Outlaw
07-10-2007, 11:40 PM
Guess I will start from the beginning...
Monday I come to my pc, move the mouse to click something and it locks up on me...ok whatever... go to open something else, it does it again. I reboot the pc but it never comes back to "loading Windows...", just does the post and goes to a flashing cursor, I reboot several times and only enough times to count on one hand get me back into windows. It is still locking up randomly when open anything. Also, tried to play CSS and the video is all screwed up and locks up the computer. I then remove the sound card I had in there (Santa Cruz which I was just using for analog from DVD player) and disconnect the DVD drive. Boots to a windows .dll file is missing. Not sure why that would just happen, but ok.
I finally say "The hell with it" plug the DVD drive back in and reload windows, everything seems ok, no locking up, then I go to open css(was installed on another HD). Same thing as before. Uninstall Steam, reinstall steam, ok... now it plays but the video is messing up. Install Civilization 4, says I don't have direct X installed. Install direct X, after that is installed and installing civ. 4, I run a stress test on CSS (Counter Strike Source) and it runs perfectly at 244FPS. Go back to civ. 4, finish installing, open it up. While playing the intro movie, the audio starts looping and the video freezes. I click a few times and it takes me to the main menu of the game. I start going through selecting options, and the video again starts messing up (starting to see a pattern yet?). I close out of everything and reboot. Open civ. 4 again, freeze and loop again but sooner this time, get in game this time, and the video goes crazy on me.
When I say it goes crazy I mean where there are blocks everywhere, colors don't match, artifacting (a word?). Basically you can see the outline but not playable. I hit ctrl-shft-esc to get back to desktop, reopen civ. 4 to where I was and the picture is fine. A few sec later it does it again. I uninstalled and reinstalled the Nvidia drivers off the website (158.22) with no changes. Then I go and uninstall and install older drivers (158.19), seems to get further in the intro movie of civ. 4 but still freezes and audio loops. Also game goes crazy, everything runs normal but video is crap.
My system specs are (NO OVERCLOCKING):
E6600 C2D
EVGA 680i Mobo
EVGA 8800GTS 640MB
Mushkin Extreme DDR2 1066 (running at 800 because motherboard defaulted after reinstalling OS, never changed back)
1- WD160GB Sata 3GB
2- WD250GB Sata 3GB
1- Pioneer DVD Burner
SilverStone 850W PSU
Chenbro SR10769-BK Case
I don't know what else to check. I can't try running integrated video because I don't have any and I don't have another PCI-E graphics card. Is there anything that I maybe missed or anybody can think of checking? I would kick the damn thing out the window if it weren't in the basement and didn't weigh about 60lbs.
Any and all help and input is greatly appreciated. Thank you
**NOTE** Forgot to mention, now it doesn't if rarely freeze at desktop while running basic apps. Also I have played a few movies (saved to HD), without any issues.
Monday I come to my pc, move the mouse to click something and it locks up on me...ok whatever... go to open something else, it does it again. I reboot the pc but it never comes back to "loading Windows...", just does the post and goes to a flashing cursor, I reboot several times and only enough times to count on one hand get me back into windows. It is still locking up randomly when open anything. Also, tried to play CSS and the video is all screwed up and locks up the computer. I then remove the sound card I had in there (Santa Cruz which I was just using for analog from DVD player) and disconnect the DVD drive. Boots to a windows .dll file is missing. Not sure why that would just happen, but ok.
I finally say "The hell with it" plug the DVD drive back in and reload windows, everything seems ok, no locking up, then I go to open css(was installed on another HD). Same thing as before. Uninstall Steam, reinstall steam, ok... now it plays but the video is messing up. Install Civilization 4, says I don't have direct X installed. Install direct X, after that is installed and installing civ. 4, I run a stress test on CSS (Counter Strike Source) and it runs perfectly at 244FPS. Go back to civ. 4, finish installing, open it up. While playing the intro movie, the audio starts looping and the video freezes. I click a few times and it takes me to the main menu of the game. I start going through selecting options, and the video again starts messing up (starting to see a pattern yet?). I close out of everything and reboot. Open civ. 4 again, freeze and loop again but sooner this time, get in game this time, and the video goes crazy on me.
When I say it goes crazy I mean where there are blocks everywhere, colors don't match, artifacting (a word?). Basically you can see the outline but not playable. I hit ctrl-shft-esc to get back to desktop, reopen civ. 4 to where I was and the picture is fine. A few sec later it does it again. I uninstalled and reinstalled the Nvidia drivers off the website (158.22) with no changes. Then I go and uninstall and install older drivers (158.19), seems to get further in the intro movie of civ. 4 but still freezes and audio loops. Also game goes crazy, everything runs normal but video is crap.
My system specs are (NO OVERCLOCKING):
E6600 C2D
EVGA 680i Mobo
EVGA 8800GTS 640MB
Mushkin Extreme DDR2 1066 (running at 800 because motherboard defaulted after reinstalling OS, never changed back)
1- WD160GB Sata 3GB
2- WD250GB Sata 3GB
1- Pioneer DVD Burner
SilverStone 850W PSU
Chenbro SR10769-BK Case
I don't know what else to check. I can't try running integrated video because I don't have any and I don't have another PCI-E graphics card. Is there anything that I maybe missed or anybody can think of checking? I would kick the damn thing out the window if it weren't in the basement and didn't weigh about 60lbs.
Any and all help and input is greatly appreciated. Thank you
**NOTE** Forgot to mention, now it doesn't if rarely freeze at desktop while running basic apps. Also I have played a few movies (saved to HD), without any issues.