They sent me the same email. Since I posted I've done hours of research on
the net. Here is what I've found:
1) The problem is not confined to ATI. Nvida cards have the same issue.
2) The problem is most prevalent on XP, although it can show up on 2000.
3) The problem is aggravated by video drivers that "push" a card to its
limits.
4) There is currently a lot of finger pointing going on between the video
card companies, Microsoft, and the MB manufacturers.
5) Some people think it's a power supply problem. I tend to doubt this for
2 reasons. 1 - if it were a hardware/PS problem, the OS wouldn't matter and
2 - I have a 550W power supply. 550W is way overkill for a machine with a
video card, a controller, 4 DIMMs, and a sound card. I have monitoring
software that shows plenty of capacity to spare.
In my case, I still point the finger at ATI. The fact remains that I had a
system that had NEVER displayed any issues until I upgraded to newer
drivers. Uninstalling and going back to previous drivers did not solve the
issue. This morning, I once again uninstalled all ATI drivers, rebooted,
manually removed all ATI registry entries, and reinstalled the drivers from
2/28/03. I have been crash free for 3 hours (did I just give myself the
kiss of death?). If my machine continues to be crash free, then it was the
registry settings that were causing the issues. ATI should be more careful
about removing their own garbage remnants from the registry, at the very
least.
This site has the best information on the issue:
http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=64
RickB
"NT Canuck" wrote in message
a...
"RickB" wrote in message
...
The driver ati2dvag for the display device \Device\Video0 got stuck
in an infinite loop. This usually indicates a problem with the device
itself or with the device driver programming the hardware incorrectly.
Please check with your hardware device vendor for any driver updates.
Here is slight edit of an email I received on that issue, if that helps.
------
Based on our experience, the issue(s) you describe are usually due to
system configuration errors. We believe that the
troubleshooting steps listed below may help to resolve this issue.
If you own one of our Radeon products, you may consider reviewing the
information at:
http://www.ati.com/support/products/...eonissues.html
If the ATI display adapter you have is an AGP card, you should also
consider reviewing the information at:
http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/3179.html
You may also consider using the new SEARCH ATI function on our web site.
It can be found at:
http://www.ati.com/search/index.html
Regards,
Customer Service Canada
===========================================
Prior to trying the suggestions listed below, ensure that
1. The most current version of DirectX is downloaded/installed for your
version of the Operating System. DirectX can be found on
the Microsoft website at
http://www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/downloads/default.asp
2. The most current Microsoft Critical Updates and Service Packs are
installed. The Windows Update webpage can be found at the
on the Microsoft website at
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp.
3. The most current motherboard drivers are downloaded/installed (i.e.
AGP, IRQ, IDE Busmastering). The most current drivers for
your motherboard can be found on the motherboard manufacturers website.
4. The most current display driver is downloaded/installed for your ATI
product.
http://www.ati.com/support/driver.html
5. The most current sound card drivers have been installed.
===========================================
ATI Driver and Software Installation Instructions for Radeon family of
products.
learn more http://www.ati.com/support/installation/radeon.html
===========================================
"This display driver is not compatible" error installing drivers under
Windows 2000/XP.
Ensure you are using the Reference driver if using a "Powered by AtI"
card. The drivers posted on the ATI website, will only
install if a retail ATI card is installed in the machine.
ATI provides graphics chips and technology to third party vendors or
partners. Graphic cards produced by these vendors may be
identified by the "POWERED BY ATI" logo.
For support information on your "POWERED BY ATI" partner product, please
visit:
http://www.ati.com/support/partner/index.html
If you require assistance identifying your "POWERED BY ATI" partner
product, please visit:
http://www.ati.com/support/identify/
Download and install the Reference Drivers located at
http://www.ati.com/support/drivers/partnerproducts/index.html.
learn more http://www.ati.com/support/partner/faq.html
===========================================
InstallShield Errors or Hangs during installation - Windows 2000/XP
1.Try emptying the Windows Temp folder.
- Click Start, Click Run, in the Open line, type temp, and then click OK.
- Delete the contents of the TEMP folder and all the subfolders as well.
2. Try Removing the InstallShield Installation Information Folder.
- Click Start, click Run, in the Open line, type c:\Program Files, and
then click OK.
- In the Program Files dialog box, click the InstallShield Installation
Information folder, and then click Delete.
- Close the Program Files box.
3. Try Removing the InstallShield folder.
A. First Set Windows to show all files.
- On the Desktop, double-click My Computer.
- Click Tools, and then click Folder Options.
- Click the View tab, and then click to select the "Show Hidden files and
folders" check box.
- Click APPLY and then OK.
B. Delete the InstallShield Folder.
- Click Start, and then click Run.
- In the Open box, type the following (including the quotation marks):
"c:\program files\common files\"
- Right-click the InstallShield folder, click Delete, and then click Yes
to confirm the deletion.
4. Try re-installing the ATI Software
===========================================
How do I extend my desktop to the second monitor in Windows 98/98SE/ME/XP
using an ATI dual head display adapter?
learn more
http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/...top98mexp.html
===========================================
System hangs or freezes at random after installing ATI drivers:
This issue may be related to the allocation of resources, particularly
IRQs. You want to ensure that the ATI display adapter IS
assigned and NOT sharing an IRQ. Use the following webpage to check for
possible IRQ sharing or configuration issues.
For Windows XP please see the following page:
http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/...in2kxpirq.html
===========================================
BIOS update/settings:
You may consider using these settings in your BIOS to help troubleshoot
your issue. If you are changing any of the options in
your BIOS, please be sure to note what you are changing and what it was
set to initially.
NOTE: These options may vary depending on the type/version of your system.
You may or may not have all these options. Please
consider changing the settings that correspond to those listed below.
- Video BIOS Shadow and Video BIOS Cacheable - DISABLED
- C8000-CBFFFF Shadow and CC000-CFFFF - DISABLED
- AGP Aperture size - 64 MB
- AGP Turbo - DISABLED
- VGA Frame Buffer and Primary Frame Buffer - DISABLED
- PnP OS installed - YES
- Assign IRQ for VGA - ENABLED
- Resource Control - AUTO
- AGP Bus Mastering - ENABLED
- VGA Palette Snooping - DISABLED
- Disable any UCSW or Write Combine options in the CMOS
- Disable any manual configuration of PCI by setting these options to AUTO
- System Bios Cacheable - DISABLED
- Video BIOS Mode Cache - UC
- Try lowering the AGP support (i.e. from AGP 4X to AGP 2X). If this
resolves the issue, you may consider contacting the
motherboard/chipset vendor for more information regarding the GART support
available on the motherboard/chipset.
===========================================
Ensure that Direct3D, DirectDraw and AGP Acceleration are all ENABLED.
1. Select START and then RUN
2. Type DXDIAG and then select the OK button
3. Select the DISPLAY TAB
===========================================
PCI Cards
Try moving the ATI card to a different PCI slot.
===========================================
System restarts to a Black Screen after installing the ATI Display
Drivers.
Assuming all the updates have been applied, try the following.
1. Try changing the refresh rate. If the monitor offers more than one
frequency, choose the lowest frequency first to ensure
that the display functions correctly.
- Click on START, SETTINGS, CONTROL PANEL
- Double click on the DISPLAY icon
- Click on the SETTINGS tab, then the ADVANCED button
- Click on the ADJUSTMENT tab, then the REFRESH RATE button.
- Ensure that the refresh rate is NOT set to "UNKNOWN".
learn more
http://www.ati.com/support/faq/win2k...freshrate.html
2. Restart into SAFEMODE and uninstall the AGP portion of the motherboard
drivers.
If using a VIA chipset based motherboard, rerun the installation and
uninstall only the AGP drivers once prompted.
Most cases, the AGP or motherboard drivers can be uninstalled using the
Add/Remove Programs located in the Control Panel.
3. If your motherboard has onboard video, ensure that the onboard video
has been properly uninstalled.
4. Try lowering the Graphics Hardware Slider and then testing.
learn more
http://www.ati.com/support/faq/win2k...celslider.html - Windows 2000/XP
5. Check for a system bios update.
6. Try the card in another system.
7. If PCI, try the card in another PCI slot.
learn more http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/3179.html
=============================================
Uninstall and Reinstall the ATI Display Driver and ATI Multimedia Center -
Windows 2000/XP.
For more information please refer to
http://www.ati.com/support/faq/win2k...tallation.html
for driver installation steps.
1. Uninstall the ATI Multimedia Center followed by the ATI Display Driver.
Both are located in the ADD\REMOVE Programs under the control panel
2. Restart into SAFEMODE.
Hold Down the SHIFT key or tap the F8 key as your system restarts.
3. Remove all monitors and display adapters listed under Device Manager.
To Access Device Manager under Windows 2000/XP
A. Right-Click My Computer
B. Click on PROPERTIES
C. Select the HARDWARE TAB
D. Select the DEVICE MANAGER BUTTON
4. Select START and then RUN. In the Open Field type REGEDIT followed by
selecting the OK button.
NOTE: Prior to making any changes please backup your system registry.
To backup the system registry.
A. Select and highlight My Computer in the Registry Editor
B. Select File and then Export
C. Export Registry File dialogue box will then appear
D. In the File Name Field type the name of the file (i.e. Backup)
E. Ensure that "ALL" is selected in the Export Range section
F. Select the SAVE button.
5. Remove the following registry keys:
NOTE: Not all keys will be available under every OS.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ATI Technologies
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ATI
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ATI Technologies
6. Close the Registry Editor and restart the system
7. Allow the system to redetect the display adapter. Allow Windows to
install a default VGA graphics adapter.
NOTE: This will not occur under all operating systems.
8. Once prompted restart the system.
9. Windows will then redetect the monitor. Allow the system to install
standard monitor driver for your display
10. Install DirectX and then restart the system (located at
http://www.microsoft.com/directx)
11. Install the Video Capture Update - Restart once prompted (located at
http://www.microsoft.com/directx)
NOTE: If you have DirectX 8.1 installed you do not need to install the
Video Capture Update.
12. Install the ATI display drivers and then the ATI MMC - Restart once
prompted
13. Test the PC
==============================================
Drivers and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) :
Windows XP: http://www.ati.com/support/faq/winxp.html
-------
--
NT Canuck
http://ntcanuck.com