My old gaming computer is having trouble booting up. It starts to boot up and tries to load Windows Vista and the screen starts to show pixels and then either totally freezes up or shuts down. Sometimes it will start up perfectly and after a short time will freeze up again and I have to literally pull the plug because the power button won't shut the computer off.

My Computer Specs:
Windows Vista Ultimate
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Quad CPU Q6600@2.40GHz
Nivida GeForce 8800GT

When I finally got to desktop this is what it said was problem:

Problem: Blue Screen
OS Version: 6.0.6000.2.0.0.2561
Locale ID: 1033

Additional Info on Problem:
BCCode: 116
BCP1: 845E3510
BCP2: 8DE30C90
BCP3: 00000000
BCP4: 00000002

OS Version 6_0_6000
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

Files that help describe problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump\Mini092119-02.dmp

C:\Users\User\AppData\local\Temp\WER5200-0.sysdata.xml
C:\Users\User\AppData\local\Temp\WERCDBF.temp.versiontxt

Can you help?

Thanks.

I looked up BCCCode: 116 and got a result saying the issue was the graphics card.
Microsoft recommended to "update" graphics drivers, however none of the people who tried that had success and ended up having to replace their graphics card.

However in this thread
https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/blue-screen-bccode-116.712443/
the issue was the memory.

So it could be either the memory or the graphics card.

It may not be common for memory to go bad, but when I had it happen the symptoms were that the computer would boot to a certain point and then freeze. It turned out that the memory was SO bad that turning on the test-memory-at-boot test in the BIOS detected the memory was bad.

When I had a graphics card fail, the picture had corruption issues before it failed entirely.
If you're able to boot to safe mode without any problems, that would suggest the video drivers may have been corrupted. If you can't even boot to safe mode, it's not the video drivers that are the problem.

+_+_+_+_+_+

Possible troubleshooting steps:

• Check your computers BIOS/setup to see if there's a built-in memory test you can run. (tests for bad memory)
• If it's a desktop, open the case, start the computer, and check to make sure the fan on the video card is turning.
• See if the computer boots properly to safe mode. (tests for driver issues)
• If the computer is a desktop, and the motherboard has built-in video you're not using, see if the computer works properly with that (remember to plug the monitor into the onboard graphics to test). Otherwise try another video card. (tests for bad graphics card)

Thanks Jenny100. I'll check out what you recommended. It is a desktop computer. It does sometimes boot to a point and then freeze and sometimes it says Windows Vista failed to load. I appreciate your taking the time to help. Thanks again.

Jenny100 my computer has 4 GB of RAM but when it comes up and displays specs it shows 3.25 GB Ram. Why doesn't it say 4 GB Ram? Could one of the memory cards be bad or one of the memory slots be bad? When removing one memory card at a time to check it still had corruption of picture and freezing after a few minutes. At one point i did get this message: "Display driver nvlddmkm stopped responding and has successfully been restored"

Could it be something wrong with the video card?

That's normal for computers with a 32-bit version of Windows.
Sometimes they show 3.25 GB memory, sometimes a little more, but 32-bit Windows can't detect all 4 GB of memory.

Is this a Dell computer? When Vista was released, Dell used a 32-bit version of Vista instead of 64-bit because the 32-bit version was causing fewer issues at the time.


Corruption of the picture suggests it's the video card to blame.


That message also suggests the video card to blame.
Even though it seems to be blaming the driver, it's most likely the card itself.


Yes, it sounds like the video card is failing.

When you look for a new video card, make sure there are 32-bit Vista drivers available for it.

My computer was built by a Computer Store as a gaming desktop with Vista Ultimate. I had them add the Nvidia GeForce 8800GT card. You are probably right about it being the video card. I guess it is time to get a new video one. I will make sure there are 32 bit Vista drivers available for it as you said.

I am so grateful for your help Jenny100. I wouldn't have known where to begin without your help. I've got a lot to think about. Thanks again.

Nvidia actually has 32-bit Vista drivers for several of their Geforce cards
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/102378/en-us

If you look under "Supported Products" on that page, there is a lot to choose from.

To compare a card with the one you have, do a web search for a comparison.
For example, to compare your Geforce 8800gt with a Geforce 750ti, you'd search for:

Geforce 8800gt vs 750ti

You want a card at least as powerful as what you have.

Thanks Jenny100 will do!