IGFX problem on laptop

[LoStz]

Ive been doing a lot of reading trying to figure out how to fix this and it sounds like a fairly common problem for my kind of graphics card, unfortunately its come out of nowhere recently after working fine for a few months and Im stumped as to how to make it better.

My computer specs
Hp Pavillion DV2500 (NOTE: it says dv2000 on the outside of my comp but every diagnostic tells me its dv2500, I have no clue what the difference is)

Windows Premium Home 6.0 Build 6000
32 BIT
Intel Duo core 5250 1.5 GHZ
2038MB Ram
Direct X 10

Graphics Card:
Intel 965 mobile chipset

Main Driver (from dx diagnostic) igdum32.dll version 7.14.0010.1461

I started having problems within the last week or so after never previously having any. I tried updating my drivers many times with no success and then I read somewhere that it might be an issue caused by new drivers so I downloaded some older ones but it still hasnt helped.

Niether the official wow forums and intel have anything that has helped me.

Please help if you can!

[surodat]

Get the latest graphics driver for Windows Vista* - version PV15.9 (7.14.10.1472) (http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df/Product_Filter.asp?ProductID=2800)

[LoStz]

Get the latest graphics driver for Windows Vista* - version PV15.9 (7.14.10.1472) (http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df/Product_Filter.asp?ProductID=2800)

have done so with no effect hence why I reverted back to the old drivers =\

[Tunga]

Am I missing something here or did you not tell us what the actual problem is?

[LoStz]

oh sorry yeah that might help :P

My wow randomly will crash to a black screen for a couple of seconds and then pop back up afterwards. Sometimes it will stay black and Ill have to end the process tree to get back to my desktop. I get an error message on my toolbar that says sometihng to the effect of "an igfx driver has failed and corrected itself"

Ive tried looking for help online and it seems like this is a really common problem for people with my kind of graphics card (intel chipset) unfortunately nothing ive read has told me how to fix it. Ive already tried getting the latest drivers from the intel site as well as reverting to older drivers niether of which has worked.

Im bummed because everything was working fine for a long time and now ive finally gotten into a raiding guild and my comp isnt hacking it suddenly

[surodat]

hmm... use the hp site to find out what the exact model is, then use their driver download page to install all of the chipset and video drivers. see if that helps.

[LoStz]

to the best of my ability i have already found and installed all of the newest video drivers and also tried with older drivers. Ill admit I dont know a ton about computers but i know i have a 965 chipset and Ive already tried the newest drivers for that

[surodat]

Go to this (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c00033108&product=18073&dest_page=product&dlc=en) page and provide the model number? That might help.

[Tunga]

Do you see this happen in any other games?
Does it happen is specific places in WoW?
Is there any recurring factor each time it happens?
How often does it happen in general?
What drivers have you updated (other than graphics which we've covered)?
What changed which could have caused this to start (think: new hardware, software, updates, anything)?

Also look in the system log for a proper error number and description.

[LoStz]

Do you see this happen in any other games?
Does it happen is specific places in WoW?
Is there any recurring factor each time it happens?
How often does it happen in general?
What drivers have you updated (other than graphics which we've covered)?
What changed which could have caused this to start (think: new hardware, software, updates, anything)?

Also look in the system log for a proper error number and description.

It tends to happen more often when there is a lot of stuff going on I.e. im in a raid but it will also happen when im just chilling in shat or thunder bluff. Ive updated my sound drivers recently to try and get my mic to work (a whole nother issue!)

It happens pretty frequently I cant give you an exact time frame because it seems pretty random but its enough to impair my ability to play and make it impossible to raid

The only thing Ive changed recently is my sound drivers other then that I dont know what I could have done that could have possibly triggered this problem.

[LoStz]

also Im not sure how to check my system log ><

[Tunga]

Have you tried reverting sound drivers then? Or disable the device complete in Device Manager. I know it sounds unlikely but if it started when you changed those drivers then it may be the cause.

Event Log is in your Control Panel under Aministrative Tools.

[LoStz]

Im not really sure how to revert my sound drivers because I dont even know what drivers I was using before. It was a big enough pain trying to find the new ones! I did identify my model as a pavillion dv2500 though

[Kalos]

Im not really sure how to revert my sound drivers because I dont even know what drivers I was using before. It was a big enough pain trying to find the new ones! I did identify my model as a pavillion dv2500 though
Find 'Device Manager', navagate to your Sound Device and double click on it. Use the tabs along the top to reach the page looking similar to this one: http://blogs.zdnet.com/images/Rollback.png You hit the Rollback button, it rolls the drivers back. Windows XP is a good OS in that it remembered your old drivers even when the user doesn't, and has effectively stored them for reverting too.

To be honest, tossing around with drivers without knowing what revision you're on, or knowing about the Rollback process, is a bad idea that usually causes big problems. I've learnt several times that drivers can be as much of a force for destruction and disability as they are for enabling hardware functionality and operation. The only thing seperating the two opposing outcomes from becoming one and the same is observation and inquiry, that is to be taking note and asking what to take note of. Never touch drivers if you don't know what they are ( both what you have before the upgrade, and what you are installing, they have destinctive number sequences for this in their names) at the starting point, else you can become irreversably lost and need to pay out cash to have your PC scrubbed and put back in working order. But that's more a lesson for long term PC use rather than solving this problem. Let's hope Rollback is still functional.

[LoStz]

Im using vista though I dont have xp, so should I still try to roll them back?

[Kalos]

Im using vista though I dont have xp, so should I still try to roll them back?
I imagine the process is more tedious, but give it a whirl. I won't be able to go through the exact steps with you though. Wonderful thing Vista, juggling long established functions and features around to make them seem new and advanced... To be honest, this may be too mucked up to work with, you may have to just wipe the system and reinstall with the factory disks, giving us a more clear basis to work with. We'll try Rollback first, see if anyone can come up with a next move if that doesn't work, but that may become a necessary option.

[Tunga]

Device Manager is Vista is virtually identical.

[LoStz]

I have a lot of stuff on this computer I dont think wiping it is an option even if I had the necessary install disks =\

Plus if I were to wipe everything clean then it might still end up being some kind of hardware problem or something and Id still have it even after reinstalling things.

Im doing/watching some stuff that I definitely need sound for at the moment so once I finish that ill try rolling them back.

[LoStz]

I have a lot of stuff on this computer I dont think wiping it is an option even if I had the necessary install disks =\

Plus if I were to wipe everything clean then it might still end up being some kind of hardware problem or something and Id still have it even after reinstalling things.

Im doing/watching some stuff that I definitely need sound for at the moment so once I finish that ill try rolling them back.

I finally did roll them back and no change.

Im probably just going to quit wow as no other games or programs seem to be affected...

[Tunga]

So did you check the System Event Log at all?

[Kalos]

I finally did roll them back and no change.

Im probably just going to quit wow as no other games or programs seem to be affected...
I'd like to strongly recommend that you backup all your important files, to any media you have available. CD, external harddrive, home server, USB flash stick, your poison. Right now it is broken from meddling around with system critical files without knowing where you were coming from or going to. So far it has only presented itself in disabling one program's functionality, but the extent of the damage you have done is right to the core of the OS. That damage makes it unpredicatable, and an unpredictable machine is unreliable. Pretty much forget about getting WoW working, just keep your important stuff locked up on at least one other medium of storage. I fear something bad might happen otherwise. This may be patronising, but I have had to learn some lessons that were both costly and unnecessary had someone been there to guide me when warning signs were there. Driver quirks are a pretty major fault as software faults go.

[LoStz]

now Im starting to have problems with other games, does this mean my hardware is basically fried or is it a problem with the operating system?

[Tunga]

Again, have you checked System Event Log?

[Kalos]

now Im starting to have problems with other games, does this mean my hardware is basically fried or is it a problem with the operating system?
I wouldn't say the hardware is fried. You should do as Tunga said and check the Event Log when these errors occur. I'm still tihnking that it's the software that's smegged up (hence why wiping a reinstalling would make it as right as rain if it is a software based problem, any bad software/driver combo would be vaporised, and the fact that tinkering around with drivers caused this, I'm willing to believe it's software based). I doubt the hardware has been altered at all.

[LoStz]

Ive opened my system log but Im not really sure where to look I havent played any games for the past day or so and there are a LOT of various messages/errors.

Would it be under applications or is it somewhere else since its an error with the driver and not the game?

[LoStz]

ok I found it I think but the log doesnt really tell me much just that there was an error. Heres the only stuff I saw that looked relevent

"Display driver igfx stopped responding and has successfully recovered."

- System

- Provider

[ Name] Display

- EventID 4101

[ Qualifiers] 0

Level 3

Task 0

Keywords 0x80000000000000

- TimeCreated

[ SystemTime] 2008-08-02T01:01:28.000Z

EventRecordID 536015

Channel System

Computer LoSt-PC

Security


- EventData

igfx