Windows 7: Monitor flashing black

Ok so never had this problem before. Last weekend I hate to reinstall Windows 7 cause something went screwy in an update and I couldn't boot up. So installed it all, installed drivers, this and, got latest nvidia driver as I have a 9600GT. Ever sine then, my monitor has been randomly flashing black, for 1-3 seconds. Happens several dozen times a day and I haven't a clue why. It can't be a dieing monitor cause it didn't start happening till then, all the posts i'v seen that have any relevance to it ive checked and everything's fine.



Anyone have any bit a clue why it would be doing this for?

Welcome!

It certainly sounds like a driver issue, doesn't it?

If you already installed the latest drivers from nVidia's site, uninstall them. Go into Programs and Features and uninstall the program, and go into Device Manager and uninstall the drivers for your card there, too.

Then reboot, and let Windows take care of installing drivers for you.

I often tell people that the best drivers for my card were released last September. The ones that were released 2 weeks ago give me problems.

~JK

I generally recommend using drivers downloaded from the card maker's site and not NVIDIA - unless you know for a fact it uses NVIDIA vanilla drivers.

Also, don't assume "it can't be a dying monitor". It sure can be. Assuming the cables are securely fastened, swap monitors with another computer then see if the problem stays with the computer or moves with the monitor.

Have you changed your monitors resolution and or refresh rate?

I use nvidia cards so use nvidia drivers. In all my years, everytime i've tried using a manufactures drivers or read about them its always been crappy. And no, I always keep my monitor res native 1680x1050, and my refresh 61 since I use a DVI cord.

I installed an older version of nvidia drivers, and it worked for a few days, now its back to flashing again. Just what I didnt want or need.

And read about them? Where?

While I agree you should be able to use nvidia's own drivers, all the major card makers attempt to make their cards stand out among their competitor's cards using the same GPU. They do this by "tweaking" the code or using proprietary or unique devices on the board. If this were not true, then the specifications and features of these nine 9600GT cards made by six different makers would be identical. They are not.

This is the same for chipset drivers on motherboards, BTW. Therefore, to ensure you have the necessary drivers for the unique features of that brand and model, it is often (but not always) best to use, or at least try, the driver from the card's maker.