Member Avatar for danosirra

Hi all,

Severe HD failure meant that I have had to install Windows XP Pro from scratch.

I then installed the drivers from the HP site, and WXP kept crashing and when it came back, it reported problems with the ATI Radeon. I then used Driver Mgr to roll back to the Windows XP one, and am still getting occasional issues.

Does anyone know of a driver that I can use?? I'm desperate!!!

Thanks,

Dan.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by canertr

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Brief summary and a practical plan tailored to the symptoms described: repeated crashes after a fresh XP install and driver changes point to two likely causes — driver/installation corruption or an underlying hardware fault (GPU/VRAM, memory, or heat). 's idea of booting a different OS to test is useful; and were right that the vendor drivers matter; 's note shows third‑party drivers can sometimes mask the problem but may not cure a failing chip.

A short diagnostic workflow to follow now:

  1. Boot Safe Mode (F8) and see if the crashes stop. If stable, suspect driver/software.
  2. In Safe Mode remove all ATI-related software (Control Panel + Device Manager: uninstall display adapter and choose to remove driver files if offered). Reboot and test with the basic Microsoft display driver.
  3. If still unstable, boot from a clean external OS (live USB/CD) as @arifilipe suggested — if the display fails there too, hardware is likely.
  4. Run a memory test (memtest) and a disk surface check; intermittent memory or I/O errors can cause display driver crashes.
  5. Connect an external monitor: if the external image is clean while the laptop screen shows artifacts, suspect LCD/cable; if both show faults, suspect the GPU.

If the problem isolates to drivers: perform a clean driver install (uninstall in Safe Mode, reboot, then install a single well-tested driver package — prefer the vendor/OEM or a WHQL-signed driver). If the problem persists after clean installs and cross-OS testing, it is almost certainly hardware (thermal damage or VRAM failure) and worth a service/board-level repair or replacement.

Final notes: keep a copy of any working driver set and a recovery image for future use, and report exact GPU/chipset details if you want help picking a specific driver version.

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Member Avatar for arifilipe

Hello,

Actually, I'm writing from a laptop (Compaq Presario 920) with an ATI Mobility Radeon ... but from Debian GNU/Linux. XP also works fine.
You should try the installation media that came with the machine, as they should work completely.

Ari

Member Avatar for danosirra

Unfortunately, I do not have this as it's a second-hand laptop. Any pointers?

Dan.

Member Avatar for arifilipe

Perhaps you could give Linux a try, at least booting from CD the Knoppix distribution (http://www.knoppix.org) - no need to install!
Otherwise, try some 'googling' about card problems with XP.

Member Avatar for Catweazle

What make and model number is the laptop please? The manufacturer's website is the place to get the appropriate drivers.

Member Avatar for Thong_Ispector

The HP site will have everything you need. You should download and burn a copy of ALL drivers for your machine for future reference

I have ATI Radeon Mobility Drivers in my laptop too...

I Dual boot 98se, Xp and Linux-Mepis or Linux-Knoppix

FYI Both laptops are Dell C610's I like Mepis and the wife like Knoppix...
I just think she likes the cute little dragon in Knoppix...
Whatever keeps her happy keeps me happy...

Member Avatar for canertr

The HP site will have everything you need. You should download and burn a copy of ALL drivers for your machine for future reference

I have ATI Radeon Mobility Drivers in my laptop too...

I Dual boot 98se, Xp and Linux-Mepis or Linux-Knoppix

FYI Both laptops are Dell C610's I like Mepis and the wife like Knoppix...
I just think she likes the cute little dragon in Knoppix...
Whatever keeps her happy keeps me happy...

i have the same problem. i loaded omega 2.6.42 and currently i haven't encoured with problem. but i dont know if i will have this problem or not. you should try it. you can find it on www.guru3d.com. try and tell me the result.

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