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Thread ID: 93451 2008-09-17 05:43:00 Problem with video hardware - Windows Beemer (6956) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
705919 2008-09-17 05:43:00 I just turned on my computer and got a message to say something about Windows not being able to do something with system events or something like that (I closed the box without taking too much notice unfortunately). It has changed the appearance settings and the only options I have are Windows Standard, Windows Classic or weird hi contrast ones, and Aero and Vista Basic have disappeared from the menu. I tried rebooting and it asked if I wanted to restart Windows normally so I said yes, but nothing has changed.

The problem report says "a problem with your video hardware caused Windows to stop working correctly" and the problem event name is LiveKernelEvent and the OS version is 6.0.6000.2.0.0.768.3 and the locale ID is 5129.

Any idea of what has gone wrong and what needs to be done to fix it? I hate the current appearance and had trouble the other day trying to correct it - at that point Aero and Vista Basic were not showing on the menu either, then all of a sudden they reappeared so I have no idea where they were and what made them reappear.

I've got a Compaq Presario running Vista Home Premium and about 3GB of ram (just got more) and the only new thing I've done since last week is install a Philips LCD monitor. 		Beemer (6956)
705920 2008-09-17 06:48:00 This may be related to your new ram. See this

www.microsoft.com eral&tid=50508554-6c32-477d-9a87-4058c6806a6f&cat=&lang=&cr=&sloc=&p=1 		McRuff (12291)
705921 2008-09-17 07:11:00 Thanks for that, I will be most unimpressed if it is a problem with the RAM as I doubt Dick Smith would take it back. I did a system restore to try and fix the problem but it didn't work, so I did another one to an earlier date and voila, all is back the way I like it now.

I phoned the guy who usually fixes my computer when I have problems and he hadn't come across this before and suggested reducing the resolution on my monitor (which made it look terrible). I'll let him know about this problem.

I can't believe how knowledgeable you guys are on here, no matter what problem I have, someone will have heard of it/experienced it/or have some idea of how to fix it! :banana 		Beemer (6956)
705922 2008-09-17 08:21:00 Dick Smith will take it back especially within 15-20 days of purchasing the RAM. beeswax34 (63)
705923 2008-09-17 08:22:00 Oops, double post. beeswax34 (63)
705924 2008-09-17 11:52:00 I bought it on September 2, but I threw the packaging out after cutting off the label with warranty information. I'd say I'm screwed in that case! Beemer (6956)
705925 2008-09-17 20:57:00 As mentioned, I did a system restore and that solved the problem - but only temporarily - it was back to square one this morning.

I removed the ram and restarted and everything appears fine, so I'd say your suggestion that the ram is causing the problem is correct.

I'll try taking it back to Dick Smith today and see if I can get a refund. After all, it's not like you should be expected to keep the little plastic case the ram comes in, so they may well take it back with my receipt and the warranty information I cut off the pack.

However, it does leave me with one problem - I still need more ram. The brand I bought doesn't appear to have a brand name on the warranty and on my receipt it just says DSE 2GB 667mhz dsktop ram. So what brand should I buy to overcome this problem? I'm running Vista Home Premium as well as InDesign, Office 2003 and Photoshop, so I do need it. 		Beemer (6956)
705926 2008-09-17 22:26:00 Is this the ram
www.dse.co.nz
I see it has a lifetime warranty.
:) 		Trev (427)
705927 2008-09-18 00:20:00 I doubt very much this is a RAM issue....do you have windows updates running?, as that might have updated the drivers for your video hardware. I'm pretty sure you can tell windows updates to do only operating system and not include MS WQHL drivers

Using system restore returned your pc to the drivers before the update!! 		SolMiester (139)
705928 2008-09-18 00:33:00 I rang Dick Smiths and spoke to a really helpful guy there who said he doubted it would be a ram issue, and even after looking at that site that says it could be, he still wasn't convinced. He went through a lot of options with me, and said the only computer he'd heard having ongoing problems with ram is an Acer, which I don't have. He said he had come across an issue once where additional ram caused problems but when it was swapped with the ram in the first slot rather than putting it in the next available slot, the problems stopped, so I have done that, and when I restarted, all is fine so far.

He told me to update my NVIDIA drivers, which I have done - I usually do update them but hadn't for a while.

I explained that when it reverted to the Classic settings, the screen was really bright, and he said that made him think it was a video hardware problem rather than a ram problem. He said if I have an onboard video card (pretty sure I do) I should disable it in bios (would need to get full instructions for that step!) and replace it with a cheap video card to see if that solved the problem. They don't sell cheap ones, only grunty ones for gaming, so if I do that, I'll have to buy it elsewhere.

I said I had installed an external hard drive about the same time the problems started (a WD Elements 640GB USB drive) and he said if the problem arose again after trying the other things, to uninstall it and see if that solved it.

So I've updated the drivers and swapped over the ram, and so far so good. I'll try the simple fixes first before going any further, but if anyone has any further advice, feel free to post it.

Trev, the ram I have is probably that one, but 2GB - it was on special at the beginning of the month for $129 - pretty sure it was normally $179 but have thrown out the web page I had printed out with the details and I've put it back in so can't easily check - it is the one with the lifetime warranty though, and it was made in the US. 		Beemer (6956)
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