Radeon 7000 randomly hangs Windows XP

[Wishdiak]

I've been pulling my hair out with this issue all day, so hopefully someone here can shed some light on this.

My girlfriend's computer is an Athlon 1ghz on a Transcend motherboard (TS-AKT4) with 512mb of memory and Windows XP SP 2. It has no virii or spyware.

Until about 3 weeks ago, she had been running a GeForce 2 MX 400/32mb video card. Around 3 weeks ago, her system starting hanging randomly. This would mostly happen while she was playing Age of Mythology, but would also hang at other random times. There would be nothing in the Event Viewer when this would happen.

I borrowed an old ATI Rage128/32mb card from a friend, and as I suspected, she was able to do everything she wanted to without the system hanging. The only downside was the limited resolution and slow response of a few games.

I ordered her a new Radeon 7000/64mb card, which came today. I installed it without any errors, and the system started hanging again, just as it had with the nVidia card.

I put the Rage128 card back in, and it didn't hang, so I tried the Radeon 7000 card again, after removing all video drivers and rebooting. The system still randomly hangs.

Has anyone had a similar experience, or could someone suggest something that I may not have thought of?

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[cdogg]

First off, it's not the video card or compatibility problem with the OS. I've worked on several PC's that have the Radeon 7000 in XP SP2 with no problems.

You may want to first attack this as a software issue. The best way is to do a clean install of XP to rule out a bad registry or driver conflict. You don't have to format what you have already, though. Either swap in a spare drive or create an empty 2nd partition on the current drive for the clean install. Don't forget to keep all applications and junk off the system until you have tested the card. That includes stuff like the antivirus scanner.

If software doesn't appear to be the issue, then I would suspect the power supply, but it could also be the motherboard or memory. At this point, it is best to start with the cheapest components when it comes to replacement and work your way up. Of course if it goes beyond the memory and power supply, it probably makes more sense just to upgrade the whole system.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[addy]

A couple of things i usually check if having problems with a video card:

1) When you uninstall the current drivers prior to changing the card, use DriverCleaner (small software utility which can be downloaded free) - very good for ensuring old drivers are completely removed.

2) Check your BIOS settings - try changing the AGP Aperture setting (if possible), try 64MB or even 128MB.

 

[garebo]

Since you mentioned its an older machine to begin with, and and older vid card works fine, and you are moving from a 32 mb card to a 64 mb card, and the card installed fine, then i would also suspect your power supply very much. In addition, if the power supply is, say, 5 yrs old, then it wont be in the same condition as it was 5 yrs ago. All of the above may have tipped the scales, so to speak, and the power supply may just not be able to handle the load, especially with high resource usage games.

Cdogg was first and has a great idea anyway, so i would suggest you follow his lead. But it wont cost a penny to look at the power supply at some point anyway.

Here you will find info on what power you need to run the machine you have and how to test the power supply

http://www.webhelp.org/jonnyguru/atx/index.html

Of course, you can google anything else on the subject as there are plenty of other places that have such info, another one being Techrepublic, they have a great tutorial on power supplies, you have to sign up for free, but they are pros there, they dont sell your email addy or things like that and they not only have that tutorial on power supplies but a lot more, all for professionals.

So often the issue is an older and\or cheap power supply and often that can combine with poor power at the wall as well. I have to keep my machines on UPS's because of that but its a good practice anyway.





Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[Wishdiak]

Thanks guys, these are all good suggestions.

Since I don't have any spare hardware around, I went the Driver Cleaner route, and so far so good.

Most likely we will be backing up and replacing most of this system anyway, but I appreciate the advice.

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[felixc]

It may sound strange, but I had a similar problem when I went from a Rage 128 to a Radeon 9000. I found the problem to be with the memory module. Was it because the new card makes a tougher use of the motherboard bandwidth, or because of too tight timings with the module that I had. Even changing the memory timings in the BIOS did not make them work flawlessly. I tried a different brand of memory, and no more problems.

So if you can make a quick check with a memory stick that comes from another machine, it will be one other unknown to rule out.

 

[Wishdiak]

Just to update, and possibly close this thread, addy's suggestion to use Driver Cleaner seemed to do the trick.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[UltimateMystery]

Radeon 7000 + SP2 + some motherboards = HANGING LIKE CRAZY

Uninstall the SP2, if it stops hanging, you found the magic trick, if not restore back...