This is driving me insane. I believe, after exhausting all the things I can think of, that the problem is with the card - not the screen, not external monitor, not drivers. (Please don't suggest uninstall/re-install, I've done that roughly 20 times)
Here's the detail..
I have a Qosmio 305 running Vista 64bit Home Premium.
I am using an external monitor. (HP w2207)
video card: Nvidia GeForce 9700M GTS
My driver is current. (195.62)
No configuration changes have occured since things were fine to when they weren't fine.
I play games on it - LOTRO and Aion primarily.
Game website reports no known issues with my laptop/video card/driver
Up until perhaps 3 months ago things worked perfectly, then one day the laptop 'crashed' when the screen suddenly went to a funky color with tiny squiggly lines/checkmarks all over it - no identifiable object at all. It can best be desccribed as a 'wallpaper' pattern. Once this happens - I can't see anything, and it doesn't resolve itself. I have to shut the laptop off, then restart - and things will be fine until the next time.
It shows this on the laptop display which then goes to black.
It shows this on the external display until the laptop display goes black, at which point my external monitor goes to sleep.
After observing this for a while, it happens *most* often when I change from the screen my game is in, to anything outside that screen.
Ie: I'm playing, and get a call on Skype, leave the game window to answer Skype - crash.
I'm playing and want to look something up on the web - leave the game window to open the browser - crash.
I'm playing, take a screenshot, leave the game window to open a graphics program - crash.
IN the game - it happens most often in combat - with all the attendant flashes, bangs, fireworks etc etc of video game combat.
The anomaly to the problem is that it has done the same thing *rarely* (less than 1% of the time) upon reboot from this 'crash' and when I'm doing nothing with the game at all.
It also does not crash *every* time I change windows while playing.
I only tonight discovered a program which reports problems - and have a lengthy list of 'hardware failure' connected with the video card, but I do not understand the error msg or the details in it.
I will provide a cut and paste of the error report screen:
Description
A problem with your video hardware caused Windows to stop working correctly.
Problem signature
Problem Event Name: LiveKernelEvent
OS Version: 6.0.6002.2.2.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Files that help describe the problem
WD-20100128-2047.dmp
sysdata.xml
Version.txt
View a temporary copy of these files
Warning: If a virus or other security threat caused the problem, opening a copy of the files could harm your computer.
Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 117
BCP1: FFFFFA8004A064E0
BCP2: FFFFFA6002717230
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: 0000000000000000
OS Version: 6_0_6002
Service Pack: 2_0
Product: 768_1
Please... I hope one of you can help. I'm about to tear my hair out
Here's the detail..
I have a Qosmio 305 running Vista 64bit Home Premium.
I am using an external monitor. (HP w2207)
video card: Nvidia GeForce 9700M GTS
My driver is current. (195.62)
No configuration changes have occured since things were fine to when they weren't fine.
I play games on it - LOTRO and Aion primarily.
Game website reports no known issues with my laptop/video card/driver
Up until perhaps 3 months ago things worked perfectly, then one day the laptop 'crashed' when the screen suddenly went to a funky color with tiny squiggly lines/checkmarks all over it - no identifiable object at all. It can best be desccribed as a 'wallpaper' pattern. Once this happens - I can't see anything, and it doesn't resolve itself. I have to shut the laptop off, then restart - and things will be fine until the next time.
It shows this on the laptop display which then goes to black.
It shows this on the external display until the laptop display goes black, at which point my external monitor goes to sleep.
After observing this for a while, it happens *most* often when I change from the screen my game is in, to anything outside that screen.
Ie: I'm playing, and get a call on Skype, leave the game window to answer Skype - crash.
I'm playing and want to look something up on the web - leave the game window to open the browser - crash.
I'm playing, take a screenshot, leave the game window to open a graphics program - crash.
IN the game - it happens most often in combat - with all the attendant flashes, bangs, fireworks etc etc of video game combat.
The anomaly to the problem is that it has done the same thing *rarely* (less than 1% of the time) upon reboot from this 'crash' and when I'm doing nothing with the game at all.
It also does not crash *every* time I change windows while playing.
I only tonight discovered a program which reports problems - and have a lengthy list of 'hardware failure' connected with the video card, but I do not understand the error msg or the details in it.
I will provide a cut and paste of the error report screen:
Description
A problem with your video hardware caused Windows to stop working correctly.
Problem signature
Problem Event Name: LiveKernelEvent
OS Version: 6.0.6002.2.2.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Files that help describe the problem
WD-20100128-2047.dmp
sysdata.xml
Version.txt
View a temporary copy of these files
Warning: If a virus or other security threat caused the problem, opening a copy of the files could harm your computer.
Extra information about the problem
BCCode: 117
BCP1: FFFFFA8004A064E0
BCP2: FFFFFA6002717230
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: 0000000000000000
OS Version: 6_0_6002
Service Pack: 2_0
Product: 768_1
Please... I hope one of you can help. I'm about to tear my hair out
Toshiba is in the habit of deleting posts it doesent like (especially if there is a solution involved!)