Seriously frustrating computer problem..

[Angel]

Hey, I don't know if the people around here can help me.. but I really don't know where else to turn.

I told you all about that fancy gaming rig I got right? Well.. right out of the box and the graphics card that apparently is supposed to be able to play everything and everything is constantly freezing or something. Error messages telling me that the device has stopped responding and stuff, every game no matter how intensive eventually crashing... I'm really confused what's going on here. What's the problem, how to solve it..

I don't know what kinda information you need, but I'll make sure to provide. If you think you can help me I would really appreciate it.

[cpd2009]

Hey, I don't know if the people around here can help me.. but I really don't know where else to turn.

I told you all about that fancy gaming rig I got right? Well.. right out of the box and the graphics card that apparently is supposed to be able to play everything and everything is constantly freezing or something. Error messages telling me that the device has stopped responding and stuff, every game no matter how intensive eventually crashing... I'm really confused what's going on here. What's the problem, how to solve it..

I don't know what kinda information you need, but I'll make sure to provide. If you think you can help me I would really appreciate it.

Well, for one, we need to know what brand of video card your Alienware computer has. Usually, it comes from one of two companies... nVidia or AMD. Secondly, what model of video card... such as "GeForce" or "Radeon HD", usually followed by a number..

It would also help to find out what the exact model number of your Alienware rig is. There should be a sticker somewhere on the rig casing that has the Windows Certificate and the model number. Be forewarned that there may also be a serial number listed. Do not share that. Just the model would do fine. This way, I can find out if other people who have the same or similar model are having this same issue.

Now, lets get to my analysis and question...
Right away, it appears that the rig could be overheating since the games crash after you play them for a little while. This is my initial guess, but there could be another reason as well. Have you installed any Windows Updates or installed any new software recently?

[Angel]

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660

The system model is a Alienware X51.. is that what you were looking for? o.o

I wouldn't know exactly how to help keep it from overheating if that's the issue. D:

(Note that I am updated to the most recent drivers for both the NVIDIA card and the integrated Intel stuff. Looked up that and did it after it was suggested I should..)

Not any Windows Updates or any stuff at all other then like.. CCleaner and Skype. This comptuer is still pretty much just used for attempts at games, I use my laptop for general internet and junk.

[huckleberrypie]

By what you said it could be that your video card, or something else, is overheating, or worse fried.

Also, since you mentioned that you're on an Nvidia, are you, by chance, running on version 320.18? The said driver is known to be causing problems on certain setups and GPUs. It's either that you see textures or models spazzing out or look like as if you took acid, or in your case the driver unloading and crashing for some strange reason.

You can try rolling back to v314.22 as what I did. Download it off Nvidia's drivers page, reboot Windows to safe mode and uninstall the offending drivers, then install the older version as a clean installation. If you need help on that feel free to ask.

[Angel]

By what you said it could be that your video card, or something else, is overheating, or worse fried.

Also, since you mentioned that you're on an Nvidia, are you, by chance, running on version 320.18? The said driver is known to be causing problems on certain setups and GPUs. It's either that you see textures or models spazzing out or look like as if you took acid, or in your case the driver unloading and crashing for some strange reason.

You can try rolling back to v314.22 as what I did. Download it off Nvidia's drivers page, reboot Windows to safe mode and uninstall the offending drivers, then install the older version as a clean installation. If you need help on that feel free to ask.

I totally am running that version of my driver, after checking.. I also did see some odd texture/model spazzings when I tried Sonic Generations.

Totally could probably use help on that. x.x

I don't want to sound like I'm totally helpless, but I'm a bit intimidated with things and given the cost that I put down I really don't want to do something incorrect. Any sort of detailed step-by-step instructions would very much be a appreciated.

[huckleberrypie]

By what you said it could be that your video card, or something else, is overheating, or worse fried.

Also, since you mentioned that you're on an Nvidia, are you, by chance, running on version 320.18? The said driver is known to be causing problems on certain setups and GPUs. It's either that you see textures or models spazzing out or look like as if you took acid, or in your case the driver unloading and crashing for some strange reason.

You can try rolling back to v314.22 as what I did. Download it off Nvidia's drivers page, reboot Windows to safe mode and uninstall the offending drivers, then install the older version as a clean installation. If you need help on that feel free to ask.

I totally am running that version of my driver, after checking.. I also did see some odd texture/model spazzings when I tried Sonic Generations.

Totally could probably use help on that. x.x

I don't want to sound like I'm totally helpless, but I'm a bit intimidated with things and given the cost that I put down I really don't want to do something incorrect. Any sort of detailed step-by-step instructions would very much be a appreciated.

Mind if we have a chat some time so that I can help you more on that?

[Angel]

I could Steam chat from my laptop whenever, if that's good enough. Seems like the easiest way.

[huckleberrypie]

I could Steam chat from my laptop whenever, if that's good enough. Seems like the easiest way.

Yep, that would do, along with a Team viewer session for good measure.

[RAMChYLD]

I see you have an NVidia chipset. Did you recently upgrade to NVidia driver 320.18? If you did, roll back immediately. The driver is bad news, it destroys GPUs randomly. If you have been using that driver for some time, chances are it has damaged your video card. If that's the case, your only bet is to send the laptop in for repairs. Unfortunately, it appears that Microsoft distributed this one through Windows Update. This is why I never let Windows Update handle drivers, and am careful when upgrading the drivers of my computers. If a badly vetted driver gets in (which seems to happen at an alarming rate on Windows Update- one other driver update for Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi SPU cards pretty much caused my X-Fi card to sound horrible and get stuck at maximum volume), your computer is pretty much hosed.

[Angel]

Alright, I removed the driver you both talked about and installed the version that we talked about. Ran a Dell diagnostic on the video card and it seemed just fine, passed all the tests.. then I played Sonic Generations as a hands-on test. After 10 minutes it just completely froze. x.x

*sigh*

So it seems there might still be a problem.

EDIT: According to Alexia's research, the model I have is known for some overheating issues.. with many accounts sounding a lot like what I'm descrbing..