Monitor

I downloaded nvidia driver version 52.16 from windows update and decided I didn't need all that stuff, so I removed it and installed the old driver.

Now when I go to a web site it comes up, flickers out and comes on again. Any suggestions? I tried changing the refresh rate but no help.

Dell Dimension 4500
Dell Monitor M782p 64mb DDR NVIDIA GeFORCE4 MX 420
Windows XP Home

It's never good to get driver updates from Windows. Best to get them from Nvidia. Aside from that, what flickers? The monitor or the website closes? How does the monitor react within Windows before going on the net?

The monitor is fine when not on the net. The web site comes up ok, then blanks out, and immediately comes back on. I've run the Dell diagnostics on the monitor and it says it's ok.

I guess I'm still not understanding, you keep saying the website comes up and then blanks out. Is the monitor blanking out or the website page blanking out? And when you removed the new driver, how did you do that? Was it through add/remove? Or roll back? Could be remnants of new driver conflicting with old driver.

I removed it through add/remove. I went to Dell and got a driver and also got the driver from the cd I got with the computer. Both do the same thing. I completely removed the driver through device manager the last time I tried it.

You can't remove the driver through device manager, only the card itself. After you removed the new driver did you restart your computer before installing the old driver? And yes, using the driver from Dell is better for branded computers rather than the manufacturer's website.

I realized as soon as I sent it that the dm didn't remove the driver.

I don't remember if I rebooted at first or not, as I've tried so many things and rebooted a lot.

Ok try this. Boot into Safe Mode, check to see if you have any "ghosts" (extra video cards) in there under the video display, if so remove them. If not, remove the card itself from safe mode anyway, and remove the old driver, then reboot the computer, and install the old driver when Windows says it found new hardware.

There are some conflicting devices listed but I can't get anything deleted. Maybe I'm in the wrong place, could you give step by step if it isn't too much trouble?

In Device Manager in Safe Mode, look for an entry that says: Display Adapters. Click the plus sign beside display adapters, and you should see your card, if this is a stand alone card and not onboard. If onboard you can't remove it.

What conflicts are you seeing? Are they yellow splats, such as ! but in yellow.

Sorry, had to step out for a while.

When the wizard was looking for a driver it went online (cable was on) and downloaded the same thing I had before(the one I didn't want). I tried a web page with it and it did the same thing.

It's the monitor that flicks out, not the web page.

I installed the original drivers, and I'm back where I started when I posted.

Since you are running XP HE, you can try system restore and roll it back to before you installed the new driver.

I disabled system restore a while back and didn't change it back.

Something more puzzling is happening now, some of the web sites come up fine and stay there, but some still come up, blink out and then come back again.

I think you have underlaying problems here not associated with the video card/drivers. May be spyware lurking in your computer and/or system/files are corrupted. I'm not it will fix anything but it sure won't hurt anything to do a sfc /scannow from "Run" in "Start" menu with your xp cd in the drive.

For spyware and malware, follow the intructions in this thread:

http://discussions.virtualdr.com/sho...hreadid=167915

All the others came out ok.

I guess hijack can go here as the thread is ongoing.

Logfile of HijackThis v1.97.7
Scan saved at 12:28:52 PM, on 7/27/2004
Platform: Windows XP SP1 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\LEXBCES.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Nhksrv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\LEXPPS.EXE
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG6\avgserv.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Symantec\NORTON~1\GHOSTS~2.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\System32\nvsvc32.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Agnitum\OUTPOS~1.0\outpost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\rsvp.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\MsPMSPSv.exe
C:\Program Files\AnalogX\CookieWall\cookie.exe
C:\Program Files\PTBSync\PTBSync.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG6\avgcc32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\MMKeybd.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\devldr32.exe
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Hardware\Keyboard\type32.exe
C:\Program Files\MailWasher\MailWasher.exe
C:\Program Files\Quick ShutDown\qsd.exe
C:\Program Files\ShortCuts\ShortCut.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\Jim Simon\Start Menu\Programs\Utilities\HijackThis.exe

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: Popup Manager - {08E74C67-99A6-45C7-94DA-A397A8FD8082} - C:\Program Files\Popup Manager\PopupMgr_1.0.2.1P.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {09F0F280-FB9A-481B-B69A-CB00DC44D027} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: Atomica BHO - {3392BD0A-A851-4AA4-86E0-4651006F9EA8} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Atomica Shared\agtbho.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {7559B76E-0222-4d77-9499-CCE9EB4EDC2F} - C:\PROGRA~1\AdShield\AdShield\AdShield.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {77712A64-F30B-47C8-A363-CDA1CEC7DC1B} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {AA58ED58-01DD-4d91-8333-CF10577473F7} - c:\program files\google\googletoolbar1.dll
O3 - Toolbar: &Radio - {8E718888-423F-11D2-876E-00A0C9082467} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\msdxm.ocx
O3 - Toolbar: &Google - {2318C2B1-4965-11d4-9B18-009027A5CD4F} - c:\program files\google\googletoolbar1.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [CookieWall] C:\Program Files\AnalogX\CookieWall\cookie.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PTBSync] C:\Program Files\PTBSync\PTBSync.exe /Start
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG_CC] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG6\avgcc32.exe /STARTUP
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Outpost Firewall] C:\PROGRA~1\Agnitum\OUTPOS~1.0\outpost.exe /waitservice
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [DellTouch] C:\WINDOWS\MMKeybd.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE NvQTwk,NvCplDaemon initialize
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IntelliType] "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Hardware\Keyboard\type32.exe"
O4 - Startup: MailWasher.lnk = C:\Program Files\MailWasher\MailWasher.exe
O4 - Startup: Quick ShutDown.lnk = C:\Program Files\Quick ShutDown\qsd.exe
O4 - Startup: ShortCut.lnk = C:\Program Files\ShortCuts\ShortCut.exe
O8 - Extra context menu item: &Google Search - res://C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbar1.dll/cmsearch.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: &Maintain Block List... - C:\PROGRA~1\AdShield\AdShield\maintain.htm
O8 - Extra context menu item: Add to &Block List... - C:\PROGRA~1\AdShield\AdShield\suppress.htm
O8 - Extra context menu item: AdShield Option &Settings... - C:\PROGRA~1\AdShield\AdShield\settings.htm
O8 - Extra context menu item: Backward &Links - res://C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbar1.dll/cmbacklinks.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Cac&hed Snapshot of Page - res://C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbar1.dll/cmcache.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: GuruNet... - file:C:\Program Files\GuruNet\Html\atiemenu.htm
O8 - Extra context menu item: Si&milar Pages - res://C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbar1.dll/cmsimilar.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Translate into English - res://C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbar1.dll/cmtrans.html
O9 - Extra button: Yahoo! Messenger (HKLM)
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Yahoo! Messenger (HKLM)
O9 - Extra button: Trashcan (HKCU)
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Show Trashcan (HKCU)
O9 - Extra button: AdShield (HKCU)
O12 - Plugin for .bcf: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Plugins\NPBelv32.dll
O16 - DPF: {02BF25D5-8C17-4B23-BC80-D3488ABDDC6B} - http://www.apple.com/qtactivex/qtplugin.cab
O16 - DPF: {0E5F0222-96B9-11D3-8997-00104BD12D94} (PCPitstop Utility) - http://www.pcpitstop.com/pcpitstop/PCPitStop.CAB
O16 - DPF: {1842B0EE-B597-11D4-8997-00104BD12D94} (iCC Class) - http://www.pcpitstop.com/internet/pcpConnCheck.cab
O16 - DPF: {30528230-99F7-4BB4-88D8-FA1D4F56A2AB} (YInstStarter Class) - http://download.yahoo.com/dl/installs/yinst0309.cab
O16 - DPF: {33564D57-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71} - http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...22/wmv9VCM.CAB
O16 - DPF: {74D05D43-3236-11D4-BDCD-00C04F9A3B61} (HouseCall Control) - http://a840.g.akamai.net/7/840/537/2...ll/xscan53.cab
O16 - DPF: {9F1C11AA-197B-4942-BA54-47A8489BB47F} (Update Class) - http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.co...877.6571296296
O16 - DPF: {C2FCEF52-ACE9-11D3-BEBD-00105AA9B6AE} (Symantec RuFSI Registry Information Class) - http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/S.../bin/cabsa.cab
O16 - DPF: {D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000} (Shockwave Flash Object) - http://download.macromedia.com/pub/s...sh/swflash.cab

Ok yes that was ok putting it in this thread. I'm not a hijackthis guru but one obvious entry needs fixing. Open Hijackthis and scan again. Put a check in this one and tell it to fix it:

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {09F0F280-FB9A-481B-B69A-CB00DC44D027} - (no file)

I see nothing else untoward or bad in your log, but I believe the above might be why you're getting the IE close problems.

It's still doing the same thing but guess I can live with it, it only blinks (or whatever it's doing) for a fraction of a second and it's just a few of them.

I did find out one thing, my home page was blinking twice and I disabled all my ad blockers and that was causing one of them, taking out the ad and filling the space it left. That's isn't the main thing that's happening now for it's different than it was before.

I sure thank you for your time and patience.

Did you do the sfc scannow that I suggested in a previous post? If there are corrupt files on your computer this should fix them and may allow you to reinstall the original driver. Other than that, this may be a time to do an over the top reinstall of xp. Try the sfc first though.

Yes, I did the sfc. I'll try reinstalling the driver again.

What is a over the top reinstall? Do you have to download sp1 and all the updates after?

Let's try a repair install before the over the top install. Go here and scroll down to "How to run a repair install"

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm

Following the instructions you would go past the screen first two options by hitting "Enter". Do not use the repair option on the first screen, that uses the "Recovery option" which you don't want to do. At the next window you'll see the option to run a repair install. This is graphical so you need to print out the instructions.

When you get through the instructions given by photolady. Before you install video drivers again,I would suggest you run driver cleaner to get rid of any leftovers that may cause problems: http://www.driverheaven.net/cleaner/

You install it in regular mode,but run it in safe mode after removing drivers in normal way from add-remove. It works for both ATI 'and' Nvidia drivers. This way you start with a clean slate...

To make a long story short, I tried to install from a ghost image, one of the cd's had a bad place and wouldn't take.

The repair install wouldn't go all the way because of a missing file.

The complete reinstall wouldn't work because of a missing file.

I finally formatted thru safe mode and somehow got windows to install.

Now, in device manager I have a question mark on sm bus controller. The computer can't find it on any cd's I have or the internet to install it.

Where do I find it?

Thanks for all the time and trouble.

That controller should be on your disks you got from Dell, should look under system utilities. Or you can go to Dell's website and click on support/downloads and input your system in the boxes provided, ie, dimension and 4500, this will bring up all downloads, and you scroll the available downloads. You're looking for "Chipset" and "Intel Chipset Softare Installation Utility"

Got it from Dell, looked before but couldn't find it(didn't know exactly what I was looking for).

I just can't express my appreciation for all you've done for me, so I'll just say thanks again.

You're quite welcome Jim. I was glad to help. "I love a happy ending" ;)