Sudden Video Issues

Up until a couple days ago my system, games, and videos were running fine on my system with a fresh install of Vista just two months old.

A couple of days ago everything just started to slow down for some reason. I did nothing special; installed nothing new, downloaded anything special, or changed any system settings. I logged onto the play FEAR and was shocked when I couldnt get playable frame rates even at 800x600. I tried Test Drive Ulimited with the same results, this game wasnt playable at all. DOD was somewhat playable, but my FRs must have dropped from 60s to the teens. Quicktime is acting quirky and videos on youtube are acting funny too with tons of slowdowns.

I thought it must be the drivers or a virus. Installed new drivers, well the new ones from Dell released in January, and my virus scan showed nothing. I was stumped until I remembered something odd I noticed a couple days ago. For some reason Vista changed from Aero glass to the standard after a restart.

I cant figure this one out. Everything to do with video and graphics has gone haywire. Is it Direct X? Which version should I have on my system? Any direct links to some better drivers? Virus? What do you guys think?

I really need some help here. Thanks

 

I think the problem would be Vista if you ask me

Anyway, did you get any messages about a 'non-genuine license'? Vista loves to lock down and screw people (like me!) who paid for their OS and were just unlucky to get ID'd as a false positive.

 

did u overclock ur gpu? if so try taking ur overclock off. does ur notebook get hot? try cleaning out the vents. heat can kill the performance on ur computer.

 

It sounds like your PowerMizer settings are set to low power. Adjust them for maximum performance on AC & make sure your system is plugged in.

 

is that nvidia's version of powerplay chaz? thats what im assuming. why didnt i think of that?

 

You cannot change Powermizer's settings in Vista because those settings are now handled by the OS.

Left click your battery and make sure your on High Performance and not in Power Saver mode.

 

u can also make much more advanced changes to ur power settings. just go to change advanced power settings. and u can tweak just about ever component in ur system.

 

I had the same problem...do you have a logitech G5 gaming mouse?

 

Well my gpu temps are fine, I cleaned out the vents the other day, and I have a genuine copy of Vista.

The settings were on Balanced, but even after setting them to High Performance I still had the problems. Games were still unplayable.

Any more ideas? Would a fresh install if Vista fix this?