Can you please help me! NVIDIA Geforce 8400M GS/ Intel Graphics problem!!

Hello everyone,

so I am having major issues with my Sony Vaio SZ680. It it one of those computer with the "hybrid graphics" mode-- a stamina/speed switch that let's me switch from intel graphics accelerator (Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset Family vs Nvidia 8400M GS).

The problem is, I normally run my computer on the speed setting (nvidia card) but now, whenever I run any video, play any graphics intensive game, or even just randomly, the computer screen gets all these rainbow/horizontal vertical lines for no reason and the screen freezes. I've tried everything--reinstalled normal drivers, downloaded DOX optimised drivers, all of those solution I still ahve the same problem.

The EXTREMELY weird thing is, after the screen freezes and all the pixels seem misplaced/weird RGB colored lines appearing, and I shutdown and restart my computer, even on BIOS/windows loadup, the problem persists! Only after I shutdown and manually click the power button 10-20 times does the problem seem to "reset" (weird???) This leads me to think it isn't a drivers problem, but a hardware problem, but yet maybe not since the problem disappears after around 10 cold hard reboots? I don't know, what is your opinion?

Luckily, the stamina mode, the intel graphics onboard card, is saving my life as I can still use my computer with it. But I have another problem with it. I use dual monitors through VGA port, but when I lock my computer in Windows Vista 32bit and I relogin, the screen flickers to black briefly and resets all the windows back to my primary monitor.

In other words, I would have my email client or other windows open on my secondary monitor, but after the black flash after my computer comes back from its locked state or screensaver it resets all the windows positions to the primary screen. Anyway I can stop this?

Please help me, and thank you very much for reading!

 

Your 8400M GS may have overheated and killed its self
They are known for doing that.

 

Yes, the 8 series in notebooks are absolutely pathetic, using the same core and architecture with the same parts and ASIC chips. Nvidia is absolutely pathetic for this and the companies who still sell computers with this are pathetic as well. Why do they do this? To get money, its all about the money.
So if you are technologically inclined, then i would open up the notebook and take a picture of the slot where the GPU is. perhaps you can purchase a GPU for it thats not an 8 series GPU. Otherwise I would contact Sony and tell them that the 8400 failed. If they are surprised, then they were just born yesterday.

 

Im surprised...i thought Sony made really great computers ( i bought my Sony a year ago) and i think i got my VAIO with a "golden GPU chip"

Seriously. Its been OC'd for a little less than a year to 600/731 and nothing wrong yet

However i think that you should contact sony because this seems serious

 

sigh yea my warranty expired though and I can't afford to send it in (lol this would be my second time, the other times my GPU fan broke down and the other time the display cable broke, so my VGA port wasn't working). I hate nvidia now.

Can anyone offer a solution for the intel problem at least? I dont' mind losing my gaming ability but this is really annoying.

 

Maybe the intel 965 can't handle the switch. My last intel ingrated graphics card did really weird things. An example is when I first got my computer (it was a dell) it would run WarCraft 3, but it was really slow. So I went and replaced my 256mb ram stick with a 512(yea this was a few years ago) and it would play really well for about 10 minutes, and then the graphics card would crash...oh well, that's intel for you.