[dba-Tech] (no subject)

I posted a couple of weeks ago that my display is wonky but I've been living
with it from day to day because I don't want to face the ultimate
consequences - a total disk wipe and reload.

 

Here's what happened - one day my displays (dual monitors - HDMI and DVI)
just refused to light up.  Testing them on a second machine showed they were
still working so I thought it must be the video card.  I got the machine
back in limp mode by using one monitor in VGA and did a full backup using
Norton Ghost.

 

So I zipped down to Fry's got an MSI with Nvidia software.  Had a hard time
getting the software loaded but with terrible help from MSI I got the
monitors up to the point where they were working but they did not display
correctly.  The desktop displays all colors correctly so the card was
working correctly but any app would show no colors except for what it looks
like just maybe embedded graphics.  Access - no colors (except for a very
few control - I can set the color on a line control.  And it shows the color
on an image control with the Picture pointing to a .png file (embedded).

 

Browsers also show this lack of color and come links are hidden.  So that's
annoying.  In Outlook, the folders down the left side are in yellow but
everything else is pretty much black and white with a few grays. So all apps
are failing to show colors except for some graphics.  But again, the desktop
icons are all correct. SO I think the card is working right.

 

So, MSI tech tells me maybe the card is bad out of the box because he
doesn't want to help me any more so back to Fry's I go to get a different
card. But before I do I stick the old card in so at least I have a working
machine.  And what do you know - the HDMI and DVI ports are working.  But
still no colors.  So I'm thinking that the card is OK - it's software.

 

I uninstalled all the Nvidia stuff I could find including cleaning the
registry, reinstalled the drivers for the original card (it came with the
Dell XPS 830) but have not been able to correct the problem.  

 

I did a deep virus scan - nothing found.  I tried to go back to a restore
point - there was only one available (don't know why) and it failed to
restore. 

 

I use Norton Ghost and have the whole drive backed up to an external HD with
a date that I think means the problem may be in the backup.  I have restored
individual files from these backups so they work.  But I have never done a
whole system restore. 

 

My leading theory is that this is a software problem and there is a dll or a
driver of some several files that are bad and if they could be found and
replaced the problem would be fixed.  But I don't know where to go form
here.  

 

I have, I think for options in order if decreasing pain:

 

1.	The nuclear option - wipe the disk and restore to out of the box
state; reload all software, add-ons, etc, restore personal files.  Not a
pleasant prospect, but the backstop plan. ( I made the three DVD System
Recovery Disks when I got the box. ) (Actually have a backup to the backup
if System Restore from the DVDs fails, I've got a W7 Ultimate disk).  This
plan could take a couple of days, as you guys know.

 

2.	Do a whole system restore from the Ghost backup.  If it fails option
1 becomes operative.

 

3.	Try restoring specific OS folders like the Windows/System 32 folder
where the problem might lie.  But for me, that just shooting in the dark.  

 

4.	Actually diagnose and repair the problem - and this would mean
relying on you guys to come up with some ideas of what the problem might be.


 

The video card is an AMD  Radeon HD 6450 1GB DDR3.

 

I suppose I could also take it to a desktop expert and pay for the fix.  But
my comps have been so reliable for the last 20 years, I don't really have
anyone like that.

 

Any ideas on this will be greatly appreciated. 

 

MTIA