"Video driver has stopped working" error

[spdfreak]

I've been getting this message infrequently but increasingly often- maybe once a week now. Not gaming, just desktop stuff. The card is an ASUS 6850 and for years it has been solid. So, I'm wondering if it is more likely to be drivers or hardware. It always recovers on it's own, but today, the monitors went blank and then tried to display but only got some blocks of the desktop on the screen. Temps were 55C and the fan was at 27% after I restarted. I set the fan to run at 60% and temps are now 47. Anyone have any experience with this problem?

 

[sam_816]

I am having exactly same problem. I am playing borderlands 2 and this happens at least once every session. The game hangs then screen goes black and then a message " drivers became unresponsive and have recovered something something.."

It started last week. I had previous version of the drivers and windows recommended that I should update them so I did. Clean Install.. But the problem is still there. I will remove sweetfx tomorrow and see if that helps.

 

[PliotronX]

I think the GPU or VRAM is defective. I just tore my hair out diagnosing a brand new Alienware 17 with a 980m and ended up just sending it for repairs to Dell. The BSoDs started out at just 3D acceleration like Google Earth and games. Then after the "AlienRespawn" (i.e. Windows 8 reset), the BSoDs got to the point of doing it around Windows anything. I was kind of ornery when the Dell tech remoted on and tried everything I already had done and it was BSoD so I had to re-establish the remote session half a dozen times.

Prognosis, strong feeling the hardware is bad. Use DDU and install an older driver, perhaps one release after your model of card hit the market. Uninstall all antivirus (after system restore point?). Then if there are still problems and it's not under warranty, time for a new GPU.