Hi guys, a little help if you will.
My computer has done something strange tonight, I went to put my daughter to bed and when I came back the screen had gone funny and was frozen. So I switched it off and tried to reboot it.
Now all it does it bot to a black screen, something has gone screwy with Windows I think....or possibly it could be more serious I don't know.
Any suggestions? :scratch-head:
Sounds like something has died.
More info needed. Does it beep? Any text on screen?
When was the last time you backed up?
It starts, I get a windows logo (instead of the PC Specialist one that usually comes up) then the screen goes black an nothing further happens.
I managed to get to a repair menu and the screen resolution was all over the place. I tried a system restore from there but it didn't make any difference.
As for last backup.........er can't remember!!
Quote from: DD1975 on February 15, 2017, 21:54:00 PM
It starts, I get a windows logo (instead of the PC Specialist one that usually comes up)
That is odd, a setting in the BIOS changes that but I suspect you haven't been into the BIOS and changed it. (possible flat battery on the motherboard causing it to reset everything) shouldn't stop it from booting though.
Interesting that you managed to run a system restore, suggests the hardware is working and its a windows problem.
However it could be a hardware problem that only happens once the drivers are loaded.
Just trying to diagnose it. Not much help sorry DD :(
If I think of anything else I will let you know.
Thanks guys I appreciate the help, I'm seriously hoping its not going to be expensive!!
I probably should note that I've been having the fan kick in quite a lot recently, mostly while playing STO, seemed to happen after a patch a while ago but I didn't think anything of it as I thought it was something to do with the game (which I was running at the time it crashed).
This is one of those occasions that I wish I knew a lot more about computers :-[
Oh if it helps I took the side off and there was a green LED light on what I assume is the motherboard, so I'm guessing that shows that is working OK.
And no I've not messed with the BIOS, I'm not savvy enough to risk that :LOL:
Pressing F2 brought up a menu which I think is the Win10 version and it offers thinks like startup repair, I tried that and it said it couldn't fix startup issues, then I tried advanced options and tried the system restore which went through but didn't fix the problem.
Quote from: DD1975 on February 15, 2017, 23:27:50 PM
I probably should note that I've been having the fan kick in quite a lot recently, mostly while playing STO
It's possible that you have the graphics card clogged up with dust and it's overheated, might explain the heavy fun usage.
Hmmm, you have onboard graphics on that motherboard of yours I think. You could remove the graphics card and plug the monitor into the onboard socket, see if it boots to windows then.
I thought I had declogged the dust, but it didn't seem to make any difference.
How do I remove the graphics card? Not sure where to start on that :scratch-head:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNIc0eF-n5g
But before you do it make sure you have somewhere to plug the monitor in on the back of the motherboard (computer case), you should have, I think, but check first.
Take your time and be careful DD, if you remove it then you should try and clean out the card as good as you can too. Oh and if you remove it don't put it on the carpet or any cloth type surface, put it on a piece of cardboard, paper or wood.
I have to go to the hospital today, so not going to be around much.
Thanks Data, I'll have a think on how to proceed before touching anything ;D
Good luck at the hospital fella
I remember the graphics card from a failed computer, unbelievable amount of dust there. I really believe the graphics cards are not built to be cleaned, newer cards seem to take cleaning into consideration. Wish you luck
Carl2
Thanks Carl :thumbsup:
Hi guys,
Well I did it, graphics card is out and yes there is an HDMI port on the motherboard.
I'm now booted up and logged in, so it appears that was the issue.
Screen resolution is a bit all over the place and I can't seem to adjust either that or the scaling, but at least its working!!
Its fair to say that my cleaning out efforts weren't as good as I thought, the question is do I try putting the card back in now I've got as much dust out as possible and see if it works or do I assume that its kaput?
Sounds good to me, well kind of :-\
DD was the graphics card quite badly dusted up, I know its hard to define but if it was then it might well have fried the card :(
It could also be the power supply at fault, it might be falling over when it tries to power the hungry graphics card.
We can probably fix the onbard graphics and its resolution problem, if we do need to use it.
So yeah was the card pretty dusty ?
If you are on Windows 10 you should be able to set the screen size by right clicking desktop and going to Display Settings.
I've blown up a PC CPU in the past when gaming, long time ago - but I held off mentioning that until you had some success :LOL:
There was quite a bit of dust in the fan area Data (I assume the heat sink?).
I've got the setting sorted as best I can for now and its all usable and working (and yes I've tested STO lol).
Quote from: DD1975 on February 16, 2017, 21:13:59 PM
There was quite a bit of dust in the fan area Data (I assume the heat sink?).
Yes that's the heatsink.
The card is probably dead then but I would try it once more for luck, would probably clean the PCIe slot with a brush then reseat the card making sure the power connectors are fitted snugly too.
If you end up using the onboard, which is pretty good on them i5's, then you should uninstall all the AMD drivers and software, then install the latest drivers for the onboard graphics.
It should be sorted then.
DD do you know the make and model number of your motherboard off hand ?
Looks like Asus Z87m-Plus if I'm reading it right through the window Data.
Here is a link to your onboard graphics driver:
Link Gone
Let me know when you have it, I will remove the link.
But first remove the AMD software from Control Panel, Programs and Features.
I've saved the link on a sticky note, I'll give the card a try first.
Is there any way to tell if its the power supply rather than the card?
Quote from: DD1975 on February 16, 2017, 21:57:23 PM
Is there any way to tell if its the power supply rather than the card?
Other than try another power supply, hmmm I don't think there is DD.
Best of luck :fingers-crossed:
Rats thought so.
Oh well, not really in the market for a new card either so going to have to make do with the on-board for now.
So as and when I am do I go AMD again or is it worth switching?
Well you seem to have the screen back so the problem is solved, one of the nice parts is you can probably pick up a new video card for not much money, either fixed or something that didn't sell.
Carl2
Quote from: DD1975 on February 16, 2017, 22:15:19 PM
So as and when I am do I go AMD again or is it worth switching?
AMD do a good bang for bucks, I wouldn't rule them out, personally.
I think the lesson here is to make sure to keep the graphics card fan and heatsink clean, these modern cards make a lot of heat , I've seen plenty of cards get killed this way, from both teams.
Slightly annoyingly if I select upgrade on the PC specialist website it's giving me prices in Euro's due to me buying the PC when I was in Ireland and I can't change it over the £'s.
There's some good options in there so I'll google them see what sort of price there are, maybe see if I can find some deals.
It depends on your price range DD but you get some pretty good cards these days for around £100
These 2 are ok, the AMD card has more memory but the NVidia is a tad quicker.
http://www.ebuyer.com/761965-gigabyte-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050-d5-2gb-gv-n1050d5-2gd
http://www.ebuyer.com/753967-gigabyte-radeon-rx-460-4gb-graphics-card-ebuyer-com-gv-rx460wf2oc-4gd
If I can stretch to it Data I was thinking along the line of this:
http://www.ebuyer.com/755197-msi-radeon-rx-470-gaming-x-4gb-gddr5-dual-link-dvi-d-hdmi-2x-rx-470-gaming-x-4g
What do you think?
Unless you're thinking of going VR or want to play the latest games at top res, you'll never tell the difference between the 460 and the 470, except it's £80+ more. You could probably get away with the 2GB 460 but the 4GB 460 is the best bang for buck.
If I had the choice then yes I would go for the 470, absolutely, I agree with Snowy though, the way things are heading these days the higher end cards aren't needed for 1080 resolution, that's why I suggested the 460 and I know your gaming requirements aren't too excessive either.
The 470 would be more likely to max out them quality settings, which would be nice, probably better future proof too.
Whichever I think really you should be looking at a 4 GIG card, now I think about it, 2 GIG is low end these days.
Thanks guys that's very helpful, no point throwing an extra £80 at it if there's no need to.
I'll probably go for the 460 then, when I can afford it :D
Hey Data,
I finally come into some money to replace my card and the Radeon ones been discontinued :Head-Slap:
Any suggestions on alternatives, I'm seeing this one which is a tad more expensive by around £20:
http://www.ebuyer.com/753953-sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx460-4gb-graphics-card-ebuyer-com-11257-02-20g
I'm open to any other suggestions you might have before committing though as the on-board graphics have served me well so far.
Yes they have since released the 5 series cards but they are only a little bit faster, and I mean a little.
I did find this RX 460 on Amazon at a reduced price, it looks pretty good to me, no it's not going to break any records but it's way superior to your on-board. Today, right now, it's £114.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-OC-4Gb-GDDR5-Memory-Graphics/dp/B01JPAVZQI/
Thanks Data, ordered it today, cost £116. :thumbsup:
Grats ! :thumbsup:
Well done DD, you got it just in time, I see that now it's gone up to £129.55.
Yeah, timing is everything eh Data :thumbsup:
It arrives today :party-time:
I can have the fun of taking apart the case again lol
Good luck fitting the card DD, I think that card doesn't need to power connector so just keep the floating connector/cable away from any components.
It shouldn't need to power connector because these newer cards take a lot less power.
Thanks Data, I already knew I didn't need the power connector but never hurts to have confirmation ;)
I'm all set up, and everything looks sooooooooooooo much crisper again phew
Well done mate :thumbsup: :D
Excellent :sign-great-job: