System Restore my shit, NOW!

[CofyCrakCocaine]

I'll pose this old question to you good folks.

My computer's been acting funky lately. Specifically ever since I "upgraded" my Nvidia Geforce GTX 7800 graphics driver to the latest version (94.something). The screen randomly goes black, you hear the clicking off of power, then the computer restarts... and I get the old "Windows has recovered from a serious error". I finally decided it's related to this upgraded video card. So I used System Restore after backing everything up... and voila! Worked.

Then I got stupid. I said 'SAY! I want to uninstall this program, but since I restored back to before I installed it, I still have this huge file but no uninstall capacity! I shouldn't delete it cold turkey!!!' So I hop on back to System Restore, and decided to create a restore point so I can jump back to where I am.

So I try to restore...it fails. I try again...it succeeds...back into ol' shitheap status. I find the program, I uninstall it. Then I try to quantum leap one more time... but Scott Bakula I am not, or so it would seem. "System Restore incompleted" or some such message flares on my screen once I finally get back onto Windows. Rinse, spit, repeat. Same result. I try every checkpoint I can find. Nada.

So. Fellas. Let me guess... uninstalling that one program has forever fucked every other restore checkpoint that currently exists? Meaning I cannot use system restore any more to get out of this particularly fucked state my computer is in?

I'm already banging my head against the wall.

[fohat]

So. Fellas. Let me guess... uninstalling that one program has forever fucked every other restore checkpoint that currently exists? Meaning I cannot use system restore any more to get out of this particularly fucked state my computer is in?

I'm already banging my head against the wall.

Maybe a corrupt system file, Have you tried (i think it is called) Dr. Watson?

If worse comes to worse you can try reinstalling windows just over the existing windows installation, don't choose any option for formatting.

[PapaBear]

mistake. move on

[JPMNICK]

I'll pose this old question to you good folks.

My computer's been acting funky lately. Specifically ever since I "upgraded" my Nvidia Geforce GTX 7800 graphics driver to the latest version (94.something). The screen randomly goes black, you hear the clicking off of power, then the computer restarts... and I get the old "Windows has recovered from a serious error". I finally decided it's related to this upgraded video card. So I used System Restore after backing everything up... and voila! Worked.

Then I got stupid. I said 'SAY! I want to uninstall this program, but since I restored back to before I installed it, I still have this huge file but no uninstall capacity! I shouldn't delete it cold turkey!!!' So I hop on back to System Restore, and decided to create a restore point so I can jump back to where I am.

So I try to restore...it fails. I try again...it succeeds...back into ol' shitheap status. I find the program, I uninstall it. Then I try to quantum leap one more time... but Scott Bakula I am not, or so it would seem. "System Restore incompleted" or some such message flares on my screen once I finally get back onto Windows. Rinse, spit, repeat. Same result. I try every checkpoint I can find. Nada.

So. Fellas. Let me guess... uninstalling that one program has forever fucked every other restore checkpoint that currently exists? Meaning I cannot use system restore any more to get out of this particularly fucked state my computer is in?

I'm already banging my head against the wall.

i think you have fucked your restore points. i have done that before as well. remember system restore is basically a registry cleaner that helps you to remove bad driver updates. it is not really supposed to be used to delete programs.

[topless_mike]

dump the drive and start fresh.
i pray to god you're not using windows victim, um vista.

[empulse]

If a symptom is the Computer restarting, as in shuts down, or just flat out reboots on its own... I would start with your power supply. Often times that is the cause. I have been through this probably 10x. I install something and then this starts happening, and I would kill myself trying to restore it, or remove software. But a techy friend of mine focused on the rebooting, and said sounds like a bad power supply. Now I made a mistake when i replaced it, i wanted to be a tight wad. so i spent 30$ on a 300watt or 350watt power supply.
A few months later it happened again, exact same way with the rebooting. Come to find out newer PCs require NO LESS than 400 watts to operate correctly.

What triggered this -- this is just me thinking as i type -- When a new version of software comes out for a video card, sometimes they up the clock freq or the cpu speed on the card. This requires higher voltages to be supplied to the card. This puts a larger draw on the computers power supply, and one thats on its last legs -- it may be the straw that breaks the camels back.

Also system restore is almost completely useless. It does not remove drivers and re-install previous. I am not sure what it does, but it almost never helps.


I bought a 600 watt MadDog Power Supply, stainless steel, multiple connectors, nicely wrapped / shielded wires and plenty of fans on the power supply itself. I have had ZERO problems since this.

[CofyCrakCocaine]

My computer's a beast. I specifically designed it to last for at least four years without the need for any hardware upgrades. I also bought it in August 2005, so it's not even two years old yet.

I think it's just a bad update made by Nvidia. The power supply is an interesting idea. Do you mean power supply as in specifically the core of whatever it is that powers the computer itself? Because whenever this problem occurs, none of the lights I have on that aren't attached to the computer flicker on or off... just the computer itself.

It happens at random intervals...in the middle of games... or just opening a new webpage. Perhaps the computer simply is over-heating and it's an emergency "shut-down or melt-down" defense mechanism built into the machine itself. The room I keep it in is pretty damned hot in the summer.

Incidentally it happened again. If it's a power supply issue, what do you suppose I could do to further identify if it's a power supply problem, and what can I actually do about said power supply? Do I replace it, and if so, with what?

Incidentally, this computer is a desktop tower, not a Laptop. So this isn't a battery problem.

Maybe I just need to open up the chassis and dust it off. I'm sure this computer's insides are filthy by now. (And what's an effective means of dusting the interior of a computer/why should it be dusted/how often periodically should dusting occur?)

[CofyCrakCocaine]

bumpy mcbumperson

[patsopinion]

just delete windows

[CofyCrakCocaine]

just delete windows

If only...

[MadMatt]

Start > Run > CMD > Format C:

j/k

I am afraid your restore points are fraked at this point - Sorry.

Sombody mentioned a Windows Repair, which may help you get back to the state of your first (successful) attempt at restore, as long as you have uninstalled the problem soft/hardware.

You won't loose any data or programs, but you will have to do a butt-load of Windows updates.

And this isn't the "first" Repair option that is given when you pop in the OS disk - that one is command based and is a bear to work with. Say you want to install windows, let it load the setup files, hit F8 to accept the EULA, THEN one of the options should be to Repair the Current Version of Windows. If you ONLY get the option to reformat/install a new version of Windows, STOP IMMEDIATELY. That will wipe out everything. Exit the setup. The repair will restore the system files to an essentially "like new" state. Many times this restores system stability; sometimes it doesn't.

You may already know this process, but thought I would try to help. :bye:

[furie]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y178/furie1335/pics/logo_apple.jpg

[CofyCrakCocaine]

Thanks to all for the suggestions and help. It's not a Windows thing it's a Nvidia thing, if it is anything. It would also be the power supply. I have a decent version of windows, XP Pro (i liked 98 better but beats the ass off Vista right now).

For no reason at all I'd also like to state that the chick at the ridgewood starbucks who's working the register right as I post this message? Hawt.

[topless_mike]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y178/furie1335/pics/logo_apple.jpg

while apple has none of the problems that windows has, apple also has none of the programs that most of the world uses.

you could always run xp via an emulator to be able to run most apps and games, but its more trouble than its worth.

[furie]

you don't need an emulator to run windows on a mac anymore.

[scottinnj]

Yep, your restore points are gone. delete the Nvidia file, then reboot with an XP cd in the drive and reinstall windows.
Nvidia programs are weird for Windows. I usually just copy the drivers off the Nvidia program CD and let Windows control the video card without having the Nvidia program running. The blackouts you have is because Windows is trying to control the video card at the same time the Nvidia program is. When one takes the control of the card from the other is when the black screen occurs.