PC is crashing...what to do?

[BodybyFisher]

Yes, running defrag and checking for ad ware is a good idea. How much RAM do you have? Make sure you have installed the current motherboard chipset drivers for Windows XP. What Virus Checker are you using, consider shutting it down while watching DVDs. What is running in the background?

Your processor is kind of weak at 1.7 Intel equivalent for running dual view. I went to AMD, and if I am not mistaken you have a 200 mhz buss speed. As a point of reference, current buss speeds are around 1066 mhz and the AMD processors running 2000 mhz at 64 bit. I am using a 2.4 mhz Intel non-HT processor with no problems with a 533 mhz buss speed and 512 megs of PC1066 RDRAM with the Intel 850E chipset and it has its limitations at times, I am due for an upgrade to an HT processor, 1 gig of ram and a faster buss speed. I think my Seagate Cheetah 15,000 RPM Ultra 2 SCSI hard drives mask CPU performance anemia for me..every stage of my computer was state of the art in its day, but it gets to feel like a NS starting in second gear running 87 octane in 110 degree heat sometimes, when I tax it..

What screen resolution are you using? That program that you see starting up concerns me. Press and hold Control, Alt and Del at the same time to start the Windows Task Manager, click the processes tab, across the top click the CPU heading twice to sort the CPU usage high to low. See if any application is heavily using your CPU power, it will show near 100%. You will see "system idle" at the top at or near 100% and thats ok, any other process up there, report here.

You expressed a desire to build your own system. Check ZipZoomFly at http://www.zipzoomfly.com I buy all my parts from them, I LOVE ASUS motherboards, Seagate hard drives, any big name Ram like Samsung, Corsair, Kingston, Mushkin etc., I also like ASUS video cards, PC Power and cooling power supplies (they have balls and on brownouts all the lights in my house go out, digital clocks reset and my computer keeps humming along, fn amazing). Go to http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com they are expensive but well worth it. I have 5 hard drives (3 SCSI and 2 IDE). I run SCSI and will install my SCSI card and three drives but my next drives will be Serial ATA for storage. I can not comment on AMD, but i must admit that they have some incredible specs, unfortunately I don't think applications have caught up to 64 bit yet and given that you probably have 32 bit applications, I don't believe that 32 bit XP with a 64 bit processor adds much but at least you would be ready for 64 bit at some point. If I am not mistaken however 32 bit XP will install on a 64 bit processor to run current applications, but you would need to research that. If you plan to go 64 bit some day, I would buy the fastest 32 bit processor you can today. Its all how you view your computer however, and how much you want to spend. I believe that you can build a very expandable machine building it yourself as opposed to buying a name brand computer that have motherboards that have limited expansion capability. I have a friend who works for HP, he ALWAYS bought off the shelf, and always had problems. He watched me build a high performance computer, and then built his own, he has said, it was the smartest thing he ever did, he has no problems, and will never buy off the shelf again. I have not built a computer in a few years after having been a prolific builder having built about 500 in my lifetime since 1990. Its difficult selling computers to novices these days, poor browsing habits can render a computer useless within days and I got sick of it.. The last computer I built, the person allowed the virus checker and firewall to expire for six months, I dont need to tell you the impact of that....... You know how patient I am of a-holes.

Check to see if Windows XP's desktop is configured to use all of the bells and whistles, meaning graphics. On anemic processors that can sap CPU power. Right click on the desktop, click properties, appearance and effects. The 1) fade, 2) shadow and 3) show window while dragging, can stress processor. On fast computers like my new the Acer 4202LMi, 1.66 ghz, 667 mhz buss, Intel Centrino Duo laptop with 1 gig of DDR RAM those items deliver some wizbang graphics affects but you take a performance hit when they are enabled. When installed, Windows XP is suppose to scale these affects based on your systems ability to perform. Its possible that, they are turned on, turn them off, if they are, and see what impact that has, make a note of any changes you make so that you can return the settings if you'd like, Mike

[The Fred]

I believe that the AMD of the day had a real bus speed,

Intel bus speed ratings are different.. "quad pumped" or some silly thing

I don't know why his has a 200mhz bus- it should be a 133

By the way .... go into your device manager and see if you have any conflicts, make sure you don't have an onboard video chip enabled

[BodybyFisher]

To me as long as the effective buss speed is equal, I really don't care how they get there quad pumped or not. If that is the case, the Intel component probably runs cooler than the 200 mhz AMD bus. I am all about stability, and that is the main reason why I only use Intel chipsets and Intel Processors even though initially its much more cash outlay, but to me you get what you pay for. I never want a compatibility, dependability, overheating or upgrade issues.

Kim, if The Fred is right about 133 mhz, its even worse than I thought in terms of buss speed.

I just re-read this, and when I see INTEL CHIPSET and INTEL PROCESSOR for compatibility, I flashed to AC DELCO for the NORTHSTAR.... At least I am consistent. And NO I don't want to debate the merits of AMD over INTEL if I have offended any AMD folks

[epricedright]

Ok, I ran AVG Free, defragged, ran Adaware, cleared internet history, deleted cookies and temp internt files--all no help

Checked running apps via control/alt/del, nothing unusual there, nothing using up resources terribly besides idle.

then I powered down, unplugged 2nd monitor, restarted and get same startup connection detection pop up (let's call it SCD) that never goes away and still have the stuttering video

went to msconfig, took out the 3 new startup items related to nvidia (nwiz, NcCpl, NvMcTray) and restarted, bam, no more pop up (SCD)...Cool! But still have stuttering video. Also I get all my startup items in my task bar now (SBC conn mgr, Local area connection, Disk detector, AVG, Winpatrol). Through process of elimination, turns out the NWIZ was the culprit with the pop up. NWIZ went back to a start up item when I opened the nvidia desktop wizard via the control panel, took that out again via msconfig. Left out all 3 of those nvidia start up items via msconfig.

Display res is 800 X 600, changed to 1024 X 768, same stuttering video.

Color is set at high (32 bit),changed to 16 bit, no help.

powered down, hooked up 2nd monitor, still no pop up (SCD), but still have stuttering video.

rebooted again for the heck of it, now the disk detector and local area connection is not showing up in startup taskbar (bottom right). Winpatrol (Scotty the watchdog) shows it in the start up programs

the disk detector though. Rebooted again, now all 5 startup items show up in task bar...weird. I've had that problem for awhile though. Start ups show up only when they want to. i don't think that's related to the video though.

It has 640MB 266Mhz DDR DRAM PC2100 RAM. So I believe it has 266mhz bus speed, correct?

When I bought this in 8/2001, I'm pretty certain it was the top-dog fastest off the shelf pc out....not now...LOL

I will look at the other items suggested

Btw, Thanks Mike and Fred for all the help!

[BodybyFisher]

It looks like Freds info was correct about the buss speed, its probably 133. Times 2 is 266, explaining your memory speed. Keep playing with it, those things showing up in the task bar might be spyware, hijackers or adware and they could be trying to phone home using up your CPU cycles. I gather that DVDs were not skippy in the past and this is unusual for this machine? If that is the case, this is especially unusual given your video card upgrade.

Try this. go to this link, read it and download driver cleaner pro free version, it will totally remove the nvidia drivers. I want you to read the directions, totally remove the nvidia drivers and reinstall. Do you recall what video driver you were running before? Lets see what happens, read up how to do it.... and then do it:

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=8511

[epricedright]

Ok, I shut down AVG, no help

Found out the disk detector icon will not show up if there's a dvd in player at reboot.

I unchecked the fade effect, shadow and show wind while dragging, no help.

Went to device manager and the display adapter only showed the NVIDIA GeForce 6200. Add/remove programs only shows one Nvidia item (drivers).

The pc came originally with an nvidia card and drivers. So I did have nvidia drivers in there before. I removed those before reinstalling the new nvidia drivers.

The taskbar items aren't spyware, they're all normal items that should be there, but sometimes a couple don't show up at reboot. They're all showng up now though, after several restarts.

The DVD's and vids through media player were not stuttery before. The intermittent stuttering is really not that bad, just not as fluid as it used to be. I figured it would be better, not worse with the upgraded video card.

Do you think after uninstalling the nvidia drivers, I should maybe this time load the drivers from the CD that came with the card? The nvidia drivers that I downloaded last night from nvidia took forever for what ever reason, so I was thinking they may not be 100% right. There was also another program that downloaded automatically last night from the nvidia site, along with the nvidia drivers. I can't find it now (must have deleted it) but I think it said it was some kind of installer and it was labeled as a music file??? I didn't install it. If the CD is a bad idea, I'll re-download the drivers from nvidia, from maybe a mirror site they had up. What do you think?

Mike, that nvidia link doesn't work. Tried it with both ie and firefox. Do I need to be a member of the nvidia forum for it to work? I get this message: PHP has encountered an Access Violation at 77FCB681

[BodybyFisher]

strange that link works for me, I dont know what to tell you. Go to google and do a search for uninstall nvidia drivers, and go to http://www.drivercleaner.net/index.php

The beginning part of that link is http://forums.nvidia.com/ go there and search ifor uninstall f you have to

[epricedright]

strange that link works for me, I dont know what to tell you. Go to google and do a search for uninstall nvidia drivers, and go to http://www.drivercleaner.net/index.php

The beginning part of that link is http://forums.nvidia.com/ go there and search ifor uninstall f you have to

It's still not working? Weird! Same deal with the other nvidia link you put up. The drivercleaner doesn't have a download link.

Did you sign up there at nvidia as a member?

Here's my other Q again:

Do you think after uninstalling the nvidia drivers, I should maybe this time load the drivers from the CD that came with the card? The nvidia drivers that I downloaded last night from nvidia took forever for what ever reason, so I was thinking they may not be 100% right. There was also another program that downloaded automatically last night from the nvidia site, along with the nvidia drivers. I can't find it now (must have deleted it) but I think it said it was some kind of installer and it was labeled as a music file??? I didn't install it. If the CD is a bad idea, I'll re-download the drivers from nvidia, from maybe a mirror site they had up. What do you think?

Here's what the nvidia site says to do regarding removing drivers:

• Before installing new drivers make sure you uninstall all NVIDIA display drivers from the Windows Control Panel. Browse to the Start Menu > Windows Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs and search for "NVIDIA Windows Display Drivers" or "NVIDIA Display Drivers" and select remove.

[BodybyFisher]

Epriced, i am running out I can't spend the time right now. I dont know why the links are not working but they work for me, not sure... If you go to http://www.drivercleaner.net/ the free pro version is on the front page.

PLEASE PLEASE be patient, that is the MOST important thing when dealing with computers, patience.

Dont even CONSIDER installing the drivers from the CD. NVIDIA is the FN BEST............ Your card manufacturer gets STALE drivers... I WOULD NOT USE ANYTHING ELSE AND DON'T

Take your time and try to follow what I detailed. FULLY UNINSTALL the drivers, find the UNINSTALL procedure/files in the forums someplace then REINSTALL. Download DRIVERCLEANER. Patience

USE GOOGLE SEARCH FOR THE NVIDIA FORUMS, GO TO NVIDIA FIND THE FORUMS, GO TO NZONE.COM COMMUNITY THEN USER TO USER FORUMS...... BE RESOURCEFUL MAN....

[The Fred]

To me as long as the effective buss speed is equal, I really don't care how they get there quad pumped or not. If that is the case, the Intel component probably runs cooler than the 200 mhz AMD bus. I am all about stability, and that is the main reason why I only use Intel chipsets and Intel Processors even though initially its much more cash outlay, but to me you get what you pay for. I never want a compatibility, dependability, overheating or upgrade issues.

Kim, if The Fred is right about 133 mhz, its even worse than I thought in terms of buss speed.

I just re-read this, and when I see INTEL CHIPSET and INTEL PROCESSOR for compatibility, I flashed to AC DELCO for the NORTHSTAR.... At least I am consistent. And NO I don't want to debate the merits of AMD over INTEL if I have offended any AMD folks

I don't know if the quad pumped bus is all it says it is,

You're right about stability.. INTC cpus are more stable..

I sure did love the performance of the 1333 T-bird Athlon I had, it would run 1500 some at 140some mhz bus real stable like so I ran it 1400 and never had a problem (I burned alot of AMD cpus up because I was always punching the computer or knocking it over and AMD cpus burn to death FAST when they lose the HS)

The INTC CPU will last longer, be more stable, less likely to fry, etc..

I run a Pentium D 3.0Ghz dual core / 2048 Corsair / Intel Board

Intel board to Intel CPU as AC Delco to Cadillac/GM is not accurate-

I found out the hard way that intel boards suck.

Hard to believe, but true, is that a good solid ASUS or etc etc is better for an INTC cpu...

Before this one I had a P4 3.0E HT ..... no complaints there either.

Epriced, i am running out I can't spend the time right now. I dont know why the links are not working but they work for me, not sure... If you go to http://www.drivercleaner.net/ the free pro version is on the front page.

PLEASE PLEASE be patient, that is the MOST important thing when dealing with computers, patience.

Dont even CONSIDER installing the drivers from the CD. NVIDIA is the FN BEST............ Your card manufacturer gets STALE drivers... I WOULD NOT USE ANYTHING ELSE AND DON'T

Take your time and try to follow what I detailed. FULLY UNINSTALL the drivers, find the UNINSTALL procedure/files in the forums someplace then REINSTALL. Download DRIVERCLEANER. Patience

USE GOOGLE SEARCH FOR THE NVIDIA FORUMS, GO TO NVIDIA FIND THE FORUMS, GO TO NZONE.COM COMMUNITY THEN USER TO USER FORUMS...... BE RESOURCEFUL MAN....

Absolutely agreed about not using drivers from the CD

Ok, I ran AVG Free, defragged, ran Adaware, cleared internet history, deleted cookies and temp internt files--all no help

Checked running apps via control/alt/del, nothing unusual there, nothing using up resources terribly besides idle.

then I powered down, unplugged 2nd monitor, restarted and get same startup connection detection pop up (let's call it SCD) that never goes away and still have the stuttering video

went to msconfig, took out the 3 new startup items related to nvidia (nwiz, NcCpl, NvMcTray) and restarted, bam, no more pop up (SCD)...Cool! But still have stuttering video. Also I get all my startup items in my task bar now (SBC conn mgr, Local area connection, Disk detector, AVG, Winpatrol). Through process of elimination, turns out the NWIZ was the culprit with the pop up. NWIZ went back to a start up item when I opened the nvidia desktop wizard via the control panel, took that out again via msconfig. Left out all 3 of those nvidia start up items via msconfig.

Display res is 800 X 600, changed to 1024 X 768, same stuttering video.

Color is set at high (32 bit),changed to 16 bit, no help.

powered down, hooked up 2nd monitor, still no pop up (SCD), but still have stuttering video.

rebooted again for the heck of it, now the disk detector and local area connection is not showing up in startup taskbar (bottom right). Winpatrol (Scotty the watchdog) shows it in the start up programs

the disk detector though. Rebooted again, now all 5 startup items show up in task bar...weird. I've had that problem for awhile though. Start ups show up only when they want to. i don't think that's related to the video though.

It has 640MB 266Mhz DDR DRAM PC2100 RAM. So I believe it has 266mhz bus speed, correct?

When I bought this in 8/2001, I'm pretty certain it was the top-dog fastest off the shelf pc out....not now...LOL

I will look at the other items suggested

Btw, Thanks Mike and Fred for all the help!

Get this:

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

It alerts you when something tries to change a startup entry and other good things

It also actively scans for spyware

Remember to keep it updated

Enable the two background things those alert you and you can block changes (startup changes for example)

Also, one time I had a card give me hell with the manufacturers driver.. the newest version was buggy and so was the one from the CD---- believe it or not I had to find a driver from between when the CD was made and when the new ones came out. Originals I think were 1998 and new ones were 2000 or so,,,, some 1999 made drivers made it work right

Go into where you change the resolution and click advanced then click troubleshooting tab - move the slider back one or two spaces, hit apply and hit ok, reboot and try it then

[BodybyFisher]

What application are you using for a DVD player?

[epricedright]

What application are you using for a DVD player?

I took a nap, feeling a lttle better now...no sleep last night.

Mike, I use PowerDVD XP. It came with my Sony DVD burner. But the Media player has the stuttering too...more so probably.

I found this site. Do these instructions look about right?>

http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_4.html

Do I want to do this step in addition to the drivercleaner pro? It's in the above link. I hope not....

4. This step is optional, but again it is recommended if you want to ensure a 'clean' install, especially if you are experiencing graphics-related problems. It involves removing any graphics-related Nvidia registry entries left over. To do this, I recommend using either RegSupreme, or its earlier (and completely free) cousin, RegCleaner 4.3. To use RegSupreme, start the program and once it has cached your files, start a 'Deep' scan, then wait and choose the 'All' item under the Select menu to highlight all the 'invalid entries' found, and click the Fix button to remove them all, making sure to save a backup under a descriptive name. To use RegCleaner, open the program and on the front page put a tick next to the 'Nvidia'-related entries which don't refer to nForce as well, and then click the 'Remove Selected' button. If you want to use the Windows XP Registry Editor instead, go to Start>Run and type "RegEdit" (without quotes). Then go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key, select the 'Software' subkey, and scroll down to the 'Nvidia Corporation' entry, and underneath you should find a 'Global' entry. Right-Click on this 'Global' key and select Delete to remove it. Do not remove any other items, such as the 'nForce' key. Note that this method is not as thorough as using RegSupreme or RegCleaner, which find other hidden Nvidia entries.

Fred, that safer-Networking program sounds similiar to the WinPatrol program I use. It warns me if start ups change, among other things. It was free as well. It's pretty cool - whenever a change happens, "Scotty the Watchdog" starts barking. I'll check yours out though. Thanks!

What did you mean by this? "Go into where you change the resolution and click advanced then click troubleshooting tab - move the slider back one or two spaces, hit apply and hit ok, reboot and try it then"

Changing the resolution? I tried that already. See my past post. I was able to use 800X600 before, so I should be able to now.

[The Fred]

Edit: Never mind I missread

Fred, that safer-Networking program sounds similiar to the WinPatrol program I use. It warns me if start ups change, among other things. It was free as well. It's pretty cool - whenever a change happens, "Scotty the Watchdog" starts barking. I'll check yours out though. Thanks!

What did you mean by this? "Go into where you change the resolution and click advanced then click troubleshooting tab - move the slider back one or two spaces, hit apply and hit ok, reboot and try it then"

Changing the resolution? I tried that already. See my past post. I was able to use 800X600 before, so I should be able to now.

I knew you know how to get there so I said it that way,

When you're looking at the resolution setting,

There is that button,

"Advanced"

Then if you hit that troubleshooting tab and move that slider back one or two, and click ok,

It will correct certain issues

Have you checked to be sure your onboard video is disabled(if your board has a video chip)?

Make sure you press Advanced .. and then the troubleshoot TAB

There is a troubleshoot button on the first one but you don't want that

[BodybyFisher]

Kim, I like those removal instructions take your time. Realize that your old drivers may not have been removed fully. You should go in an remove everything per their directions and reload. good luck, Mike

[epricedright]

Edit: Never mind I missread

Fred, that safer-Networking program sounds similiar to the WinPatrol program I use. It warns me if start ups change, among other things. It was free as well. It's pretty cool - whenever a change happens, "Scotty the Watchdog" starts barking. I'll check yours out though. Thanks!

What did you mean by this? "Go into where you change the resolution and click advanced then click troubleshooting tab - move the slider back one or two spaces, hit apply and hit ok, reboot and try it then"

Changing the resolution? I tried that already. See my past post. I was able to use 800X600 before, so I should be able to now.

I knew you know how to get there so I said it that way,

When you're looking at the resolution setting,

There is that button,

"Advanced"

Then if you hit that troubleshooting tab and move that slider back one or two, and click ok,

It will correct certain issues

Have you checked to be sure your onboard video is disabled(if your board has a video chip)?

Make sure you press Advanced .. and then the troubleshoot TAB

There is a troubleshoot button on the first one but you don't want that

Hardware acceleration...I tried that, no luck.

Kim, I like those removal instructions take your time. Realize that your old drivers may not have been removed fully. You should go in an remove everything per their directions and reload. good luck, Mike

I thinks it's time to uninstall and reinstall the nvidia drivers. What's up with that other program or whatever it was that came with the nvidia download? See post #133

[BodybyFisher]

Personally I think you can download drivercleaner and that will do it. That is what i would do, its easy.

[epricedright]

Almost done, had to do family time. Before I forget, I wanted to add that the other mystery program that I thought came with the original nvidia download was a program I downloaded awhile back and it was still in my firefox download box.

I uninstalled the old nvidia drivers, rebooted in safe mode and used the driver cleaner, used the driver.cab cleaner in that program as well...as advised by driver cleaner. Rebooted, now downloading the new drivers ...SLOW! 41kb/sec.

[BodybyFisher]

Read the installation instructions is all I can say who the heck knows what that program is. I would just read the installation instructions and go from there... Sounds like you are doing good

[epricedright]

Oh Yea!!! I'm back in business! The vids and DVD's look perfect! I'm one Happy dude!

I want to Thank You Mike and Thank You Fred for all your help. Couldn't have done it without you.

Now to tweaking and rearranging my desktop that got all screwed up.

*******************************************

WTF is going on???????

It's screwed up again. I emptied my recycle bin that had the download and installation files, then checked my vids again, and i'm back to where I was before. Lord have mercy.

I did the step 2 to the "T", that is in those instructions:

http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_4.html

" 2. When the driver package prompts you for a directory to install the Forceware drivers, it is important to note that this directory is the place where the files will be temporarily unzipped for installation purposes. It is not where the final drivers will be installed. You can leave the default location shown, but I personally recommend you specify an empty folder of your own choosing. In any case make a note of the directory name (See the Tidying Up section below)."

I put a "tem" at the end of the file, and later found it and deleted it as per instructions:

"Delete Forceware Installation Files

When the new Forceware drivers have installed, and you've rebooted your system, it is now perfectly safe for you to delete the temporary installation files which were created in the directory you specified during installation. These are simply the unzipped contents of the Nvidia driver installation package which were used to install the drivers elsewhere on your system - they are not the actual driver files being used by Windows. Delete them all. Remember to also delete or backup the latest Forceware driver package which you downloaded earlier. You probably won't need to use it again given the frequency of Nvidia Forceware drivers, but if you know you may need to do a reformat/reinstall of Windows soon, it may be worth saving them somewhere for future use. Try not to keep lots of older driver packages as these are readily available for download around the net (See Download the Latest Forceware Drivers above), and I generally recommend against installing older driver versions."

The vids were good after I put those files in the recycle bin. After dumping it, I get the stutter. I wonder if that was just a coincidence or is something else going on. I also deleted that mystery file (ipvnminstaller.exe), but it wasn't even installed yet. I clicked on it and it said something about upgrading something that I downloaded a month ago. I'm fairly certain that had nothing to do with this. Can items/apps/drivers in my recycle bin still run?

Something weird is going on with my startups. I just rebooted and I only have 3 out of 5 that are normally there in my taskbar. The start up items via msconfig look normal.

I wonder if that "invalid boot.ini file booting from C:\windows\" issue has anything to do with this? I don't recall seeing that message after I rebooted after the new drivers were installed and the vids were good. I have the message for sure now on restarts.

I just rebooted again and there's only 2 startup items in the taskbar.

I just rebooted again, only 1 startup item. Winpatrol. Then AVG pops up down there 10 minutes later???

I turned off AVG, restarted, Now I have 4 items. AVG is still off, vids still stuttering. Another screwy thing is I get the yellow shield that pops up in the task bar, says downloading updates and at 0%, then 10 seconds later it disappears, still at 0%. No updates ever downloaded. I have it set to download my updates automatically, but I decide when to install them. I just checked, my updates are up to date.

[epricedright]

I've come to the conclusion I have either a faulty card or something is corrupting my driver files, leaning more towards the later. My start up items issue has me baffled as well. That might be part of the corruption problem. Maybe this is why my original video card went out? I did everything to the "T" last night and was very careful.

I tried to fix the boot.ini file last night via the Recovery Console (that was scary at first btw), but couldn't proceed becuse I don't know my administrator password. I made 6 guesses...not. You're only allowed 3 guesses per attempt. The Recovery Console is accessed through the Win XP CD. The odd thing was last night after my first Recovery Console attempt, after rebooting, all my start up items were in the task bar and my videos were fine again. That only lasted about 5 minutes before they began stuttering again.

I found the code to make the boot.ini file (my boot.ini file is missing as I only have the boot.ini.backup file) and thought about going that route, but am hesitant to try it when I read if any mistake is made doing so, your pc will not boot at all. And there was no mention of that technique in the Microsoft support site. Big gamble to take being that annoyance may not be affecting the pc in other ways. I'm at a loss now. I am considering uninstalling, driver cleaning, and reinstalling the video driver files, but that may be for not. I should maybe delete the Recovery Console files that are not in pc now, but I'm not certain. Microsoft gave instructions on how to do so.

Now when I reboot, my desktop icons load slow and I have 2 out of 5 start up items in my task bar. Nothing crazy going on in my Task Manager. No processes running there. Sysyem Idle Process staying above 90% - bouncing 90-99%.

Does anyone have a clue what is happening or how I can trouble shoot this any further?

Thanks!

[BodybyFisher]

Sorry Epriced, I am at a loss, its hard enough doing this stuff in person let alone in this environment. You did everything I suggested and yet you still have problems, I have exhausted my thoughts other than, something changing on bootup because all NVIDIA droppings are not removed. I would go through the removal process again and when you remove the driver the first time, look a second time after reboot with the standard VGA driver. Make sure your CD rom drive laser is clean, and the CD is clean. Scrub the computer for spy ware and junk that is not being removed and when the computer restarts its back. I have the registered version of Ad Aware SE.

See this

http://www.tech-forums.net/showthread.php?...p;threadid=2588

And this:

DVD skips or plays erratically

Step 1: Uninstall PC Friendly software

Some DVDs include software called 'PC Friendly.' You generally should not install this software, as it can cause errors or erratic play. If needed, uninstall it and restart the notebook.

Step 2: Clean the DVD movie

A dirty or scratched DVD surface is the main reason that a DVD movie can skip when played on a PC. Because the reading area on a DVD is much smaller, DVDs are much more susceptible to skipping and playback problems than CDs. Skipping is much more likely to happen with DVD movies that have been handled frequently, like those from a movie rental store

To fix playback problems, clean the DVD. Clean DVDs with filtered water and a lint-free cloth. Wipe from the center of the disc to the outer edge. If cleaning does not work, buy a CD/DVD repair kit available at electronics stores.

Step 3: Log off of the Internet when playing movies

Software can access the Internet or network while a movie plays. This can disrupt the movie at regular intervals. Make sure to disconnect from the Internet before playing a movie. If the notebook is not connected to the Internet while playing movies and movies still skip, continue to Step 4.

Step 4: Change the Desktop's color properties

Windows requires more memory and processing power to display large desktop sizes with lots of colors. Human eyes cannot easily tell the difference between colors beyond 16 bit.. Use the following steps to make sure that the desktop is set at 16-bit color:

Right-click anywhere on the desktop, but not on an icon, and select Properties.

The Display Properties window appears. Click the Settings tab.

Set Color or Color Quality to High Color (16 bit), or Medium (16 bit), if it is not already set.

If setting the color depth to 16 did not help, proceed to Step 5.

Step 5: Turn off extra peripherals (connected devices)

Turn off printers, multifunctions (all-in-ones), and scanners and unplug cameras and portable handheld devices. Windows looks for plug and play devices and sees these devices. Removing them helps the system free up valuable system resources and results in better movie performance. If this does not help, go to Step 5.

Step 6: Increase system resources

Increasing system resources makes the DVD software (and other software) play better. Use the following Compaq support document for details on how to make the computer run quicker and more efficient: HP Notebook PCs - Improving the Performance of Your Notebook PC

If increasing system resources does not fix the problem, try reinstalling the DVD software.

And this:

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/t1056867936

[epricedright]

Sorry Epriced, I am at a loss, its hard enough doing this stuff in person let alone in this environment. You did everything I suggested and yet you still have problems, I have exhausted my thoughts other than, something changing on bootup because all NVIDIA droppings are not removed. I would go through the removal process again and when you remove the driver the first time, look a second time after reboot with the standard VGA driver. Make sure your CD rom drive laser is clean, and the CD is clean. Scrub the computer for spy ware and junk that is not being removed and when the computer restarts its back. I have the registered version of Ad Aware SE.

See this

http://www.tech-forums.net/showthread.php?...p;threadid=2588

And this:

DVD skips or plays erratically

Step 1: Uninstall PC Friendly software

Some DVDs include software called 'PC Friendly.' You generally should not install this software, as it can cause errors or erratic play. If needed, uninstall it and restart the notebook.

Step 2: Clean the DVD movie

A dirty or scratched DVD surface is the main reason that a DVD movie can skip when played on a PC. Because the reading area on a DVD is much smaller, DVDs are much more susceptible to skipping and playback problems than CDs. Skipping is much more likely to happen with DVD movies that have been handled frequently, like those from a movie rental store

To fix playback problems, clean the DVD. Clean DVDs with filtered water and a lint-free cloth. Wipe from the center of the disc to the outer edge. If cleaning does not work, buy a CD/DVD repair kit available at electronics stores.

Step 3: Log off of the Internet when playing movies

Software can access the Internet or network while a movie plays. This can disrupt the movie at regular intervals. Make sure to disconnect from the Internet before playing a movie. If the notebook is not connected to the Internet while playing movies and movies still skip, continue to Step 4.

Step 4: Change the Desktop's color properties

Windows requires more memory and processing power to display large desktop sizes with lots of colors. Human eyes cannot easily tell the difference between colors beyond 16 bit.. Use the following steps to make sure that the desktop is set at 16-bit color:

Right-click anywhere on the desktop, but not on an icon, and select Properties.

The Display Properties window appears. Click the Settings tab.

Set Color or Color Quality to High Color (16 bit), or Medium (16 bit), if it is not already set.

If setting the color depth to 16 did not help, proceed to Step 5.

Step 5: Turn off extra peripherals (connected devices)

Turn off printers, multifunctions (all-in-ones), and scanners and unplug cameras and portable handheld devices. Windows looks for plug and play devices and sees these devices. Removing them helps the system free up valuable system resources and results in better movie performance. If this does not help, go to Step 5.

Step 6: Increase system resources

Increasing system resources makes the DVD software (and other software) play better. Use the following Compaq support document for details on how to make the computer run quicker and more efficient: HP Notebook PCs - Improving the Performance of Your Notebook PC

If increasing system resources does not fix the problem, try reinstalling the DVD software.

And this:

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/t1056867936

Mike, I not only have stuttering video playback with my DVD's, but with videos stored on my HD played back with the Windows Media Player. So I'm pretty certain it's not the DVD player or DVD's. I have a video clip stored on my HD of a guy running that I playback with Media Player which makes it clear to see when there's stuttering. After I reinstalled the video drivers, that vid was nice and fluid. I then checked a couple others, same thing- fluid, no stutters. I then checked the DVD and it was fluid as well. Then later, it started acting up. When it's acting up, all those vids/dvd's stutter.

What concerns me is the startup items. Something is causing that and maybe that is affecting my video as well. Any clue what that could be?

And now my desktop icons are loading slow. There's apparently something bogging down my resources, but it's not showing up in my Task Manager. I'm guessing whatever that is, is affecting my video as well.

Could my board be screwed up from the overheatig perhaps? HD? RAM?

When I run a check disk, which one do I run? I remember there were a couple options, one being to fix things automatically, and then another option or 2.

I guess I will get the registered version Adaware SE as well. If that doesn't work, I will do the uninstall ONE more time. I will do this step as well from http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_4.html:

"4. This step is optional, but again it is recommended if you want to ensure a 'clean' install, especially if you are experiencing graphics-related problems. It involves removing any graphics-related Nvidia registry entries left over. To do this, I recommend using either RegSupreme, or its earlier (and completely free) cousin, RegCleaner 4.3. To use RegSupreme, start the program and once it has cached your files, start a 'Deep' scan, then wait and choose the 'All' item under the Select menu to highlight all the 'invalid entries' found, and click the Fix button to remove them all, making sure to save a backup under a descriptive name. To use RegCleaner, open the program and on the front page put a tick next to the 'Nvidia'-related entries which don't refer to nForce as well, and then click the 'Remove Selected' button. If you want to use the Windows XP Registry Editor instead, go to Start>Run and type "RegEdit" (without quotes). Then go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key, select the 'Software' subkey, and scroll down to the 'Nvidia Corporation' entry, and underneath you should find a 'Global' entry. Right-Click on this 'Global' key and select Delete to remove it. Do not remove any other items, such as the 'nForce' key. Note that this method is not as thorough as using RegSupreme or RegCleaner, which find other hidden Nvidia entries."

[BodybyFisher]

Have you tried reinstalling the DVD play application? It may have scaled itself to your old system and now its not configured correctly. Epriced, I am a little mentally burned out today from lack of sleep forgive me if I can't get into details today...

[epricedright]

Have you tried reinstalling the DVD play application? It may have scaled itself to your old system and now its not configured correctly. Epriced, I am a little mentally burned out today from lack of sleep forgive me if I can't get into details today...

I really don't think it's DVD player related as my Media player stutters too. Please re-read my post tomorrow after you've rested. I'm burnt too. This pc has consumed me, and I'm going on very little sleep as well. But I'm pissed and want to get it fixed. I really need to get away from it though for awhile.

I was looking at the registered version of Adaware SE Plus. With the download, can I put that on all 3 of my pc's, via my flash drive, or do they need $22/yr for each pc? Did they offer you the discount by buying 2 or 3 years after your first year was up, like they do now, or do you lose that option after upgrading for only one year?

[The Fred]

You have got to have some kind of a hardware conflict..

Have you been in device manager and looked?

If two video cards won't work right in there something ails either the board or the way it is configured.

Is there a way to completely reset the board settings.. alot of them have a reset jumper for an example. Did you go into the bios and be sure that you have onboard video disabled?

Also scan your computer with this: http://housecall.antivirus.com

Find out what it would cost to sent the box to me..

Maybe you can send it to me for under $20 and back for under $20

(67502)

I'll wipe that son of a ***** clean and fix the whole thing for free and if I can't do it I know people who can.

That would be better than buying programs,

The average user can get by real fine with a good free spyware scanner and an occasional free virus scan.

No need to go out buying a pile of this and a pile of that.