[Troubleshoot] Ray Sum's Graphics card crashing (Part 5)

Continued from:
http://wai-pc.blogspot.com/2011/09/troubleshoot-ray-sums-graphics-card_5633.html

As Ray Sum's now taken the laptop back I can't test it further and write more on the topic so as a quick de-brief I've attached some photos of typical crash screens!

Typical screen garble and 'BSOD' "blue screen of death" after typical use!

This new messages only occured after changing physX settings and running DxDiag BUT NOT COMMON therefore I'll put these to a once off for now!

My next steps of attack would be to maybe test the system in a LIVE CD environment using Ubuntu to see if it's simply Microsoft/Windows based drivers causing the issue or the actual graphics card!
I did try to do this using the 32 and 64bit versions of the Ubuntu 8.04 LTS disc I had but they simply wouldn't boot - goes to a DOS styled prompt after the initial GUI screen asking if I wanted to try the LIVE environment, install, test memory etc etc!

After that, backup to USB stick (or other external memory / storage deviice) the existing Nvidia drivers after noting their versions and installing a fresh new set (firstly trying the Toshiba listed ones then the latest set(s) off Nvidia's website.)

[Troubleshoot] Ray Sum's Graphics card crashing (Part 4)

Continued from:

http://wai-pc.blogspot.com/2011/09/troubleshoot-ray-sums-graphics-card_25.html

As the laptop's Nvidia GT330M graphics card chip is labelled as 1GB (shared with PC RAM) I'd thought I'd double check that it wasn't this.  This also meant that I could leave it running over night untouched.
[Note that the system had also crashed once due to accessing invalid memory address!]
[System has 64 bit processor and operating system so should be able to access all of the 4GB RAM installed which detects perfectly in the BIOS and windows!]

Some actual specs for the graphics card here:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_gt_330m_us.html
And a quick review:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-330M.22437.0.html

The utility used was the MemTest86+ RAM tester that came as part of a Live CD of Ubuntu 8.04!
Note that after 17 iterations of the test over 11 hours NO problems had been detected so the RAM should be perfectly fine.

[Troubleshoot] Ray Sum's Graphics card crashing (Part 3)

Continued from:

http://wai-pc.blogspot.com/2011/09/troubleshoot-ray-sums-graphics-card.html

A quick look at the installed nvidia control panel setting gave me something to check:
The PhysX GPU acceleration was turned ON! (for what Ray Sum needs the laptop for this wouldn't be needed, technically is for working out where things in graphics heavy software will move to i.e. video processing but mainly gaming when you shoot a box and it should bounce around!)

After changing the setting the system started showing a different blue screen message (mainly accessing incorrect memory address hmm?!)

Whilst doing this I'd thought hmm maybe the "Direct X" was out of date?
Ran it using 'Window Key' + 'Run' then typing into 'dxdiag' couldn't be bothered finding the actual exe in its usual home in the Program Files folder.  Whilst this gathered the required information the system crashed a number of times.... (blue screen and gabled text, see next post!)

The following are photos of the built in windows "Action Center" showing problems and possible solutions!
Note that windows also believes that the fault is down to the GPU and that the system isn't particularly reliable (you don't say!)

[Troubleshoot] Ray Sum's Graphics card crashing (Part 2)

Continued from:
http://wai-pc.blogspot.com/2011/09/trouble-shooting-ray-sums-graphics-card.html

First of all let's go over the specifications and check the default settings and have the PC restored to manufacturer settings using the supplied DVD recovery disc choosing to wipe everything including the 2nd partition containing the backup drivers etc (perfectly fine as the recovery process recovers this as well!)

Once done Ray Sum had a few days to test using simply internet access (through the wifi) and without installing much the same problem occurred!
Following are photos of the "System Properties" and the scoring tool in Windows 7 "Performace Information and Tools"

I then restarted the computer to check all BIOS settings were seemingly right i.e. if possible amount of RAM allocated to the graphics card etc...

Surprising though was the omit of the more detailed FAN speed and processor/board temperature pages that you see on desktop PC BIOS screens.

[Troubleshoot] Ray Sum's Graphics card crashing (Part 1)

1st proper blog - Steps I took to resolve a graphics card that constantly crashes and forces the laptop to restart losing whatever data's stored.


As a starting point the laptop is a Toshiba Satellite A500-1GL *reconditional* from the Toshiba Outlet in Cheshire Oaks, United Kingdom (only issue at time of sale was a loose hair under the space bar?)

The specifications of the laptop are as follows (from the box:)
Core i330M
2048MB RAM 1066Mhz / +2048MB / 1GB VRAM
500GB HDD (5400RPM) SATA
16.0 HD TRUBRITE TFT SCREEN (LED)
DVD-SUPER-MULTI DRIVE (2-LAYER)
LAN
WEB CAMERA
MICROSOFT WIN7 HOME PREMIUM 64BIT


Full specs here: http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.com/innovation/jsp/SUPPORTSECTION/discontinuedProductPage.do?service=UK&toshibaShop=false&com.broadvision.session.new=Yes&PRODUCT_ID=1080934
Oh and it has a gaming graphics card, a NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M!


The CPU is also listed as having video card capabilities but appears to be disabled (see here http://ark.intel.com/products/47663)

*****************************************************************************

Now how do I know it's a graphics card related crash?
Simple: do it the hard way as I did earlier in the year,  February when I visited Ray Sum in Sweden which involves using a mixture of windows log and mini dump review programs and google or cheat and use a simpler software called "WhoCrashed" here:
http://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed