Problems with NVIDIA Graphic card

I have a Sony Vaio VGN AR520E with a NVIDIA GEFORCE 8400M GT. After a Windows update, the screen started to go weird and the driver for the graphic card could not be recognized. The resolution is stuck to the minimum and cannot be changed. I tried everything: I used the official Sony Vaio driver, the modified one from Laptopvideo2go, restored the notebook, update to Windows7 but nothing worked. Now I wonder if it's not a hardware problem. Anyone can help? Thanks.

 

Try uninstalling the updates? Go into "update history" in your Windows Update screen and pick off any recent updates you've installed (even if they are irrelevant to graphics card) and see if that does the trick.

 

Try uninstalling whatever driver is installed for the display adapter (use the delete driver files option if offered) until you are down to standard VGA. Then run nvidia driver cleaning utility, like nfr_071.exe from guru3d.com and get rid of any remaining traces of the nvidia drivers.

Now you should be able to install a working driver. Official, modded, your choice.

Oh, and turn off automatic windows updates! Change windows update settings to check for updates but let me choose whether to download or install them or you'll be right back where you started.

 

Thanks for the reply. I have tried both methods and no change. This is how my screen looks like.

 

Your video card has probably failed.
The nVIDIA 8x00 series is known for overheating and failing. You can look into reflowing your GPU which kind of involves either putting your notebook's motherboard into an oven or using a heat gun.

Some notebook models may also have had free extended warranty because of the issue.

 

Did you create a system image earlier then? Maybe you can try to use system restore to revert your computer to a point in time when it was still operational. No files will be lost in the process. If all else fails, then it's probably a problem with the GPU itself.

 

Try this:

shut down
unplug the power jack
remove the battery
wait a few hours
put the battery back and try again.

Sometimes this will reset the fault condition. Worth a shot, eh?

 

I don't think it's related to the battery. Performing the steps you mentioned will wipe the battery stats, which is used to diagnose/solve potential battery problems. Doesn't really relate to the GPU though.

 

that is a hard reset

 

Brian and Anytimer,

Which part of "I tried everything: I used the official Sony Vaio driver, the modified one from Laptopvideo2go, restored the notebook, update to Windows7 but nothing worked." didn't you read or understand? The OP has already rolled back to a previous restore point and the original driver. This is a Nvidia GPU failure, plain and simple.

To the OP, there is a "Sticky" in this titled "Sony Comes Clean on the NVidia..." Look at that for details.

The problem was NOT with the GPU overheating. It was with heating and cooling cycles causing cracks between the chip and the substrate. This was caused by a different expansion/contraction rate between the bonding agent and the chip and substrate. One expanded faster than the other eventually causing stress cracks in the solder joints. It is POSSIBLE to do a re-flow, however the problem will still come back. The only REAL solution is a new motherboard with one of the upgraded Nvidia chips.

Gary

 

LOL. But better safe than sorry. Weirder things have happened. My last laptop was an HP TouchSmart Tx2. The HDD had developed errors, so I bought a new HDD and decided to install Windows 7 on it. It worked, but then the GPU overheated and the display went black permanently - no sign of life at all, not even the boot screen. So I put back the old HDD and sent it off to the service center. They just replaced the HDD and sent it back - service charge plus cost of HDD - working fine ever since. What the problem with the display was I never found out.

 

Thanks Gary, I feared it'd be a GPU failure. Probably time to get another laptop.

 

Only if yours is not one of the models that had the warranty extended by Sony and Nvidia. Did you find the sticky thread? It has a link to the details of the extended warranty program.

Gary