Monitor refresh rate

[llama91]

please read below:

the clueless person that i am, changed the refresh rate of my monitor to about 75Hz (or so) and now i'm having a problem booting. this might not be the problem but i thought id mention it. not sure if my monitor supports it (ive got a Mag Innovision Model no. 900P...at the back it mentions 60Hz so...)

everything is normal up until the windows xp loading screen after which the screen goes blank. the monitor is not however on standby and i tried logging in (knowing how to without the screen) to no avail

ive tried booting in safe mode, with networking and with command prompt, ive used the lot!!

i have no on-board graphics card so hell that doesnt help at all!

using an Nvidia 6600GT 256Mb it that could help....

thanks in advance!

 

[Spyder_1386]

hi llama91

Your screen is only capable of a 60Hz refresh rate and therefore when it loads Windows it wont be able to load at 75Hz (the amount you've changed it to). You'll have to connect a monitor that IS capable of allowing that refresh rate and then revert it back to 60Hz once started up. I'm pretty sure you'd be able to disable the drivers (and then enable them again once you've set the refresh rate back) through Command Prompt as well but I must admit I'm not sure of how that's done.

Spyder_1386

 

[kimsland]

I didn't reply to this thread because he stated Safe Mode VGA mode did not work (well he said tried all)

Now VGA Mode enables 60Hz, but the setting needs to be adjusted still of course.

But this fault may be something else, like Video card or Monitor fault.

I would physically remove the Video card, then disperse the voltage by holding in the ON button with power cord out.
Then plug the Video card back in, and turn on

I think there's just some residual voltage holding it up, but detaching the card may be the only option

 

[llama91]

Spyder_1386 do you know of any montors that i could use? maybe i could try a tv or something?

kimsland will try what you said too and hope for the best. will get back to you with my results.

Thanks alot

by the way is there any possible way of changing the refresh rate from the monitor itself?

 

[Spyder_1386]

Hi llama91

Most CRT monitors are capable of refresh rates of 75Hz and above and as such you could plug one of those in and change the refresh rate back to it's original setting. Changing to a 75Hz setting on an LCD is pretty dangerous and can damage the circuits on the monitor - I certainly hope that you have not damaged the monitor itself .... Be sure to try what Kimsland has suggested as well as it might very well be a voltage issue.

Spyder_1386

 

[llama91]

hi again...

tried to disperse the power like you said...nothing happened though

ive got a CRT at home however at the back next to power it says 60Hz....can i still use it at 75Hz or would it damage it?

by the way the LCD im using isnt damaged (or so i think) as everything is working normally on it...

 

[Spyder_1386]

The minimum refresh rate on a CRT is usually 60Hz (to the best of my knowledge) - anything below 60 causing serious blurring and is very uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure that you should be able to connect the CRT without any trouble - if it shows something on the screen, you know it's capable, if it shows nothing, it isn't .... in which case you'd have to try something else (please remember Kimsland's suggestion) ...

Keep us informed.

Spyder_1386

 

[llama91]

tried the crt and had the same problem

i have tried what Kimsland said too but nothing happened...

i think i forgot to mention...when i boot in safe mode using networking and command prompt, the login screen does in fact appear, however i am unable to move the cursor (the keyboard and mouse both dont work)

i am in the process or purchasing a new grafix card from ebay anyway, however id like to resolve the problem asap...

i checked my tv and it seems that it has 2150Mhz :O maybe i could try that?

 

[Spyder_1386]

Very weird indeed! Initially, it sounded like the screen would not turn on after the Windows screen because of the refresh rate issue but after your last post I'm quite puzzled. It's almost as though your drivers have all decided to stop working.

Have you tried just Safe Mode and not Safe Mode with Networking and Command Prompt? .... Have you tried the options "Enable VGA Mode" and "Last Known Good Configuration"? ....

You could try resetting your BIOS as well .... here's a tutorial on how to do that .... http://www.wikihow.com/Reset-Your-BIOS ....
Unplug your RAM chips as well and plug them back in ....

Keep us informed.

Spyder_1386

 

[SNGX1275]

ive got a CRT at home however at the back next to power it says 60Hz....can i still use it at 75Hz or would it damage it?

You can use it. It says 60Hz because that is the frequency of the 110-120V power from the wall in the US. As opposed to 50Hz in Europe. That actually doesn't come into play on the refresh rate of the monitor itself. What resolution were you at when you switched to 75Hz? The CRT will probably only help you out here if you were at a 4:3 type ratio rather than a 16:10 or 16:9 that widescreen LCDs commonly use.

I would give VGA mode a shot again (NOT safe mode) because VGA mode is there for precisely the problem you seem to be having. It will boot you up in 800x600 with some crap amount of colors, then you can change it back. The fact that you are getting a loading screen for safe mode means that the VGA mode resolution will work. The reason your peripherals don't work in safe mode is because it doesn't load up a bunch of 'essential' stuff, by design. But by design VGA mode does, it gives you a 100% normal bootup except it resets your screen resolution and refresh to something very generic so all monitors will work.

 

[llama91]

tried em all! made a short log:

1) Safe mode - log-in screen appears, mouse and keyboard dont work
2) Safe mode with networking - same as Safe mode
3) Safe mode with command prompt - same as Safe mode
4) Enable Boot Logging - Blank screen after xp loading screen
5) Enabl VGA mode - Graphics are bad, same as Safe mode
6) Last known good configuration - Blank screen after xp loading screen
7) Directory services restore mode - Disk check, stops there
8) Debugging mode - Blank screen after xp loading screen
9) Disable automatic restart on system failure - Blank screen after xp loading screen

Did unplug RAM and out them back in too already, didnt work

OH SH*T, another thing i forgot to mention...before this all happened, i uninstalled my graphics card driver!!

btw i did reset my bios...no luck
it said "Cmos checksum error – defaults loaded" press F1 to continue, Esc to enter setup, i pressed continue and the same thing happened (blank screen after xp loading screen)

 

[kimsland]

Try this (kinda again)

Remove the Graphics card
Disperse power as before (you can even pull the main 20 or 24Pin power plug momentarily, I would)
Then turn on without any Video card installed !
Allow your computer to startup (note you may need to Press F1 to continue past Bios message (that you can't see)
Once the CPU has all quietened down, press the power button on the front of the case just once (many computers are designed to shutdown normally from doing this) (otherwise just turn off)

Then remount the card
Turn on
Go to Bios settings, (probably F2 or DEL) and confirm Video is set for addon card
Save and Exit
Startup in VGA Mode

Still issues, run CheckDisk from starting with your Windows CD (or any boot CD with Check Disk on it) this is discussed h e r e


That should work Otherwise you may have hardware failure
Make sure to let us know the outcome.

 

[llama91]

when i took out the graphics card, it said "System failed VGA test" ...and ther was a long beep

kimsland if u hav msn or skype...could you give it to me please to resolve the matter a bit faster...

Moderator Edit:
All support help on the forum
This is to allow others with similar fault to know what the fix was

 

[Spyder_1386]

OH SH*T, another thing i forgot to mention...before this all happened, i uninstalled my graphics card driver!!

The above is a valuable piece of information don't you think?? .... Do you have another video card lying around by any chance? A friend's perhaps? Maybe you could try slotting one of those in and checking whether they work?

I'm most concerned about being able to see the logon screen in Safe Mode, but not being able to do anything with your mouse or keyboard. This sounds like Hard drive trouble ... Kimsland has mentioned a chkdsk .... do try that as soon as possible along with the other suggestions.

Keep us informed

Spyder_1386

 

[llama91]

i know im sorry...

gonna check around for a PCI-E graphics card from some friends... though i just oredered one from ebay should be in soon as i mentionned earlier...

cant seem to find my windows cd atm ill probably find it tomorrow itsa bit late now...oh n just so you know im from malta u know that tiny itsy spot below sicily...

 

[Spyder_1386]

What sort of mouse and keyboard are you using?? Are they wireless or bluetooth or something that requires drivers that would generally not work in Safe Mode?? Are they plugged into a USB2 port (these don't work in Safe Mode either) ??? ... If you can access Safe Mode, you can sort out your problem .... do you have a PSP keyboard and mouse lying around that you can try using?? Sorry, this only just occurred to me lol ....

Spyder_1386

 

[llama91]

im using USB mouse and they PS/2 keyboard...

do u actually mean the keyboard n mouse for a playstation portable or...?

 

[kimsland]

I'm sure he meant PS/2

But USB Mouse is ok as well

I haven't anything else to say, because it's already said.
If you have done what I said already, then it looks like faulty Video Card
Mind you I hope the Video card was pushed in properly, and the Video card power connector (if it has one, that is required) is also plugged in

 

[Spyder_1386]

Yes my bad! I meant PS/2 and not PSP! If you're using a PS/2 keyboard, I don't understand why it wont work in Safe Mode. Your video card or your motherboard could be faulty.

Spyder_1386

 

[llama91]

im gonna try look for a grafix card today, if dat doesnt work ill assume its the motherboard and take it in....

 

[SNGX1275]

Have you tried booting off of a live linux cd and seeing if you can get a normal resolution? That rules out any OS issue if it works, if it doesn't work its a hardware problem.

I really doubt its your motherboard, although the mouse and kb not working are odd. Could be something corrupt with Windows, trying the live linux disk will help rule that in or out.

 

[llama91]

the new graphics card will be arriving tomorrow for your information and we'll see what happens then...lets hope for the best!

 

[SNGX1275]

This question still stands. And potentially could have saved you a graphics card. Even a new card doesn't rule out that it was still a software problem because drivers will get replace/updated and other things changed by putting in different hardware.

Have you tried booting off of a live linux cd and seeing if you can get a normal resolution? That rules out any OS issue if it works, if it doesn't work its a hardware problem.

 

[llama91]

installed new graphics card and got another problem >> system failed vga test
so i tried the older one again just in case n got the original problem

i believe that this is because i need additional power for the grafix card but my psu does not support it!

i then tried the second port of my motherboard using the new graphics card and the problem was that after the xp loading screen, instead of it going blank, the blue screen of the login screen slowly appeared fluttering and then when the login screen appeared the mouse and keyboard weren't working

i tried using the same port and the older grafix card and the exact same thing occured

what now?? im guessing its the motherboard but how may i be certain?