screen goes blank and "display driver stopped working..."

nerdinator · *Last edited by nerdinator; 05-11-2012 at 20:21.*

Hi.
My system specs:
Windows 7 64 bit Service Pack 1
RAM 4 GB
Intel Core 2 Duo processor E8400 3 GHz
CPU Speed : 2987.8 MHz
ATI Radeon HD 4350
360 GB Hard Disk(half full in both drives(I have 2) )
It's a Dell Inspiron 535s

THE PROBLEM:
1. Frequently,while I'm using the computer,screen gets stuck(mouse can be moved though,but no response when I click on something) ,the screen goes blank(like when it turns off) for a couple of seconds and then it is back with a message at the bottom.,saying,

"Display driver ATI Radeon Family stopped working and has recovered successfully".

Sometimes the screen goes blank and the system restarts.
2. There are also moving marks on the left side of the screen (horizontal red blurry lines that move around up and down),which don't always exist.

The screen going blank happened about 5 times till this point of my typing.

Here is what I've done so far:
1.Reinstalled OS.
2.Reinstalled ATI driver software(catalyst control center) (the latest one off

3.I checked the temperatures of the CPU and mother board using Speccy.
CPU temperature varies from 57 to 63 C while motherboard temperature stays around 30.
4.The temperature of the Graphics Adapter(ATI Radeon 4350 HD) is about 65 -75 C.

I installed ubuntu 12.04 along with Win7. The screen goes blank abruptly but
it doesn't reappear. Audio will be heard though. But the screen simply won't show anything even if it is on. I must turn the CPU off manually and restart it.

I have no games installed on my computer.
It is basically used for internet,music,videos and a little programming.

Please help me.
THank You

Pill Monster · 05-11-2012, 20:28 | posts: 20,851 | Location: NZ

Do you mean HD 3450? Could be either failing PSU or graphics card...

Agent-A01 · 05-11-2012, 20:57 | posts: 5,706 | Location: USA

what catalyst drivers were u using?

pimp_gimp · 05-11-2012, 22:38 | posts: 5,795 | Location: Tacoma, Washington

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pill Monster

Do you mean HD 3450? Could be either failing PSU or graphics card...

What he typed is most likely not a typo,

http://www.amd.com/us/products/deskt...-overview.aspx

Pill Monster · 05-11-2012, 23:07 | posts: 20,851 | Location: NZ

Quote:

Originally Posted by pimp_gimp

What he typed is most likely not a typo,

http://www.amd.com/us/products/deskt...-overview.aspx

I think it is...
http://www.dell.com/us/en/bpi/deskto...ron-535s&s=bpi

But if he does have a 4350 then his 250w PSU is inadequate.

nerdinator · 05-12-2012, 20:25 | posts: 7

No it isn't a typo.
I have a 4350.

I am really sorry,but I don't know what my PSU wattage is. I guess I must look inside the CPU to know. I will tell that soon as I can't open it up now.

@Agent-A01,
I am using 12-4_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc. That is the 1st one here:
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownloa...w_vista64.aspx

---TK--- · 05-12-2012, 20:48 | posts: 14,935 | Location: New Jersey, USA

look for the 12v amps on the psu itself

Pill Monster · 05-12-2012, 21:00 | posts: 20,851 | Location: NZ

Quote:

Originally Posted by nerdinator

No it isn't a typo.
I have a 4350.

I am really sorry,but I don't know what my PSU wattage is. I guess I must look inside the CPU to know. I will tell that soon as I can't open it up now.

250w according to Dell...that's if you have the build in my earlier link?

Is it this one?

zbran · 05-13-2012, 19:13 | posts: 7

as long as your psu is woking fine then its NOT your psu...the ATI 4350 draws only 20W MAX.... its a very old low powered card.. i would suggest removeing the cooler from the card and re-applying the thermal paste,a card of that age,the paste must be well and truly fried by now. and your error also suggests an overheating issue! i know your temps seem ok but i would redo the paste.

it could also be the power circuit starting to break down..tbh you have got a good run with that card so if its gone bang you couldnt blame it to much

Pill Monster · 05-13-2012, 19:33 | posts: 20,851 | Location: NZ

Quote:

Originally Posted by zbran

as long as your psu is woking fine then its NOT your psu...

Your logic is truly amazing...

Ripshod · 05-14-2012, 20:30 | posts: 36 | Location: S****horpe UK

The latest round of updates to the drivers has reintroduced an old problem. I had to go back to the 12.2 drivers to stop this happening to me.
Only fix for the drivers is a registry hack (some kind of timeout). I'm not too sure about doing that so I just wind them back.
Heres to the next stable alpha!

nerdinator · 05-16-2012, 18:35 | posts: 7

I could barely use the computer the last few days because the screen would simply go blank.

@Pill Monster,
yes the PSU gives 250 W max.
But this system was bought straight from Dell with no later changes/upgradations to hardware by me whatsoever. The graphics card was supplied by Dell along with the PSU,so they should have taken care of that. Right?

@zbran,
The cooler is the fan. Correct?
I would have to try that before I decide to buy another graphics card. But can you check the new problems I am facing which I will post now?
@Ripshod,
I am starting to think it may not be the driver. There are these other issues now.

nerdinator · 05-16-2012, 18:46 | posts: 7

Most of the times,now the screen goes blank even before the OS choosing menu is displayed(bios,bootloader,the Dell logo). That is to say my monitor is simply doesn't show anything. The monitor is alright though,I checked. I turn my CPU,monitor on,the monitor shows "Power Saving Mode" message. And it stays blank.
When it does work till I can choose OS,I choose Win7,and go to safe mode and many a times the same problem occurs there as well.
And even when I choose Ubuntu, the same problem.

I have now disabled the graphics card in Device Manager in Win7. But yet this happens. Now that card is disabled the earlier problem of "Display Driver Stopped ...." message after screen blanking out for 2 seconds doesn't happen.

From my knowledge,the system doesn't use the graphics card in safe mode or at least to show BIOS options. It uses a less capable inbuilt card. Correct?
This happens even with the graphics card disabled.
SO is it really a graphics card problem at all?

And the same thing happens in Ubuntu. Ubuntu would be using its own driver. So can it be a driver problem?

Ripshod · 05-16-2012, 19:16 | posts: 36 | Location: S****horpe UK

mmm. I stand corrected - though I do have trouble with the drivers.
By deduction that leaves only the PSU/mobo. Being a low power GPU , can you get hold of a DMM and actually measure the 12v rail at the PSU plug?
Google 'badcaps' and have a look at the first result. A leaky capacitor on the mobo or graphics card could be dragging the voltage down or even tripping the PSU

nerdinator · 05-17-2012, 19:44 | posts: 7

I took a look at the capacitors on the graphics card, and they are a little bulged at the top and one of them seems to a leaked a little(a spot of golden color on the top).
So it might be "badcaps".
I gave the video card to someone to check on his system. I don't know if someone here can replace those caps though.
I don't have a DMM. I'll try to get one if this doesn't solve it.

Pill Monster · 05-17-2012, 19:51 | posts: 20,851 | Location: NZ

Keep us posted...if happening in safe mode it's prob not a driver issue.

Any electrician could solder on new caps for you..

nerdinator · 06-16-2012, 19:07 | posts: 7

Sorry to bump after this long, I thought I'd post how it got fixed finally.
We tried another card and that didn't work either. So I had to actually get the motherboard fixed by a computer technician(*PCI slot was changed*). And then we tried our graphics card. It didn't work. I then got a new Nvidia graphics card which worked.
Thank You for your time.