I'm not sure the two problems are related, though I could be wrong. I'm
assuming the video card is PCI Express. Do you have a second slot? It could
be a bad slot, and moving it then running that way for a while would be one
way to check.

It is slightly possible that it is a failing power supply, or one that is
just enough underpowered that intense graphics work has an affect on it. The
only way to really test this, though, is to buy a new power supply. If
that's not it you have the expense of paying for a part you didn't need,
unless you have a friend who has a spare one you can test with. Of course,
having a spare power supply around never hurts either. I'd probably look at
this last if for no other reason than how much of a pain it is to
troubleshoot.

Have you checked for updated drivers on the video card? Or any defects on
the card or the drivers? You might try back-revving the drivers to see if
the problem goes away with an earlier version of them.

What it comes down to is it is either hardware or software related. I know
that sounds obvious, but it's easy to forget the rules. Eliminate everything
that it's NOT until you are only left with what it could be. I would start
with the software. Drivers first. If need be, start using the stock Windows
VGA drivers for a while and see if you can reproduce it (ugh this is a pain,
but easier than replacing the power supply). If that ain't it then start the
hardware troubleshooting process. See if just having the system sit for a
while will reproduce it. Then start taking things away. Sound card, CD/DVD
drives, any peripherals, etc. If all that goes away and you're still having
the problem, swap the video card to a different slot if possible. If not,
try to find another card to substitute with and see if it still happens. If
so, then you may need to try the power supply next.

Hope this helps. I know others will have additional
suggestions/possibilities.

Cheers!
Kyle Elmblade
[log in to unmask]

On Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 2:37 PM, Chuck Finnigan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I'm having problems with this setup. Every so often (eg, I was working in
> Publisher today) the graphics would just go out and I'd have to reset the
> computer each time. Another problem is Windows Media Player keeps reverting
> to error messages and closing.
>
> Here's my system:
> XP_SP3
> Windows One care, everything up to date
> Asus P5Q-PRO MB / BIOS v.1104 (7/31/2008)
> Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3GHz Rev. EO
> 2MB Kingston DDR2 800 / PC2-6400 (2 SLOTS)
>   DRAM frequency 400.8 MHz
>   Timings:  5-5-5-18 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)
> Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT (driver v. 6.14.11.7813)
>
> Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
> Chuck Finnigan
> [log in to unmask]
>
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