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XPS M1330 - Windows 10 - black screen
Hi,
I'm hoping someone is able to offer me some advice to resolve the black screens I'm getting after a fresh Windows 10 install on my XPS M1330 from 2007/8, otherwise the licence needs a new home.
Brief history:
- Running windows Vista. Performance degrades over time. Probably HDD fragmentation.
- Opportunity to replace HDD with SSD. Fresh install of Windows 10 Pro 64-bit. Performance poor and black screens.
- Format SSD. Fresh install Windows 10 Pro 32-bit. Performance smoother but still random black screens. Tried various 2016/17 Windows 10 verified NVIDIA 8400M GS drivers but no change.
- Installing older 8400M GS driver for Windows 8.1 results in horrible colour and screen freezes.
- Unable to use Vista reinstall as Wireless drivers will not install therefore no internet. Not a good option anyway as support is nomore.
- Windows 7 maybe the only option left if Windows 10 is unstable. I would have to find a licence.
Sometimes the screen will go blank at the login screen, once during a Windows update but more often it is triggered by video movement or colour change. It is possible to work in Excel for many hours without issue, I guess because the screen is pretty static but it does sometimes still go blank. Only option is forced power down and possible work loss.
I understand the XPS M1330 has not been verified with Windows 10. Having read online other users having sucess and finding the NVIDIA 8400M GS driver for Windows 10, I had high hopes.
Any help would be gratefully received before I give up. Many thanks.
Steven
ejn63
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May 29th, 2017 14:00
While you can try windows 7, I suspect what you're seeing is a dying nVidia chip - it's almost a surprise that this one has survived -- these GPUs were well known for a design flaw that sent most of them to an early demise.
The more video demands placed on the GPU, the more evident the fault will become -- try running the system in safe mode. If it's ok there, but not in protected mode -- the GPU is dying. If you want to keep the system running, you'd be better off replacing the mainboard with one that has an Intel GPU -- these had a much better track record for longevity.
steve2327
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May 30th, 2017 03:00
Thanks for the feedback.
I'll look at testing in safe mode. I'm not familiar with protected mode, so I'll have to investigate.
The laptop has run perfectly on Vista for around 10 years with a couple of refreshes. Okay the battery is dead and one USB port complains occassionally but it was a quality system at the time. It's a real shame to dump it, but I guess with the price of a licence and motherboard, perhaps it's time to move on.
Out of interest, is it relatively easy to change the motherboard? There's good access on the back so I assume it's a pretty simple plug in job.
I'll consider creating a separate thread for the Vista reinstall as that works okay and I'm interested to compare directly between Vista with SSD and without because that's the only other change made. I'm not sure what support Dell will offer if the driver posted on the website won't install. From memory I think it waas looking for XP not Vista.