Symptoms of a failing graphics card?

[drbrucehoag]

Hi Guys,

I have a HP dv9500t that's about three years old. I never use it for games. I use Windows 7 and I've recently installed it onto a brand new 1/2T hard drive.

Ever since I got it, the screen would periodically turn black, as if it was going to sleep. Changing the power options made no difference.

Normally, this would happen only once or twice in a day, and each time I could restore the screen by pressing the power key quickly, letting the computer go into sleep (or hibernate, I can never remember which), and then a second or so later run my finger over the mouse pad and bring it back to life.

Today, the screen turned black several times in succession. Right now it's stable; but I've never been able to figure out what the problem is or what to do about it.

BTW, if there's music playing when this happens, it just keeps on playing.

Your wisdom would be much appreciated.

Cheers, Bruce

 

[HostileDonut]

It could be your GPU. What is your GPU and PSU?

 

[drbrucehoag]

It could be your GPU. What is your GPU and PSU?

You got me on that one. I don't know what either of them is or how to find out. Suggestions?

 

[HostileDonut]

Go start>type DXDIAG>display, and there you have your GPU. It might be an IGP, but at least you know. As for the PSU, open up your case, look at the side of the PSU and it should tell you.

 

[mavroxur]

It could be your GPU. What is your GPU and PSU?

@HostileDonut -

The system in question is a laptop. The PSU is irrelevant.




The GPU on those machines is a GeForce 8600M GS. It could be several things. When you say several times in succession, do you mean you're sitting there watching it, and the screen goes on, off, on, off, etc.... ? If so, it could be a bad GPU, backlight inverter, backlight bulb, or motherboard. Generally if it's a power settings issue, the screen goes off or the system goes to sleep, it doesnt sit there and go on, off, on, off.....

 

[HostileDonut]

@HostileDonut -

The system in question is a laptop. The PSU is irrelevant.




The GPU on those machines is a GeForce 8600M GS. It could be several things. When you say several times in succession, do you mean you're sitting there watching it, and the screen goes on, off, on, off, etc.... ? If so, it could be a bad GPU, backlight inverter, backlight bulb, or motherboard. Generally if it's a power settings issue, the screen goes off or the system goes to sleep, it doesnt sit there and go on, off, on, off.....

Oh, haha, thought it was a desktop.

 

[mirrion]

It sounds like some kind of sleep cycle for your GPU which is failing to wake from, however, you say the power options have zero effect on this, which is odd. I'd say we need way more info to diagnose this one. You also may want to try googling your exact HP model name with the word "problem" and see if it's a common, curable issue, or if, at least, it's been diagnosed.

 

[drbrucehoag]

Go start>type DXDIAG>display, and there you have your GPU. It might be an IGP, but at least you know. As for the PSU, open up your case, look at the side of the PSU and it should tell you.

For the DXDIAG, I have several screens to choose from: system, display 1, display 2, display 3, Sound 1, Sound 2 and Input. Which one is of interest to you?

 

[HostileDonut]

I only have one display, so I am not sure. I would go 1, then 2, then 3, and see if they are all the same. Didn't someone say it was a 8600M GS though?

 

[drbrucehoag]

I have two monitors plugged into the laptop: one via the monitor connection on the computer, and the other through an external thingy that lets me with a USB port. That said, the periodic blackouts of the primary screen were occurring before I had either one of the extra monitors; so I don't think that they are the problem.

My display adaptor is a NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS. I couldn't figure out how to paste a picture into this message, so if you'll tell me exactly what you're looking for, I'll give you the "numbers."

 

[drbrucehoag]

Oh, haha, thought it was a desktop.

Sorry about the confusion.

When I say it blacked-out several times in succession, I mean that the cycle of blacking out, my putting it to sleep and then waking it up constitutes one "cycle;" and that with only a few seconds or perhaps a minute in between, I went through several of these cycles. The only way I've ever been able to get out of them is to press the power button momentarily to initiate the sleep or hibernate, wait until the lights above the keyboard go out and the power button begins to flash, and then run my finger over the mouse pad to bring it back to life.

BTW, I'm happy to talk to you about this on Skype if you prefer. My "handle" is bruce.hoag

 

[HostileDonut]

Sorry, I do not have Skype. Did it do this when you got it three years ago? try unplugging the monitor and see if that fixes it.

 

[drbrucehoag]

How do you unplug the monitor on a laptop? And yes, it did it when it was new, but only occasionally. I've had as many occurrences this afternoon as I would expect to get in a week.

I also searched on the model as you suggested. One person said it was the GPU and had something to do with the solder flowing off of the NVIDIA chip when the computer was got. I know that heat can cause all manner of peculiar problems, but I have the computer sitting on a fan (although it's off) just so air can get underneath and prevent heat from building up.

Years ago, I had a Compaq that would get hot, the fan would run like mad, and then the computer would shut off. On this one, the fan doesn't come on at any time near to when the screen goes black.

 

[HostileDonut]

Go to the side of your laptop were you have the other monitor plugged in and unscrew the screws and pull out the cord.

 

[drbrucehoag]

So you want me to disconnect the external monitors from the laptop. Is that right?

Like I said, the problem occurred long before I used additional monitors, and never this often.

 

[HostileDonut]

See if it does it less with the second monitor disabled.

 

[drbrucehoag]

I call it the charisma of the maintenance man, because as soon as someone who knows what to do "shows up," the problem stops. (That's what happened when I was in the USAF, anyway).

I haven't had the problem since we started our conversation. It's always been an intermittent problem, in any case. I never know when it will happen next. But, when it does again, I'll disconnect the monitors to see if that makes a difference.

Cheers, Bruce

 

[HostileDonut]

Okay, I hope it works.

 

[drbrucehoag]

Okay, I hope it works.

I'm back to the same problem, but I've learned a bit more about it. For one thing, other HP users with this laptop have had similar problems, and for another no one knows why or what to do about it.

The problem got so bad that I began using my second and third monitors for work; that is, I dragged all of my windows onto them so that I could use them. On one occasion, I decided that I wanted a window on the right monitor rather than the left. When I dragged it from the left through the "damaged" monitor, I noticed that I could see it quite faintly in the background. That meant that the screen wasn't blacking out entirely.

The problem, however, has become so acute, that I can't use the computer. There are some things that I need to be able to do on it, such as record a Skype conversation. So I'm now using a smaller computer for the time being. I'm also thinking about buying another 17".

Have you had anymore ideas about why the screen on my laptop dims so much after a few minutes even though the power options are set for it to never do that?

 

[HostileDonut]

Does this happen when you use the computer in the dark? Some screens send out light compared to how much light they take in. I would send it back if it doesn't do that, or buy a new computer. Maybe I could suggest a build?

 

[drbrucehoag]

Does this happen when you use the computer in the dark? Some screens send out light compared to how much light they take in. I would send it back if it doesn't do that, or buy a new computer. Maybe I could suggest a build?

I think I've figured out the problem. Either the backlight has died or there are some loose wires associated with it. Either way, I have to find a certified HP technician to look at it. This will be tricky because I live in northern Italy and I ordered the machine from the States. A new LCD costs $200+, but only has a 90-day warranty. By the time I add in the labor, I could be a third of the way or more towards a newer machine.