Vista crash in Latitude D630

I haven't really posted in this forum since about a year ago, when I bought my D630 (with the NVS quadro 135m graphics card).

It's been great. Until now.

This is what happens. My screen will turn multicolored, and I have to reboot it with the power key. It looks like snow on a staticy TV, only multicolored?

It happened once. Then a day later. Then about every 20 minutes into turning on the laptop. Now it won't even boot Vista; it gets as far as the shining Microsoft logo before it craps out. Screen turns black, and I have to reboot.

Has anyone else had this issue with a Dell?

 

I had a D630 with an nvs135 card and it worked fine.
It sounds like it's your video card going bonkers.
Is it still under warranty?

 

Hell yeah. I have their "gold technical support," but they've been telling me to re-install vista.

They're saying its a vista issue because it runs under safe mode, but not under not-so-safe mode. I say that's BS because under safe mode, the video card isn't used... you try arguing with an A+ certified dell tech.

I figured it would be easier to just do what they say and reinstall vista. Still, if it is a video card issue, I'd like to know if anyone else is having this issue with an NVS quadro 135/140

 

Press F8 at bootup, choose the repair tool from the menu, and do a systerm restore. Alternatively, you can boot into safe mode and do a system restore.

Also... What video drivers are you using and where did they come from?

 

I did all the diagnostics like you said, nothing came up.

I'll only do a system restore if nothing else works. It's just too much of a pain in the ass to backup 70gbs.

I was using video drivers from the "laptopvideo2go" website. I highly doubt they're the issue, as I've been using the same driver for at least 10 months now with no issues (until now).

As an update, I tried this: In safe mode I went into the device manager and disabled my video card. Once disabled, Vista started in normal mode with no issue. So I'm downloading a new driver from the nvidia website.

My sense is the video card is fried, for whatever reason. I mean, everything works fine with the video card disabled. So the big issue now is to convince the dell support guy to send me a new video card without going through the circus of reinstalling vista.

 

I am seeing exactly the same behavior.

My Dell Latitude D630 is running XP Pro, SP3, also with an NVidia Quadro 135M. Periodically the screen flickers, then the system locks up. Sometimes the system reboots on its own. Sometimes a hard power cycle is needed.

I've updated to the latest driver and the latest system BIOS. No change. This began a day ago after no significant changes to the system. Dell tech support is being evasive with me too, and I'm extremely disappointed.

Any updates on the original issue?

 

On the D630, the video (whether discrete like yours, or integrated like mine) is soldered onto the motherboard. Dell may force you to send the machine to the depot to have a new mobo put in....

 

Those laptops (usually) have next-business day support. If the motherboard is too hard for a user to install on their own, following the directions, then Dell will send out a tech.

 

with gold support the tech will come to your home and do it usually

 

Ah, Gold support, forgot about that! I was a cheapskate and just got mail-in service!