Display errors when using Aero.

I have a custom built computer.
Window 7 Home Premium
Intel Motherboard DX58SO
Intel i7 CPU
4GB DDR3 RAM
XFX NVIDIA GeForce GT 220 graphics card
Power supply 650w
When I first put this all together I installed Windows 7 on top of Windows XP. From then on I had two major problems. One was no restore points being made unless I did them manually and they were all deleting after I logged off. The other was a display error while using Aero and my Pinnacle editing programme. The whole screen would after about a minute after logging on flash and chequer board. VERY bad. Also the display driver would stop and then restart. The only way I could stop this was to switch from Aero to a ‘Basic and High Contrast Theme’.
I tried to install the latest drivers and update the BIOS but still no good.

NOW I have reinstalled Windows 7 again but this time on a clean formatted C drive.
Restore points all ok...... BUT STILL GET THIS PROBLEM WITH THE DISPLAY DRIVER STOPPING AND STARTING AND THE CHEQUER BOARD FLASHING ALL OVER GIVING ME HEADACHS.
I installed again the driver that came with the card but have not tried the latest driver this time having just reinstalled Windows 7 clean.
Have any of you out there heard of this problem or know how to fix it please?

Strange hardware choices - no triple channel RAM, and a weak GPU, but install the latest drivers after running Driver Sweeper. Use the guide in my sig.

I have tried what you have suggested but still I have the same problem. I am thinking of changing my Graphic Card to a ‘ GeForce GTS 250’.
Do you think this will be any better and cure my problem?

PaulPaul said:

I have tried what you have suggested but still I have the same problem. I am thinking of changing my Graphic Card to a ‘ GeForce GTS 250’.
Do you think this will be any better and cure my problem?

If you play games, I'd recommend a 4890.

PaulPaul said:

. BUT STILL GET THIS PROBLEM WITH THE DISPLAY DRIVER STOPPING AND STARTING AND THE CHEQUER BOARD FLASHING ALL OVER GIVING ME HEADACHS.
I installed again the driver that came with the card but have not tried the latest driver this time having just reinstalled Windows 7 clean.
Have any of you out there heard of this problem or know how to fix it please?

Yes, it's pretty common. Give this a read:

"Display driver xxxxx stopped responding and was recovered"

Timeout Detection & Recovery (TDR) = "Display Driver Stopped Responding and has Recovered" is a useful feature that started in Vista and is also in W7 that allows the OS to try and recover from a video timeout so that the system does not crash to a bluescreen. Symptoms included a screen flash with the TDR message appearing one or more times or the screen blinking out to black. If the system cannot recover it will crash. The issue is that the video card is not responding as expected. The solution is: why?

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to TDR errors. But the problem is usually found in the local environment (your computer). Finding the cause is a matter of checking every possible cause and uncovering the culprit through a simple process of elimination. By methodically running down a checklist of diagnostic procedures you should be able to find the cause and can correct it.

There are numerous reports of hardware solutions to TDR's. The most common are:

• Poor Cooling
• Problems with the power supply
• Overclocking Issues
• Bad System memory or incorrect memory timings
• Defective PC Components

The order you do the diagnostics is not all that important. My personal strategy is to do the cheap & easy stuff first, the cheap & harder stuff next, and then the stuff that costs last. But whatever order you do it in you need to check or confirm the following:

SOFTWARE
Poorly written software and games will cause TDRs. But if this were the case it would affect lots of people, not just a few.
You could also be asking too much of your video card. Check to see if your video card is tested and recommended for the game/program.
Check the game's website & forums for patches and tips.
See if other people in the forums are having the same problem and if they were able to solve it and how.

WHAT ACTIONS CAUSE THE PROBLEM
It helps if you can isolate the actions that trigger the TDR. Most often it will be an application using 3D graphics. But if the incidents occur constantly it would point more towards defective hardware. If it happens more specifically (just when running Game X) it points towards overheating, settings, software, or driver issues.

GENERAL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
You need to eliminate the possibility that your computer has a global problem. You can use a program like Prime95 to stress test your system. Free Software - GIMPS
You can run the "Stress Test" for a few hours or overnight. This will not tell you what the problem is, but it is helpful to uncover any issues your system has with instability and cooling.

OVERHEATING
Running a video intensive game for hours can generate some serious heat and overheating will cause errors. You can check your temps by looking at your BIOS readings or use a free program like Speedfan SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer .
A real easy test is to just pull the side panel(s) off your case and see if the problem goes away or gets better. If it does then the issue is definitely overheating. If you are overheating you need to look at installing some cooling upgrades. You want to look at ventilating the case (more or bigger fans), Upgrade your case to a larger gaming case (lots of fans, water-cooling), etc.
There are free utilities like BurninTest PassMark BurnInTest software - PC Reliability and Load Testing that you can use to test your system's cooling capability. Caution is recommended using these types of programs.

DRIVERS
Bad drivers happen and they can get corrupted. Completely uninstall all video software and the drivers. (Some people say to run a cleaner program from safe mode, some say this is unnecessary).
Let Windows 7 install it's own WDDM 1.1 driver. Check for the video problems using the generic Windows driver.
Install the latest drivers for your card. Or try older drivers. Always completely remove the old stuff every time you install or re-install drivers.
See This Tutorial: Installing and updating drivers in 7

POOR CONNECTIONS
Reseat video card and memory modules. Make sure the contacts are clean. Check all the electrical connections.

CHECK YOUR MOTHERBOARD VOLTAGES
In BIOS, check the listed voltages against the manufacturer recommended specs. Reset the voltages to factory defaults and see if the video problems disappear.

MEMORY
Memory errors can cause video problems. Run a program like Memtest for at least 3 passes to see if there are any memory errors. Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

OVERCLOCKING
Overclocking can be a trial and error process. The clocks you set or change for CPU, Memory, or GPU could be unstable. Eliminate this as a possibility by resetting the clocks to their defaults to see if that clears the video problems.

BIOS
Check for and install an updated BIOS, particularly if it says the newer BIOS corrects memory errors or bug fixes. You could also try loading the BIOS defaults.
While you are there, check the motherboard manufacturers forums to see if others are having issues with the same board.

POWER SUPPLY
You need to know that your power supply is delivering sufficient power. Power supply problems are the most common cause of video problems using high end cards.
Check the power supply's amperage ratings. Be sure it has the ample amperage for your card and the rest of the system.
Test the supply with multimeter to measure for a steady 12v to the card's power connectors. (The only true way to test a power supply would be to use the very expensive diagnostic equipment used in labs). But for us regular folks: I tested my power supply by hooking up my multimeter to the PCI-E connectors that I was using to power my video card (I used a spare pair from the power supply to run the card while I was testing). I then observed the meter while I used the computer, first watching the voltage, then the amps, to see if there was any drop-off or erratic behavior while booting or using the computer. My readings were rock solid. So I declared my power supply good.
Otherwise you need to replace the supply to eliminate this possibility. Or borrow one from another computer.

VIDEO CARD
I suspect that a video card must perform flawlessly to operate in a Windows 7 environment and run the most recent games. If you tried all the above diagnostics and no problems were found then that leaves you with only one possibility: a defective video card. Some brands have the problem more consistently than others. You could check their forums for clues.
You could try your card in another computer running W7 to see if the problem goes along with the card.
You could try a different card in your computer. I bought an inexpensive card to use. My TDR's disappeared using a "lesser" card. Or borrow a card from another computer.
Otherwise RMA or replace the card.

TDR complaints have come from PC owners running virtually every PC configuration. They occur regardless of which video engine, manufacturer, driver, or system used. They are too numerous to write off as a random problem, but at the same time if people are getting their systems to run correctly using the same hardware and software that you are then it follows that your problem must be solvable.

More Info Here:
Timeout Detection and Recovery of GPUs through WDDM
NVIDIA Statement on TDR Errors - NVIDIA Forums