nvidia 8500GT graphics card BSOD - what can I do ?

I have used my Asus nvidia 8500GT graphics card for about 5 months (since december 2009) with Windows 7 Home Premium x32.

There were no problems so far and everything worked fine.
Since 4-5 days ago, my PC gets freezing, gives a BSOD and then restarts.

In that moment when I go to Device Manager, my gfx driver is disabled and I have the error code 43: "Windows has disabled this driver because has reported problems"

Is there any way to test it to see if it's really its fault or not ?

 

you could try updating the drivers for it for the nvidia site maybe, not sure but it might do something

 

@firzen771: I forgot to mention, but I already did this.
I also used a "Driver Sweeper" program to clean every piece of driver left on my system.

I also restored my Acronis backup which contained a fresh copy of Windows 7.
Nothing worked.

 

If your system has an onboard graphics card, remove the nvidia one...let your system run one time with the onboard card, shut it down and then reinstall your nvidia card again.

If there is no onboard card, try using another nvidia or ATI video card and then do the same as before.

If nothing works...then your best choice would be a format.

 

have u tried checking in ur computer to see if the card is loose? like not completely plugged into the PCI Express slot, if its a little loose perhaps.

 

Does the graphics card have a fan on it, and if so have you determined whether the fan is actually working? How about other fans in the case, be sure they're all working, and that the air intake areas are clear of dust etc.

A way to determine whether the graphics card is overheating would be to take the side off of the case and aim a strong portable fan at the system, trying to direct the air flow at the graphics card. If it crashes less, then overheating would be a likely cause.

 

thats actually a good point, ive had several occasions wer i havent cleaned the dust out of my case for like 6 months and the graphics card would overheat and my computer which just instantly turn off, cleaning the dust out of the case and out of the Graphics card fan did the trick.

 

I know recently that NVIDIA had a bad driver that caused Overheated GPU's http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Nvidia-196.75-drivers-over-heating,9802.html if possible try an older version to see if that helps?
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/Find.aspx?lang=en-us

TH

 

It has silent cooling, so it was basically not affected by this one.

Anyway, I tried removing and cleaning the dust, fresh Windows installation, but no result.

 

I disagree about reformatting. That is always a last resort, desperate attempt option and you are not anywhere near that yet.

Keeping the interior of any computer free of heat trapping dust is paramount. All computers should be inspected monthly, and cleaned when necessary.

If you are overclocking - DON'T! Not until this is resolved.

I note you said this card is 5 months old. Keep in mind it is probably under warranty and you don't want to void it.

Blasting a fan inside the case will help determine if heat is a problem, but even if pointing right at the card, the fan and open case will affect the whole computer, not just the card. So if the problem goes away with a fan blasting at the card, you can probably be sure it is heat related, but that does not narrow it down to the card.

I suggest using a HW monitor, perhaps the one that came with the card to check temps - including system and CPU.

 

Odd that it worked for several months without issue..and then gave you this drastic of an error. Often a Microsoft Windows update will push in a generic Microsoft driver, which will result in a 16 color desktop that looks a lot like safe mode. Happens frequently with nVidia and Intel graphics drives.

I'd say to double check add/remove programs for that, but you said you did a format/reinstall..so makes me think it's not a driver issue. For giggles though...after I do a fresh install of Windows..the very first thing I install is the latest chipset/motherboard drives (build a solid foundation)..and then the latest video drivers, sound, NIC, SATA/drive controllers, other peripherals.

One thing you could try is the latest BIOS. Sometimes a driver update is dependent on more recent BIOS.

One possibility is a failing power supply..some of the newer graphics cards are quite demanding in power requirements...especially amps on the 12 volt rail. Many of todays newer cards want at least a 500 watt PS that can sustain over 15 amps on the 12+ volt rail. Although your card is sorta entry/middle...but may want to check on it's specs and requirements to be sure.

 

Well... the problem seemed to be overheating of the gfx card.
I've put a fan on my case near the gfx card and now things are ok.

Thank you all for advices