All of a sudden, now after I run FSX for 2-3 minutes, my monitor will shut off. The CPU and sound of the game continues, but the monitor won't turn back on. I have to reboot to get video back.I have no problems what so ever with any other software. I am pretty much ruling out a monitor issue because the monitor isn't crashing on me, it is simply shutting down because it is not recieving a signal.For what it is worth, I also have to reboot my computer 2x to get the screen to come on. Again, the CPU starts right up and seems to be working fine on the first boot, there is just no monitor activity until the second reboot.I am starting to think it maybe my video card. Is there anyway I can try to determine this w/o going out and buying a new video card to test? Any thoughts?My System:Acer LCD MonitorIntel Duo Core ProcessorEVGA 8800 GS VC w/ 512MB RAM2 GB RAMRunning Windows XPThanks,Dave

Sounds like one of two things, an overheating problem or the video card going bad, just a guess obviously.

set frame limit in fsx less than 60 ...shdnt be more than that ....this will surely solve the issue !!rest.... set vsync "on" in fsx config ....search avsim for exact config code (different for fsx sp1 and sp2)your fsx is rendering more frames which your monitor cannot handle , lets say you have monitor with max frequency 60hz(which is very common with most monitors) , then your fsx frames should not exceed 60 frames per sec.Thanks

Thanks for the replies. I have two (2) comments:1. It's definately not the CPU overheating as I monitored those temps and they were fine up until the monitor shutting down. If you are refering to the VC overheating, how would I check that?2. As far as limitting the FPS. I have been running FSX on this exact system for 2 years w/ no issues, so my system can definately handle it. I think dropping the FPS would just put a "band aid" on the problem instead of fixing it.Thanks again for your help !!

First thing I would do is check the power settings in Windows for something like "turn off monitor after 3 minutes".Next, I would be monitoring my videocard temperatures suspecting that it's overheating. Is it overclocked? has the fan failed? you can increase the fan speed in Rivatuner to kep things cooler if youdownload it.IAN

Thanks for the replies. I have two (2) comments:1. It's definately not the CPU overheating as I monitored those temps and they were fine up until the monitor shutting down. If you are refering to the VC overheating, how would I check that?

If it has a fan, make sure it is working and running at the normal speed. Blow out all the fins in the heat sink under the fan. If no fan, blow out the fins in the heat sink.Sounds like an overheating VC to me from what I've heard so far.But I guess it's possible it could be going flaky, or maybe even a driver glitch.But I'd check the cooling first.

Thank you, the VC fan is definately running, but how do I check the temperatures of my VC? Is there any any Nvidia software I can run which will check the integrity of the card?

Thank you, the VC fan is definately running, but how do I check the temperatures of my VC? Is there any any Nvidia software I can run which will check the integrity of the card?

Download a program called RealTemp (version 3.40). It continuously monitors your CPU core temps and your video card temp. It's free.

Download a program called RealTemp (version 3.40). It continuously monitors your CPU core temps and your video card temp. It's free.

I am familiar with that program and use it. That monitors my CPU and the temps are fine. But you are asking me to monitor my GPU (Graphics card processor) correct? What do I do for that?

I too have had periodic shutting down of my monitor during my FSX session. Moving the mouse instantly restores the monitor to normal. It is as though the Windows screensaver or windows power settings are kicking in.Just like the original poster, I have run FSX flawlessly and on the same PC since FSX was first released. I have made no updates or changes to the FSX software and I have not installed any new add-ons. My graphics card is a relatively new GTX 285. I monitor the temperatures for the CPU, motherboard and graphics card and they are all OK. I am confident it is not the hardware. (I have not played other games for the same kinds of durations that I use FSX, so I cannot be sure this issue is specific to FSX or if it would also happen in other games.)I am suspecting the most recent Nvidia driver update (257.21) is the culprit. That is the most recent change/update that I have made to my PC. I do believe this issue started occuring around about that time (middle of June).But, as I said, moving the mouse brings the screen instantly back for me, so it's not really worrying me. And, it happens so rarely that I don't even consider it an issue. The original poster explained it occurs for them after running FSX for 2-3 minutes. For me, it occurs a long time in to a long flight (but even if I do a lot of long flights, it only happens occasionally [ie, it is rare]).I thought I'd post this here purely to highlight that it appears more than one person is experiencing this ... and maybe it isn't the (original poster's) hardware or temperatures etc after all.

have you recently upgraded your video drivers or installed or de-installed any of the fsx service packs ?

have you recently upgraded your video drivers or installed or de-installed any of the fsx service packs ?

No.

Just another thought. What videodriver are you running. There were a couple that were causing overheating.IAN

MSI Afterburner is a great free product for monitoring GPU temps etc..http://event.msi.com/vga/afterburner/download.htm

I am familiar with that program and use it. That monitors my CPU and the temps are fine. But you are asking me to monitor my GPU (Graphics card processor) correct? What do I do for that?

RealTemp also monitors your GPU temp. If you load up Real Temp and take a lot at the top left portion of the Real Temp window, you should see the GPU temp just below the cpu ident for your system.