Hello!
(not too sure if it's a video card only problem, so I posted it here... if it does seem appropriate for the video forum, please feel free to move)
Over 1 and 1/2 years ago my Dell XPS M1730 started to play up big time... blue screen, NMI memory parity error...very frequently
after the blue screen, when trying to re-start the system, the screen would turn on, but would stay grey (i.e. light on, but even the Dell BIOS screen wouldn't be displayed)... after a few tries it would finally work, sometimes with a stange pattern on the screen that would finally disappear.
checked the net, and most sources said a graphics card error... however, I also replaced my system HDD (I have 2 HDDs), and re-installed Windows (the system HDD was getting full anyway)
so I bought a replacement for my graphics card (GeForce GO 8700M GT) on ebay (warranty long over back then), however, it didn't really work either (though no blue screen), so I found a website where that blue screen issue was solved by putting the graphics card into an oven, at ~180°C for about 10 minutes, to re-solder contacts... AND IT DID WORK!!! over the last 1,5 years that NMI memory parity error didn't occour one single time (I still had about 3-5 (different) blue-screens, but nothing major)...
However, a few weeks ago, that NMI error started to return... putting the (old) graphics card into the oven didn't help any more. So I thought I still have the "new" graphics card...re-installed that one, but as 1,5 years ago it would not really work well...when I start the PC, the screen wouldn't even TURN ON! whereas with the "old" defective graphics card you still could see (in a dark-ish room) that the screen was switched on, the screen stays completely dark! this happens most of the time....very rarely the screen DOES turn on, you can see the Dell screen, BIOS, Windows starting up, everything perfect... but whenever the PC finally works and I shut it down (or even put it in hybernation) - even after a FEW DAYS (with no blue screen or other errors whatsoever!!), next time I try to re-start the PC, the screen stays black again....
Help me, what could be wrong?
One thing that I noticed is the following: the graphics card that causes the NMI error is "rev A01" whereas the replacement graphics card I bought (which doesn't turn on the screen most of the time) is "rev A00"... is this a problem? Also, the LCD/monitor cable from the gpu to the screen says "rev A01"...is it a compatibility problem? (still, why would it work, from time to time - even if it's just once in a while)...should I, next time when I am able to launch Windows de-install the "old" A01 graphics card driver and install a "new" one for rev A00?!?
Today I've updated my BIOS from A09 to A11, this won't solve the problem either...
Lately I've been running the diagnostics (when the old video card was working)... only error code was 2000-0411 - keyboard backlight cable not detected, and since a few days it doesn't work anymore, indeed... however this error code I already received a few weeks ago, when the backlight still was working! Is the keyboard causing the problems?
Also, 2000-0146 DST short test (HDD) failed... however, just today I've re-installed windows (using the old graphics card) on a spare HDD just to see if it really was a problem that the system hdd causes... nope, system with the new graphics card and the new Win installation still won't turn on the screen.
I opened the LCD screen cover just to check if all the cables were connected properly. they were. Is the LCD screen itself defective?
I also re-seated the 2 RAM modules various times.
or does a faulty motherboard cause all the trouble?
I'm completey out of ideas...can anybody help me?
Thanks!
