Serious computer problem...please help!

[Guest Dominik Mann]

Well, this morning I got my new Radeon 9800 Pro, and of course I promptly proceeded to fit it into my rig. However, I am now having a serious problem of which I don't know whether it might be related to the new card or, more specifically, the drivers.I started with uninstalling the old video drivers and rebooting the system as advised, and after rebooting Windows (in 640x480) I shut the rig down, removed the old card and fitted the new one. I then rebooted, and after Windows had loaded up I proceeded to install the ATI Catalyst drivers I had downloaded some days ago. Apparently, my card was detected correctly, and since there was no sign of any kind of trouble I rebooted once again to launch Windows with the new drivers.However, just when the Windows desktop appeared I was getting a whole load of error messages, all telling me about some sort of "data loss on writing", or whatever the message would look like in English. Eventually, after clicking through scores of error messages, Windows would appear to freeze, and I had no choice but to do a reset. However, since this bummed boot-up Windows will always run CHKDSK before letting me proceed to the desktop.I meanwhile found I could, in fact, reboot Windows with the Last Known Good configuration in a more or less workable state, lacking only the video drivers and limiting me to low resolution. I already tried reinstalling the video drivers, but to no avail. Strangely, I would not get any error messages when running the LKG configuration, and can access all programs installed on my system from this config.I'm running Win XP Professional on a rig based on an Athlon XP 2500, 512 megs of RAM, ASUS A7N8X main board and my newly acquired Radeon 9800 Pro video card. The power supply provides 550 watts, which I believe should be plenty for my system. I also checked whether all connectors were plugged in correctly, which they seemed to be.Is there any way I could restore my system to working order without having to reformat? :'(

[Guest sj3]

Hi. Wow, that stinks. You must not be too happy! Anyway, my first thought would be to have you go back in a re-seat the video card. Take it up out of the slot and put it back in, ensuring it's down all the way, solid and flat. Most boards have a retaining clip for the AGP slot; ensure that you pull the clip back as you're removing and inserting the board.Second idea would be that you might be moving from a PCI-based video card to an AGP-based one and your BIOS is still asking for PCI video. That one's a long shot but I don't think you said what video card you're moving from.Second-and-a-half, did you remember to plug in the power supply connector to the card? That would definitely mess things up!Third idea would be that you have a corrupted driver install file and to go back to ATI's web site and download a fresh driver pack.Fourth would be that you have a bad video card and should ask for a replacement. Finally would be the complete re-format you referred to. Not that much fun except for those of us who get our fun in most unusual ways!Good luck. That's a great card so I don't blame you for being peeved!sj

[Guest tgabriel]

Your problem is, in fact driver oriented. If you confirm all of sj's points, you should have an up and running system. The only difference I can see is the idea of reformatting. I am part of a network team that looks after nearly 1000 laptops and desktops and around 30 servers. Our equipment is in service for 3 years and once placed in service, never reformatted and reinstalled except for major failures where replacement is done for hard drives and that is very rare. Even when we lose a SCSI drive, it is just swapped out and the system rebuilds the drive automatically. Any changes in terms of o/s patches, driver updates, application add-ons, and so on are dealt with on a one-on-one basis. Reformatting and reinstalling the entire system to solve a problem only masks the problem and is still no guarantee of a working systm. One thing you do not mention is whether or not you have accessed ATI's help system. They might have an idea or two that will help. I realize that many technical help desks are, um, "deficient" but still there might be a nugget in there for you.The problems you describe lead me to think you got corrupted drivers when you downloaded them. If you are using dial-up that is the most likely cause of the corruption because of its slowness. If you have access to a broadband connection, use it and burn the drivers to a cd for installation onto your system.Anyway, you have a very good system and this card, from everything I have read on this and other forums is a very good one so you should not have any problems once this one is solved.

[Guest Dominik Mann]

>Your problem is, in fact driver oriented. If you confirm all>of sj's points, you should have an up and running system. Well, as I said, I can, in fact, run a functional Windows in Last Known Good mode, but whenever I try installing the new video drivers and start in "normal" mode, I will run into these error messages. On another forum somebody suggested something might have corrupted my MFTs - but if that should be the case, how can Windows possibly boot up in LKG mode? Does Windows, in fact, save any functional version of the MFT?If so - assuming the MFT is, in fact, the problem - , is there any way of replacing the botched MFTs with the backups?>The only difference I can see is the idea of reformatting. I>am part of a network team that looks after nearly 1000 laptops>and desktops and around 30 servers. Our equipment is in>service for 3 years and once placed in service, never>reformatted and reinstalled except for major failures where>replacement is done for hard drives and that is very rare.>Even when we lose a SCSI drive, it is just swapped out and the>system rebuilds the drive automatically. Any changes in terms>of o/s patches, driver updates, application add-ons, and so on>are dealt with on a one-on-one basis. Reformatting and>reinstalling the entire system to solve a problem only masks>the problem and is still no guarantee of a working systm. One>thing you do not mention is whether or not you have accessed>ATI's help system. They might have an idea or two that will>help. I realize that many technical help desks are, um,>"deficient" but still there might be a nugget in there for>you.No, I haven't tried ATI's help section yet. I also just remembered the dealer where I got the card offers a technical help section - maybe I should try contacting these as well.>The problems you describe lead me to think you got corrupted>drivers when you downloaded them. If you are using dial-up>that is the most likely cause of the corruption because of its>slowness. If you have access to a broadband connection, use it>and burn the drivers to a cd for installation onto your>system.I'm on DSL and am using a download manager, so I don't know whether the chance of my having downloaded corrupted drivers is very high. Of course, even DL managers are no perfect safeguard either, but I can't remember I ever got any corrupted files in any download I made.>Anyway, you have a very good system and this card, from>everything I have read on this and other forums is a very good>one so you should not have any problems once this one is>solved.Yes...but I cannot really enjoy it until I get it back into a functional state :'( . I really don't want to reformat either unless there is absolutely no alternative.By the way, if there should really be no alternative, could I try burning my most important data to CD while operating in LKG mode, or would that, in fact, be pointless, assuming these data might have been corrupted?

[gosta]

>Second-and-a-half, did you remember to plug in the power supply connector to the card? That would definitely mess things up!:).Cheers,Gosta.http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg

[Guest Dominik Mann]

Well, since some of you have read an indeed responded to my earlier post about the serious problems which somehow appeared after I exchanged my old GF3 for a Radeon 9800 Pro, I thought I should post an update on the small amount of progress I made.* I apparently got Windows back to the point where it would no longer complain about data loss on writing to the hard disk, even when NOT explicitly booting with the Last Known Good configuration.* However, when I attempted to install the ATI drivers again to have Windows actually recognize the card, I first got an error message reading "Zero Display Service Error" while installing the drivers. I don't think I got this one before.* After rebooting - strangely enough, I was prompted to do so even though there apparently was an error during the driver installation - , the "data loss" error messages were back in force.* Even though I am no longer getting the data loss errors - provided I did not attempt to install the video drivers, which somehow seem to be causing problems - , I am still greeted with Chkdsk on every boot-up. Is there any way of disabling this when there is no actual need for this? If I did not understand the Chkdsk reports wrongly, there are no longer any file errors to be corrected.Somehow I am getting the feeling that it could, in fact, be the ATI drivers which are responsible for these problems. I already re-downloaded them more than once to make sure I would not use any possibly corrupted installers, but for some reason this doen't seem to help.I really thought I had already seen the worst when it coms to Windows problems, but this one sure is a beater *rolls eyes* ...Do you have any further suggestions? Could it, in fact, be a hardware-related error with new video card? I emailed the retailer where I got the card from this morning, and he asked me whether I wanted to have it replaced.

[Guest FPSFREAK]

DM,Make sure your running the latest correct Bios for your Motherboard and also try, if enabled setting the AGP to 4X. Some of these boards had issues with 8X AGP.Also make sure your running the latest Nvidia Chipset Drivers for the board.Bobby

[Garys]

Try loading the drivers that come with the cd for the card. See if your problems still exist after that.Gaz

[Guest Dominik Mann]

Well, I finally did solve this problem...thankfully :D . I came across an article which said that this sort of problem would occur if one had his system's memory allocation set to optimization for system cache instead of applications. I reset this to applications, and my system has been running fine ever since.In other words, this was apparently another case of an apparently minor and totally unrelated setting screwing up the entire system :-roll ...