Solved Monitor standby/shutdown during most games

[amswickard]

After buying BF3 my computer was going into monitor standby followed by a computer shutdown anywhere from a minute to 10 minutes into gameplay. Upgraded my video card to a 6870 and it continued to do so until I was shown that my pitiful 450w PSU couldn't handle the new card and I got a 600w. Problem went away for Battlefield 3 and have been playing at ultra settings ever since with zero problem.

Flash to getting Skyrim, same problem occurring. Lowered settings from Ultra to about half high half medium with no AA. That seemed to work. (though something seems wrong with being able to play BF3 at ultra yet it can't handle Skyrim at high?) Recently upgraded my motherboard/ram/and CPU considerably. This problem is now reoccurring with Skyrim and even did it once with Lost Planet 2. Still nothing on BF3 however. Recently I loaded up Red Alert 3, and have the same problem.

I'm at a loss as to what could possibly be causing this outside of a bad PSU or video card, but that doesn't explain why BF3 is still working perfectly.


-Windows 7 Home Edition 64 bit
-ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
-i5-2400
-8 Gigs DDR3
-ModxStream Pro 600w
-Radeon HD 6870

I managed to get a recovery error report on the last shutdown, however, and thought it time to get help since this is obviously over my head.

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 117
BCP1: FFFFFA800A659010
BCP2: FFFFF880015E767C
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: 0000000000000000
OS Version: 6_1_7601
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 768_1

 

[amswickard]

I'm bumping this, on page 3 already.

 

[writhziden]

Your crash is similar to 0x116 and the steps to resolve it are identical.

• These are all stop 0x116 VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE conditions.
  
  It's not a true crash, in the sense that the bluescreen was initiated only because the combination of video driver and video hardware was being unresponsive, and not because of any synchronous processing exception.
  
  Since Vista, the "Timeout Detection and Recovery" (TDR) components of the OS video subsystem have been capable of doing some truly impressive things to try to recover from issues which would have caused earlier OSs like XP to crash. As a last resort, the TDR subsystem sends the video driver a "please restart yourself now!" command and waits a few seconds. If there's no response, the OS concludes that the video driver/hardware combo has truly collapsed in a heap, and it fires off that stop 0x116 BSOD.
  
  If playing with video driver versions hasn't helped, make sure the box is not overheating. Try removing a side panel and aiming a big mains fan straight at the motherboard and GPU. Run it like that for a few hours or days - long enough to ascertain whether cooler temperatures make a difference. If so, it might be as simple as dust buildup and subsequently inadequate cooling.

  
  The above quote was taken from http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/25912-bsod.html#post280172, which is linked to in usasma's thread about this error. Closely follow the first three posts of usasma's thread outlining http://www.sevenforums.com/crash-lo...op-0x116-video_tdr_error-troubleshooting.html and proceed through each step. Let us know if you need further help.

 

[amswickard]

While running Furmark I noticed the temperature raise quickly to above 90c. I shut the program down within a minute when it hit 93c. Took the card apart, cleaned and reapplied thermal paste with little to show for it. Looks like it's time for a new card?

 

[writhziden]

AMD cards tend to run hot in some systems. As long as it does not get above 95 C, it should be safe. They're rated up to 105 or 120 C according to some sources.

• Max Temp For Hd 6870 - Guru3D.com Forums says 105 C
  
  
• [Solved] Max temp for a radeon 6870 - ATI - Graphic-Displays says 120 C.

I have found no support from AMD themselves supporting the above temperatures, but I do have an ATI Radeon HD 4850 in my desktop that runs in the 90-95 C range.

 

[amswickard]

Went through all steps, no errors found. Let Battlefield 3 run for over an hour with no problem. Temperatures in the GPU and CPU stayed good. Red Alert 3 gave me the same BSOD as always within 15 minutes, Skyrim did the same.

 

[writhziden]

What were the temperatures during crash, or do you know?

If the temperatures were good, proceed with the other steps in the link for STOP 0x116.

 

[amswickard]

GPU temperatures during BF3 were around 75C, CPU around 41C. During RA3 just before crash the GPU was at 69C and the CPU at 37C.

I've been through all steps; Furmark through the System File Checker. No errors and nothing that caused a shutdown. This solution is not coming easy I'm afraid.

 

[writhziden]

When you swapped drivers for the graphics card, did you use these steps:

1. Download the drivers for your display card(s)
2. Click Start Menu
3. Click Control Panel
4. Click Uninstall a program
5. For AMD:
   • Uninstall AMD Catalyst Install Manager if it is listed (this should remove all AMD graphics software and drivers)
   • If AMD Catalyst Install Manager is not listed, use the following method to uninstall the graphics drivers:
     1. Download the drivers for your display card(s)
     2. Click Start Menu
     3. Right Click My Computer/Computer
     4. Click Manage
     5. Click Device Manager from the list on the left
     6. Expand Display adapters
     7. Do the following for each adapter (in case you have multiple display cards)
        • Right click the adapter
        • Click Uninstall (do not click OK in the dialog box that pops up after hitting Uninstall)
        • Put a tick in Delete driver software for this device (if this option is available, otherwise just hit OK) and hit OK
     8. Restart your computer after uninstalling drivers for all display cards
     9. Install the downloaded driver for the display cards once Windows starts
     
     Alternatively:
     1. Login as an adminstrative user
     2. Download the drivers for your display card(s)
     3. Click Start Menu
     4. Click Control Panel
     5. Click Hardware and Sound
     6. Click Device Manager (the last link under Devices and Printers)
     7. Expand Display adapters
     8. Do the following for each adapter (in case you have multiple display cards)
        • Right click the adapter
        • Click Uninstall (do not click OK in the dialog box that pops up after hitting Uninstall)
        • Put a tick in Delete driver software for this device (if this option is available, otherwise just hit OK) and hit OK
6. Restart your computer after uninstalling drivers for all display cards
7. Install the downloaded driver for the display cards once Windows starts

 

[amswickard]

yes, the only difference is that when I restart the computer Windows automatically finds and installs its own drivers for the card before I can install the downloaded one.

edit: just to be sure I uninstalled again and made sure to unplug the desktop from the internet so I could manually install. Same error.

 

[writhziden]

Sometimes, 0x116 results from an application or service conflict. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...ation-conflicts-performing-clean-startup.html

 

[amswickard]

still got the shutdown after trying those steps as well.

 

[writhziden]

Check your memory.

• Run the boot version of Memtest86+ paying close attention to Parts 2 and 3 of the tutorial. Also, in case Memtest86+ misses anything and comes up with no errors, run the extended version of the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool for at least five passes. These you may want to run overnight since they take a long time to complete (run them an hour before bed each of the next two nights and check before going to sleep that they are still running).
  
  If you swap any memory components, follow these steps for ESD safety:
  1. Shut down and turn off your computer.
  2. Unplug all power supplies to the computer (AC Power then battery for laptops, AC power for desktops)
  3. Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to close the circuit and ensure all power drains from components.
  4. Make sure you are grounded by using proper grounding techniques, i.e. work on an anti-static workbench, anti-static desk, or an anti-static pad. Hold something metallic while touching it to the anti-static surface, or use an anti-static wristband to attach to the anti-static material while working.
  Once these steps have been followed, it is safe to remove and replace components within your computer.

 

[amswickard]

I'm pretty sure it's not the memory since I've just changed out my motherboard/cpu/memory a couple weeks ago and I was getting the error well before that. I'll run the test anyway just to cover bases though.

 

[writhziden]

Are you using any of the old RAM? Just want to make sure there is no mixing and matching of RAM.

 

[amswickard]

No, I have two brand new 4 gig sticks of the same type.

 

[writhziden]

Alright, let us know how the Memtest86+ check goes. We'll try to proceed from there depending on the results.

 

[amswickard]

Looks like that's not it either, passed all tests successfully.

 

[writhziden]

That means there is a good chance the RAM is good, but it is not entirely ruled out as the culprit. Let's check for any driver conflicts.

• An underlying driver may be incompatible\conflicting with your system. Run Driver Verifier to find any issues. To run Driver Verifier, do the following:
  
  a. Backup your system and user files
  b. Create a system restore point
  c. If you do not have a Windows 7 DVD, Create a system repair disc
  d. In Windows 7:

  • Click the Start Menu
  • Type verifier in Search programs and files (do not hit enter)
  • Right click verifier and click Run as administrator
  • Put a tick in Create custom settings (for code developers) and click next
  • Put a tick in Select individual settings from a full list and click next
  • Set up the individual settings as in the image and click next
  • Put a tick in Select driver names from a list
  • Put a tick next to all non-Microsoft drivers.
  • Click Finish.
  • Restart your computer.

  
  If Windows cannot start in normal mode with driver verifier running, start in safe mode. If it cannot start in safe mode or normal mode, restore the system restore point using http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/700-system-restore.html OPTION TWO.
  
  Thanks to zigzag3143 for contributing to the Verifier steps.
  If you are unable to start Windows with all drivers being verified or if the blue screen crashes fail to create .dmp files, run them in groups of 5 or 10 until you find a group that causes blue screen crashes and stores the blue screen .dmp files.​
  The idea with Verifier is to cause the system to crash, so do the things you normally do that cause crashes. After you have a few crashes, upload the crash reports for us to take a look and try to find patterns.
  
  When you are ready to disable Verifier: Start Menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Right click Command Prompt -> Run as administrator -> Type the following command and then Enter:
  verifier /reset​
  -> Restart your computer.

Also, please upload your latest crash reports by following the http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html

 

[amswickard]

Finally starting to get results, 3 crash dumps.