Help needed with laptop

[trousers]

Calling all geeks.

My laptop has decided to display 2 identical screens, one above the other, with a horizontal white line between the two images.
Vista will only load if running in safe mode.
Trying to load windows normally results in blue screens with several error codes:
BCcode 116
BCcode 50
BCCode 117.

Have checked the RAM and no probs there.

Anyone experienced this sort of problem.

If I was cross-eyed I might be able to manage :roll:

 

[Tenko]

Trousers,

What is the graphics card in your laptop ?

Having just done a quick Google on BCcode 116 it shows a common error with Nvidia graphics drivers which could also explain the twin screen display if its a graphics driver problem.

Alternatively, have you tried going back to an earlier Restore Point ?

Mick.

 

[trousers]

Mick

The card is an Nvidia 8600GS.
Laptop 13mths old and 1mth out of warranty :evil:
The offending laptop has been with a shop for an attempted fix.
He diagnosed a corrupt windows driver, and re-loaded it. Said it was ok but not to alter settings/resolution etc for a couple of weeks.
Got it home and it was back to (2) square ones within 20minutes.
Took it back and he drained the battery right out and tried again but no fix.

Over to you.

 

[Tenko]

Trousers,

Definately sounds like your graphics card driver then.

Not a Windows driver ?? And not altering your settings for a couple of weeks, never heard such drivel ??

Draining the battery out ? What does that do ?? Think you got some bu**sh*t there.

Go to the Nvidia website and download the latest driver for your graphics card and install it. If that doesn't work go into Restore and restore your machine to a point a few weeks before you had problems and see if that cures it.

Mick.

 

[filsgreen]

Mick

The card is an Nvidia 8600GS.
Laptop 13mths old and 1mth out of warranty :evil:
The offending laptop has been with a shop for an attempted fix.
He diagnosed a corrupt windows driver, and re-loaded it. Said it was ok but not to alter settings/resolution etc for a couple of weeks.
Got it home and it was back to (2) square ones within 20minutes.
Took it back and he drained the battery right out and tried again but no fix.

Over to you.

Hi Trousers bad news about your laptop. I watched a BBC programme called "Don't get mad get even"about six months ago, it said that because you have probably spent a lot of money for the item, it should be fit for purpose longer than a year. The item they were talking about was a 40" television. The point it was trying to get across is do not buy extended guarantees as you have consumer rights on your side. It would be worth visiting the CAB or trading standards to get more information, or maybe someone on this site can clarify?

 

[hivisvest72]

Hi, I seem to remember hearing something on a TV programme recently (might have been the same that filsgreen is mentioning) about product guarantees.

Basically, if a product is sold as providing a certain functionality, then if it stops providing that functionality through a manufacturing fault, then the company can still be liable to honour the guarantee regardless of the 12 month limit they may want to publicise.

The thinking is that a product should be expected to provide it's functionality much longer than 12 months, so if it stops doing so, you've not got what you paid for.

The trouble is with (I believe) the small print and the fact that it's a computer you are talking about. Basically because there is so much that could go wrong with a computer that's NOT of the manufacturers doing (unlike say a washine machine or kettle) then you'd have a difficult time proving it was a manufacturing fault.

The other posters seem to be on the right lines, definitely sounds like a graphics card issue, so worth pursuing that, the fact that it's 'out of guarantee', as frustrating as it is, probably isn't making a lot of difference.

Cheers

Alan

 

[trousers]

Hivis, Fils, thanks for the heads up, worth looking into praps if all else fails.

Meanwhile, I've got someone in the family whose a lot more computer savvy than me having a look.

Have tried reinstalling the Nvidia driver. We can get a comlete screen on occasions, but everytime we try to boot normally it will split in 2 again.
We're running a Windows diagnostic tool while the footy is on telly so we'll see what, if anything, comes up.

Anyone else got any bright ideas :idea: :?:

 

[TrimTheKing]

Hivis, Fils, thanks for the heads up, worth looking into praps if all else fails.

Meanwhile, I've got someone in the family whose a lot more computer savvy than me having a look.

Have tried reinstalling the Nvidia driver. We can get a comlete screen on occasions, but everytime we try to boot normally it will split in 2 again.
We're running a Windows diagnostic tool while the footy is on telly so we'll see what, if anything, comes up.

Anyone else got any bright ideas :idea: :?:

I may be wrong but if it's anything like a normal desktop pc then the vga output will be on the mobo and not connected to the GFX card (unless the GFX card is onboard).

With that in mind my idea is to plug it into an external monitor through the VGA output, if the screen works okay then the GFX card is fecked and you'll need a new one.

If the VGA is linked to the GFX card then this will make no difference at all and you will have wasted 10 precious minutes of your life that you will never be getting back