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Chameleon

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 01/27/2005 11:46:50
Messages: 899
Location: When I find out, you will be the second to know
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Lets see if one of you guys can figure this one out. I went into a game of UT and my video got all screwed up. The only way I can describe it is a cross between colored static and all the colors running from the corners to the center of the screen. It just started doing it out of the blue. I thought it just might of been the game, but when I exit out of the game, my desktop shows spots of off colors. As far as my anti-virus said, I don't have any viruses. I tried reloading my video drivers and that didn't work. I thought maybe something physically wrong with my video card, so to test it, I formated my hard-drive and everything worked fine. I reloaded UT and it worked fine for a few games till it did it again. The only thing I can think of is it is caused by one of the skins I put into the game. The game was running fine, so I started to add the skins I had before into the game. Then, when I tried playing again, same problem occured. I don't know which skin it is or if that is even the problem. The computer has been running fine for a year after I built it, so I don't think it is something I did.

Anyway, this is what I'm running:
P4 2.6GHz H/T
Asus P4C800E MB
512mb Kingston Hyper-X RAM
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Sound Card
ATi Radeon 9800 Pro Video Card
OS Win XP Home SP2 (All updated)
Antivirus Program: McAfee Internet Security Suite (all updated)

"Every man dies, not every man really lives"
Chuck Norris doesn't sleep, he waits
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emetakleze

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 01/02/2005 18:15:15
Messages: 1241
Location: north east, ny.
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What is the max refresh rate of your monitor? It almost sounds like the refresh rate is too high. Does your vid card manufacturer have it so you can choose refresh rates for certain apps? I know mine does (nvidia), and it will force whatever refresh rate you pick when that app is running. Also, does your monitor have degauss, and if it does have you used it when this problem happens? If so, it may be your monitor is screwing up.
Or, and this may sound funny, you don't have anything close to the monitor that may have a magnet in it do you? (last year my monitor started acting funny periodicaly. I went through a ton of stuff trying to figure it out, then I found in the top drawer of my desk {right under the monitor} that I had an old sub-woofer magnet. Removed it and everything worked fine.)
Don't know if this helps, hope it does.

****"All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."**** -Batty

****On a hot summer night would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?****

***Though I cannot corrupt that which is by nature already corrupt, I can and do change the nature of the corruption***

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Continuum

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 03/09/2005 05:20:36
Messages: 479
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
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It really sounds like you have a magnet or transformer next to your monitor.




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Chameleon

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 01/27/2005 11:46:50
Messages: 899
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The only thing I have near my monitor is the modem, but that has always been there (almost two years). I moved it, but I can't imagine that the modem would cause a large enough magnetic field. My subwoofer is about four feet away from my monitor.

My monitor's refresh is at 60Hz right now with a maximum of 85Hz. I reloaded UT and played it without any problems. I then added all the patches and the bonus pack without any problems. Then, with my fingers crossed, I added a few maps and a couple of skins. It is doing well so far. I think I will just leave it as it is now and not add anything more to it. Just wierd that it would do that out of the blue.

I do know what you are talking about the magnet near the monitor. I've seen cell phones wreak havoc as well. In fact, I've seen a cell phone sitting next to a cable modem ringing cause the modem to lose the signal.

p.s. Thanks for getting back with some suggestions.

"Every man dies, not every man really lives"
Chuck Norris doesn't sleep, he waits
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cplmac

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Joined: 12/19/2004 21:10:38
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Location: chicago burbs
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sounds liike a monitor problem to me. try the deguass button like eme said. might be past the point of return.

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dirty_deeds

Dominating
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Joined: 12/19/2004 19:19:16
Messages: 202
Location: checotah, oklahoma, usa
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old gamers never die, they just smell that way
[DOF]SteelAce

Killing Spree
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Joined: 01/05/2005 20:11:00
Messages: 66
Location: Dundee, IL
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Hey Cham, the next time it happens, open up your computer and make sure the fan on your video card is still running. If it is, power down the computer and re-seat the card. It could just be a cruddy connection to your agp slot. Also, check your card contacts and make sure they're clean. Good luck, and keep us posted!


emetakleze

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Joined: 01/02/2005 18:15:15
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Location: north east, ny.
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[DOF wrote:
SteelAce]If it is, power down the computer and re-seat the card. It could just be a cruddy connection to your pci slot.
 


Ahhh, I totally forgot about card creep! Good call man.

****"All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."**** -Batty

****On a hot summer night would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?****

***Though I cannot corrupt that which is by nature already corrupt, I can and do change the nature of the corruption***

IM:atvnj at hotmail.com
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Chameleon

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 01/27/2005 11:46:50
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[DOF wrote:
SteelAce]Hey Cham, the next time it happens, open up your computer and make sure the fan on your video card is still running. If it is, power down the computer and re-seat the card. It could just be a cruddy connection to your pci slot. Also, check your card contacts and make sure they're clean. Good luck, and keep us posted!


 

Yah, I forgot to say I did that also. When I formated my HD, I took my vid card out and checked the fan and the heatsink. That card gets pretty hot. I have another fan dedicated to my vid card that sucks air off of the vid card and out the back of the chasis. I used to always have to make sure my vid card was in the slot back in college when I was moving all the time. Stupid thing would always come out a little bit and cause problems. So far, everything is working pretty well (knock on wood). I don't really know much about computers, so I always need help with it.

Thanks for all the replies everyone!!

"Every man dies, not every man really lives"
Chuck Norris doesn't sleep, he waits
My Skin:
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Chameleon

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Joined: 01/27/2005 11:46:50
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Well, it started doing it again today. I even tried a different monitor and it still did it. Here is what it looks like when it isn't so bad.

You can see the lines in the screen. They just appear out of the blue. I'm starting to think there is something physically wrong with the video card.

 Filename P1010045.JPG [Disk] Download
 Description
 Filesize 696 Kbytes
 Downloaded:  276 time(s)


"Every man dies, not every man really lives"
Chuck Norris doesn't sleep, he waits
My Skin:
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[DOF]SteelAce

Killing Spree
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Joined: 01/05/2005 20:11:00
Messages: 66
Location: Dundee, IL
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Sounds like it's time to isolate the problem. If you have another video card, slap it in and let the comp run normally. If not, go to your local Best Buy or Circuit City, etc., and buy a new card. Their return policies will allow you to return the card (within a certain amount of time) in case the problem persists. Those lines appear to be noise (digital) creeping into your signal, but there is a possibility that your video card is not the cause. If you have a seating problem with the card due to a short clip (that 90 degree bend where you screw it into the case), then try using a pair of pliers to re-shape the clip, taking care not to affect anything beyond it. Be very careful doing this, as it will void any warranty you may have left on the card. Also, since you have a history of this card unseating itself, you should get a flashlight and examine the agp slot on your motherboard for bent pins. Beyond these possible solutions, this noise could be caused by a number of things, but I would concentrate on the motherboard, power supply, and a peripheral (including your add-in cards) that has decided to stop playing nice with your video card. This requires a little more work to diagnose, but given your symptoms and the fact that your video card is running hot even with the fan running puts my money on the 9800. One other thing; if you have the latest catalyst drivers, you will need to install the .Net framework from Microsoft to install and run them properly. Hope this helps.
Chameleon

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Joined: 01/27/2005 11:46:50
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Thanks a ton for those suggestions. I'm going to see if I can borrow a vid card from one of my friends and try that out. I'm also going to take a closer look to see if the card is sitting in there all the way like you said. Thanks!!

"Every man dies, not every man really lives"
Chuck Norris doesn't sleep, he waits
My Skin:
http://www.disastrousconsequences.com/dcforum/posts/list/752.page
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Chameleon

Wicked Sick!
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Joined: 01/27/2005 11:46:50
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Update:

Well, I tried a bunch of different things. First of all, none of my friends has an extra video card that I could try. I read around on different forums and found that other people with the same video card as me are having similar/same problems. A few of them said there was some type of compatability issue. That seemed strange to me since I have had this setup for over a year with no problems. Anyway, I flashed the bios on my board and that didn't do anything, but I figured it needed it anyways. I then started messing around with different video settings in the ATi program. Anyway, I switched the default bus speed from 8X to 4X and now everything seems to be working just fine (knock on wood). I'm not positive this was the fix, but I played UT and didn't have any problems like I normally would of. Just seems strange to me. Anyway, I'm going to try a few more tests to see if this did fix it. Do any of you know, if this was the problem, why the bus speed for the AGP would cause any problems after working just fine for over a year?

"Every man dies, not every man really lives"
Chuck Norris doesn't sleep, he waits
My Skin:
http://www.disastrousconsequences.com/dcforum/posts/list/752.page
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(dof)dcs

Killing Spree
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Joined: 01/03/2005 16:39:36
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half the time i try to fix something on a computer, no matter what i do, nothing works until i call steelace. even when he tells me to do something i've already tried, it works when it didnt before. he'll straighten you out, i'll put money on it cham. keep plugging

Superior tactics will prevail, and ownage shall ensue.
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cplmac

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Joined: 12/19/2004 21:10:38
Messages: 1464
Location: chicago burbs
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Just a thought, Steelace said it looked like you were getting noise creeping into your signal. Try swapping out the cable from your video card to your monitor. Your cable might be bad. Just a thought though, Steelace is the resident comp expert in DOF.

good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
 
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