I think my Inspiron 1720 graphics card has failed: constant blue-screen shutdowns with the message “Attempt to reset the display driver and recover from timeout failed.” make the machine unusable. I have tried uninstalling and installing older and newer drivers and Windows generic, current and rolled-back, all to no avail. I have also taken the machine apart and reseated the card - with no effect.
The card is an NVidia GeForce 8400M GS, which only seems to be available used. I have seen a lot of references to this card’s tendency to fail, so that is not an attractive option. Related higher-spec cards are 8400M GT, 8600M GS & 8600M GT. My question is are these cards compatible with my computer, and are there any others? The Service Tag is <ADMIN NOTE:Service tag removed per privacy policy> - I am hoping that a Dell expert will respond to this cry for help, to compensate for the miserable response of the website to my attempts to find a replacement part, i.e. nix. Dell’s after-sales service for older computers is sub-standard, particularly regarding information it would cost them nothing to not delete. I am not going to buy Dell again for this reason!
DaveMech