Colin Barnhorst wrote:
Quote:
> Malke, just out of curiosity do you know why the video card mfgs don't
> provide test software similar to what the hard drive mfgs do? Or do they
> and I just haven't looked right? (I know, even my cosmetic surgeon says I
> don't look right)
The only software I know about that would vaguely do this sort of thing is
benchmark software like Sisoft Sandra. That software runs a card under a
sort of Real Life simulation to give you an idea of how fast your card is,
but I don't think there's any actual diagnostic ability; i.e., your card is
bad. I've run video tests before like the ones Dell includes in their
Utility Partition/Resource CD and the ones on various rescue disks of the
Ultimate Book Disk type but to be honest, I don't know that I believe in
them. It seems to me that all of those tests are running in DOS or a
DOS-like mode which don't stress a card like Real Mode does.
This is why I rely on the old "swap it out" routine. It has been my
experience, gained through many years of working on my own and clients'
boxen, that if changing drivers around doesn't help then the card is
probably dying. It happens. I just finally gave up on an older box of mine
that had a once-very-expensive AGP card in it. When this card would no
longer perform its 3D duties of fragging aliens (with my son at the helm,
not me!), I decided the computer had been upgraded to the end of its life
and replaced it.
Anyway, that's all I know about this. I'm certainly interested to see if
anyone else has more useful information to add!
Cheers,
Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
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