9600M GT BSOD crash, need help!

Hi there, I'm new here...

I've got a huge problem with my 9600M GT: since some weeks I get this BSOD while playing with World of Warcraft. I thought it was some overheating problem,
so I cleaned some dust inside my notebook(acer asprie 6930g). The problem stand still. It's a random BSOD, it doesn't depend on the time I play. I've found out
that doesn't depend on the games too: i've installed Far Cry 2 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, same problem too. Actually for those two games, the BSOD pop
up really close after tha games are loaded. When BSOD comes up, i can't do anything but shut down my notebook manually: anything won't work.

I read something on the internet, someone say it's a directx 11 problem(i have vista 32bit updated to sp2), but i tried those games before upgrading OS, that is
with directx 9, but I have the same problem.
I'll attach my vbios and the techpower gpu-z image so you'll have as mush info as you'll need to (i hope) give me a helpful hand!
If you want more info I can give you my vbios.

Thank you so much for the attention!

P.S.: i noticed that playing Far Cry 2 using directx 10 mode, won't lead to a BSOD...on the other hand, i don't know why, I can't change most of graphic option
(they are all set to the highest values) resulting in a ridiculously low fps gaming...



View attachment vbios.zip

 

That's your problem.
Vista is one of the worst windows versions ever made, even windows 2000 is better. Get yourself windows 7 or windows 8, you'll get rid of the problems.
Vista is not for notebooks, it uses a lot of resources, it's just useless.

 

unfortunately i had the same problem with win 7 ultimate 32 bit

 

the 9600GT is 4 years old now so it could be on its last legs.

things to try.
the link in my sig below will have everything you need.
download who crashed and run it and then post the bsod dump report on here.
download HW Monitor,core temps and nvidia inspector and check what sort of temperatures you are getting and also post them or a screen shot on here as well.
what nvidia drivers have you got loaded.
answer these and then we can advise further.

 

I'm posting you screenshots of programs you said to download: those have been taken while not playing.
I'll try to take them while playing but it will be very difficult as long as games will crash after few seconds they have been loaded!
As you can see from screenshot of nvidia inspector, I have "geforce 306.97 whql" installed.


View attachment HWMonitor-scr.zip


Just a question before using whocrashed: do I have to run the game and let it crash, then, after rebooting notebook run whocrashed and do the crash dump test or can I just run crash dump test without playing first?

Meanwhile I'll try to get one game working enough to take some temps of cpu and gpu cores and post you other screenshot.
I also apologize for my english in the meantime!

 

cpu and gpu temps are perfect so nothing to worry about during general use.
lets see if yu can get a screen shot after gaming,good luck.

who crashed should be able to pick up all the dump reports stored on your computer so as soon as youve loaded it just run it. only takes about 3-5 seconds. then scroll down the page and it should have them in date order.

 

ok I did it! Those are screenshots taken few seconds before get back to game and its crash:




View attachment HWMonitor before crash.zip


I'll copy down here the log after I analyzed pc with who crashed:

"computer name: MARCO-PC
windows version: Windows Vista Service Pack 2, 6.0, build: 6002
windows dir: C:\Windows
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU P7350 @ 2.00GHz Intel586, level: 6
2 logical processors, active mask: 3
RAM: 3183407104 total
VM: 2147352576, free: 1982824448




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crash Dump Analysis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crash dump directory: C:\Windows\Minidump

Crash dumps are enabled on your computer.

No valid crash dumps have been found on your computer

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crash dumps are enabled but no valid crash dumps have been found. It may be that there are problems which prevent crash dumps from being written out. Check out the following article for possible causes: If crash dumps are not written out.

In case your computer does experience sudden reboots it is likely these are caused by malfunctioning hardware, power failure or a thermal issue. To troubleshoot a thermal issue, check the temperature using your BIOS setup program, check for dust in CPU and motherboard fans and if your computer is portable make sure it's located on a hard surface. Otherwise it's suggested you contact the support department of the manufacturer of your system or test your system with a memory test utility for further investigation.

Check out the following articles for more information: Troubleshooting sudden resets and shut downs.

Read the topic general suggestions for troubleshooting system crashes for more information.

Note that it's not always possible to state with certainty whether a reported driver is actually responsible for crashing your system or that the root cause is in another module. Nonetheless it's suggested you look for updates for the products that these drivers belong to and regularly visit Windows update or enable automatic updates for Windows. In case a piece of malfunctioning hardware is causing trouble, a search with Google on the bug check errors together with the model name and brand of your computer may help you investigate this further."


Just one more thing: the bsod I'm experiencing with is a crash, but it just seems that monitor gets a shutdown not the notebook, which keeps going on but apparently without working...

 

temperatures are still spot on (wish mine were that low).
i have no idea why its not giving a crash readout. hopefully someone else can advise on what this could be.

 

I read in another forum that it could be a nvidia's solder bump problem with the 8000/9000 series and chipsets:

"NVIDIA switched to a "lead-free" solder for the interconnects between the actual silicon die and the green part it sits on, and also used the wrong viscosity of the underfill "glue" on the chip. That means the interconnects crack after various heat up/cool down cycles. When the chip heats up (you play a game) the cracks grow bigger, chip loses connectivity and malfunctions/dies. This problem is EVERYWHERE on Google, there was a class action law suit and in short I'm surprised people still have devices that work several years later."

Then they suggested me to "bake" the gpu's chipset at 200°C in the attemp to reflow the solder on the chip...But before this way, I'd rather try something like flashing some other nvidia geforce 9600M GT vbios: do you think it could be worth a try?

 

have you noticed any lines or artifacts on your screen at all like the attached picture. this was my 9800GT card that died 2 years ago. i was still covered by warranty so got an upgrade to a 260gtx for free.

the baking method sure has helped quite a lot of people out on here but its not a permanent fix.

The Oven Trick (repairing your broken video card with an oven) | Overclockers

http://forum.notebookreview.com/zep...znote-6224w-but-works-all-brands-modells.html

its defo worth a go if you know for sure its a dead card but if its not the gpu then a bake can break the card.

have you tried an external monitor. if it works on that but not on your lappy screen then we know its not the gpu.

 

I had the same issues in my Gateway 6860 with the 8800m card. It would just randomly crash (screen goes black, sounds continues) when playing games. I ended up deciding it was time to buy a new laptop. I'm going to give my old one to my parents since it is fine for doing anything else but just can't play games reliably. The one bit of good news I can give you is that my Gateway still works and the crashes are random enough that I was able to play most games, but it can be very frustrating when you are in a group or in the middle of a story quest and the computer suddenly crashes and you have to start over. The crashes started around July for me and were very random.

 

Read that it could be a ram failure issue, a hdd failure issue or a power brick failure issue...sure that baking thing will be just the last of my efforts.
I'm trying two programs that will check hdd and ram status, then I'm going to try two power bricks used for laptop(one of them is acer made).
I'll show you the results.
Thank you again for your attention...

 

install an old nvidia driver.

All new drivers are crashing with my geforce9600mgt.
the last drive that works great for me is 263.09 modded and 186.40 official.


thanks!

 

what are you using to test the ram and hard drive.\you can find other software in my sig below like mem test and hd tune.

must admit the 186.81 drivers were the best nvidia ever released for these older cards.

 

I wouldn't necessarily jump to the conclusion that the 9600m GT is failing.
I have it in my laptop which is over 4 years old now, and am using 301.42 drivers.
No BSOD's or crashes on my part.
My screen is occasionally experiencing issues with the lines, white screen, etc. (posted on a previous page of this thread) which pop up at random (whether the gpu is running full throttle or not).
However this particular problem is solved by opening/closing the lid, or opening the area of the laptop where the power button is located and jiggling the video cable.
I think the problem was tracked to the video cable that goes loose from opening/closing the lid, or, if the area near the power button on my 5930G becomes warm (incidentally, removing the power button cover prevents the issue from coming back - probably because the area stays cool in such a scenario, but it does come back eventually if the lid is put back on).
This issue has been happening since the first 6 months I got the laptop - but the gpu itself is not artifacting, nor are there performance issues.
I think the soldering problem was exempt from 9600m GT, and my gpu is not experiencing those problems.

This BSOD-ing the OP is having are likely due to unstable drivers (which could be clashing with some other software of leftovers in the OS - or possibly something went wrong during the OS install).
Have you attempted to remove the drivers, clean the registry using Ccleaner after a restart, install the latest ones (or even earlier drivers) and see how it fares?

Also... 3xx drivers on 9600m GT don't seem to take overclocking well.
I flashed my gpu a LONG time ago to lower voltage (0.89V) while its being utilized for lower maximum temperatures - no issues with that.
Only I couldn't go too high on some overclocks with 3xx drivers as I could with the 2xx version.

 

I checked hdd's and ram's status with hddscan and memtest, everything work fine.
I tried to play game only with battery and (and no power brick plugged in) and for three times bsod comes up in not time, just after "loading" status finished.
Only with power brick plugged on, usually bsod after some secs after "loading" is finished...It seems it could be a power issue. I'll look for another power brick around and give it a try. Unfortunately I can not test an external monitor, for now, will surely do before bake the card.

Thank you guys again!

 

I haven't ever overclocked gpu, I'm not able to plus, I'm very afraid to modify settings of a gpu working correctly(when it works corretly! )...
So you think that due to moving notebook, or hitting it accidentally could have as result video cable got out of his position? I'm trying installing 186.81 drivers first, then new power brick then jiggling that cable...guys, I really don't know how to thank you: I'm considering it the positive way, that is at least I learned some stuff I have never known!

 

Oh, by the way, I usually use Revo uninstaller, that clean registry entries and files and so on when i disinstall nvidia drivers...is it good too, isn't it?

 

Yup... using Revo Uninstaller is a good idea.

As I said in my post, your BSOD-ing is likely the result of drivers... if you are not experiencing lines and white screen issues, then your video cable is likely ok - but either way, its probably not anything related to the gpu itself.

 

ive never used revo uninstaller but will check that one out tonight.
if you cant find 186.81 i can post these up for you.
also you could clean out the registry using driver sweeper/driver cleaner pro in safe mode to make sure you get all the obsolete crap from nvidia out of the registry.
walkthrough in signature below.

hope you get it sorted soon.

 

tried 186.81 drivers but game's crashing anyway...
I tried a "never used" power brick, but no good news.
I'm thinking about a laptop's screen problem too. Anyway I'd like to flash some updated vbios for 9600M GT, do you guys know where I can download a good working one? Waiting for a reply I'm trying to open lid and try jiggle that video cable...