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#11
Hi and thank you all for the help.
Now I think theres a hardware error.
I just tested to make a clean install of Windows XP 32 bit and downloaded the supported driver from Dell (R205204)
This should totally be working but its not:
This must be some kind of hardware related problem with the graphic card. Something like it's getting overheated because the load is harder when you installed the right drivers.
I removed all the dust from the fan and the heatsink for the heatpipe so cooling should be good enough.
HI vovven, This all points to a faulty GFX card , You could try the "baking" method see if you can fix it that way ,Many of the Nvidia 7 and 8 series mobile GFX cards were produced using a "cheap" solder that caused micro fissures to appear in the tracks ,hence the cards would malfunction ,They can be professionally "reflowed" but at a high cost
I doubt that this laptop has a discrete graphics card. Do you propose baking the whole laptop? Or removing the motherboard and baking that?
I suppose that the Vostro is off warranty. If I was trying to revive it, I'd probably get a replacement motherboard for it from one of the eBay storefronts: looks like it'd be $100-$150US. I have no idea whether that approach is useful to non-US residents.
Hi vovven, Sorry it was my mistake I thought yours was an add in card ,not directly soldered on mobo I think your best option is to look through Ebay for a replacement board
Hi all,
So i did the solution with the heat gun and it worked (i don't know for how long it will work)
Here is the solution:
I removed the fan and the heat pipe, I also removed the memory because it's close to the GPU:
I used aluminum foil to protect other parts from heat and cut out a square for the GPU:
Then i heated it up quite well with the heat gun:
Then i let it cool down for 30 min and the putt all the parts together and booted it up.
Now it is working! Running Win 7 x64 and the latest drivers from Nvidia
Lets just hope it stays this way
Well done vovven, If it's successfully reflowed it should last , My XPS 1710 suffered the same problem a couple of years or so ago ,So I baked the card and its still going strong
One thing I would advise is running a fan control software to make the fans work harder I personnaly use I8kfanGui Dell Inspiron Inspiron/Latitude/Precision fan control but if you do a search for free fan controllers you will find something to your tastes :)
I would have guessed that it would be a crazy thing to try.
It doesn't absolutely prove that you fixed a broken solder connection, but if it works...
Thanks for posting back.