Simple IT Support

Solutions for screen freezes while running 3d applications

Posted by sporg

If you are having problems with your 3d graphics card where it hangs or freezes while running a 3d application here are a few solutions you can try to get it working again. Have a read and try the solution that you think applies to your situation.

Warranty

Some of the solutions described in this article could void your warranty. Please make sure you are aware of what is allowed by you warranty agreement before proceeding. If you are having problems with a new purchase you may find it better to contact the people you bought the item from before proceeding with these solutions. Now as the warning is out the way we can continue with some solutions and a bit of fun.

Have you made any changes?

If you have recently installed a new video card the problem may be with drivers. Here is a list of drivers and software you may need to re-install or update.

1. Download and install the latest drivers for your motherboard.
2. Make sure you have uninstalled old video card drivers.
3. Download and install the latest drivers for your video card.
4. Download and re-install DirectX.

If you are still have the problem you also need to make sure that your computers power supply is big enough to supply power to your machine and the video card. Use a program like Motherboard Monitor and monitor the power voltages on your computer while testing the video card. If the voltages drop below the normal range then you will need to look into replacing the power supply for one that has a higher wattage output.

Problems after installing a program or driver

Try Microsoft’s System Restore. This is a tool in Windows XP and Vista that backs up all your s settings before new software or drivers are installed. To restore your settings to before an application or driver was installed do the following.

Through Help and Support:

1. Click Start, and then click Help and Support.
2. Under Pick a Task, click Undo changes to your computer with System Restore.
3. Follow the instructions on the wizard.

Through the All Programs menu:

1. Click Start.
2. Point to All Programs.
3. Point to Accessories.
4. Point to System Tools.
5. Click System Restore.
6. Follow the instructions on the wizard.

Problems with no apparent cause (Temperature)
One of the big causes for graphics cards freezing while running 3d applications is due to the GPU (Graphics processing unit) getting too hot.

If your video card has a temperature gauge built in you could run an application like Futuremark’s 3dmark software for a minute or two and then check the cards temperature. (Nvidea users can download ntune, ATI user can download ATITool) if it shows a high temperature then you need to open up the case to check why.

Most of the video cards you buy today have fans and heat sinks attached. First thing to do is to make sure the fan is working and that there is no dust trapped in the heat sinks stopping air flow. Also check that there are no other cards restricting flow to the fan.

Sound card

3d applications like games also use the sound card. What this means is that it could be the sound card and not the graphics card that is causing the problem. So if your application has sound try disabling the sound card.

Follow the next few steps to do this:

1. Click start then Control Panel.
2. In the control panel double click System.
3. Click on the Hardware tab.
4. Click Device Manager.
5. Click the + by Sound, video and game controllers section.
6. Right click on your sound card and click Disable.

With the sound card disabled try your application again and see if your computer still has a problem. If not you need to start troubleshooting you sound card (Will write up an article for this soon too).

Slow down you AGP, PCI Express or DirectX acceleration.

Most computers will have a setting in the BIOS for the speed of the AGP or PCI Express interface. If your BIOS setting is set to max speed try slowing down the interface then check if you still have the same problem. If not this is where it get a bit tricky. The problem could be either the motherboard or the video car. In some cases it’s a matter of motherboard and video card combination that has a problem. The only way to sort out the problem is trial and error.

Another method worth trying is to slow down the 3d acceleration in windows.

To do this

1. Click start then Control Panel.
2. Click Display.
3. Click on the Settings tab.
4. Click Advanced.
5. Click on the Troubleshooting tab.

There is a slide called hardware acceleration. Try moving it to the left a notch or too and see if that stops the screen freezes. Again there could be a problem with either the motherboard of the video card or they are just not compatible.

Check the computers memory

Use Microsoft’s Memory Diagnostic tool to make sure you do not have a problem with your computers memory.

I hope this information is of use to someone out there having problems. Would also like to hear from anyone that might have another solution to the problem

Technorati Tags: 3D Graphics, Solution

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Change management tips & tricks

Posted by sporg

For the past four years I have had the pleasure of working in the automotive industry in the UK. It is an industry where work never stops and at most the window for making changes to systems is no more than a few hours during shift change. To make matters worse if you find you have a problem with one of your changes during production hours you have no more than 30 minutes to correct it. Here are a few tips that have saved me many times.

A touch of paranoia (The Good Kind)

Out of all the tips listed here I believe this one has saved me the most. Whenever I need to make a change to one of the systems under my care the first thing I look at is what could go wrong. By doing this I can make people aware of what can go wrong and what we need to do to make sure it does not go wrong, or what can be done if things do go wrong. By looking at what can happen it allows me to work out what can be done before the changes go ahead and get everything I need together.

Disaster recovery plan

When you are planning a change to a critical system this is always a good time to get the old disaster recovery plan out and make sure you have it in reach when you make the changes. Hopefully you will never need to use your recovery plan but there is always a chance you may need to re-install an application and the recovery plan may have useful information in it.

Plan, Plan, Plan

A bit of an obvious one, but don’t just plan for what you will be doing. Plan for what can go wrong too. If you are installing new equipment make sure you have the install disks and install disk for things like the operating system. Also worth having all the files and disks and information you need for your disaster recovery plan at hand. That way you should have everything you need no matter what happens.

Make backups

The first step in my plans is always to create backups. If you are working on a server or desktop make sure you have a full backup. This could be as simple as a good backup from your normal backup process. If I am working on a database I would also take a backup of the database before I make changes. It is also a good idea to make a copy of any directories or files of importance that will be affected during the changes. If you happen to be working on network equipment make backups of the configuration or take screenshots to remind you of what settings you have changed.

Test your changes

Wherever possible I try to make the changes on a test system. With servers and computers this can be done with some ease by using tools from VMware or Microsoft. I create a virtual copy of the computer and update that version and make sure that the update works and I don’t run into any problems. With other types of equipment this may not always be possible, but any kind of testing you are able to do will always be a help.

Make a back out plan

After all my planning I always take a little time to look at my plan and make notes of how I could return the system to what it was before. This becomes a great tool when you have made some of your changes and realise that there is a problem that cannot be fixed and you need to get the system backup and running. I have also found this tip handy when changes I am making take longer than expected and I have run out of time. If you have made backups before starting these will most likely help in restoring the system.

I hope some of these tips help you out in your change management, and I hope to hear some tips you may have to add.

Technorati Tags: Change Managment, HOWTO, Solutions

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More pain for Tiscali users

Posted by sporg

Tiscali has failed to role back the changes they have made to their internet service. So more pain on the way for customers more info here on the register

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