Please help! P78 series black screen issue

A lot of other people have been having an issue with temperatures reaching extreme heights, screen going black, and sound looping while gaming. I am no exception. Jack978 was able to get into the vbios somehow on this post: http://forum.notebookreview.com/gat...-00-might-solve-black-screen-problem-u-2.html. I, unfortunately can't access the vbios. Everytime i try to run nvflash, i get an eeprom error. Jack, if you're reading, please help!!! I'd like an undervolted (not underclocked) bios file to flash. Also, i'd like to know how you extracted the vbios from the gateway bios, since nvflash keeps coming up with that error for me.

Thanks in advance to anybody who can help. I have been researching this for months and cannot find a fix.

Gateway p-7811 fx

 

Another user showed at 75c the lockup occured, is this the same for you?

 

No. One time it got as hot as 100c. like i said, i just need a modded version of the 9C.23.00 bios that is undervolted to .9v for all performance levels. At the very least, the extracted vbios from that bios so i can edit it in Nibitor, recompile it, flash it. I'd extract the vbios from the bios, but like i said, i get the eeprom error with nvflash. I think Gateway has the bios locked or something, which is why i can't figure out how other people did this with such ease. I'd like to know the process from front to back, because i want to make the mod as simple as possible. No clock mods or anything, just a simple undervolt.

thanks again, i noticed you've been posting about this issue for a while now in my google endeavors.

 

100c is way too much. so a few questions as at those temps a bios mod may not be the answer.

1.) does the GPU fan run and is there warm/hot air coming out. At those temps it should be running full blast with alot of warm air coming out.
2.) do you clean out the vents at least once a month?
3.) have you already done a full disassembly and/or tim replacement?

You may want to consider a P79xx GPU fan too as they are much better....................................

 

I cleaned everything (full disassembly and all) before googling about. The fan does turn on and HOT air comes out. It is the typical voltage issue. I just need the clocks undervolted, no ifs ands or buts about it

 

bumpity bum

 

You could try following my guide on Vbios flashing: http://forum.notebookreview.com/gat...te-solution-nvlddmkm-video-crash-p-7805u.html

Let me know how that goes for you

 

Well the first thing is do not use any b ios based on 9c.23.00 as it tends to run the GPU HOT before kicking the fans on. Use a bios based on 9c.17.00 or below and a bios based on that. If running Widows 7 or above remember to enable the legacy fire wire drivers..........

 

Yeah, i've tried. nvflash doesn't let me extract the vbios. I get an unsupported eeprom error.

I really appreciate the efforts, guys! . I'm liking the input. Like i said, i've tried just about everything. If someone could just give me an undervolted BIOS, that'd be perfect.

 

I didn't know that. I'll give that a shot (if i can get my hands on the old bios since it's not on the gateway website)

 

I host the various bios files at; www.pcambrosia.com/Files/7811_BIOSES.zip

 

Awesome! I'll let you know if this fixes my issue asap! Prolly this weekend i'll be able to get to play around with it.

 

I'm back to report that my black screen issues are not cured with the new 150W power adapter that I bought.

I am still running at lower than stock clocks to maintain a stable gameplay (Dota 2, Skyrim etc.).

I used to run my GPU at the speeds on my Sig, while stock clocks are 600 core, 799 mem, 1500 shader. Now I am forced to play at 540 core, 650 mem and 1400 shader clocks to prevent Black Screening during Gameplay.

Once again this happens exclusively when running games. Temps are low and stable.

I am really stumped as I thought the power source was the solution and now I have no idea what else to try (tried installing old drivers, changing ram, new os nothing works).

 

did the PSU help for a bit and then start up the issue again? I hate to say it but overclocking can cause a premature death of components. You start to get electrical leaks inside the chips pathways/components and this could explain why only undervolting helps them. The chips may just be getting electronically worn out..............

 

Yea it might be the GPU is giving out. I had originally gotten a 120W PSU but I brought it back because it was incredibly noisy with it's inbuilt fan. While I had that one I didn't get black screen crashes at stock settings. I then ordered a 150W PSU instead with no fan and I am now getting crashes again with stock clocks. I might have gotten unlucky and bought a faulty PSU with unstable voltage? Is there any way to test it with software?

 

Yes it could be tested but without knowing what is required as the norm (ie amp/volt drop) it would be hard to tell if it is falling out of spec. even then it has to be tested not just for averages but +/- on ms. spikes under load. What will happen theoretically is that under load the voltage drops. Were a component is wearing and creating electircal leakage the voltage drop can lead to a critical leakage failure where the component can no longer function. Of course this then results in a crash.

The good news is a psu with low voltage drop at required amp draw will get one of those systems up and running, bad news is that system is on its last legs. off topic somewhat with a watt meter my P79xx drew 165 watts running 3dmark06, assuming 85% efficiency conversion that is 140 watts average (not even spiked). So in reality the 180w nominal is need from the get go for these. And remember too that overloaded psu's supplying constantly variable voltage spikes and dips over time is a great contributer to the death of electronic components. The bad thing there is it is haard to see warning signs of the psu killing the system.

 

i have p7811 and i had this issues.But solved my problem.
i used extension multiple plug for my laptop.Because many of electronics same place.Then i discovered plug is not grounded.Changed different plug (grounded plug ) and there is no crash. Check your plugs

 

That can be an issue as well. Alot of OEM's will not ground the laptop as with a TV, or HDMI/VGA device, this can cause a ground loop. Now where a component at one time was able to handle the intermnal noice from not having a ground before it could have deteriorated to where now it can't.

Beware though this can, not will, cause issues where an external monitor will go out or flash off. The solution then is to ususally unground wither the TV or laqptop. As a side note too; the laptop being ungrounded can cause spikes, and dips, out of the internal caps creating issues of its own.

 

So I have an update regarding the GPU clocks:

I get no black screens as of yet while running the 9c.23 eist unlocked bios and 620 core /891 mem /1350 shader clocks. If I raise core or shader clocks higher the black screen crashes start again.

This is with the stock Power Adapter.

Using the new 150W Power Adapter makes no difference.

 

That is interesting, also your 1394 should be ok now too...............

 

Okay, I have another update. It seems rather strange but this might have been partially the cause of my problems (and maybe others). To other people having the black screen crash I ask... do you or have you ever installed Ntune on your system?

 

Wow, really. Probably did but don't remember. Yes I did (just checked registry). Stopped overclocking video because of issues. Will post findings. THX.

Edit: nTune is part of the nvidia system tools used to OC the GPU. I never installed the system monitor and wonder which one is the issue?

 

I never had an issue with the P7805u while the board was in there. I can tell you I always used nVidia System Tools.............

 

I have uninstalled Nvidia system tools (performance tools) and installed MSI afterburn instead and have run Skyrim for hours last night @ 600core/799mem/1500shader (stock settings) without crashes. Couldn't do that with Ntune (or without on stock settings). The MSI afterburn setting "force constant voltage" might be helping make the GPU more stable and not black screen. Try it out and see if it helps for you too.

 

Cool, yes forcing constant voltage will force constant memory speed settings to always stay on 3D as well.....................

 

I liked the part of using the bigger supply. I was easily able to red line the stock brick with Kombuster and IBT with stock macine, no OC. Of course these are benches and have not checked stuff like BF3 and others to see what the pull.

Kombuster alone, using 1080P, 2x aa, doing the cube pulls 100 to 105W from the wall. I have not checked but the DC may be getting realy raggedy when brick pushed hard.

 

Right, that is the one huge issue with the old brick. DC will get raggedy. This is true whenever you push any brick to the limit. you have a two fold issue two as the rails for cpu/gpu/ram etc have to be broken down inside the laptop. Since you get raggedy DC into the laptop those rails get the voltage errors multiplied. Now we can do nothing about internal voltages and rails other than a P79 board that handles power better. Externally though we do have options such as the Targus 180w brick..............

 

Just for more input, i have the 7805u and with msi afterburner and forcing constant voltage, i have had 0 black screen crashes after suffering with it for over a year. So FYI to all you black screen crashes, try it out and see if it works!

 

Also what driver version are you using?

 

Using that latest GeForce 326.80 Driver. Have been benchmarking 3dmark vantage, Skryim, Street Fighter 4, Dota 2 and running furmark(extreme burn in getting temps up to 82c) and I have not had a black screen yet, when it used to crash between 74-76c. Only thing i'm using is msi afterburner with the force constant voltage after browsing a few posts here.

edit: Also just in case, i'm running at it's stock speed, no undervolting, underclocking or overclocking.

 

Thanks, others need to know this to have a reference...............

 

Just another update, under no circumstances can i get Borderlands 2 to run, it black screens almost immediately before even getting to the character screen... even downclocking to 400/x/500 it will crash with the black screen. The force constant voltage does not work, downclocking does not work. It always results in a black screen. So far it's the only game that crashes.
Skyrim, both batman games, street fighter 4, Street fighter x Tekken, Dota 2, Battlefield 3 all run flawlessly at full gpu speed... borderlands 2 is the only 1 that crashes so i'm puzzled by all this. I thought it was phsyx abusing the 9800m gts, but both batmans use it, and i have it on medium settings and they don't crash. So I'm lost on that particular game.

 

Someone else had an issue with Borderlands 2 as well. This with my new system, the Samsung NP700G7C. Not sure what it is with that particular game. If memory serves it had something to do with sound though................