Screen frezzing & blanking intermittently weith 7100 GS

[csaag]

I have a Nvdia 7100 GS 512mb on my HP Pavilion a1214n (2gb DDR2, pentium 4 3Ghz Asus Limestone mb running Windows MCE)

I have this problem where the screen blacks out for a second or two intermittently and by that I mean sometimes it can happen every couple of minutes. I think it only happens with on the internet (my kids complain about it a lot). I've had it happen to me but I don't remember if it happens when not connected.

I just upgraded the driver to 163.71 but the problem is still there, although right now it doesn't seem so prevalent as before.

Anybody ever run into this & if so how did you address it?

thanks.

[Nelson37]

1. How long has this been happening?

2. How long did the PC run OK before this began?

3. WHAT HAS CHANGED ON THE PC BETWEEN NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER TWO?

4. Does the color or blink status on the monitor power light change?

5. Have you checked for loose cables?

6. The PC itself does not beep, give an error msg, reboot, or any indication of a problem whatsoever?

A complete answer to number 3 will solve the problem. Assuming number 6 is accurate, the answer to number 4 becomes very important. Try a different monitor if available, and double-check number 5. Physically Remove and Replace cables, visual examination is not good enough.

[csaag]

It's been that way for a month. The kids are on the internet almost all the time, but as far as I can remember I don't see the problem when I'm not online.

Never had this problem with the previous 6600LE video card so I do suspect it's the card. I haven't had the card all that long (longer than a month but not more than a few months)

I checked the card to make sure it's seated right & inspected everthing else inside the case as well as cables etc.

The PC doesn't make any sort of error beeps etc.

[Nelson37]

The light on the monitor is very important as this is a direct indicator of whether the monitor is actually receiving a signal.

So the problem began very shortly after replaceing the video card? Why was the original, identical card replaced?
Was this a warranty replacement? Such parts are usually pulls from other systems. If this card is a warranty replacement, rip it out and get another one.

If the problem is related to Internet usage (damn near impossible, IMO) this may be a false correlation.

Example - the problem is random and intermittant. If 95% of the PC on time is with the Internet running, then the odds are you will be on the Internet when it happens. The problem would appear to be related when it is not.

Test - Close the Internet. Do absolutely nothing. Watch the desktop. You could play Solitaire, but NOT a video game. Time interval necessary is roughly double the longest functional time period you have experienced.

Testing with another monitor would also be useful.

[csaag]

The fan on the old video card failed.

The problem isn't related to internet usage from my adventures last night.
The kids have the net on 110% of the time which led me to wondering about that.

The problem is hit or miss, sometimes it happens literally every 10 seconds, sometimes I don't
see it for half an hour.


Anyway I removed the video card & went back to the onboard video and not 1 glitch all of today.
So either it's the card or maybe the power supply is getting taxed. Will just have to run with onboard video a while longer & see what happens.

thanks for the suggestions.