There appears to be a problem with the graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT) running on a newly built computer with the following specifications: Intel Quad Core Q8200 2.33 GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM, with Windows XP Service Pack 3. Whenever I run a relatively recent game (such as Prince of Persia, Fallout 3, etc.), on the highest graphics settings, all of the games have a graphics-related crash. This either involves the screen being filled with incorrectly rendered textures, or crashing with a blue screen and a message saying that the drive is stuck within an infinite loop. I have tried reinstalling DirectX 9.0 together with the NVIDIA drivers, but this has not resolved the problem. Do you have any suggestions? (more…)

Most days when I turn on the computer a blue and yellow message appears on the screen informing that the resolution is not at the optimal setting and suggests a different resolution should be used. Making things more difficult is the message will not disappear. I have checked the resolution setting in Windows which is the same as the resolution suggested in the message. The computer is running Windows XP. (more…)

Recently I downloaded and installed Second Life. However, I have not been able to run Second Life since the initial install. When Second Life loads a message appears saying that the display mode has been changed to Windows Vista Basic because the program is not compatible with certain elements of Windows Vista. This is followed by a message advising that “Display driver atikmdag stopped responding and has successfully recovered”. Despite the so-called “successful recovery” Second Life does not respond and must be closed down. I have tried uninstalling Second Life and deleting all the cache files (as advised by the Second Life help) and then reinstalled the program but the problem remains. The computer is running Windows Vista. (more…)

When changing the display settings through the “Display” control panel “Settings” tab I am not asked whether I would like to keep the settings. How can I fix this problem? (more…)

Recently the monitor on my computer has begun showing “No input signal” and “No video card” messages after the screen saver has been active a few minutes. As such, I cannot use the computer after this has happened since the monitor will not reactivate. To restore normal operation and display on the monitor I need to turn the monitor on and off several times, until eventually the display reappears on the screen. I thought this may have something to do with power management, but I have lost the ability to edit the power scheme configuration on the computer (everything in the Power Options control panel is greyed out). Can you assist in regaining control of these settings, and also fixing the monitor problem? The computer is running Windows XP SP2. (more…)