant see any other way of diagnosing.

Think i`ll hold off sending me vid card back until i work out if it really is that which is the problem.

[marine80]

HEY trick.
what is the vga card?model ,company ,ram ,agp?
in advance try to set the agp from 8x to 4x from the card util.

[patio]

If everything works fine in a guest account then it is not the card. Your Admin account has gotten wonked.
I'd suggest a repair install of XP.

patio.  

[Fed]

I'd check for nasties.

[Trick]

im wondering if one of the startup progs has got corrupted.

I`ll boot into safe mode and use msconfig to disable all the progs on startup (they i have installed in sys tray).


See if that helps.
Already done a full virus sweep.

[Gustaaf]

Perhaps your video screen setting were set to be larger then the allowed size by someone else. Resize it under safemode.

Second cause: Try updating your Video driver.

[patio]

Again if it works fine under another profile the vid card is not the culprit...

patio.  

[Gustaaf]

You cold try removing some programs from the start-up menu that works with the Video card.

Example.
ATI has  loads of managers that can re-size or even reset the refresh rate after login.

Hold the SHIFT key down after you just logged on, for the duration of the logon process. (untill all desktop icons apear).

This will by-pass all programs in the START-UP folder. Some registry programs will repsect this too, and not load.

[Trick]

You cold try removing some programs from the start-up menu that works with the Video card.

Example.
ATI has  loads of managers that can re-size or even reset the refresh rate after login.

Hold the SHIFT key down after you just logged on, for the duration of the logon process. (untill all desktop icons apear).

This will by-pass all programs in the START-UP folder. Some registry programs will repsect this too, and not load.

Yeah, this is what i was going to try, but used msconfig instead. And you were right, it seems the ATI software was causing it to crash.

I removed all of those and everything is fine - or so i thought.

My crashing doesnt occur on startup, when using the old graphics card, but when i put the new card back in, installed the latest drivers it was ok for a bit...then monitor just went off again. Seems as though the card is playing up afterall? pc smells hot if that makes sense, plus the overall pc temp was up 9 degrees c, when using the new card.
Put the old one back in and hey presto.

Ive sent it back anyway...no doubt they`ll say nothing is wrong with it!!