Is my GeForce 8400M GT gone?

[Guest sayo0000]

Hi everyone, I think this is the best place to explain my problem which seems to have no solution but changing Video Card.

I have a Sony Vaio VGN-FZ18E, I bought it 3 years ago with a Nvidia GeForce 8400M GT mounted on it and Windows Vista 32bit. As soon as Windows 7 was released, I upgraded to it successfully (32bit). I'm an online gamer, I've never had problems with Left4Dead, Combat Arms, Counter Strike, and then S4 League. After the upgrade, I downloaded S4 League and played it for more than a month. Suddenly, while I was playing, my PC crashed in a very bad way, showing a message saying: Hardware Malfunction NMI Parity Check / Memory Parity Error ***The system has halted***, and then it restarted in safe-mode, because it couldn't start Windows. The graphics were very bad with vertical lines all over the screen. Everyone would just think: the video card is gone. But, you know, after some time spent in safe-mode, the lines would suddenly disappear allowing me to start Windows in normal mode. Everything looked fine, even the videos, but the games wouldn't work. I tried to update the video drivers in many ways (those from Nvidia website wouldn't work for vaio, and those from Vaio website were for Windows Vista) and then I succeeded with the modded inf thing. But still, the game would crash as soon as I started playing.

So I gave my laptop to a friend who works as a technician asking him if there was anything he could do to avoid buying a new card. In his opinion, the video card was damaged due to a overheating of the fan. He opened the laptop and reassembled it with a small copper coin on the card. This seemed to work for some time. One more month, I think. Then, with no apparent reason, the problem showed up again.

I thought of another solution. I went on Sony Vaio's website and realized my model is not supposed to support the upgrade to Windows 7. So, I thought this might have created some sort of incompatibility with the video card. So I thought I could try with another operating system. But you all know how Vista sucks. So I decided to create a partition with Windows XP Pro 32bit. I did so (it wasn't very easy) and I downloaded the driver with a modded inf, because it wouldn't work otherwise. Everything looked fine. I downloaded the game, and run it. I played for more than 10 minutes, crying with joy when... it crashed again. In a very very very bad way which broke my heart. I could barely see what was on the screen, once again, anyone would think the video card was damaged, therefore useless.

But I just don't get why it still works anytime I'm not playing. I watch streaming videos in a perfect quality, and get no crash for any program. Is there something I can do before getting a new, expensive, card? I also wonder if a new one, of a new model, would work or maybe give me the same problems for some reason. I hope you can help me.

Thanks for your attention.

Ps: I read somewhere this type of Nvidia card might be defective and subject to problems of overheating.

[mrx]

You have a few options to this problem. Buy a new card, Bake the card, or buy a new laptop. I would say bake the card first, it cost nothing and if it fails, a dead card is a dead card.

[roypaci]

Hi,

Your Vaio has got a faulty nvidia chipset.

Try to roll back to the original op.system,get your warranty,and Vaio documents and the receipt,and contact Sony.

They will cover the cost of the labor and the repair,and if you were lucky enough,they would extend the warranty of the nvidia chipset to 36 month.

Check these,and contact Sony :

http://apcmag.com/sony-vaio-notebooks-suffer-from-faulty-nvidia-gpus.htm

http://esupport.sony.com/perl/news-item.pl?template=EN&news_id=349

On the 2nd site(esupport.sony.com),bottom of the page the most important for you:

,,Q8. If my computer is exhibiting these symptoms, can I still have my PC repaired after my 12 month warranty has expired?

A8. Yes, if you have one of the applicable models that is equipped with an NVIDIA graphics chip. "

Of course do not tell them you have tried different op system then the originally installed.

Edited December 30, 2009 by roypaci

[Guest sayo0000]

Ok, ho cercato di ripristino di Windows Vista il modo in cui era quando l'ho comprato ... e ho fatto un pasticcio. Perché quando ho iniziato a formato, la scheda video non funzionava, era mostrando quelle righe in tutto lo schermo, e quando è così, Windows non si avvia se non scegliere la modalità provvisoria. Ovviamente, non è possibile installare un sistema op in modalità provvisoria! Così ho riavviato il mio VAIO tonnellate di volte per ore, senza successo. Non c'è niente sul mio Vaio ora. Nemmeno Windows. E non si avvia. Penso che se n'è andato e tutto quello che devo fare è comprare un nuovo computer portatile. Sono andato in un negozio per chiedere informazioni su i prezzi per le schede Nvidia mobile, e l'impiegato mi ha detto che non posso fare questo, non vendono schede di telefonia mobile perché questo è un lavoro per il cliente l'assistenza Sony Vaio e che dovrei inviare loro il mio computer (inviare dove?). Inoltre, sul link che mi hai dato, dicono che la cosa era un'offerta solo UFT gli Stati Uniti, e io sono europee (italiano) e si dice per nulla questa estensione di garanzia sul sito di sostegno dell'UE.

Infine, non credo che farò mai il coraggio di cuocere la mia scheda video ...

Ho pensato a queste soluzioni:

1 - chiedo al mio amico di aprire di nuovo e di riorganizzare le cose lì dentro, magari con un'altra moneta di rame. So che questo può sembrare assurdo, ma ha funzionato una volta, si potrebbe lavorare di nuovo. Almeno, se riesco a avviare Windows posso completare il recupero di Vista e, auspicabilmente, usare il computer anche senza giochi o video, e cercare di riparare la scheda video più tardi.

2 - portare il Vaio a un centro di Vaio, se esiste, e piangere di fronte l'assistente per ottenere un'estensione di garanzia anche se non si possiede la ricevuta di acquisto o di più, se non il lavoro, pagare l'importo richiesto di denaro.

3 - comprare un nuovo computer portatile, perché probabilmente il costo della riparazione sarebbe superiore al costo di un nuovo computer.

Sono ufficialmente disperato.

[Guest sayo0000]

Ok, I tried to restore Windows Vista the way it was when I bought it... and I did a mess. Because when I started to format, the video card wasn't working, it was showing those lines all over the screen, and when it's like that, Windows doesn't start unless I choose the safe mode. Obviously, you can't install an op system in safe mode! So I've been restarting my vaio tons of times for hours, with no success. There's nothing on my Vaio now. Not even Windows. And it won't start. I think it's gone and all I have to do is buy a new laptop. I went to a shop to ask about the prices for Nvidia mobile cards, and the employee told me I can't do this, they don't sell mobile cards because this is a work for Sony Vaio costumer care and I'm supposed to send them my computer (send where?). Plus, on the link you gave me, they say that thing was an offer just fot the US, and I'm European (Italian) and they say nothing about this warranty extension on the EU support site.

Last, I don't think I'll ever get the courage to bake my video card ...

I thought about these solutions:

1- ask my friend to open it again and rearrange the things in there maybe with another copper coin. I know this may sound absurd, but it worked once, it might work again. At least, if I manage to start Windows I can complete Vista's recovery and hopefully use my computer even without gaming or videos, and try to repair the video card later.

2- bring the Vaio to a Vaio center, if it exists, and cry in front of the assistant to get a warranty extension even though I don't own the purchase receipt anymore or, if it doesn't work, pay the required amount of money.

3- buy a new laptop because probably the cost of the repair would be higher than the cost for a new computer.

ps: sorry for the message before but this browser is not mine and tries to translate everything in italian. sigh

[roypaci]

Ok, I tried to restore Windows Vista the way it was when I bought it... and I did a mess. Because when I started to format, the video card wasn't working, it was showing those lines all over the screen, and when it's like that, Windows doesn't start unless I choose the safe mode. Obviously, you can't install an op system in safe mode! So I've been restarting my vaio tons of times for hours, with no success. There's nothing on my Vaio now. Not even Windows. And it won't start. I think it's gone and all I have to do is buy a new laptop. I went to a shop to ask about the prices for Nvidia mobile cards, and the employee told me I can't do this, they don't sell mobile cards because this is a work for Sony Vaio costumer care and I'm supposed to send them my computer (send where?). Plus, on the link you gave me, they say that thing was an offer just fot the US, and I'm European (Italian) and they say nothing about this warranty extension on the EU support site.

Last, I don't think I'll ever get the courage to bake my video card ...

I thought about these solutions:

1- ask my friend to open it again and rearrange the things in there maybe with another copper coin. I know this may sound absurd, but it worked once, it might work again. At least, if I manage to start Windows I can complete Vista's recovery and hopefully use my computer even without gaming or videos, and try to repair the video card later.

2- bring the Vaio to a Vaio center, if it exists, and cry in front of the assistant to get a warranty extension even though I don't own the purchase receipt anymore or, if it doesn't work, pay the required amount of money.

3- buy a new laptop because probably the cost of the repair would be higher than the cost for a new computer.

ps: sorry for the message before but this browser is not mine and tries to translate everything in italian. sigh

So your vaio has not got any op system....

It must be fine...Just contact the italian Sony,they must repair it!

It does not matter that You are in Europe(I am from the UK),they must cover all the price.

It is a global problem.....