Microsoft has said it's looking a problem with its latest Windows 7 operating system which has quickly been dubbed the "black screen of death". Wonder where they got the inspiration from for that?
The error can mean that Windows 7 users see a completely black screen after logging on to the new operating system, reports the BBC. Word is that a security updated released in mid-November is behind the problem.
A software firm called Prevx has issued a fix for the problem, which it also says could affect "millions" of people. "The symptoms are very distinctive and troublesome," says its latest blog. Yikes.
While I realise I needn't be representative of the average Windows 7 user, I am happy to report that I have not experienced any problems running Windows 7 whatsoever. When my PC has crashed on a few occasions since making the switch it has been due to poorly executed or coded games.
Windows 7 is one of those products where I can put my hand over my heart and with a clear conscience wholly recommend it to others. I held out with XP against Vista yet with Windows 7 I can barely imagine going back, and if I did it would be to an inferior service despite the many good years of support and hard work XP has provided millions of people around the world. Windows 7 comes at the right time, at the right price (especially if you got in on the early "upgrade" - read: full version for the price of an upgrade version - European bargains) and it is the right operating system for today's increasingly PC using consumers. It feels like a tailor made suit to me and I'm confident you will be able to appreciate the ease with which you will be able to carry out tasks that require more clicks, more work and more effort on your existing operating system. Isn't it time you simplified your life?
Hey Imimmfn, speaking of the HD 5850, what is your personal take on it? By all accounts it sounds like a stunner of a GPU with the potential to catch it's bigger brother the HD 5870 (as long as that one isn't heavily overclocked as well). I'm so tempted to buy one yet I've told myself to wait until Fermi is released. Knowing Nvidia I very much doubt their offerings will be cheaper, but it might put some pressure on ATI's prices and maybe some more non-reference designs will be out around that time.
Microsoft says that a problem with its Windows operating system, dubbed the 'Black Screen of Death' is not due to its latest security update. (...) Software firm Prevx, who had said the November update may have been to blame, have since retracted their statement.
I unfortunately got this bug, if anyone is in need of a quick fix, start in safe mode and use a system restore point. filing that, start from the last known working configuration, check help in safe mode for advice. Hope my info helped
@ CVG, if you're thinking red ring of death then you're wrong. It stems from over 20 years ago with Microsoft Windows Version 2. No doubt you've experienced windows crashing on you. They called it the blue screen of death or BSoD for short. everyone O/S of windows has crashed wince that version but Windows 7 seems to be just "hanging", not "crashing".
BTW, I am an ICT Technician. I have recently experience this "BSoD" but it wasn't that bad. I left my works PC overnight and locked my computer, (Press Windows + L) When I returned the next day, the monitors just would come out of stand by, I had to turn the machine off and back on. Only experienced it once but tbh, I only installed it on monday and have been tweaking it since. So far, no MAJOR issues, but still lacking in features I would call "next gen". EG. more than one taskbar! I have four monitors at home that I use in my studio for my music and I have had to rely on a program called ultramon for winXP, but it appears I will have to do the same again for windows 7. I have installed ultramon at work and it works great for anyone wanting to use multiple monitors.
I am still an XP user but am considering upgrading to Windows 7. I may be wrong but isn't this a graphics driver issue. I have experienced something like this before and it was a driver which didn't like a certain screen rate or resolution. If I remember the way I got arounf it was delete the driver, go into safe mode, reduce the acceleration to minimal and reduce the screen refresh rate to the minimum. It worked for me but as I say, this problem may be different.
I am a PC... And windows 7 was everyones idea... cos we all stood up and said 'Fix that piece of sh*t Vista and release a decent operating system to rival XP'
7 is all simplified for idiots. you cant properly config half the stuff you want, its all wizards layouts n shit.
no even classic view for people who like to meddle.
total guff.
I have to work on XP day in and day out because the software I work with isn't fully certified for Vista or 7 (yet). It's only fairly stable because it's had 7 years to weed out the problems.
We have a x64 box set up in the office to test the software on Windows 7 and it's by far the more stable of the two operating systems (both moreso than Vista - but even that was still more reliable at launch than XP was).
Aye. I use XP at work as well and while it's familiar after all these years I have started to find myself missing some of the quick, nifty options from Windows 7 in terms of windows and desktop space management. A few flicks of the mouse here and there makes it much easier to gain a comprehensive overview and it should translate in to increased productivity if that's your bag.
Aye. I use XP at work as well and while it's familiar after all these years I have started to find myself missing some of the quick, nifty options from Windows 7 in terms of windows and desktop space management. A few flicks of the mouse here and there makes it much easier to gain a comprehensive overview and it should translate in to increased productivity if that's your bag.
The only problem we've found so far with Windows 7 is that it refuses to recognise the graphics card we have in our test box. It's quite a waste of about £500's worth! The drivers won't help and it simply refuses to acknowledge it's existence. It's an ATi as well, but it is an obscure FireGL workstation card rather than a gaming card.
Apparently ATi are sending us the newer card soon anyway, so hopefully that'll make things a bit better.
Aye. I use XP at work as well and while it's familiar after all these years I have started to find myself missing some of the quick, nifty options from Windows 7 in terms of windows and desktop space management. A few flicks of the mouse here and there makes it much easier to gain a comprehensive overview and it should translate in to increased productivity if that's your bag.
The only problem we've found so far with Windows 7 is that it refuses to recognise the graphics card we have in our test box. It's quite a waste of about £500's worth! The drivers won't help and it simply refuses to acknowledge it's existence. It's an ATi as well, but it is an obscure FireGL workstation card rather than a gaming card.
Apparently ATi are sending us the newer card soon anyway, so hopefully that'll make things a bit better.
Sounds frustrating....So, when will you be setting up your own "MW2" server with an old GPU that mysteriously "vanished" in the lastest company upgrade? I jest, I jest! Such a thing would be unbecoming unless given permission by the appropriate company brass.
Aye. I use XP at work as well and while it's familiar after all these years I have started to find myself missing some of the quick, nifty options from Windows 7 in terms of windows and desktop space management. A few flicks of the mouse here and there makes it much easier to gain a comprehensive overview and it should translate in to increased productivity if that's your bag.
The only problem we've found so far with Windows 7 is that it refuses to recognise the graphics card we have in our test box. It's quite a waste of about £500's worth! The drivers won't help and it simply refuses to acknowledge it's existence. It's an ATi as well, but it is an obscure FireGL workstation card rather than a gaming card.
Apparently ATi are sending us the newer card soon anyway, so hopefully that'll make things a bit better.
Sounds frustrating....So, when will you be setting up your own "MW2" server with an old GPU that mysteriously "vanished" in the lastest company upgrade? I jest, I jest! Such a thing would be unbecoming unless given permission by the appropriate company brass.
You know, I was considering seeing if I could get it! Problem is that it's a CAD workstation card, so even though it's monsterously quick compared with most cards, it doesn't tend to handle games all that well.
Aye. I use XP at work as well and while it's familiar after all these years I have started to find myself missing some of the quick, nifty options from Windows 7 in terms of windows and desktop space management. A few flicks of the mouse here and there makes it much easier to gain a comprehensive overview and it should translate in to increased productivity if that's your bag.
The only problem we've found so far with Windows 7 is that it refuses to recognise the graphics card we have in our test box. It's quite a waste of about £500's worth! The drivers won't help and it simply refuses to acknowledge it's existence. It's an ATi as well, but it is an obscure FireGL workstation card rather than a gaming card.
Apparently ATi are sending us the newer card soon anyway, so hopefully that'll make things a bit better.
Sounds frustrating....So, when will you be setting up your own "MW2" server with an old GPU that mysteriously "vanished" in the lastest company upgrade? I jest, I jest! Such a thing would be unbecoming unless given permission by the appropriate company brass.
You know, I was considering seeing if I could get it! Problem is that it's a CAD workstation card, so even though it's monsterously quick compared with most cards, it doesn't tend to handle games all that well.
Go on! Do it! Start a dedicated "MW2" server! You know you want to....
7 is all simplified for idiots. you cant properly config half the stuff you want, its all wizards layouts n shit.
no even classic view for people who like to meddle.
total guff.
what a load of utter s**te. XP never has a mysterious BSOD? Oh hang on... yes it fucking does you retard. XP is functional, as long as you are using Service Pack 3, if you are using an original, pre SP install you'll find that you have all manner of problems. XP is fine now, but people who moan that they can't find anything in Win 7, or that its 'simplified for idiots' are infact simply too stupid to work out how to use it properly.
I remember idiots complaining in exactly the same way when XP came out ("its not like Win 98 SE, I can't find anything". Now the same idiots are saying the same idiotic things. Much like you.
Learn the new OS, find where things have moved to and you'll find that the interface is as rich in functionality as before, its just a little different.
In case you didn't understand what I was implying in this post, I'm suggesting that you are an idiot SVD.
Aye. I use XP at work as well and while it's familiar after all these years I have started to find myself missing some of the quick, nifty options from Windows 7 in terms of windows and desktop space management. A few flicks of the mouse here and there makes it much easier to gain a comprehensive overview and it should translate in to increased productivity if that's your bag.
The only problem we've found so far with Windows 7 is that it refuses to recognise the graphics card we have in our test box. It's quite a waste of about £500's worth! The drivers won't help and it simply refuses to acknowledge it's existence. It's an ATi as well, but it is an obscure FireGL workstation card rather than a gaming card.
Apparently ATi are sending us the newer card soon anyway, so hopefully that'll make things a bit better.
Sounds frustrating....So, when will you be setting up your own "MW2" server with an old GPU that mysteriously "vanished" in the lastest company upgrade? I jest, I jest! Such a thing would be unbecoming unless given permission by the appropriate company brass.
You know, I was considering seeing if I could get it! Problem is that it's a CAD workstation card, so even though it's monsterously quick compared with most cards, it doesn't tend to handle games all that well.
Go on! Do it! Start a dedicated "MW2" server! You know you want to....
Dedicated servers don't really need hefty graphics, though. It's all in the processor/RAM Maybe you should do it!
I've had no end of trouble with the BSODs since I installed Win7. I think it's entirely down to the new GTX260 gfx card I installed though, coupled with crappy nvidia drivers and (probably more so) a PSU that's not giving enough power. I've got a 600w coming on Friday - fingers crossed it fixes the problem.
i've got an Ati FireGL V5600 in my workstation. looks like it may not work with Win7 then?
running xp at work and vista at home. i've never had a problem with vista, in fact my xp machine is the dodgier one. i never understood the bad press around vista.
Aye. I use XP at work as well and while it's familiar after all these years I have started to find myself missing some of the quick, nifty options from Windows 7 in terms of windows and desktop space management. A few flicks of the mouse here and there makes it much easier to gain a comprehensive overview and it should translate in to increased productivity if that's your bag.
The only problem we've found so far with Windows 7 is that it refuses to recognise the graphics card we have in our test box. It's quite a waste of about £500's worth! The drivers won't help and it simply refuses to acknowledge it's existence. It's an ATi as well, but it is an obscure FireGL workstation card rather than a gaming card.
Apparently ATi are sending us the newer card soon anyway, so hopefully that'll make things a bit better.
Sounds frustrating....So, when will you be setting up your own "MW2" server with an old GPU that mysteriously "vanished" in the lastest company upgrade? I jest, I jest! Such a thing would be unbecoming unless given permission by the appropriate company brass.
You know, I was considering seeing if I could get it! Problem is that it's a CAD workstation card, so even though it's monsterously quick compared with most cards, it doesn't tend to handle games all that well.
Go on! Do it! Start a dedicated "MW2" server! You know you want to....
Dedicated servers don't really need hefty graphics, though. It's all in the processor/RAM Maybe you should do it!
I was just about to say some dedicated servers don't require a GPU at all. Some even run under Unix! I'm trying to think what game I used to play where I had a dedicated server setup that way, but it escapes me. Why would a dedicated server need to physically render anything when it only needs to process networking, environment and player info between users along with access to any security measures (globally banned IP lists, verification of client bot scans and results, etc)? It's not like the server would need to see the battlefield itself, if anything it would put more of a strain on it. Most functions can be performed from a written input point of view instead of using a flash GUI or ingame browser. Some servers can even be set up to allow config and admin changes via a web browser.
Some of this may be wrong for dedicated servers nowadays... it's been a while since I've fiddled around with them (I spend more time with the missus, the little'in and travelling... to and from work ;|). And for the hacked MW2 dedicated servers this might be totally different... I'm just chucking in my 2 cents worth in case someone out there thinks you HAVE to have a GPU on a dedicated server.
i've got an Ati FireGL V5600 in my workstation. looks like it may not work with Win7 then?
running xp at work and vista at home. i've never had a problem with vista, in fact my xp machine is the dodgier one. i never understood the bad press around vista.
The one we've got is the V7600. We spoke to our contact at ATi and they said they've experienced no problems with that card with their drivers, although their Win7 drivers are still beta apparently, so I'm not sure. Probably doesn't help that we're testing under x64 conditions rather than 32-bit.
@MPH: most HL1 and Source-derived games have a Linux dedicated server install, so maybe it was one of those? CS:S?
Aye. I use XP at work as well and while it's familiar after all these years I have started to find myself missing some of the quick, nifty options from Windows 7 in terms of windows and desktop space management. A few flicks of the mouse here and there makes it much easier to gain a comprehensive overview and it should translate in to increased productivity if that's your bag.
The only problem we've found so far with Windows 7 is that it refuses to recognise the graphics card we have in our test box. It's quite a waste of about £500's worth! The drivers won't help and it simply refuses to acknowledge it's existence. It's an ATi as well, but it is an obscure FireGL workstation card rather than a gaming card.
Apparently ATi are sending us the newer card soon anyway, so hopefully that'll make things a bit better.
Sounds frustrating....So, when will you be setting up your own "MW2" server with an old GPU that mysteriously "vanished" in the lastest company upgrade? I jest, I jest! Such a thing would be unbecoming unless given permission by the appropriate company brass.
You know, I was considering seeing if I could get it! Problem is that it's a CAD workstation card, so even though it's monsterously quick compared with most cards, it doesn't tend to handle games all that well.
Go on! Do it! Start a dedicated "MW2" server! You know you want to....
Dedicated servers don't really need hefty graphics, though. It's all in the processor/RAM Maybe you should do it!
I know, I know but you already appear to have direct access to the IT department whereas I don't (well not their internal resources at any rate although I can easily ask them to put them to use on my behalf,) and we were half way to being on a roll! Don't stop the thunder now son!
7 is all simplified for idiots. you cant properly config half the stuff you want, its all wizards layouts n shit.
no even classic view for people who like to meddle.
total guff.
7 is pretty much a functional rock and it's only on its first release. The first release of XP had all kind of problems. You can configure it however you want... Control Panel and the GUI have as many options as ever.
To say it's just an unrequired flashy upgrade would be like saying the PS3 is just an unrequired flashy upgrade from the PS2
I know, I know but you already appear to have direct access to the IT department whereas I don't (well not their internal resources at any rate although I can easily ask them to put them to use on my behalf,) and we were half way to being on a roll! Don't stop the thunder now son!
Well we're a small company so we have access to everything, basically. Not sure our net connection would be up to hosting - but I remember back in the day my mate and I set up a network of 3 machines in my bedroom - one we set up as a dedicated server for the original CS, and we connected our 2 other machines to it and started playing. Other people joined in too, but the fact that it was a 512k connection made it very laggy for those connecting externally (who wondered why the hell we had pings of around 5 when theirs was at 300+!).
Although it doesn't help too much that I'm not a massive fan of MW2 either
7 is all simplified for idiots. you cant properly config half the stuff you want, its all wizards layouts n shit.
no even classic view for people who like to meddle.
total guff.
As usual SVD talks rubbish....
This problem is associated with XP, Vista and Windows 7! So yes XP does indeed do stuff like this....
To be honest DOS is a functional rock, why the need for the flashy stuff on XP?
Windows 7 is a superb OS which does indeed allow meddling etc. Not everything is wizard driven and there are ways to set just about anything you like. It also has a far better security model than XP so should be a lot safer from malware. It is modern, slick and runs very smoothly. In fact it runs very nice indeed on my laptop with ReadyBoost enabled.
I know, I know but you already appear to have direct access to the IT department whereas I don't (well not their internal resources at any rate although I can easily ask them to put them to use on my behalf,) and we were half way to being on a roll! Don't stop the thunder now son!
Well we're a small company so we have access to everything, basically. Not sure our net connection would be up to hosting - but I remember back in the day my mate and I set up a network of 3 machines in my bedroom - one we set up as a dedicated server for the original CS, and we connected our 2 other machines to it and started playing. Other people joined in too, but the fact that it was a 512k connection made it very laggy for those connecting externally (who wondered why the hell we had pings of around 5 when theirs was at 300+!).
Although it doesn't help too much that I'm not a massive fan of MW2 either
Heheheh I can imagine! One of the great gaming frustrations is experiencing a jerk-o-matic frame rate due to lag/underspeced hardware/the frivilous nature of connections, etc.
As for not liking "MW2" tha's exactly why a dedicated server should be hosted by you! Then you might start to like it and I might be persuaded to buy a copy of "MW2" (when the price comes down - it is not worth it's current price IMO).
While we're sort of on topic regarding software, GPUs and servers, anyone have any particularly good freeware anti-virus/internet security program they recommend above others? I have searched online yet it would be nice to hear the "dope straight from the horses mouth" as it were.
I know, I know but you already appear to have direct access to the IT department whereas I don't (well not their internal resources at any rate although I can easily ask them to put them to use on my behalf,) and we were half way to being on a roll! Don't stop the thunder now son!
Well we're a small company so we have access to everything, basically. Not sure our net connection would be up to hosting - but I remember back in the day my mate and I set up a network of 3 machines in my bedroom - one we set up as a dedicated server for the original CS, and we connected our 2 other machines to it and started playing. Other people joined in too, but the fact that it was a 512k connection made it very laggy for those connecting externally (who wondered why the hell we had pings of around 5 when theirs was at 300+!).
Although it doesn't help too much that I'm not a massive fan of MW2 either
Heheheh I can imagine! One of the great gaming frustrations is experiencing a jerk-o-matic frame rate due to lag/underspeced hardware/the frivilous nature of connections, etc.
As for not liking "MW2" tha's exactly why a dedicated server should be hosted by you! Then you might start to like it and I might be persuaded to buy a copy of "MW2" (when the price comes down - it is not worth it's current price IMO).
I've already got it and completed it! 360 version. I tried the MP but I just couldn't get into it.
I know. That's why you find yourself with the golden opportunity to rekindle your fondness of a game you have already spent money on...if only it were the PC version.
I know. That's why you find yourself with the golden opportunity to rekindle your fondness of a game you have already spent money on...if only it were the PC version.
But I'd need a better graphics card in my home machine if I wanted to pla.......waaaaait a minute...
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Ah well, I guess a man's gotta try...
I jest, I jest! Such a thing would be unbecoming unless given permission by the appropriate company brass.
