my son's computer has a problem

[Bender]

XP machine. I put it together myself several years ago. It currently has an nVidia GeForce 6200 I think. Was working fine up to a couple days ago.

Now it is re-writing whatever window is open, constantly, like every few seconds. Video performance is pretty much screwed. Can't watch DVDs anymore with PowerDVD. The system was spontaneously rebooting quite often, especially when you do something like start PowerDVD, or maybe when you are browsing the web...

He told me that he updated the video card driver a couple of days ago. So I said, ok let's back up a few days with System Restore. We set it to go back 3 days. However the problem still exists.

Then I decided to go to the nVidia site and install an older driver again, but the computer kept crashing. So I got the original video card installation CD and reinstalled the original drivers. Then I changed the Options in Windows so that instead of automatically rebooting, to go to the BSoD, so I could see any error messages.

The BSoD displays a message something like "nv4_disp.dll blah blah..." (I'm at work now, this is from memory)

Here are some of my ideas, are there any other suggestions? I hate re-installing windows!

1. reinstall older nVidia driver - already tried. Didn't work.
2. reinstall windows XP?
3. buy new mobo (his is kind of old - PCI & AGP), and new video card?
4. unplug current video card and re-insert it in case it is not in right
5. pull out both RAM modules and re-seat, and try one at a time in case one is bad

What is bugging me is that this machine worked fine up till a couple days ago, so I am wondering what my kid did, or if it's a h/w prob
The only other Restore Point available is one 3 days prior to the one we when back to a first. I have not tried that restore point yet.
Note, I haven't tried #4 or 5 yet. I will after work today.

any tips?

[PM5K]

Have you tried safe mode?

Sounds like a driver conflict, see if they make a tool that's designed to remove every trace of your video card driver before you reinstall the one from the original disk.

Also, who is this computer used by?

[Bender]

oh yeah, I knew there was something I was forgetting to say in the OP...

yes we did try safe mode right at first. It will NOT boot into SM. We rebooted several times, even shut down a couple times, then when starting to boot up, press F8, but it always continues to boot normally...

[PM5K]

Try going into msconfig > boot tab > safe boot, then restart.

You can also toggle the USB settings in your BIOS.

[Bender]

ok, after that then what?

once we are in SM what should we try?

I plan to shut the thing down after work today, and first try re-seating the vid card and the RAM modules, just in case.

[jacobdrj]

You could do a windows restore from the time that the problem started.

[PM5K]

ok, after that then what?

You just want to see if it will run, you seem to think you have a hardware problem, according to the BSOD message it's obviously a software (driver) problem, but rather than open it up and re-seat a bunch of things for no reason you can run the system and if it doesn't BSOD that will prove it's a software error not a hardware one.

After that do what I previously suggested, find something like the freeware software Driver Cleaner Pro to remove all traces of the newer driver, then re-install from the original disk.

[Bender]

thanks pm5k. When I reinstalled the original drivers (from the original CD) last night, I did NOT remove whatever drivers my son installed. I wonder if that caused a prob...

ok, will do what you say. Will try again to safe mode boot.

I wonder why it refused to Safe Mode boot when I pressed F8 ?

[Bender]

my internet connection has been off most of the evening... it comes back on for a few minutes then goes off again.

anyway, I booted into Safe Mode, uninstalled the drivers, reinstalled the original drivers from the CD, and now it seems to be ok.

thanks pm5k. In the beginning I WAS trying to go into SM (by pressing F8) but it wasn't cooperating. I did not know about the msconfig method of going into SM.

[iggypop123]

in my experience any computer problem is due to porn

[Bender]

he's 11, so I don't have to worry about that yet. I give it one more year.

[PM5K]

he's 11, so I don't have to worry about that yet. I give it one more year.

I'm pretty sure I saw my first porn before 11 and we didn't even have the internet.

Oh, and your welcome.