Problems with video card/driver

[3 Justin 3]

So my computer keeps crashing or starts to crash (before I turn everything off and it calms down) and it seems to be the driver's fault. When it crashes, sometimes it recovers and a notice will pop up saying "Driver has crashed and recovered", but sometimes it does this and it blue screens. Sometimes (most times) it won't give me this message and will just blue screen.

The blue screen says "we went to this screen to protect data on the computer" or what ever, essentially says that it blue screened to prevent any further damage.

It has done this quite a lot, and when it crashes it's because the memory is being maxed it seems (looking at the widget on the homescreen anyway, it shows like 95+% usage).

Now this happens when I load multiple youtube videos, sometimes when I just open up one after I have started from sleep mode, etc.

I have updated the driver multiple times, downloaded the new Catalyst Center thing.


Specs: 4GB of RAM, and video card is a 6970m I believe.

Since I have downloaded and installed multiple drivers all of which have failed, do you think there is something wrong with my video card? It isn't overheating (I've checked), and I can still play Battlefield Bad Company 2 on maxed settings without any problems.

All the crashes are when the computer's memory is maxed. Does that mean I need more RAM then? The card itself has 2GB. Do I just need more to run the card properly or should I phone Dell and tell them to replace my video card?

Thanks for the help.

[Hack&Lube]

"Driver crashed and recovered" is the videocard overheating or being unstable at the stock clocks. It has nothing to do with the ram or driver.

Do you monitor the videocard temperatures? Try raising the back of the laptop or use a laptop cooler.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

"Driver crashed and recovered" is the videocard overheating or being unstable at the stock clocks. It has nothing to do with the ram or driver.

Do you monitor the videocard temperatures? Try raising the back of the laptop or use a laptop cooler.

I monitor the temp. when it crashes and the read outs seem fine (I downloaded a program to tell me the temp.) and I touch it by hand and it doesn't seem too bad.

Anything I can do besides buying a laptop cooler?

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

I monitor the temp. when it crashes and the read outs seem fine (I downloaded a program to tell me the temp.) and I touch it by hand and it doesn't seem too bad.

Anything I can do besides buying a laptop cooler?

Well first you need to isolate the problem. When the driver recovers, it's because VPU recovery is trying to save your computer from hard locking due to hardware failure so it reboots the driver.

I would try to raise the back of the laptop so it gets cool air (I'm not sure where the intakes are on your alienware model). Second, I would reduce the core and memory clocks of the videocard to see if it stops the problem from happening. If those solutions work, then it's overheating or unstable clocks and therefore the card simply won't work at the speeds that it was set to work at from the factory and I would contact Dell for a replacement.

I have read some reports of the 6970M having hardware problems however and hence why that series was quickly ended in production and replaced with the 6990M.