Pc Games Keep Crashing (All) part 1

Steven511

Hey all, I'm new to the forums.

So down to business, I got a pc built for me from a family member and nearly all games crash after a while some times the color goes weird with a freeze, I get a message saying -

"DISPLAY DRIVER AMD HAS STOPPED RESPONDING AND HAS SUCCESSFULLY RECOVERED"

So, I try downloading graphics driver and BIOS and all stuff I was recomended to do and seemed to work for a day and the next day it started again but even worse the pc froze and couldn't even see the message since it was all kinda brown with thick lines.

Here is my system -

Operating System - Windows 7 Home Premium (x64) (build 7600)
Processor - 3.20 gigahertz AMD Phenom II X6 1090T
Board - Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-890GPA-UD3H
Graphics Card - Vapor-X Radeon HD 5870 (Overclocked Edition)
Monitor - Iiyama Pro Lite 24" Widescreen 1920 x 1080 2ms HDMI DVI-D VGA LCD Monitor with Speakers
Computer Case - Antec Nine Hundred Two ( all fans in and working)
RAM - 6gb
Hard drive - 1.81 TB
Power Supply - Antec true power quattro 1200 watt
So as you can see from my rig it must be some software issue I think, thanks in advance all.

Lomai

Hi
Welcome to Seven Forums
Could you post the specs for your power-supply unit?
Thanks and regards

Zeplash

Are you overclocking anything? And do you have the ATI Expertool loaded and the DX restribulible package with updates and fixes? Is your HD set to performance<? Have you run a chkdsk<?

Steven511

Lomai - It says 12.00 on the box inside the pc I asume thats 12volts or?:P she's chunky
Zeplash - Please speak english! im not good with PC's

Lomai

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

Lomai - It says 12.00 on the box inside the pc I asume thats 12volts or?:P she's chunky
Zeplash - Please speak english! im not good with PC's

Lol!
Hang-on will be right back

stormy13

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Lomai

Could you post the specs for your power-supply unit?

Make and model number of it will do, we can take it from there.

Steven511

sorry im an idiot at times but I took off the side and saw a number under a bar code maby this is it? A100100408, and on top of the power box it says 1200 not 12.00 sry

yowanvista

Quote:

"DISPLAY DRIVER AMD HAS STOPPED RESPONDING AND HAS SUCCESSFULLY RECOVERED"

This is a TDR error, possible causes are: bad RAM, incorrect RAM timings/voltages, bad GPU, overheating

Test your RAM: RAM - Test with Memtest86+

Quote:

since it was all kinda brown with thick lines

Your GPU might be overheating or may be faulty, test it in another PC

Quote:

Vapor-X Radeon HD 5870 (Overclocked Edition)

I suggest to set the default clock values using this: http://www.techpowerup.com/atitool/, factory overclocked GPUs are sometimes unstable

Zeplash

CCC(Catalyst Control Centre) Can be downloaded,GPU settings and fan control can be accessed..

Lomai

Hi Steven

Please have a look at this thread on how to post your BSOD - Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Posting Instructions

We will need further information on your PSU - if you can, please contact your family member who assembled your computer for the make and model of the PSU.

Thanks and regards - keep us posted

Steven511

Ok I will get intouch with him, he's girl friend had thier kid 2 days ago so don't want to bother him with this just yet but realy thanks all for your help means alot and I will get him go threw this on monday and I will get back asap

Lomai

Hi
You could try uploading the dump in the meantime for the BSOD crew onsite to have a look at.
The PSU could be just one of the possible causes for your constant crashes - if you can, try to upload your BSOD dump
Regards

Steven511

Why do I feel like the dumb kid that sits at the back of class with his head down :P
How do I Zip the file when i open it with Internet Explorer :P

CarlTR6

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

Why do I feel like the dumb kid that sits at the back of class with his head down :P
How do I Zip the file when i open it with Internet Explorer :P

Follow the instructions in this tutorial:

http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-d...tructions.html

Lomai

I'm guessing you are up to Step 4 of the instructions.
Do you have Winzip/Winrar or 7-zip (x64 version for you) installed on your PC?
You can use either of this to create the archive

Regards

Edit

Carl's on-site - TIA Carl and regards to the missus
Steven - am signing off for today, continue to post your dump

Steven511

Ye step 4 but seems I don't have any of them installed lol I typed them into search and no results

Steven511

Oh and under "Warnings" It said -
Symptom:[IMG]res://wdc.dll/error.gif[/IMG]
Device is not present, not working properly, or does not have all of its drivers installed.

Lomai

Click on the 7-Zip link in my post above and download and install the 7-Zip (x64) installer.
GTG

Regards

CarlTR6

Windows also has a built in zip utility. Highlight the files you wish to zip and right click. Select Sand to >Compressed folder (zip).

Steven511

CarlTR6 - Never knew but do now thanks!
Lomai - Here is the file you need attached

CarlTR6

You are welcome, Steven.

CarlTR6

Steven, to help you with your troubleshooting, uninstall Norton antivirus. Norton is known to cause BSOD's on some Win 7 systems. Use this tool to uninstall it: Tool. Download and install http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/ in its place.

yowanvista

The OP is not getting any BSODs, he is just getting a display driver crash caused by a TDR event

Lomai

�� Quote: Originally Posted by yowanvista

The OP is not getting any BSODs, he is just getting a display driver crash caused by a TDR event

Thanks and noted. We are trying to eliminate the hardware if it is causing the fault for now.

Stevens

How are things progressing?

Steven511

I attached two picks from GPU-Z hope this helps also, this was from just downloading some thing I think

Lomai

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

I attached two picks from GPU-Z hope this helps also, this was from just downloading some thing I think

Thanks - those appear fine. Any recent TDR errors like over the last 24-hours? Have you tried what Carl suggested i.e. uninstall Norton and replace with MSE for now? Regards

Steven511

Sorry m8 but what do you mean by TDR

Lomai

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

Sorry m8 but what do you mean by TDR

More info here:

Quote:

Q: What is TDR?
A: TDR (Timeout Detection and Recovery) is a windows vista and windows 7 feature. Its purpose is to detect when the GPU stops responding, disable it and reinitialize it without the need to exit windows or reboot.
Q: What does TDR have to do with atikmdag?
A: A TDR event is reported to the end user by a notification bubble. This bubble will indicate "The display driver [insert name here] has stopped responding as was recovered." The driver name for all ATI systems is atikmdag, for NVIDIA users the same error will be reported but with the driver name nvlddmkm.sys. Atikmdag will also appear in the event viewer log under the warning associated with the TDR event.
Q: What causes TDR to trigger an event?
A: This is a very complicated question. The events can be due to almost anything in your system hardware or software. This has caused much confusion, as the same error is a symptom for everything from bad memory to a software fault.
The following hardware issues are examples that can cause a TDR event:
- Failing overclock on CPU or GPU
- Bad sector in memory resulting in corrupt data being communicated between GPU and the system (either video or system memory)
- Corrupt hard drive/windows install resulting in corruption to the system registry or the page file
- Over heating of GPU or CPU again resulting in corrupt data being communicated.
- GPU failure due to any sort of issue from insufficient power(VERY common) to heat.
The following software issues are examples that can cause a TDR event:
-Incompatible drivers of any sort (either GPU, sound, etc)
-Messy registry
-Known vista issues resounding around multiple displays, aero, dreamscape, and various display drivers.
-Known vista issues that sometimes cause corrupt information to be sent to the video card from system memory (will be addressed completely in SP2, has had various fixes applied since vista's release)
-Bad direct x files
-bad system files
-Bad driver (some drivers will cause an event due to internal bugs, however these are not nearly as common as many think due to all of the previous things causing the same symptom)
Q: How do I fix my TDR events?
A: This entirely depends on what is causing the event. As one can see there are almost limitless causes. First you must determine if the issue is hardware or software related, which can be quite a headache.
Some fixes work for some users, some do not

Steven511

Not sure if its me or the forums but I see some writing then like 5mins later I see more like after I refresh the page alot also but if you mean any crashes still on games then yes I tryed uninstall the AIT driver and reinstalled but it didnt seem to work also Norton360 detected this -

Steven511

Oh and I dont even get to see the bubble saying that the display driver has stoped responding I have to restart my pc all the time now when it crashes altho World of Warcraft seems to work fine altho I didnt get to raid yet since I was on a break to test would it crash or not

Lomai

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

Not sure if its me or the forums but I see some writing then like 5mins later I see more like after I refresh the page alot also but if you mean any crashes still on games then yes I tryed uninstall the AIT driver and reinstalled but it didnt seem to work also Norton360 detected this -

Hi Stevens

Carl had suggested uninstalling Nortons and replacing with MSE for now - this would allow us to eliminate Nortons as the cause of the faults given that some users have had issues that were attributed to Nortons in previous cases such as this.

In relation to the ATI driver, what version of the driver are you using at present? Was the system stable with the original drivers (one that came with the box) for your graphics card?

Lomai

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

Oh and I dont even get to see the bubble saying that the display driver has stoped responding I have to restart my pc all the time now when it crashes altho World of Warcraft seems to work fine altho I didnt get to raid yet since I was on a break to test would it crash or not

Sorry could you clarify this please?

Thanks

Steven511

Sorry didnt see the 4th page lol, I will try what Carl sugested now sorry Carl I seemed to have missed that post andLomai you know the bubble saying that the "Display Driver AMD display driver has stoped responding and has sucsessfuly recoverd" or so, I used to see that and it dosnt show up any more the whole pc just freezes with a black or brown screen with thick lines, come to think about it I played Medel of honor the new one on Beta with out one crash before I updated stuff

yowanvista

This error is GPU/RAM related.
Either the GPU/RAM is faulty or the RAM is incorrectly configured

Running memtest86 might help

Steven511

yowanvista - hey sorry I remember you posting about that but got confused I will go threw it again on a min after the norton360 just to test each

Steven511

ok done the memtest86 and it didnt boot up on the USB when I restarted the PC so it said I should go into BIOS settings and change so the USB boots 1st, will this affect anything? I mean I aint the best at PC's so will it be fine staying at USB to start 1st or will I change it back and it said it could take a few hours to test so I will wait till 2night.

I have uninstalled Norton360 and installed the MSE so that may help? I will try Gothic 4 now and see if it crashes like the other games and I will get back to you asap

Steven511

Maby I forgot to say this but it just happend now but the screen at the bottom kinda jumped abit with a line or 2 going threw it , not that noticeable the graphics and picture is the same at that point.

Lomai

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

Maby I forgot to say this but it just happend now but the screen at the bottom kinda jumped abit with a line or 2 going threw it , not that noticeable the graphics and picture is the same at that point.

Do the lines remain onscreen permanently?

Steven511

no for a split second

Lomai

Ok thanks for that.
Keep us posted if you have another one of those events
Am signing out for today - in case it crashes again, try disabling (check the entry) Disable Catalyst A.I from your Catalyst Control Centre (System Tray Icon with ATI -right-click to open)>3D Menu>All Tab

Found this also in case you need a screenshot on how to go about the process(uses the AI Tab instead of All I mentoned above)

Quote:

1- Locate Catalyst A.I., which is found under Graphics > 3D:


2- Under "AI", make sure "Disable Catalyst A.I." is checked, as seen here:


3- Apply

Regards

Anthony

Hello Steven, You say that games crash after a certain amount of time and that you only get crashes with games?

This to me sounds like 'HEAT' causing the problem, which in turn is crashing the system.

Have you tried playing games with the cover off?

stormy13

We ever find out the make and model of the power supply?

yowanvista

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

ok done the memtest86 and it didnt boot up on the USB when I restarted the PC so it said I should go into BIOS settings and change so the USB boots 1st, will this affect anything? I mean I aint the best at PC's so will it be fine staying at USB to start 1st or will I change it back and it said it could take a few hours to test so I will wait till 2night.

I have uninstalled Norton360 and installed the MSE so that may help? I will try Gothic 4 now and see if it crashes like the other games and I will get back to you asap

Any errors with memtest86?
Norton has nothing to do with TDR events
Test your graphics card in another PC

Most people having this issue end up replacing the graphics card

Steven511

ok with Norton360 out of the way it seemed to last abit longer but still crashed in the end so im guessing Norton360 aint the problem and about the power supply as I said I won't ring the family member yet because his wife (I said gf last time, oops)
had a baby few days ago and I will leave it till the weekend before I phone him

sygnus21

Hi Steven511,

After reading through this thread and seeing you have a Display driver has stopped responding and recovered error, plus the black lines you experience, I have to say I agree with yowanvista and say the video card sounds like its faulty or overheating.... especially since you have the over-clocked edition.

You may have to/should consider having the card replaced.

Also here's some tips/info for the error.

Other Helpful info�.

Error - Driver Stopped Responding And Recovered (ATI) or Display Driver nvlddmkm stopped responding (Nvidia) � Do any type of search on these errors and you will get hundreds of hits, even here. This issue started out in Vista and is now seen in Windows 7. As you see, it affects both card manufactures. There are many theories on the causes, as well as solutions, to this problem, but no singular fix seems to work for all. While one fix might work for some, others find they don't work at all. I will however suggest you look at�

-a- Overclocking � If your system is over clocked, chances are that you card is as well. Or, you may be simply overclocking the card by itself. Either way, back off and see what happens.

-b- Overheating � The card could simply be overheating from a faulty or low running fan, to the thermo past on the heat sink wearing out or being inadequate for the job. Inspect the video card and insure everything is in good working order and that there are no loose parts.

-c- Case Cooling � If your case is small and cramped or has inadequate ventilation or fans, well, not only will the case get hot, but so will the components inside, including the CPU and GPU, which puts out enough heat on their own!!! Plus overclocking also causes heat!!! Something to think about.

-d- Power supply - Many of today's GPU's require at least a 450 watt power supply. Is your power supply adequate for the job? Check with the card manufacture. Also, If the card requires a power connection (4-pin connector) double check to make sure it's connected!

Outside of the above mentioned steps, the best way to go about this one unfortunately is through trial and error. However there have been quite a few people, including me, who have reported that replacing the video card solved the problem. Again, something to think about.

From my Tips on Troubleshooting Game Issues

Good luck.

Steven511

How do I turn off Overclocking it? the card came like that by the way, pritty lame selling Overclocked Edition to have some thing like this happening and theres 3 fans pluse a huge one on top so it puzzels me about the over heating altho I aint the best with pc's but its only my opinion but reading down what you said that it can be caused by fault I will get the family member to replace it for me I guess and see if that works

yowanvista

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

How do I turn off Overclocking it? the card came like that by the way, pritty lame selling Overclocked Edition to have some thing like this happening and theres 3 fans pluse a huge one on top so it puzzels me about the over heating altho I aint the best with pc's but its only my opinion but reading down what you said that it can be caused by fault I will get the family member to replace it for me I guess and see if that works

Before replacing it test it in another PC if possible

Steven511

Good idea but I my self don't want to try it lol some how I think I would mess up, I will get the family member to test it at the weekend. How to I change it from Overclocked to Not Overclocked btw :P

thanks for your time to every one that replyed and will reply, I will keep updating as I try new things

yowanvista

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

Good idea but I my self don't want to try it lol some how I think I would mess up, I will get the family member to test it at the weekend. How to I change it from Overclocked to Not Overclocked btw :P

thanks for your time to every one that replyed and will reply, I will keep updating as I try new things

Changing core clocks might cause system instability, but if you want to try it use
ATI Tool ATITool - Overclocking utility for ATI and NVIDIA cards

Steven511

�� Quote: Originally Posted by yowanvista

Changing core clocks might cause system instability, but if you want to try it use
ATI Tool ATITool - Overclocking utility for ATI and NVIDIA cards

I'll leave it then

sygnus21

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

How do I turn off Overclocking it? the card came like that by the way, pritty lame selling Overclocked Edition to have some thing like this happening...

A lot of manufacturers sell overclocked items, they just need to make sure they're stable before mass producing them. Bottom line is any item can fail.

As far as "turning off Overclocking"... if the card came overclocked, that is the "default" condition the card is intended to operate at. Thus turning off the overclocked condition (lowering the clock speeds) would "technically" be running counter to what the manufacturer intended, and could "technically" void the warranty.

I�ve had a non-overclocked card overheat and go bad on me, thus my experience with the display driver stopped responding issue.

It happens.

I would suggest you call the manufacturer, tell them your situation, and see about getting a replacement card.

My two cents.

Steven511

Ok for those that wanted to know the spec of my power supply also edited my 1st post with some other info like -

Power Supply - Antec true power quattro 1200 watt
Ram - 6gb
Hard Drive - 1.81 TB

yowanvista

Your PSU does not seem to be the cause of this problem but rather your graphics card

sygnus21

That power supply is way more than enough to power your system, let alone your video card. In short, unless the power supply is faulty, you have more than enough power. And the symptons you describe doesn't sound like a power supply issue.

Steven511

�� Quote: Originally Posted by yowanvista

Your PSU does not seem to be the cause of this problem but rather your graphics card

Don't know alot about pc's but it starting to look like that m8.

�� Quote: Originally Posted by sygnus21

That power supply is way more than enough to power your system, let alone your video card. In short, unless the power supply is faulty, you have more than enough power. And the symptons you describe doesn't sound like a power supply issue.

But if the power supply was faulty wouldn't it not work at all or atleast not last a week. but you can never have to much power if it goes in right?

sygnus21

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

�� Quote: Originally Posted by sygnus21

That power supply is way more than enough to power your system, let alone your video card. In short, unless the power supply is faulty, you have more than enough power. And the symptons you describe doesn't sound like a power supply issue.

But if the power supply was faulty wouldn't it not work at all or atleast not last a week. but you can never have to much power if it goes in right?

To clearify.... your power supply is not the problem

Steven511

Ah I must add that watching all movies I don't get a single jump or crash, just in games only, so I guess some thing is over heating like yowanvista said about the graphics card it will be the 1st thing I get my family member that built it to look at when he gets time, also i'd like to add I used to use 2my tv + monitor but been useing just my monitor the past 2 days so that couldn't be it also because when I used to start up the pc the graphics would go in a zig zag but that stoped after a while

Steven511

Success!!!

Contacted my family member and he told me to uninstall the CCC and install the one from the disk (windows update one didnt run well) and also sent me this

" go into the CCC (catalyst control centre) and go into Overdrive . it's in the tab in the top left hand corner. unlock the box so you can change increase the idle mhz. these 5 series cards have an idel speed of 157/300 (which is way to slow to run 3d apps) . it's low because of some software with ati that is meant to save power but it interferes with with a TDR thing which power downs the vga. move the sliders around until the mhz show something around 400/1200! i've run max reso games and no crashes "

NO more jumps NO more crashes and i'd like to thank every one that took time to help also but its fixed now thanks to the family member, such a relief

stormy13

Good too hear.

Also,

Quote:

he told me to uninstall the CCC and install the one from the disk (windows update one didnt run well)

hope he told you never, ever, ever install video card updates from Windows Update and if you need to update to only get them straight from AMD/ATI.

sygnus21

If you're satisfied, that's cool, but....

Edit, actually you're overclocking the card slighty, which will create even more heat. That's an Interesting solution

BTW....always get your drivers from here... ATI Video Card Drivers

As for that "TDR" thing.... A little reading is in order.....

- Timeout Detection and Recovery of GPUs through WDDM
- Driver Stopped Responding And Recovered!
- �Display driver stopped responding and has recovered� - Rage3D Discussion Area

My .02 cents

Steven511

I didnt lower the card speed I higherd it?:S
was running at 157/300 now it's 400/1200

sygnus21

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Steven511

I didnt lower the card speed I higherd it?:S
was running at 157/300 now it's 400/1200

Yeah, I corrected myself.

Still check the other links I provided.

Thanks.

Steven511

I will get the new driver from Ati website, also I am not getting any more error messages nore crashes or jumps nothing, its perfect now iv been playing Gothic 4 on ultra settings and 1920x1080 resolution for about 2 hours now with out any hicups at all! and used to crash after like 10mins

stormy13

sounds like yours was one of those suffering from the low 2D clock bug where it wouldn't kick into 3D mode, and changing the 2D clocks fixes it.

sygnus21

Hmmm... forgot about that bug. +1

Thanks