Video card woes

[WhatHowWhen]

Today, I spent several hours installing my new GeForce 6200 video card on my eMachine. After finally getting it to work, my computer's boot time was lagging. I thought this was due to the new hardware but it kept up. But that is tolerable...

Windows File Explorer continually crashes (not the internet one, the one you view files with), which makes using my computer very unpleasant. I scanned with several programs (virus and spyware) but my system was clean.

How can I fix these crashes?

[GX1_Man]

If the system is clean, there are a lot of other possibilities. Have a read here:

http://www.computerhope.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1149804407

My first thought in your case is that the power supply is not adequate either in output or with enough current on the 12V rail to drive that card correctly.

Look in there and find out the name and wattage on it. You didn't post a model number or any other pertinent info about your machine and it's components to advise further.

Here is a rough calculator of wattage needed:

http://journeysystems.com/power_supply_calculator.php

Again, eMachine PSU's are adequate for what they ship with (usually) but if you start adding things, especially a power hungry video card. Of course you should use the latest drivers also, but I don't think this is the issue.

[WhatHowWhen]

Ok... its an eMachine T3985. Would the problem be the power or could it be RAM?

[GX1_Man]

Was the machine having problems before? If the only thing you changed is the video card, that is certainly where I would start.

You can check your RAM if you want (www.memtest86.com for a free download) and make sure you didn't dislodge it while you were playing in there, but I would recommend starting with the obvious. Do you have a working 400 watt or so known good power supply to slip in there for a test?

[WhatHowWhen]

Nobbish question, but how would I go about testing the power?

[WhatHowWhen]

Sorry for the double post...

Could a registry sweep help? Could you reccomend a good one (that wont mess up my comp)?

Also, what are some processes I can safely terminate?

Thanks for bearing with me...

[GX1_Man]

Nobbish question, but how would I go about testing the power?

With a meter.

[GX1_Man]

Could a registry sweep help? Could you reccomend a good one (that wont mess up my comp)?

I don't personally recommend any of them

Also, what are some processes I can safely terminate?

You can check for malware with this link.
http://www.computerhope.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1149948530

You can check for running processes through task manager. (Ctl-Alt-Del)

These are all good ideas but it gets away from the rather obvious cause and effect of new component=new problem. What went wrong in the two hours you were trying to get the video card working?

[WhatHowWhen]

It was just a matter of getting it working. We had to change the BIOS to from AGP to PCI, we did it in the wrong order a couple a times.

But our biggest flaw was when we let the Microsoft Wizard search for new things for the hardware instead of just installing it off of the disc.

We deleted the old drivers (like the installer told me to) and installed the new one, then changed the BIOS to PCI then it worked but with undesirable bugs.

[GX1_Man]

Microsoft updates for drivers, etc are a BAD move at any time. Download drivers, etc. from the source.

[WhatHowWhen]

Things are getting even worse. I am now totally sure the porblems came with the card, not a preexisting state.

Windows Explorer is still crashing, even when Im not using it. Sometimes the windows dont even close (not OS, windows that you look at stuff with). And something new happened today, something called Dr watsons Post Debugger crashed. Which froze almost everything.

I've narrowed my problem down to just a few causes: something to do with the de-installation of old drivers, immproper installation of new drivers (I did it from the disc and followed the instructions exactly), some virus Im not picking up, just plain ol' incompatability, or a problem I dont know about.

Im pretty sure now that it isnt due to lack of RAM, my system has a bit and the vid card just added more, Im only using about 270 of my RAM (about 1/2). I dont think that it is a power problem either, unless power problems cause programs to screw up big time.

Also, can anyone tell me how to terminate proccesses permanetly? Every time I reboot, the processes are back.

Please help me, I dont know where to go from here.

[WhatHowWhen]

Im getting more aquainted with my problem. Windows Explorer usually crashes after I move numerous files or navigate through too many folders. There still are random crashes though.

Also, when a crash happens, everything i the taskbar vanishes. Some come back but the Nvidia(for my video card) vanishes.

Could it be a bad driver?

[GX1_Man]

Have a read and see what applies:

http://www.computerhope.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1149804407

Please re-read through ALL of the replies. It seems really obvious to me.