Screen Loads Sideways - video card issue?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BG
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B

BG

Have had a prolonged problem (sorry for the length of this email. I posted
it in another newsgroup by mistake too.) Would appreciate some help. Four
months ago, I bought an HP pavilion notebook (dv5t-1000) with 64 bit vista
ultimate (4GB DDR2 sys memory, 250 GB hard drive), an HP docking station and
HP 20" external monitor with wireless key board and mouse. My video card is
nVidia GeForce 9600M GT. Everything was fine and I loved it but within one
month, the screen on the laptop and monitor would load sideways or upside
down whenever it felt like it. Only happened at startup, never while I was
working. And it didn't happen all the time. Kept happening for another month
so I called HP. Spent hours and hours with HP on the phone. Uninstalled and
reinstalled latest nvidia
drivers a few times, updated bios etc. Tried using the crtl-alt hot keys
with arrows but it does nothing. Occasionally, I am able to rotate the
screen by opening the GeForce manager but that doesn't always work. Even if
it does work, the screen loads sidesway or upside down even after I do that
fix. On one or two occasions, disconnecting the monitor from the laptop
fixed it but sometimes it stays stuck.

HP now tells me they think Vista (all versions and particularly 64 bit) has
problems with the driver for the monitor. No updates available and not HPs
problem!!! I can't count their theory but am hoping they are wrong. Did
some research on the Windows website site in the compatability center and
can't find the 9600M GT listed on either the "yes compatible" or "not
compatible" lists for Vista 64 or 32 bit. nVidia website doesn't help
either. But there are enough non-compatible video cards for vista that I am
wondering if anyone out there has any information you can share? Or any
ideas for how I can fix this? It's making me crazy and takes a while to fix
whenever it happens. Brand new HP laptop and all the peripherals are now a
very expensive paperweight. HP is telling me that the only fix may be to
return the equipement and they'll refund my money!!!! I'm thinking that if I
can find out whether the 9600M GT is compatible or not, I can just ask them
to replace the video card with one that is compatible. Is that viable? Any
thoughts of any kind on how to fix the problem or on the compatability issue
would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you so much.
 
you know that under the Nvidea Control Panel you can rotate your
display..have you gone there
to see what it is set on??
Usually on a Laptop there are also a sequence of keys you can press to
Rotate the display...are they stuck??
peter
 
Yeah. I know. The ctrl/alt arrow keys (doesn't work and I'm told that's a
known issue with some versions of vista). The rotation function only worked
once or twice for me. Other times, it doesn't even recognize that it's
upside down!! But thanks for the thoughts. I just spent 2 hours on a live
chat with microsoft and they couldn't fix it. They asked me if they could
escalate to their research team since they haven't dealt much with this
problem before. Supposedly someone from Microsoft on the vista team is going
to call me tomorrow. Not sure what will happen. But I'm ready to chew off
my arm! My brand new laptop and all the peripherals are useless until I get
this fixed. Very very very frustrating. HR told me today that their
solution may simply be to give me my money back!!!
 
It sounds more like an HP hardware problem to me, a monitor as such doesnt
use drivers, the video card does, but the monitor has to support the
resolution that you use & since your hardware is HP...?
 
Thanks DL. I couldn't agree more. You can't imagine what I've been through
with HP, staring in December. Hours and hours on hold, being transferred
from department to department, having to explain everything everytime I call.
I even got assigned to a case manager who couldn't help me. I sent my
laptop back and they returned it without doing any fixes (even though they
entered notes in my case file that they replaced my LCD, motherboard, LCD
wiring etc. Turned out it was an erroneous entry). They never hooked it up
to a monitor to see if they could repeat the problem. Since it only happens
with the monitor attached, it's got to be the video card (nVidia GeForce
9600m GT) or the graphics driver interacting with Vista. I have a new case
manager now and we'll see what happens. Frankly, I think they should just
send me a replacement laptop and if it happens again . . . . Thanks for your
thoughts. I'm in hell !!!
 
BG,
I know it's a little late but have you tried the following combination:?

CTRL+ALT+ the UP ARROW

Jerry
 
Thanks Jerry. Yup, tried it with up, down, sideways . . . you name it, we
tried it. Even the rotation function in nvidia control panel only works
sometimes. This is just funky! As of yesterday, we replaced nvidia drivers
(again!) and we'll see what happens. Could take weeks for it to happen
again. If it does, I'm sending back the laptop. Because once it starts
happening, it occurs more frequently. Making me crazy!! I"m guessing I
bought a lemon. The HP policy is they have to have the machine sent to them
3 times in one year for them to replace it. Argh.
 
Try Ctrl-Shift-R (R is for rotate)


BG said:
Thanks Jerry. Yup, tried it with up, down, sideways . . . you name it, we
tried it. Even the rotation function in nvidia control panel only works
sometimes. This is just funky! As of yesterday, we replaced nvidia
drivers
(again!) and we'll see what happens. Could take weeks for it to happen
again. If it does, I'm sending back the laptop. Because once it starts
happening, it occurs more frequently. Making me crazy!! I"m guessing I
bought a lemon. The HP policy is they have to have the machine sent to
them
3 times in one year for them to replace it. Argh.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks. Next time it happens, I'll give it a shot. On the "bright" side,
Microsoft has been calling me every day to follow up and sent me emails with
info on how to get through to their research team level II techs in case it
happens again. Must be concerned about vista interactions with the graphics
card. But I am glad to know I can reach them if it comes to that.
 
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