Upgraded (not a fresh install) my system to Windows XP Home this weekend. While networking and multimedia functions were obviously stable (a good thing), I have been plagued by frequent redraw-caused crashes blamed on my graphics card, an Nvidia GeForce 2 mx/mx 400. I did all the usual stuff -- new drivers, old drivers, Win 2000 drivers, pulled sound card, unhooked every other peripheral, etc. -- to no avail. So I started looking around online only to discover that many people were having the same problem I was, only no two people agreed on a solution (most solutions involving stuff I already tried). So I bit the bullet and called Microsoft tech support.
From MS support I learned that the problem I am having is a known problem caused by a combination of an AMD Athlon processor (which of course I have), an Nvidia GeForce card (which of course I have), and Win XP. Apparently nearly any combo will cause the problem, it doesn't have to be a specific GeForce or AMD model. Microsoft knows about the problem and says it will be addressed in the first XP Service Pack -- due out August 15th. August 15th!
So if you are having the same problem I'm having, now you know: You're pretty screwed. Here are other steps I am taking:
1) E-mailed Nvidia. I know they don't do tech support (*sigh!*), but I'm hoping that they will be nice and tell me if they are planning on doing anything about the problem in the form of a new driver or something.
2) I am considering biting another bullet and reformatting my hard drive (after backing it up, of course! and then doing a fresh install of XP in the hopes that this magically solves the problem somehow.
3) Failing this I may end up having to get a new graphics card, which would of course suck. If I feel forced to go down this route I'm going to try to find one of those used/refurbished compuer places locally and see if I can work out some kind of trade, as that there is otherwise nothing wrong with my graphics card and it is only a few months old.
Does anyone else have any ideas/suggestions? I'd really rather not have to mess with getting a new video card (the time and expense both are not good) or have to wait until August. I don't want to go back to Me since I got XP as a fix to the problems I was having with Me. Any help is much appreciated!
--Chris M.
Denver, CO
From MS support I learned that the problem I am having is a known problem caused by a combination of an AMD Athlon processor (which of course I have), an Nvidia GeForce card (which of course I have), and Win XP. Apparently nearly any combo will cause the problem, it doesn't have to be a specific GeForce or AMD model. Microsoft knows about the problem and says it will be addressed in the first XP Service Pack -- due out August 15th. August 15th!
So if you are having the same problem I'm having, now you know: You're pretty screwed. Here are other steps I am taking:
1) E-mailed Nvidia. I know they don't do tech support (*sigh!*), but I'm hoping that they will be nice and tell me if they are planning on doing anything about the problem in the form of a new driver or something.
2) I am considering biting another bullet and reformatting my hard drive (after backing it up, of course! and then doing a fresh install of XP in the hopes that this magically solves the problem somehow.
3) Failing this I may end up having to get a new graphics card, which would of course suck. If I feel forced to go down this route I'm going to try to find one of those used/refurbished compuer places locally and see if I can work out some kind of trade, as that there is otherwise nothing wrong with my graphics card and it is only a few months old.
Does anyone else have any ideas/suggestions? I'd really rather not have to mess with getting a new video card (the time and expense both are not good) or have to wait until August. I don't want to go back to Me since I got XP as a fix to the problems I was having with Me. Any help is much appreciated!
--Chris M.
Denver, CO