Re: BSOD windows...Think its video..going crazy. Done a lot of homework on this.

Hi Paul,

Thanks a lot for the ideas!

I created a bootable USB flash drive last night into DOS and re-flashed
the bios with AFUDOS to the latest version (0406). However, I think I
was already at the latest version. Nothing appears to have changed
(at all that I can tell)

To answer some of your questions....

1) I can try again but, I get the BSOD with the internal video as well.
2) I can't really boot into Windows to do some of your tests. I can't
boot into a graphical mode at all. I can't even boot into VGA mode or
any mode that (apparently) goes into a graphics mode...The computer is
fine otherwise, runs cool, etcetra :)

Because the video issue seems to occur on different OS's I think it
must be something other than Windows, proper. So i've not been
spending too much time troubleshooting the Windows side (afterall, if I
can use a bootdisk to Erd Commander and the same thing happens then it
can't be bad video drivers, etc on my Windows install).

I have done some more testing:

I have 2gb of memory (2x1gb) . I have swapped each 1gb in different
slots and the memory appears good. It tests out in the bios. I
suppose if its really worth trying I could but a cheap stick somewhere
local to validate this.

I have reseated the (three) cards that I have in my pc:

1) ATI X800 GTO Video (pci-x)
2) Promise TX4000 raid card
3) Firewire card

I have removed the firewire card. Removing the promise card will be
tricky but I am getting damn-near-close to removing that too. I have a
*lot* of hard drives..(10) in one case (they don't overheat, I also
have 6 thermaltake fans). Now that I think of it, though, I can remove
the promise controller and boot into a bootable CD to see if the
controller doesn't like me anymore. I've removed the firewire card too
to no avail.

I still find it *odd* that UBCD complains of an "extremely broken bios
detected". I'll have to google for the reasoning for that. That may
have existed previously.

When you get down to it this is where I really focus my energy:

If I boot into regular Windows I get the Windows logo, the loading
screen for about 10 seconds, then I get a blank screen as if the screen
is about to go light blue and I'll see the mouse. Instead I see a
blank screen *BUT* the video card is still sending signal to the
monitor (the lcd "green") light remains on. I've never seen this
before and I wonder if there's something to it. However in saying that
the USB keyboard stops functioning (I can't turn off on various lights-
caps lock, function lock, etc). So it appears the machine has froze to
a certain extent. The machine requires a hard reset to boot back up
again.

Should I clear my CMOS? Does that make any sense?

Also, finally, I just booted into my BIOS this morning and it says I
have a p4 2.8 but I *definitely* have a p4 3.6. I'm wondering if my
CPU is smoked? Its random enough to be this. Plus things are
occurring intermittently. (My overclock profile is default, no
overclocking going on here- although I have in the past (by 5%))



Finally, are there settings I can "tame" on the BIOS to chill out the
video card? Make it work less or something to that effect?



I hope this helps some more for those of you daring enough to
troubleshoot this ;)

Thanks again!

.

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