Uninstalled NVIDIA 320.49 WHQL Drivers and now my computer won't start?

phillipryan · Jul 17, 2013

So, I recently built my first PC, and had it working just fine. Or, not "just fine," it would freeze randomly. My 320.49 drivers kept crashing and then recovering, so I decided to rollback to the 320.18 WHQL drivers. However, after uninstalling one of the drivers, my computer froze and then I had to force-restart it with the power button. I got the computer to boot up 2 more times for about 3-7 minutes each, and then it would freeze. My ASRock 970 Extreme4 mobo will have Dr. Debug with "C7" and then changes to "36" for the rest of the time the computer is on. I don't know if this is worth noting or not, but when playing games such as Fallout: New Vegas, Oblivion, and GMOD, the computer would freeze after about 5-10 minutes of gameplay. You couldn't CTRL-ALT-DEL or ALT-TAB out of this, you had to force-restart the computer. I haven't overclocked any of my hardware, with maybe the exception that my graphics card came factory overclocked. I am running an FX-8320 as my CPU and a Gigabyte GTX 770 2GB. The main problem is that: when I boot up my computer, there is no video output being sent from my computer to the monitor. I am using an HDMI connector to an HP Pavilion 22bw. Any suggestions on how to fix this is greatly appreciated, thank you so much in advance.

P.S., I have already reseated my RAM.

GeekThief-1354135 · Jul 17, 2013

What version of windows are you using ?

phillipryan · Jul 17, 2013

GeekThief-1354135 :

Windows 8 Professional 64-Bit.

geofelt · Jul 17, 2013

Every graphics card has a basic mode that works without any drivers at all.
That is how you can see the bios when you boot.
If your monitor has multiple inputs, see if you have selected the appropriate input source. Some monitors autodetect, some do not.

Past that, there is probably something else going on with your build.
It could be a flaky psu, incompatible ram(run memtest86+ to check)
overheating(run with the side covers off) Needed motherboard bios update, ... you name it.

phillipryan · Jul 17, 2013

geofelt :

My monitor will go through and scan every port to see if their is any output coming from the PC. Also, I can't run memtest because I can't get the computer to display any information to the screen. Is there a way that I can somehow reset the computer to factory defaults without actually doing anything on the screen? I have tried running with the covers off as well. The thing that gets me is that it was working semi-correctly before, and after uninstalling a simple audio driver, the computer freezes and seems to be gone forever.

geofelt · Jul 17, 2013

I think you had some sort of problem initially .
Obviously, uninstalling the drivers did not fix it.
1. Verify that your graphics card has the needed power plugged in, and have not come loose.
2. You could try clearing the cmos on your motherboard to reset it to the factory original setting.
3. It is possible that there is a short somewhere, you could remove all the parts from the case, and disconnect anything not needed to boot to bios.

phillipryan · Jul 17, 2013

geofelt :

I've just verified that the graphics card has all power plugged in, all good there. I did do an out-of-case boot before assembling the computer, does that count for solution #3? If not, I'll happily try it again. Lastly, I think I read somewhere on the internet that clearing the cmos required you to buy a new battery of some sort for your motherboard, and can lead to many other problems. Is this true? Thanks again for your help so far.

geofelt · Jul 17, 2013

The cmos battery will be a cr2032, but I have yet to see one go bad, even after years of use.
There will be no need to change it out.
Read your motherboard manual, it will tell you how to set jumpers to reset the ios. Removing the battery is only another way to do that.

I really doubt you have a short.
Your first task is to be able to post to the bios and see the display.
It is unlikely that your graphics card has gone bad, but they do fail. Can you test with a different card?

phillipryan · Jul 17, 2013

geofelt :

I wish I could, but as this is my first time building a computer, I have no other graphics cards lying around. Plus my motherboard doesn't have any onboard video as well :fou:

I'll try clearing the cmos

phillipryan · Jul 17, 2013

geofelt :

Okay, so one more question about clearing the CMOS: Should I unplug the power to the system and press the 'clear cmos' button or not?

geofelt · Jul 17, 2013

I don't think you need to power off.
Read your motherboard manual, or use google to see what those debug numbers mean.

phillipryan · Jul 17, 2013

geofelt :

Clearing the CMOS didn't have any effect. Do you think this could be a faulty part? If so, could you make any guess as to which one is to blame?

phillipryan · Jul 18, 2013

geofelt :

Any idea at all?

geofelt · Jul 18, 2013

There are some check lists on forums that are stickied dealing with no post issues.
Use google to find one. Since you were working once, it probably is something simple.

phillipryan · Jul 20, 2013

geofelt :

But when it was "working" it would still freeze about 5-10 minutes into just about any game. It would also occasionally crash when not even playing a game. Sorry it's taken so long to reply, I am on vacation.

phillipryan · Jul 23, 2013

geofelt :

? This is the furthest I've ever gotten with this problem...please...answer me...

geofelt · Jul 23, 2013

If a pc posts, and operates normally for a while, it is probably ok.
If the failure happens later, it is likely to be either a heat issue which takes time to build up or a power issue which is caused by the increased graphics power of 3d gaming.

Here is one check list for post problems:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems

A GTX770 needs a fair amount of power, 575w and a 6 and 8 pin connector.
If you have a cheap psu, that could be the problem.
Exactly what make/model are you using?

phillipryan · Jul 23, 2013

geofelt :

I am using a Corsair CX600M 600W PSU.

Uninstalled NVIDIA 320.49 WHQL Drivers and now my computer won't start?

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