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| Thread ID: 59953 | 2005-07-18 06:37:00 | Sudden blank screen - advice needed | Tony (4941) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 373233 | 2005-07-19 11:19:00 | Is your important data backed up Tony? Once you've done memtest, do a disc scan as per above advice. BTW, memory tests and disc scans can/will strees the parts. If there is a fault, it can tip it over. Back up. |
Murray P (44) | ||
| 373234 | 2005-07-19 11:48:00 | Have no fear - I've been obsessive about backups ever since I was an operator on IBM mainframes in the 1970s! We backup changed data every day across the PCs on the network, and do a full backup every Sunday to CD. So if it all turns to custard tonight, all I should lose is anything that happened since today's b/u - which is not much. Having said that, this of course will be the day when I find the CDs are crap and the other PC loses all my backed up incremental stuff. :rolleyes: Thanks for the concern, though. |
Tony (4941) | ||
| 373235 | 2005-07-19 21:53:00 | I ran memtest all night, with nothing adverse reported. This morning I ran a chkdsk on all the partitions, all OK as well. I've also run a benchmark on the display adapter, which presumably exercised it fairly hard, and that has worked OK as well. So where do I go from here? I've installed the latest video drivers as per Speedy's advice. |
Tony (4941) | ||
| 373236 | 2005-07-19 22:48:00 | I am wondering whether your hard drive is on the blink. Have you got another to try in that machine? Running a hard drive testing utility might be a good idea. | FoxyMX (5) | ||
| 373237 | 2005-07-19 23:37:00 | I ran memtest all night, with nothing adverse reported. This morning I ran a chkdsk on all the partitions, all OK as well. I've also run a benchmark on the display adapter, which presumably exercised it fairly hard, and that has worked OK as well. So where do I go from here? I've installed the latest video drivers as per Speedy's advice. Don't run chkdisk or scandisk, they only check the FAT and files. Use the drive manufacturers diagnostic utility from a boot disc (not from windows), or some other type of rescue/diagnostic disc. Is SMART activated (a true diagnostic utility will query SMART)? Have you checked temperatures and PSU? Does it blank out in Safe Mode or with default VGA if you run in that mode for a day or two? |
Murray P (44) | ||
| 373238 | 2005-07-20 11:21:00 | Is SMART activated (a true diagnostic utility will query SMART)? Have you checked temperatures and PSU?How do I find out if SMART is activated - BIOS? (I think it is). PSU??? (Power supply?) I've seen conflicting info about temperatures; Sandra at one point was reporting 229 degrees - I don't think so... but at another point indicated 50 odd degrees (if I remember correctly). Something else also reported the lower temp. I've run the Seagate tools suite (the drive is a ST360015A) with no reported hardware errors. It did say there were errors in the indexes on all partitions, "and other <unspecified> errors were found". It says this is informational only and to run a software check - e.g. chkdsk. Done that from a DOS box and all it found were a couple of orphaned files. - which is not surprisng seeing as how I have been having lockups. I've already run chkdsk at boot time (see previous post) with no reported errors. The irony of it all is that through all this it hasn't locked up once! So - I've checked memory (memtest) I've checked the physical disk (Seagate Tools) I've checked the file system (chkdsk) I've exercised the video system (benchmark) I think I might wait a bit now and see if it recurs - unless anyone has any other ideas? I really don't want to format and reinstall except as an absolute last resort. |
Tony (4941) | ||
| 373239 | 2005-07-20 11:30:00 | Yup the Smart option SHOULD (or maybe) be under the ide Master/primary entries in the BIOS. And yup PSU is the power supply. |
Speedy Gonzales (78) | ||
| 373240 | 2005-07-21 06:37:00 | It has just occurred to me that I have only experienced this problem when I have moved/clicked the mouse (except when it has happened on startup.) I'm using a MS optical cordless mouse and keyboard, but I have spares of both, so I'll plug those in for a while and see what happens. Watch this space! |
Tony (4941) | ||
| 373241 | 2005-07-22 09:12:00 | Ah well, so much for that good idea. I had a blank screen/lockup today using an old PS/2 mouse and a corded keyboard. It did happen when I moved the mouse though. At least it means I can go back to an optical mouse with a wheel... I've opened up the case, vacuumed out all the fluff and dust, reseated everything I could get my hands on, so now I'm just waiting for it all to happen again. I have no idea what to do if/when it does. :badpc: |
Tony (4941) | ||
| 373242 | 2005-07-22 09:26:00 | This seems to be a prob with this card according to Google. Like here www.techsupportforum.com This sound similar to your prob? Using a logitech mouse, can cause this prob, but I see you're not using a logitech. Try updating the MS mouse software, if u use it. And what's this card ? PCI? AGP? I would also check the BIOS, and see what the setting is on for the primary graphic adapter. In some BIOSES there's an option for PCI/AGP. |
Speedy Gonzales (78) | ||
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