BleepingComputer.com: Display shutting off while installing windows

I have a problem that is completely stumping me. It seems that my video card is shutting itself down (in a way) when I'm in safe mode and while I'm, for instance, using the recovery console or trying to install windows. Basically, anything that is not regular old windows causes it to freak out. This is XP pro, btw. I've found people that can't get their video card to work in anything BUT safe mode, but it seems that no one else has had my problem. I'm attempting to just do a clean install of windows, but every time my computer boots from the windows disc, after about two to three minutes (sometimes more, sometimes less) the video card fan basically roars and then my display shuts off. The rest of the computer continues to run, I can hear the hdd spinning, the psu stays on, mobo lights are all on, etc.

I've considered that the GPU could be overheating, but it does fine in graphics heavy games and so forth. I don't understand why it seems to be acting up when it's barely being used. Could this be some sort of bios issue? Another issue that sort of coincided with this one is not being able use the restart or shutdown features in windows. Restart does absolutely nothing other than hanging on the "windows is restarting" screen, and shutdown, again, only shuts down the display while the rest of the computer just stays on until I use the power button to force a shutdown. Perhaps they are related.

I know a few things about computers, but I'm no expert, and this has me pulling my hair out. Any insight would be much appreciated.

The video card is a GeForce 8600 GTS
Motherboard is an Asus P5N-E SLI
CPU is a Core 2 Duo E6750

This post has been edited by pseudotimes: 06 September 2011 - 10:47 PM

This definitely sounds like a BIOS issue.

What I would like you to do first is boot up the computer and enter your BIOS setup utility.

Once you're in your BIOS, look for any mention of the words system defaults there should be a way to select that option, please do so, upon doing so, make sure you save to CMOS and exit the utility.

Let me know the outcome of this, I do not want to throw too much at you all at once.

I am concerned that your system is not responded to windows request to restart or shut down properly, this can be caused by a power setting in your BIOS, a BIOS reset may be the way to correct this problem.

This is simply done by examining your motherboard and looking for the CMOS battery, that round silver disk in a black round holder, remove it from its holder, but remember how it goes back into its holder.

Look for a jumper on the motherboard with the following printed next to the jumper CLR-CMOS move the jumper over to pins 2 and 3 for 5 minutes, return the jumper to its neutral location, pins 1 and 2, return the battery to the holder.

Restart the computer and enter the BIOS immediately upon start up, correct the time and date, again choose System defaults and allow the computer to boot to your hard drive.

Let me know the outcome.

Bruce.

This post has been edited by MrBruce1959: 06 September 2011 - 11:53 PM

Okay, I took the battery out and put it back in as well as resetting the jumper. I'm still having the same problem, while in the preliminary stages of trying to reinstall windows, my screen goes black and the video card's fan spins outta control. Also, before I could occasionally get to a hanging boot screen after attempting a restart, now I don't even get that, just "windows is shutting down" and then a black screen. Is it time to look for a new motherboard?

It may mean that your motherboard has a failing component, but before you toss it out, lets make sure it is defective before you do that.

I do not see where you said you tried this already, so please forgive me if I am asking you to do something you have already tried.

Disconnect the computer from the AC power source by pulling the power plug from the PSU.

Keep yourself grounded to the computer case metal surfaces, to neutralize static electricity.

Carefully look through the computer case for any wires that go from the PSU to motherboard, disconnect them from their sockets and plug them back in again.

Check for any wires going from motherboard to other hardware, such as hard drives, optical drives and disconnect them and plug them back in again. This includes both data cables and power cables.

Any expansion cards you have, such as video cards, modems, sound cards, memory card readers, PCI, PCI-E, AGP video cards, carefully remove cards from slots, and push them back into their slots again making sure they are fully seated in their slots. Make sure memory card reader cables are secure.

Once this has been accomplished, recheck to make sure everything is secure, nothing is shorted out.

Reconnect the AC power cord.

Boot your computer and enter your BIOS setup utility, look for BOOT menu, look for mention of PLUG AND PLAY OS INSTALLED or PLUG & PLAY O/S, make sure it is set to YES.

Look for INTERRUPT MODE, make sure it is set to APIC, not PIC.

Make sure your RAM settings are set to SPD, if you have that option, this allows the system to make the best choices for your RAM configuration and avoids issues with timings and voltages not being correct.

Save all changes to CMOS and let me know if your computer functions correctly again.

Bruce.

I unplugged everything and plugged it back in, took out all the cards, etc. Went in and set plug and play O/S to yes (it was on no). Couldn't find anything involving interrupt mode, and no SPD under RAM settings.

Come to find, if I'm in BIOS for long enough, it does the same thing. That is, unless actual, non safe-mode windows is loaded, I get this partial shutdown. I have two pci express slots, and I've noticed the video card gets insanely hot, like probably gave my finger a first degree burn hot. Maybe that pci express slot is bad, or even the video card itself? Would something like that even cause an upset like this? I still can't fathom why this is happening in BIOS and safe mode and so on, but not Windows itself. Does that mean there is some driver or service that Windows loads that is keeping this thing from doing whatever it's doing?

Thanks a lot for the help, btw.

Your GeForce 8600 GTS is known to run hot like that.

I am just curious, is your GeForce 8600 GTS a redistro brand like PNY or is it a genuine Nvidia brand video card? I ask this because GeForce video cards can be released under other vendors names and I want to know what yours is so I am comparing it with the correct specs.

I have heard these cards can handle up to 180c, but that is not to say the motherboard slot and surrounding hardware to the slot are agreeing with that extreme of a temperature.

Your video card does have an exhaust that blows out the back of the case through one of the PCI slot covers correct?

I am one of those people that when I do internal maintenance on a computer, I will even take the cooler off of a video card and re-apply thermal grease after removing the older broken down grease that the factory had put there during manufacturing.

Try adding a few more case fans to your computer case if you can, believe me when I say one of my computer systems has 12 cooling fans in it, that includes two in the PSU and the one on the CPU.

My video card did not come with a cooling fan, just a heat sink, but I added a 2 inch fan commonly used on a CPU to my GeForce 6200's heat sink, it certainly does make a difference, so basically the rest of those cooling fans are in the front, side and back areas of my tower.

The only major issue is dust, the tower I speak of is close to the floor and near the entry to my apartment, so it sucks in a lot of dust because of its location with all the air suction taking place, I just clean it out every two weeks.

So I suggest you increase the air flow as much as you can, place cooling fans in the front blowing in and cooling fans in the rear blowing out the back.

Adding a cooling fan to the side can be difficult, because not many tower have air vents on the side panels, so if you want to get around that problem, do what I did with one tower, I simply hung a 4 inch cooling fan from the upper frame area and pointed it towards the CPU and NorthBridge chip area, it certainly made a difference to the temperature of the air before hitting the CPU cooling fan.

Bruce.

This post has been edited by MrBruce1959: 09 September 2011 - 12:43 AM