Random restarts?

[Wynona]

I'll give it a whirl tonight and post my results...thanks!

Whoops! I went back and edited, but you saw my post before I finished editing!

This is funnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyyy! Never had this happen before.

 

[andreah1]

Will let you know, haha....I happened to be checking my email right when your message came thru!

 

[andreah1]

HELP. In a major jam. Update was not in installed section and the troubleshooter said to contact Intel for the driver update. I don't know how i can get any more stupid but I downloaded it and now I have NO graphics. Computer restarted in the middle of installation and came up with black screen that says no hdmi cable. I tried plugging it into the on board graphics but still black. Tried a dvi plug instead but still nothing. HELP!

 

[andreah1]

Update, SORRY for all this. I have removed the nvidia adapter and am able to "see" again. Afraid to put it back now. Could it have been ruined somehow by trying to install the update to the on board graphics? Ugh....this is driving me crazy.

 

[caperjack]

i would try this (not saying it will work but i cant hurt to try )remove the nvida card ,and boot the computer with the monitor hooked to the onboard intel adapter ,windows should install drivers for the intel device ,and the computer should work with out issue, use the computer like this for awhile just to see how it behaves ,then shut down and reinstall the nvida card and reboot windows again should load driver for it .report back how things go

 

[Wynona]

HELP. In a major jam. Update was not in installed section and the troubleshooter said to contact Intel for the driver update. I don't know how i can get any more stupid but I downloaded it and now I have NO graphics. Computer restarted in the middle of installation and came up with black screen that says no hdmi cable. I tried plugging it into the on board graphics but still black. Tried a dvi plug instead but still nothing. HELP!

OMGoodness, Andreah! I'm so sorry you got into all this trouble.

I see in your next post that you removed the nVidia card and you can "see" again.

Am I correct in assuming the nVidia drivers are still intact? If so, and only if so, go to Control Panel>Device Manager>Display Adapters and look for the Intel built-in adapter. Right click on it and click on disable. Now power down (even if you have to press and hold the power button until the computer shuts down), plug the nVidia video card back in, connect the monitor to it and reboot. If I'd been thinking properly, I'd have told you to do this in the first place. Also, like Caper said, Windows should install/update the drivers for the nVidia card.

Hopefully, you've now solved your problem.

What I think has happened is that the two video sources are fighting for dominance and with both of them enabled, neither can win. I also think that when the Intel drivers didn't install correctly, it dropped back to the working drivers that were already installed.

 

[Wynona]

i would try this (not saying it will work but i cant hurt to try )remove the nvida card ,and boot the computer with the monitor hooked to the onboard intel adapter ,windows should install drivers for the intel device ,and the computer should work with out issue, use the computer like this for awhile just to see how it behaves ,then shut down and reinstall the nvida card and reboot windows again should load driver for it .report back how things go

That's what she did, Caper. I think the final secret here is to disable the onboard video source before reinstalling the nVidia.

 

[caperjack]

i would try this (not saying it will work but i cant hurt to try )remove the nvida card ,and boot the computer with the monitor hooked to the onboard intel adapter ,windows should install drivers for the intel device ,and the computer should work with out issue, use the computer like this for awhile just to see how it behaves ,then shut down and reinstall the nvida card and reboot windows again should load driver for it .report back how things go

That's what she did, Caper. I think the final secret here is to disable the onboard video source before reinstalling the nVidia.

opps my mistake ,balso i think the need to disable onboard device is old school ,and no necessary any more .but i couldbe wrong

 

[Wynona]

i would try this (not saying it will work but i cant hurt to try )remove the nvida card ,and boot the computer with the monitor hooked to the onboard intel adapter ,windows should install drivers for the intel device ,and the computer should work with out issue, use the computer like this for awhile just to see how it behaves ,then shut down and reinstall the nvida card and reboot windows again should load driver for it .report back how things go

That's what she did, Caper. I think the final secret here is to disable the onboard video source before reinstalling the nVidia.

opps my mistake ,balso i think the need to disable onboard device is old school ,and no necessary any more .but i couldbe wrong

And you could be right, since it's been a loooooooooong time since I've had the problem. I made sure my motherboards didn't have onboard video when I did a new/rebuild.

 

[andreah1]

Yes, that's exactly what I did, it's running fine with the onboard graphics, if I hadn't spent money a year or two ago on the nvidia I would just leave it as it is now. I installed the update (driver) that started all this problem so I should be ok now. When I have some time tonight or tomorrow I'm going to disable the onboard and put in the nvidia again, yes, all it's drivers are still there. Now, if I disable the onboard, what happens if the nvidia dies sometime in the future, should I make myself a note to re-enable the onboard (I'll totally forget that I can do that, lol)? Or will it automatically work if the nvidia is disabled in the future?
You are right, I think they were both fighting against each other and they finally decided to both give up!

 

[caperjack]

I would remove all the NVidia drivers ,download but don't install the latest drivers from nvidia ,when you switch windows will install drivers for the nvidia, then you would install the ones you downloaded from nvidia'
I have onboard video ,I never had to disable it to install my ATI Radeon card ,I just installed it,and reboot and did what I suggested above ,and never had an issue .

 

[andreah1]

Thanks caperjack, hopefully I'll have some time after work to do this...I remember originally just putting it in the computer and using the cd and was up, never disabled the other one. Then again, I've never gotten a windows update for a graphics driver either...strange.

 

[andreah1]

Update - I had a little extra time this evening so I first tried shutting down, unplugging then installed the nvidia card. Turned computer back on and nothing, black screen. Shut down, plugged back into the on board graphics without removing the nvidia, turned back on and graphics came up immediately. So, I then uninstalled all drivers or programs associated with nvidia, shut down, plugged into the nvidia card, turned back on and blackness. Shut down again (sigh), plugged back into the on board, turned back on and then put in the nvidia cd to install the driver that came with it. Was only good up to win7 so I pulled the driver off the nvidia website, shut down, plugged back into the nvidia card and turned on. Voila! There it was, nvidia card is working a-ok. And, I have learned what I need to do should there be a problem in the future, just plug back into the on board and go from there! So, as always, thanks to all of you that were willing to help me out. I'm sure to be a computer expert if I keep on like this!

 

[Wynona]

Update - I had a little extra time this evening so I first tried shutting down, unplugging then installed the nvidia card. Turned computer back on and nothing, black screen. Shut down, plugged back into the on board graphics without removing the nvidia, turned back on and graphics came up immediately. So, I then uninstalled all drivers or programs associated with nvidia, shut down, plugged into the nvidia card, turned back on and blackness. Shut down again (sigh), plugged back into the on board, turned back on and then put in the nvidia cd to install the driver that came with it. Was only good up to win7 so I pulled the driver off the nvidia website, shut down, plugged back into the nvidia card and turned on. Voila! There it was, nvidia card is working a-ok. And, I have learned what I need to do should there be a problem in the future, just plug back into the on board and go from there! So, as always, thanks to all of you that were willing to help me out. I'm sure to be a computer expert if I keep on like this!

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Trial and error is absolutely the best teacher around, although it doesn't hurt to get a few helpful hints along the way.

So, I gather the following:

1. As Caper said, you no longer have to disable onboard graphics to use a third party graphics card.

2. Just plugging in a third party graphics card doesn't make Windows automagically ditch the onboard graphics and install drivers (for the nVidia in your case); you have to install the drivers (most current for your OS are best) and then plug in the card.

This has been a learning experience for me too.

 

[andreah1]

You are correct, I have not disabled the onboard and everything is working just fine. And yes, it didn't work until I downloaded the most current driver. These forums are a great learning experience for everyone!

 

[caperjack]

when i plug in my ati card it boots fine ,it uses windows drivers until go to ati site and get latest drivers ,i dont have to install its drivers while on the onbord device .

 

[andreah1]

Maybe mine is starting a slow death...who knows. As long as it's working now I'm happy and I'll know what to do to go back to on board if need be. Thanks again!

 

[caperjack]

Maybe mine is starting a slow death...who knows. As long as it's working now I'm happy and I'll know what to do to go back to on board if need be. Thanks again!

good luck,and happy computing

 

[andreah1]

Update - so much for that, we had a storm last night, the power blinked off and my computer shut down. When turning on this morning, same problem, the nvidia wouldn't work. I unplugged, disconnected, etc but nothing worked. I guess maybe it IS the card going back which shocks me, I thought these things pretty much lasted the life the computer. Never had one die, I'm sure it's possible though. Just wanted to add this in case someone else has a similar problem. The on board works fine (thankfully).

 

[Wynona]

Update - so much for that, we had a storm last night, the power blinked off and my computer shut down. When turning on this morning, same problem, the nvidia wouldn't work. I unplugged, disconnected, etc but nothing worked. I guess maybe it IS the card going back which shocks me, I thought these things pretty much lasted the life the computer. Never had one die, I'm sure it's possible though. Just wanted to add this in case someone else has a similar problem. The on board works fine (thankfully).

What could have happened is that your video card was weakened and the storm took it out when the computer suddenly shut down.

For now, can you go back to the Intel built-in graphics? Of course, it would be interesting to see if you could repeat your actions when you got the nVidia working last time. Time consuming for you, I know.

It seems that both graphics "cards" are still arguing about who gets to be the boss and for some reason the built-in one is winning all the battles.