Garbled video output after upgrade

Hi Guys,

I was wondering if any one could give some advice on an issue I'm
currently having.

Background;

Just upgraded my CPU from Duron 800 to Athlon 1100

All seems ok low temp quicker multitasking with Apps etc.

However, I have a problem when I launch a game i like playing Risk, it
was perfect before my upgrade now I have totally garbled graphics and
everything s unr4eadable, leaving me to reset PC.

I have an old BIOS, dated 2001 and have ACPI crashes on occasion, my
mobo manufacturer has gone bust and it's difficult to get a new BIOS
free.

Should I alter refresh rate/ resolution?

Any thoughts?

Cheers for any advice.

M ;-)

Mattyb wrote:

However, I have a problem when I launch a game i like playing Risk,
it was perfect before my upgrade now I have totally garbled graphics
and everything s unr4eadable, leaving me to reset PC.

Instead of restarting, try switching back to the desktop by pressing
Alt+F4. Then right-click on the taskbar icon and close the game.

I have an old BIOS, dated 2001 and have ACPI crashes on occasion, my
mobo manufacturer has gone bust and it's difficult to get a new BIOS
free.

For your information. That ACPI cannot be removed after you install
Windows. It has to be disabled in the bios before installing Windows
if for some reason you don't want it.

Consider reinstalling the operating system. If you have a least 512 MB
of RAM, upgrade to Windows XP.

Should I alter refresh rate/ resolution?

Well, yes, but usually the game takes over. Before starting the game,
you can limit/override the refresh rate in DirectX diagnostics. Set it
to something your monitor can handle at the expected game resolution.

Good luck and have fun.









Any thoughts?

Cheers for any advice.

M ;-)

"Mattyb" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi Guys,

I was wondering if any one could give some advice on an issue I'm
currently having.

Background;

Just upgraded my CPU from Duron 800 to Athlon 1100

All seems ok low temp quicker multitasking with Apps etc.

However, I have a problem when I launch a game i like playing Risk, it
was perfect before my upgrade now I have totally garbled graphics and
everything s unr4eadable, leaving me to reset PC.

I have an old BIOS, dated 2001 and have ACPI crashes on occasion, my
mobo manufacturer has gone bust and it's difficult to get a new BIOS
free.

Should I alter refresh rate/ resolution?

Any thoughts?

Cheers for any advice.

M ;-)

Clear(reset) the CMOS
Reinstall direct X

On 5 Sep, 03:38, "JAD" john
wrote:
"Mattyb" wrote in message

ups.com...

Hi Guys,

I was wondering if any one could give some advice on an issue I'm
currently having.

Background;

Just upgraded my CPU from Duron 800 to Athlon 1100

All seems ok low temp quicker multitasking with Apps etc.

However, I have a problem when I launch a game i like playing Risk, it
was perfect before my upgrade now I have totally garbled graphics and
everything s unr4eadable, leaving me to reset PC.

I have an old BIOS, dated 2001 and have ACPI crashes on occasion, my
mobo manufacturer has gone bust and it's difficult to get a new BIOS
free.

Should I alter refresh rate/ resolution?

Any thoughts?

Cheers for any advice.

M ;-)

Clear(reset) the CMOS
Reinstall direct X

Specs

768MB SDRAM
WIN XPSP2

TNT2m64 nvidia card

I wrote:

try switching back to the desktop by pressing
Alt+F4

I meant "Alt+Tab" of course.

Mattyb wrote:
On 5 Sep, 03:38, "JAD" john
wrote:
"Mattyb" wrote in message

ups.com...

Hi Guys,
I was wondering if any one could give some advice on an issue I'm
currently having.
Background;
Just upgraded my CPU from Duron 800 to Athlon 1100
All seems ok low temp quicker multitasking with Apps etc.
However, I have a problem when I launch a game i like playing Risk, it
was perfect before my upgrade now I have totally garbled graphics and
everything s unr4eadable, leaving me to reset PC.
I have an old BIOS, dated 2001 and have ACPI crashes on occasion, my
mobo manufacturer has gone bust and it's difficult to get a new BIOS
free.
Should I alter refresh rate/ resolution?
Any thoughts?
Cheers for any advice.
M ;-)
Clear(reset) the CMOS
Reinstall direct X

Specs

768MB SDRAM
WIN XPSP2

TNT2m64 nvidia card


Consider the things you've changed.

1) Physically been inside the computer. Bumped up against components etc.
a) Try reseating RAM modules, with computer off and unplugged.
b) Pull the video card and reseat it, making sure the contacts
are fully into the socket.

2) New processor uses more power than old processor. This might not become
obvious until the CPU is fully engaged.

http://web.archive.org/web/200310180...QDISocketA.htm

Test the computer as if it was new:

3) memtest86+ from http://www.memtest.org/ can be placed on a floppy
diskette and used to boot the computer. You can verify your 768MB of
RAM with that. The program will run forever, if you don't stop it.
Two complete passes is enough.

4) Prime95 from mersenne.org is a program that runs in Windows. Use the
"Torture Test" option to verify the CPU and memory working together.
You don't have to "join" to use the program, if prompted to do so.
You can use the program just for hardware testing. Prime95 runs the
CPU at 100% load, and is a good workout for the power supply, the
CPU cooling system (so watch the temperatures), and since the program
does a math computation with a known answer, it can detect whether the
CPU works properly under those conditions. This is different than gaming,
in the sense that you can still watch the screen while it runs. If you
have a program like mbm5, Speedfan, or some other temperature/voltage
monitoring utility, you can watch what happens there, as Prime95 is running.
If the computer crashes during this test, or if the computer shuts off,
that pretty much tells you it is not a video card problem.

5) Updating DirectX is only advisable as a function of the games you use.
I had one old game, that didn't work right when DirectX was updated, so
if the games you use are really old, I would use caution. Any games
introduced after DirectX7 are probably safe.

To test the video card, I don't have a good hardware primitive test.
About all I can suggest, is 3DMark2001SE build 330, as it is a small
download compared to some of the later versions of the program.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download99.html

If the program crashes running that in Windows, and yet passes step (4),
then the problem could be with the video card. Either the voltage is
low, the video card is failing, or the video card was not fully
seated in the connector.

BTW - You still haven't mentioned brand/model of motherboard. Even because
they are out of business, doesn't mean you cannot find information for them.
web.archive.org has archives of a lot of web sites.

HTH,
Paul

On 5 Sep, 12:37, Paul wrote:
Mattyb wrote:
On 5 Sep, 03:38, "JAD" john
wrote:
"Mattyb" wrote in message

roups.com...

Hi Guys,
I was wondering if any one could give some advice on an issue I'm
currently having.
Background;
Just upgraded my CPU from Duron 800 to Athlon 1100
All seems ok low temp quicker multitasking with Apps etc.
However, I have a problem when I launch a game i like playing Risk, it
was perfect before my upgrade now I have totally garbled graphics and
everything s unr4eadable, leaving me to reset PC.
I have an old BIOS, dated 2001 and have ACPI crashes on occasion, my
mobo manufacturer has gone bust and it's difficult to get a new BIOS
free.
Should I alter refresh rate/ resolution?
Any thoughts?
Cheers for any advice.
M ;-)
Clear(reset) the CMOS
Reinstall direct X

Specs

768MB SDRAM
WIN XPSP2

TNT2m64 nvidia card

Consider the things you've changed.

1) Physically been inside the computer. Bumped up against components etc.
a) Try reseating RAM modules, with computer off and unplugged.
b) Pull the video card and reseat it, making sure the contacts
are fully into the socket.

2) New processor uses more power than old processor. This might not become
obvious until the CPU is fully engaged.

http://web.archive.org/web/200310180...i.nl/support/C...

Test the computer as if it was new:

3) memtest86+ fromhttp://www.memtest.org/can be placed on a floppy
diskette and used to boot the computer. You can verify your 768MB of
RAM with that. The program will run forever, if you don't stop it.
Two complete passes is enough.

4) Prime95 from mersenne.org is a program that runs in Windows. Use the
"Torture Test" option to verify the CPU and memory working together.
You don't have to "join" to use the program, if prompted to do so.
You can use the program just for hardware testing. Prime95 runs the
CPU at 100% load, and is a good workout for the power supply, the
CPU cooling system (so watch the temperatures), and since the program
does a math computation with a known answer, it can detect whether the
CPU works properly under those conditions. This is different than gaming,
in the sense that you can still watch the screen while it runs. If you
have a program like mbm5, Speedfan, or some other temperature/voltage
monitoring utility, you can watch what happens there, as Prime95 is running.
If the computer crashes during this test, or if the computer shuts off,
that pretty much tells you it is not a video card problem.

5) Updating DirectX is only advisable as a function of the games you use.
I had one old game, that didn't work right when DirectX was updated, so
if the games you use are really old, I would use caution. Any games
introduced after DirectX7 are probably safe.

To test the video card, I don't have a good hardware primitive test.
About all I can suggest, is 3DMark2001SE build 330, as it is a small
download compared to some of the later versions of the program.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download99.html

If the program crashes running that in Windows, and yet passes step (4),
then the problem could be with the video card. Either the voltage is
low, the video card is failing, or the video card was not fully
seated in the connector.

BTW - You still haven't mentioned brand/model of motherboard. Even because
they are out of business, doesn't mean you cannot find information for them.
web.archive.org has archives of a lot of web sites.

HTH,
Paul

Thanks for the extensive suggestions Paul I appreciate it. I will try
the tasks that you suggest later in the day.

BTW Mobo is Lucky Star K7VAT Vers 2.1.

Thanks again.

Matt

"Mattyb" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 5 Sep, 12:37, Paul wrote:
Mattyb wrote:
On 5 Sep, 03:38, "JAD" john
wrote:
"Mattyb" wrote in message

roups.com...

Hi Guys,
I was wondering if any one could give some advice on an issue I'm
currently having.
Background;
Just upgraded my CPU from Duron 800 to Athlon 1100
All seems ok low temp quicker multitasking with Apps etc.
However, I have a problem when I launch a game i like playing Risk, it
was perfect before my upgrade now I have totally garbled graphics and
everything s unr4eadable, leaving me to reset PC.
I have an old BIOS, dated 2001 and have ACPI crashes on occasion, my
mobo manufacturer has gone bust and it's difficult to get a new BIOS
free.
Should I alter refresh rate/ resolution?
Any thoughts?
Cheers for any advice.
M ;-)
Clear(reset) the CMOS
Reinstall direct X

Specs

768MB SDRAM
WIN XPSP2

TNT2m64 nvidia card

Consider the things you've changed.

1) Physically been inside the computer. Bumped up against components etc.
a) Try reseating RAM modules, with computer off and unplugged.
b) Pull the video card and reseat it, making sure the contacts
are fully into the socket.

2) New processor uses more power than old processor. This might not become
obvious until the CPU is fully engaged.

http://web.archive.org/web/200310180...i.nl/support/C...

Test the computer as if it was new:

3) memtest86+ fromhttp://www.memtest.org/can be placed on a floppy
diskette and used to boot the computer. You can verify your 768MB of
RAM with that. The program will run forever, if you don't stop it.
Two complete passes is enough.

4) Prime95 from mersenne.org is a program that runs in Windows. Use the
"Torture Test" option to verify the CPU and memory working together.
You don't have to "join" to use the program, if prompted to do so.
You can use the program just for hardware testing. Prime95 runs the
CPU at 100% load, and is a good workout for the power supply, the
CPU cooling system (so watch the temperatures), and since the program
does a math computation with a known answer, it can detect whether the
CPU works properly under those conditions. This is different than gaming,
in the sense that you can still watch the screen while it runs. If you
have a program like mbm5, Speedfan, or some other temperature/voltage
monitoring utility, you can watch what happens there, as Prime95 is running.
If the computer crashes during this test, or if the computer shuts off,
that pretty much tells you it is not a video card problem.

5) Updating DirectX is only advisable as a function of the games you use.
I had one old game, that didn't work right when DirectX was updated, so
if the games you use are really old, I would use caution. Any games
introduced after DirectX7 are probably safe.

To test the video card, I don't have a good hardware primitive test.
About all I can suggest, is 3DMark2001SE build 330, as it is a small
download compared to some of the later versions of the program.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download99.html

If the program crashes running that in Windows, and yet passes step (4),
then the problem could be with the video card. Either the voltage is
low, the video card is failing, or the video card was not fully
seated in the connector.

BTW - You still haven't mentioned brand/model of motherboard. Even because
they are out of business, doesn't mean you cannot find information for them.
web.archive.org has archives of a lot of web sites.

HTH,
Paul

Thanks for the extensive suggestions Paul I appreciate it. I will try
the tasks that you suggest later in the day.

BTW Mobo is Lucky Star K7VAT Vers 2.1.

Thanks again.

Matt


Jeesh my eyes hurt from alll that reading.....your motherboard is a PRIME candidate for
exploding capacitors. Look the board over for bulging and or leaking caps.

Mattyb wrote:


Thanks for the extensive suggestions Paul I appreciate it. I will try
the tasks that you suggest later in the day.

BTW Mobo is Lucky Star K7VAT Vers 2.1.

Thanks again.

Matt


This is an example of an archived web page. Not all of the Lucky-Star site
seems to be well archived, but at least it gives you a place to look for stuff.

http://web.archive.org/web/200206271...rd/s462/k7vat/

The manuals links here, appear to be empty (didn't get archived).

http://web.archive.org/web/200206130...ainboard/s462/

I did find a K7VAT manual here, but I'm not sure if it is for your
version of board or not. In the "typical power supply" section, you
can see they suggest having a power supply with strong +5V rail output.
The label on the side of your power supply will have that kind of information.

http://premium1.uploadit.org/LAVAB84615/k7vat.pdf

Paul

On 5 Sep, 17:08, Paul wrote:
Mattyb wrote:

Thanks for the extensive suggestions Paul I appreciate it. I will try
the tasks that you suggest later in the day.

BTW Mobo is Lucky Star K7VAT Vers 2.1.

Thanks again.

Matt

This is an example of an archived web page. Not all of the Lucky-Star site
seems to be well archived, but at least it gives you a place to look for stuff.

http://web.archive.org/web/200206271...r.com.tw/pub/B...

The manuals links here, appear to be empty (didn't get archived).

http://web.archive.org/web/200206130...r.com.tw/pub/M...

I did find a K7VAT manual here, but I'm not sure if it is for your
version of board or not. In the "typical power supply" section, you
can see they suggest having a power supply with strong +5V rail output.
The label on the side of your power supply will have that kind of information.

http://premium1.uploadit.org/LAVAB84615/k7vat.pdf

Paul

Cheers Guys,

Tried all your diagnostic/maintenance uggestions Paul, all passed
without hitch.

Still have graphic output issue just with Risk!! Tried monopoly from
Spintop no problems, go figure!!

Have contacted Spintop cust support waiting for reply.

thanks again,

Matt