Did windows xp just die on me?

[DemiAjax]

So i'm overclocking my new e6300 rig, and i'm tinkering with various timings and start getting getting a user32.dll error on startup. I google it, see it isn't supposedly overclocking related, and try to get a solid orthos result before trying to deal with OS issues. Now I'm trying to boot my computer on stock settings, it gets to the windows loading screen, supposedly goes through, and instead of a user selection screen I get a "no signal" message from my monitor. Did my windows just crap out on me? What do I do?
Thanks

Edit: So I switch the input from DVI to VGA once I get the "no signal" message and my desktop appears! So... how do I fix this permanently? haha.

 

[bruceb]

It sounds like either your Video Driver is corrupted ... try an update to the latest version
Or perhaps the DVI cable went bad

 

[DemiAjax]

Thanks bruce, I'm thinking it's the Video Driver. Very annoying

Update: I had the latest driver already. Uninstalled it. Monitor booted up, but at weird resolution (said 1600x1050 but it clearly wasn't because there was extra resolution on my 20 inch WS), redownloaded/installed newest drivers, issue reoccurs, still no signal after windows load.
Wtfm8.

Maybe I should move this to the video forum now?

 

[nweaver]

overclocking does strange things. I don't get it....in the old days, when you could hop a celeron up from 333 to 550 or something like that, then I could see it. Now, you risk all sorts of issues, for what, 2-5% gain?

 

[Boyo]

You might have a virus. Check your virus scanner to see if that file got infected.

 

[Markbnj]

Originally posted by: nweaver
overclocking does strange things. I don't get it....in the old days, when you could hop a celeron up from 333 to 550 or something like that, then I could see it. Now, you risk all sorts of issues, for what, 2-5% gain?

QFT. I stopped messing with it after fooling around with my 2.2 ghz X2 and ultimately getting it to 2.5 or so. Woohoo! There was no detectable performance difference, at all, in anything I was doing. Add in the fact that overclocking-induced errors can affect just about anything, anywhere in the system from RAM, to peripheral bus, to mass storage, and do so in ways that might only become evident by percolating up through four or five layers of software to emerge as utterly incomprehensible errors in applications or system software, and you have to wonder what the point is?

For real optimizers, the folks who get an extra half ghz or more with water cooling and special componentry, tweaking the PC is the whole point. They get spectacular results sometimes, and understand the risks. For the average joe like me, bumping it up 200-300 mhz? Not worth it.

 

[nerp]

I overclocked my 2.2ghz opteron to 3ghz. The difference is QUITE noticable and moreso with games. Keep in mind I'm using a really great cooler, high performance memory and stock voltages. I draw the line at raising voltages.

Other chips don't offer as much a boost or are as easy to overclock as the opterons of old, though, so overclocking for normal day to day use can be pretty stupid. Doing it for the sake of doing it isn't advisable. And posters here are correct -- very few people will notice any difference with an overclocked chip in the overall computing experience.

 

[Skeeedunt]

Originally posted by: Markbnj

Originally posted by: nweaver
overclocking does strange things. I don't get it....in the old days, when you could hop a celeron up from 333 to 550 or something like that, then I could see it. Now, you risk all sorts of issues, for what, 2-5% gain?

QFT. I stopped messing with it after fooling around with my 2.2 ghz X2 and ultimately getting it to 2.5 or so. Woohoo! There was no detectable performance difference, at all, in anything I was doing. Add in the fact that overclocking-induced errors can affect just about anything, anywhere in the system from RAM, to peripheral bus, to mass storage, and do so in ways that might only become evident by percolating up through four or five layers of software to emerge as utterly incomprehensible errors in applications or system software, and you have to wonder what the point is?

For real optimizers, the folks who get an extra half ghz or more with water cooling and special componentry, tweaking the PC is the whole point. They get spectacular results sometimes, and understand the risks. For the average joe like me, bumping it up 200-300 mhz? Not worth it.

It's not uncommon to get a 2.13 GHz C2D up to 3.2 GHz without breaking a sweat. Throw on an aftermarket fan, grab some DDR2-800, and you're golden most of the time.

If you want to claim that 2.13 GHz is more than sufficient for 99% of users, that's fine, or that current graphic card bottlenecks result in very diminishing returns in games as processor power scales, that's fine... but the C2D's are great overclockers, maybe better than the ancient celeries.

 

[Markbnj]

Originally posted by: Skeeedunt

Originally posted by: Markbnj

Originally posted by: nweaver
overclocking does strange things. I don't get it....in the old days, when you could hop a celeron up from 333 to 550 or something like that, then I could see it. Now, you risk all sorts of issues, for what, 2-5% gain?

QFT. I stopped messing with it after fooling around with my 2.2 ghz X2 and ultimately getting it to 2.5 or so. Woohoo! There was no detectable performance difference, at all, in anything I was doing. Add in the fact that overclocking-induced errors can affect just about anything, anywhere in the system from RAM, to peripheral bus, to mass storage, and do so in ways that might only become evident by percolating up through four or five layers of software to emerge as utterly incomprehensible errors in applications or system software, and you have to wonder what the point is?

For real optimizers, the folks who get an extra half ghz or more with water cooling and special componentry, tweaking the PC is the whole point. They get spectacular results sometimes, and understand the risks. For the average joe like me, bumping it up 200-300 mhz? Not worth it.

It's not uncommon to get a 2.13 GHz C2D up to 3.2 GHz without breaking a sweat. Throw on an aftermarket fan, grab some DDR2-800, and you're golden most of the time.

If you want to claim that 2.13 GHz is more than sufficient for 99% of users, that's fine, or that current graphic card bottlenecks result in very diminishing returns in games as processor power scales, that's fine... but the C2D's are great overclockers, maybe better than the ancient celeries.

That's definitely a significant increase, but I still wouldn't recommend that most people mess with it.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: DemiAjax
Thanks bruce, I'm thinking it's the Video Driver. Very annoying

Update: I had the latest driver already. Uninstalled it. Monitor booted up, but at weird resolution (said 1600x1050 but it clearly wasn't because there was extra resolution on my 20 inch WS), redownloaded/installed newest drivers, issue reoccurs, still no signal after windows load.
Wtfm8.

Maybe I should move this to the video forum now?

Just want to put my $.02 in for the overclocking can do strange things wagon. How experienced are you in overclocking? Don't forget to lock your pci busses or you can get data corruption. I've found that messing with memory timings seems to increase the chances of borking a Windows install more than anything. I'd advise care in messing with them.