Sudden Video Problem

[RufusLeaking]

Was online uneventfully during FSO for an hour or so.  Got killed.  Went to MA.

Took off and  suddenly my display went haywire.  It was as if many, if not all, polygons stretched to a vanishing point.  Even the clipboard had this problem.  I recorded a film.  It looked good.  I fired up the game, looked good for a minute or two, and then back to the weird vanishing point thing.

Uninstalled and reinstalled the game, texture pack, video card driver.  Sometimes the game would look good for a minute, then bad. 

A couple of out of game observations.  My windows XP loading screen had little vertical irregularities after the problem.  Not the user window itself, but the classic four colored window image at the beginning.  One time on shut down, I got a ccApp not shutting down message.  Afterwards, the XP load screen through the game through to a launch all looked good.  Then, wham, bad video.  I don't even clear teh runway.

Sometimes the game would look good for a minute or two, sometimes not.

Online and offline.

No settings or hardware were changed prior to this sudden video failure.

[Delirium]

Whats the temp of the GPU?

[RufusLeaking]

Whats the temp of the GPU?

No clue.  I never had this problem before.  And, I filmed a few seconds in game with the bad display.  The AH film viewer looked normal.  I'll try to get a screen shot today.

[The Fugitive]

sounds like your video card is over heating. Pop the side off your computer and first see if the fan on your video card is still turning. Next make sure to turn the computer off, then make sure the fins of the heat sink are clear of dust. 

[RufusLeaking]

sounds like your video card is over heating. Pop the side off your computer and first see if the fan on your video card is still turning. Next make sure to turn the computer off, then make sure the fins of the heat sink are clear of dust. 

I had the cover off a week or two ago and have played multi-hour sessions since.   
Edit: As of this morning, all fans are turning and the box is not full of dirt.
Edit: This morning, the film viewer was showing the same stretched polygons.

Here are some in game screen shots:

[Nwbie]

start - run - dxdiag

save to a text file and post it in here, the gurus will be able to see what may be causing it
Sounds like a heat issue or your video card is working past its limits.

[RufusLeaking]

start - run - dxdiag

save to a text file and post it in here, the gurus will be able to see what may be causing it
Sounds like a heat issue or your video card is working past its limits.

Roger that.

The mystery is that it was working for weeks since the update and then suddenly started this.  Nothing has changed.

It is an old machine and card: ATIx600/550.  I'll get the dx diag later today.

[Denholm]

I had a similar problem a while back. I fixed it by updating the drivers. Since you already updated the drivers see if rolling them back might help. If that doesn't do it and if heat is not the issue the video memory might be going bad.

[gyrene81]

That looks and sounds like a GPU problem...just because it worked yesterday or the day before, when a hardware problem hits, it can be total outage or slow degradation.

Since your case is already open...disconnect the power, the pull the video card and ram out, clean the contacts with rubbing alcohol using a lint free cloth...then replace the video card and memory...make sure to blow some air through the slots before putting the hardware back in.

If you had another video card it would be easy to test...in lieu of that however, what you can do is open up dxdiag go to the "display" tab and run the "test direct draw" and "test direct 3d" tests...if it is your video card you will have some indication with those tests.





Very slim chance but you could also be having a problem at the mobo level or a software problem...have you updated the bios on your mobo, changed any hardware or anything else lately?

[RufusLeaking]

If you had another video card it would be easy to test...in lieu of that however, what you can do is open up dxdiag go to the "display" tab and run the "test direct draw" and "test direct 3d" tests...if it is your video card you will have some indication with those tests.


Very slim chance but you could also be having a problem at the mobo level or a software problem...have you updated the bios on your mobo, changed any hardware or anything else lately?

I'll try the tests.

No changes other than the upgrade and patches, and ATI drivers.  The card is old enough to be in the 'legacy' section for drivers. 

[RufusLeaking]

If you had another video card it would be easy to test...in lieu of that however, what you can do is open up dxdiag go to the "display" tab and run the "test direct draw" and "test direct 3d" tests...if it is your video card you will have some indication with those tests.

The "Test Direct3D" button went through 7, 8, and 9.  All showed me a spinning box.  The box was clear at the end, but while it was in motion, it was very blurry.  It did not rotate smoothly or slowly.

Here's my DxDiag info:
------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 8/22/2009, 12:07:28
    Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.070227-2254)
           Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: HP Pavilion 061
       System Model: PJ621AV-ABA A750Y
               BIOS: BIOS Date: 07/26/04 18:49:42 Ver: 08.00.10
          Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.20GHz (2 CPUs)
             Memory: 1536MB RAM
          Page File: 400MB used, 3034MB available
        Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
    DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
     DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
  DirectX Files Tab: No problems found.
      Display Tab 1: No problems found. DirectDraw test results: All tests were successful. Direct3D 7 test results: All tests were successful. Direct3D 8 test results: All tests were successful. Direct3D 9 test results: Failure at step 32 (User verification of Direct3D rendering): HRESULT = 0x00000000 (error code)
        Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
          Music Tab: No problems found.
          Input Tab: No problems found.
        Network Tab: No problems found.

--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D:    0/4 (n/a)
DirectDraw:  0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectPlay:  0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow:  0/6 (retail)

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
        Card name: RADEON X600/X550 Series
     Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
        Chip type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x3E50)
         DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
       Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_3E50&SUBSYS_03281043&REV_00
   Display Memory: 256.0 MB
     Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (16 bit) (75Hz)
          Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
  Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
      Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
   Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6925 (English)
      DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
 Driver Date/Size: 4/27/2009 23:40:59, 325120 bytes
      WHQL Logo'd: n/a
  WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
              VDD: n/a
         Mini VDD: ati2mtag.sys
    Mini VDD Date: 4/28/2009 01:13:23, 3565568 bytes
Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-7D10-11CF-FE68-2223A1C2CB35}
        Vendor ID: 0x1002
        Device ID: 0x3E50
        SubSys ID: 0x03281043
      Revision ID: 0x0000
      Revision ID: 0x0000
      Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_C ModeMPEG2_D ModeWMV8_B ModeWMV8_A ModeWMV9_B ModeWMV9_A
 Deinterlace Caps: {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
                   {3C5323C1-6FB7-44F5-9081-056BF2EE449D}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {552C0DAD-CCBC-420B-83C8-74943CF9F1A6}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
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                   {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
                   {3C5323C1-6FB7-44F5-9081-056BF2EE449D}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {552C0DAD-CCBC-420B-83C8-74943CF9F1A6}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
                   {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
                   {3C5323C1-6FB7-44F5-9081-056BF2EE449D}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {552C0DAD-CCBC-420B-83C8-74943CF9F1A6}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
                   {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
                   {3C5323C1-6FB7-44F5-9081-056BF2EE449D}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {552C0DAD-CCBC-420B-83C8-74943CF9F1A6}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
         Registry: OK
     DDraw Status: Enabled
       D3D Status: Enabled
       AGP Status: Enabled
DDraw Test Result: All tests were successful.
 D3D7 Test Result: All tests were successful.
 D3D8 Test Result: All tests were successful.
 D3D9 Test Result: Failure at step 32 (User verification of Direct3D rendering): HRESULT = 0x00000000 (error code)

----------------------------

[gyrene81]

D3D9 Test Result: Failure at step 32 (User verification of Direct3D rendering): HRESULT = 0x00000000 (error code)

Ok now researching that line every thing I have found points either:

A = Video driver doesn't actually support that card.
B = That card doesn't fully support DirectX 9c
C = Video card could be failing.

Could be all three.

First step would be to uninstall the driver and then use something like Driver Sweeper or Driver Cleaner Pro and then have it find anything to do with that video card and remove it from your system.

Then find a slightly older driver...something from 2008 would probably be the best bet...and install it.

Then reinstall DirectX...and re-run those tests.

Lastly, run AH in 512 textures with no custom sounds and see what happens.

Otherwise, new video card.

[RufusLeaking]

A = Video driver doesn't actually support that card.
B = That card doesn't fully support DirectX 9c
C = Video card could be failing.

A) Driver was working.  That is why I describe it as 'sudden.'
B) Downloaded the latest DirectX 9.0c - now I do not get good results on Direct3D 8 - d'oh.
C) This is what seems most likely.  I fired up MS Flight Sim 2004 and had graphics issues that I did not have before.

First step would be to uninstall the driver and then use something like Driver Sweeper or Driver Cleaner Pro and then have it find anything to do with that video card and remove it from your system.

Then find a slightly older driver...something from 2008 would probably be the best bet...and install it.

Then reinstall DirectX...and re-run those tests.

Lastly, run AH in 512 textures with no custom sounds and see what happens.

Otherwise, new video card.

I'll try one of these cleaners.  I do not think it is a driver issue as it has run fine for weeks.  I have also ran in 1024 for a long time, before and after upgrade without incident.

The motherboard has an AGP 4x/8x slot.  Which stinks on ice.  The upside is that if I can find one, the card will be inexpensive.

I have another machine that is thrown together.  I am having issues with my USB joystick ceasing to operate a few minutes into the game.  I believe the problem there is that I have a USB external wireless card and a USB mouse.  Several people have mentioned that I am pulling too much juice through the USB ports.  Though, my son works counterstrike without the joystick.

Anyway, I am off to Fry's to browse.

[Eagleclaw]

Well, knowing me, Im immediately going to suggest a virus, being sudden and that severe I can't rule out the possibility of a driver issue, but also cannot ignore the possibility of a virus. Make sure your anti-virus is up-to-date and be sure to check your programs for processes that haven't been there before and shouldn't be there now. Good luck and I hope this helps.

[Eagleclaw]

This comment has been modified by the person, writer... guy, due to its lack of thought. (No, not an attempt to get easy posts, this really used to be something else).