Display driver has stopped ....

[Sandi]

I have a Compaq Presario SR511onx.

The display driver is NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE

From time to time I get the error message that my display driver has stopped and recovered.

Microsoft kept searching for a "solution" and finally "found one".

I downloaded and installed the "solution" only to discover that the "stops and recovers happened more frequently so I rolled back to the "original" driver.

Aside from throwing the whole thing out and starting from scratch, how should I go about rectifying the problem?

Is it a motherboard problem? or a software problem? How will I tell the difference?

I realized to late that it might be a hardware problem so my warranty has expired.

I fear if I don't get this taken care of, I will soon see the day when I have nothing displayed on my screen at all.

I appreciate your help.

 

[Trotter]

Let me the first to tell you... HP's Compaq tech support site sucks, and the number scheme sucks just as bad. I put in "Presario SR511onx" and it says there are over 300 models listed for it... Sheesh!

Anyway, if you have a 6150 chipset, you should have a PCI-E x16 slot on your motherboard. It is hard to figure what the actual problem is without more information. What exactly does the error message say? Letting Microsoft fix anything is asking for trouble... trust me.

I can't link you to the proper drivers on HP's website because I don't know exactly which model your's is. I can, however, give you links to Nvidia's drivers for it. Here is the last release:
ForceWare Release 169
And here is the beta release (the drivers are the newest and work, but have not been released for mass distribution and may have some rough spots):
GeForce Release 174

For as low as $25 (for a 7100 GS) you can get a graphics card that will drop right into your computer and bypass the onboard graphics. I would recommend not going for anything less than a 8400 GS, though. Here's a MSI version for $36 with a $10 mail-in rebate:
Newegg.com - MSI NX8400GS-TD256EH GeForce 8400 GS 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

 

[philbar71]

try getting the drivers from the nvidia website

 

[Sandi]

Let me the first to tell you... HP's Compaq tech support site sucks, and the number scheme sucks just as bad. I put in "Presario SR511onx" and it says there are over 300 models listed for it... Sheesh!

Tell me about it!

Anyway, if you have a 6150 chipset, you should have a PCI-E x16 slot on your motherboard. It is hard to figure what the actual problem is without more information. What exactly does the error message say? Letting Microsoft fix anything is asking for trouble... trust me.

I can't remember the exact wording, however, it usually happens when I am not at the keyboard and I come back the screen is black. I move the mouse to bring it around and see the little triangle sitting in my system tray telling me the "display driver has stopped and recovered." duh!

I can't link you to the proper drivers on HP's website because I don't know exactly which model your's is. I can, however, give you links to Nvidia's drivers for it. Here is the last release:
ForceWare Release 169
And here is the beta release (the drivers are the newest and work, but have not been released for mass distribution and may have some rough spots):
GeForce Release 174

How can I find out which "model" it is?

For as low as $25 (for a 7100 GS) you can get a graphics card that will drop right into your computer and bypass the onboard graphics. I would recommend not going for anything less than a 8400 GS, though. Here's a MSI version for $36 with a $10 mail-in rebate:
Newegg.com - MSI NX8400GS-TD256EH GeForce 8400 GS 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

What is required to install it?

I'm sure you realize what a novice I am.

 

[philbar71]

installing a video card is easy you just have to take out the old one (whlie pc is off and you are grounded) and slide it in to the pci express slot and connect any nessary power cables to it then boot it up and install drivers and your done
if you need any more detailed instructions just ask

 

[Sandi]

installing a video card is easy you just have to take out the old one (whlie pc is off and you are grounded) and slide it in to the pci express slot and connect any nessary power cables to it then boot it up and install drivers and your done
if you need any more detailed instructions just ask

Thanks!
I appreciate the helpful people on this site.

I just don't always know how to explain my problems.

 

[Trotter]

As far as the graphics drivers, I would grab the 169 release. Either would work, but since you don't know how to handle some of the things a beta driver might do, such as crash, go for the stable version.

As for installation, here is a basic list. It sounds scary, but it's not. Some computers require you to "turn off" the onboard graphics, some do it themselves. I am figuring it will do it itself.

• To install a HFX card, you turn of the comp, and unplug it.
• Ground yourself by touching the metal of the case.
• Remove the side cover, remove the retaining screw and cover slot at the graphics slot (should be the top-most slot, a long one).
• Insert the GFX card into the slot, lining it up with the hole in the back of the case, put the retaining screw back in to secure the card.
• If the card requires an additional power hookup, plug it in now.
• Close the case back up and plug the computer back in.
• Since the GFX card I listed is an Nvidia card, there won't be any graphics driver conflicts, so no worries about that.
• Hook the monitor cable to the GFX card and fire up the computer.
• Download and install the latest drivers from Nvidia.

 

[Sandi]

As far as the graphics drivers, I would grab the 169 release. Either would work, but since you don't know how to handle some of the things a beta driver might do, such as crash, go for the stable version.

As for installation, here is a basic list. It sounds scary, but it's not. Some computers require you to "turn off" the onboard graphics, some do it themselves. I am figuring it will do it itself.

• To install a HFX card, you turn of the comp, and unplug it.
• Ground yourself by touching the metal of the case.
• Remove the side cover, remove the retaining screw and cover slot at the graphics slot (should be the top-most slot, a long one).
• Insert the GFX card into the slot, lining it up with the hole in the back of the case, put the retaining screw back in to secure the card.
• If the card requires an additional power hookup, plug it in now.
• Close the case back up and plug the computer back in.
• Since the GFX card I listed is an Nvidia card, there won't be any graphics driver conflicts, so no worries about that.
• Hook the monitor cable to the GFX card and fire up the computer.
• Download and install the latest drivers from Nvidia.

I think I forgot to tell you I'm running VISTA.

The 169 says it's for XP.

 

[Trotter]

No problem. I am assuming it is 32-bit. Looks like the 174.74 would be the driver for it:
GeForce Release 174

 

[Sandi]

Trotter,

I went to the site you gave me for this:

For as low as $25 (for a 7100 GS) you can get a graphics card that will drop right into your computer and bypass the onboard graphics. I would recommend not going for anything less than a 8400 GS, though. Here's a MSI version for $36 with a $10 mail-in rebate:
Newegg.com - MSI NX8400GS-TD256EH GeForce 8400 GS 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Then I realized it is for a 64-bit and I have a 32-bit.
I don't understand what those numbers mean or how they apply to my computer.
Can I install a 64-bit card in a 32-bit system?