2D graphics, error displaying frame

[Anonymous]

I've been struggling with my computer for a week. I'm exahusted. In a forum I found, someone suggested BurnInTest to diagnose what the problem might be. I've been having graphics problems. The sort that garble my screen and freeze and then on reboot, the display is still garbled. It requires a power down to clear.

I have an Asus A7V 266-e main board.
I'm running an AMD Athlon XP2000+ (1.667 ghz) with 512 mb ram.
I'm running Windows XP Professional.
I have a GeForce 4 Ti 4200 w/ 64 mb ram.
I have a 300w power supply.
I have flashed my bios.
I have reformatted by harddrive.
I have updated my VIA chipset drivers.
I have updated Direct X.
I have updated my graphic card drivers to the most recent Windows Certified version.
I have picked up all the Windows updates.
I thoroughly dusted and cleaned out my case and my fans.
I have reseated my ram and my video card.

None of this changed anything or gave me any new information. So when I saw "2D graphics, error displaying frame" I was ecstatic for a moment. It isn't me, I'm not insane. Then I realized I had no idea what it means in terms of my system. Is my graphics card screwed up? Should I call up Gainward and demand a repair/replacement under my warranty? I feel so close to pinning down exactly what the problem is here, but I need some translation. Any help would be most appreciated.

[David (PassMark)]

The default 2D test in version 3.2 of BurnInTest and later versions is a video RAM test.

The test writes and reads data to and from the video RAM, checking for data corruption.

As part of the test we also display some of the data on the screen in a small window. A "Frame" is one image (a block of color in the case of the 2D test). Typically several frames are displayed per second.

There are several steps involved in displaying a frame. Including,
- Locking and unlocking the area of memory in question
- Doing a bit block transfer
- 'Preseting' the image. This is when the device driver and video hardware must display the image on the screen.

The error was probably during the 'Present' step. The most likely result of this error is a skipped frame. Generally not a very serious thing. We can not answer the question of why the card is skipping frames, maybe it is a device driver bug, maybe the GPU was busy, maybe it is a design flaw. Only the manufacturer can answer this.


It is far from sure that your "garbled" display is related to the Frame error. (i.e. We don't know exactly what your problem is).

PC's have a enormous compatibility issues. The huge number of permutations with different operating systems, application software, motherboards, BIOS, video cards & device drivers means that it is impossible for any manufacturer to test all the combinations. So you either purchase a fully integrated system, from the likes of Dell or HP, OR you build it yourself and accept that there is going to be a few issues along the way.

Best of luck
David
PassMark

[Anonymous]

Thanks