Unknown vid card problem.

[keilian]

Hi.

I've got a problem and I'm not sure if its hardware (ok it is hardware) but I am not sure 'what' hardware it is.

I was recently tidying up around my computer, and jarred the cable connection where my monitor plugs into my vid card.

when I looked at my comp screen it was grey.
I shrugged, and rebooted my computer. my screen has gone grey before on me... and rebooting it always works.

Upon reboot, one of the heat sink supports on my vid card snaps, pinging around inside my case. Opening it up, I look, and try and push the heat sink back on.

turning my comp on again (cus I had turned it off and pulled the card out), I run into my current problem.

I turn my computer on, it boots up, I see the standard 'win xp is loading' scroll bar... then my monitor turns off. Well, it goes 'no graphics feed'. just a large black screen with the standard flicking orange light, rather then the 'green' when it is on and i'm using my comp.

thinking I had done something wrong, I pull the vid card, and plug into the mobo vid. Boots up fine, I have graphics and all.

Put card in, boot up, I get all the way to the desktop, before the screen goes black.

Now, I'm thinking... that since the heat sink is no longer 'attached' 100% (it is hanging on by only one peg now) that its just over heating and cooking itself, thus causing it to auto shut down. Meaning I have to buy a new card.

My worry is, that since I jarred the plug (and thus the video card) I possibly did some dammage to the PCI slot.

Are my fears justified or just paranoid worrying?

and if anyone can help (or suggest ways I can re'attach my vid card heat sink properly, so I dont have to dish out money I dont have to) please... do

 

[patonb]

Can you take a pic? What card model?

Alot easier to understand.

Welcome to TF

 

[GhOsT1321]

You said that the heat sink on the graphics card is only attached by one peg, as opposed to multiple ones, correct?
Why not try to attach the other pegs, some screw in, others may just pop into a hole for the peg.
If you suspect that the video card is overheating, I would use onboard graphics for the time being to prevent any further damage.

 

[organic]

I can't really see you doing much damage to your PCI slot. I mean I've did some pretty vicious things over the years and never done any permanent damage to a PCI slot.

If you snapped a peg on your heat sink I usually find a way to reattach them using a paper clip, I've used this repair on small chipset heat sinks multiple times.

 

[keilian]

Thanks for all the replies.
Sadly I can't take a picture of the card. Its an nvidia 8400.
card link

ok, I just found it from the site linked above... thats the card 'new'.

@ghost, sadly the pegs look (and feel) to be extruded plastic or that... almost like a plastic rivit, so I can't screw it back, the actual plastic of it snapped.

@organic, I've thought of using a paperclip (or as I said crazy gluing) the heat sink back on. but it was on there Pretty darn tight, and I fear that if I try using a paperclip or that, it wouldn't be 'tight' enough or if it was it would just cause more dammage then solve.



As a whole, I honestly dont know what the problem is. I'm assuming rapid overheating, since the video card 'shuts down' after a few minutes (or seconds) of being on. I'm not TOO tech savvy so I always feel so horribly lost when things go wrong.

and thank you for the welcome, and all the aid.

 

[patonb]

Yha, its very likely its overheating.

I had one go in 5mins due to dust.

You could try hot glue instead or use a rubber band to squish it back tight.