Black screen after reinstalling GPU

Hey everyone, I found much help, with the last problem I had, from this website and now I come with another problem. I just wanna start off that I am not extremely well versed in the technical aspects so please be patient with me. Ok. So I am using a win 7 m17x r1 qx9300 with 280m gtx. I recently wiped the hard disk and reinstalled the os. The problem is when I try to install the drivers for the 280m, the computer fails to reboot after the install. I rolled back the system to vista, cause that's how I got it and I thought it may help as the resource cd I have for all the drivers is meant for vista, and same thing wiped everything and tried to reinstall the drivers. This time it seemed more promising as the system will boot up past post to the welcome screen but then suddenly go black. But the startup tune will still play. So the system is running but I have a black screen. I tried entering my password after the tune finishes as I read that some people just had a problem with the display settings and it was on split screen etc. no results. System can boot up into safe mode. Have tried uninstalling drivers in safe mode and reinstalling in normal. But all end up with the same results which is will boot past post and into a black screen. And another thing is that the computer can boot all the way to normal function when hybrid graphics are turned off in the bios so the system is running off the 9400 on board integrated graphics. I hope that is a detailed explanation. I am pretty sleep deprived now so i may not be very coherent. Stayed up till 4 in the morning trying to fix this hope I can find a solution soon as I use my laptop for work and integrated graphics just doesn't cut it. Thanks for taking the time to read this!

 

Update, i have been using the m17x on hybrid mode disabled as i still need to access my emails for work and this forum. Early today the computer somehow managed to boot normally with hybrid mode enabled after uninstalling the driver in safe mode so i went ahead to reinstall the driver and it registered in the device manager. However it was not meant to last, shortly after the computer hanged and failed to boot up again I have tried so many different methods from reading different posts its all become so messy. I really just hope someone could help me. I know this sounds really cheesy but my m17x is 6 years old this year and i got it in a very tough time in my life and cause of that it means a lot to me so i just hope i can hopefully expand its life for a few more years. Thanks again for taking the time to read all this panicked writings!

 

Is the card still recognised in your BIOS?
Have you tried reseating the card + optionally reset your CMOS?

I recently bought an R3 with an 6990M. The seller said it could only work with the integrated GPU and he was right
Windows 7 would boot till the splash screen, then the screen went black and I had to reboot in safe mode and disable the 6990M in device manager.

The card was still recognised in my BIOS so I said what the hell, let's try a reflow in my oven. The first time I did 8' at 200°C. The card was alive again but with artifacts.
Yesterday I did a second reflow but now 10' at 200°C. I just installed it and voila, no more artifacts.

 

First of all thank you for your reply! I don't think i have that option in my BIOS. I have only 4 options under my graphic portion of the BIOS and there are 'hybrid', 'integrated', 'pcie gen2' and something about power states. However, when i boot in safe mode the cards are recognised in the device manager. Yes i have. No difference. Wow, thats very interesting. I have never heard about that before. But i do believe, based off the fact that the gpus are still showing in safe mode, i think its a driver issue and not a hardware problem like a dead gpu. But i really have no idea how to proceed and thats why i am kinda stuck here helpless.

 

Since I am new to AW, my knowledge isn't that huge at this moment
I also don't know the R1 BIOS but my 6990m is listed as ATI GFX in the first tab.

IMHO it doesn't mean that if both devices show up in the device manager (and/or BIOS), they work too. In my case they showed up but as soon as I installed the Dell drivers and rebooted, the screen went black (I assume it wanted to use the 6990m). Going into safe mode and disabling the 6990m 'solved' the black screen problem.

Have you tried Alien Autopsy (if that is available) or self-diagnostics?

If the GPU is dead, you could try to reflow it. There is a lot to find on the internet but now I did it, it's not that difficult to do.

It could be a driver problem too but there are people here that are much more qualified than I am in this matter....

 

Really appreciate the time you have taken to reply me! I am really not good with AW either. I have only had my one m17x in my lifespans of owning computers so pretty noobish with everything else. Haha.

I just flashed my bios back to a00 in the hopes that the exact setup will allow me to install the drivers. And have tried quite a few times to do clean installs using different versions of drivers. However, I now experience the multi coloured screen of death or the flashing num and caps lock. So pretty much confirms I was wrong about the drivers. Combined with some whining I heard from the gpu quite awhile ago I do think it is the gpu on its last legs.

I am going to bake the gpu later and see if that helps prolong its life. But I have pretty much resigned to my fate that I need a new computer. I guess 6 years is pretty good.

Do you have any tips on baking delicious gpus V3curonium?

 

I think you're on the right course. Once you give up on a card and the oven is the only option then start pricing up a replacement

Just one thing I'm not sure if you tried but:

1, default the bios.
2. Start in safe mode and use something like DDU ( Display Driver Uninstaller 12.8.2) to remove all driver traces.
3. If it forces a restart go back to safe mode and try to install the driver version dell have listed, however old!).
4. Restart and see.

After that I have to believe the card has rolled over and is struggling to breath - maybe the oven will give it a kickstart - or destroy it altogether .

 

There is much on the internet about how to do this but in general:

* remove the heatsink from the card
* remove all the stickers that are on the PCB, chips, etc...
* remove as much cooling paste as possible, preferably with cotton swabs and IPA ( I use a vial of 70% desinfection alcohol from my work)

You just need to strip down the card as much as you can.

Next you need to place a sheet of aluminium foil on the grill or plate (whatever is in your oven) , roll 4 balls of aluminium foil and place them under each corner of the card. Preheat your oven to 200°C (maybe you use °F), when it's ready to use, place it for 8-10 minutes in the oven. When the timer reaches zero, I just turned off the oven and opened the door to let it cool down. Be sure to do this in a well ventilated room!!!
You might need to do this 2 times or even more. But as MickyD said, start looking for a replacement....this reflow is not a permanent solution it seems.

http://cloud.addictivetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/BakingGraphicCardinOven.jpg

I'm going to clean my oven too this weekend just to be sure

 

Thanks MickyD1234 for the advice, but i did do something similar albeit using a different uninstaller program. I even wiped the registry with ccleaner multiple times to remove everything. Still ended up where i am. The oven in my house is broken too so waiting for it to be repaired so i can try and revive the gpu. But i have been online reading up reviews to some parts so i can build my own desktop.

Thank you too V3curonium, i went to read up too after you mentioned that method. And yes reflowing doesn't seem to be a permanent fix.

Thank you guys for your help, its with a heavy heart i lay my m17x to rest, but it hath fought the good fight and finished its service.

 

Yeah just give the reflow a try. If it works you might be able to use your AW for light work and still fondle it
For gaming you are always better with a desktop. If you want,keep us/me updated about the reflow

Verstuurd vanaf mijn GT-I9100 met Tapatalk

 

And if it works fine by removing the dGPU then you have a saleable project for someone...