Radeon Mobility 9600 Garbled screen problems

mboeve · Oct 21, 2005, 01:52 AM

[color=gray]I have a screen shot of the kind of problems I'm getting, they only occur while playing games with 3D requirements, my regular OS and apps are unaffected:[/color]

[color=gray]http://home.comcast.net/~mike.boeve/garbledscreen.jpg[/color]
[color=gray][/color]
[color=#808080]I get the same problem on all my games like HL2, Battlefield... etc.[/color]
[color=#808080][/color]
[color=#808080]It's weird because when I first start playing everything is fine, then usually about a minute into the game it starts doing this and gets even worse the more I play.[/color]
[color=#808080][/color]
[color=#808080]Anyways, here's my specs:[/color]
[color=#808080][/color]
[color=#808080]EMachines M6810 laptop 1 year old:[/color]
[color=#808080]ATI Radeon Mobility 9600, 64 MB[/color]
[color=#808080]AMD64 ~1.8 GHz[/color]
[color=#808080]512 RAM[/color]
[color=#808080]Win XP SP2 w/ all updates[/color]
[color=#808080][/color]
[color=#808080]As for driver's I've tried both the newest Omega Driver (2.6.71) and the newest ATI Catalyst driver (5.10) by using DHModTool3...[/color]
[color=#808080][/color]
[color=#808080]Anyone have any ideas?[/color]

mboeve · Oct 21, 2005, 10:53 PM

Here are two more screen shots of CS:Source showing the problem...

[color=gray]http://home.comcast.net/~mike.boeve/garbled2.jpg[/color]
[color=gray]http://home.comcast.net/~mike.boeve/garbled3.jpg[/color]

I've searched all over these boards for other threads that might help me, but all I've found is other people reporting the same problem with no responses or fixes.

I can't think of anything that would have triggered this, nothing in my setup changed to possibly cause this that I can think of,

Thanks in advance.

mbd2884 · Oct 22, 2005, 02:25 AM

I have a suspicion that maybe your gfx is overheating. The fact that it gets worse as you play seems like a clear indication to me. Remember, a lot of notebook manufacturers for whatever reason do an inadaquate job of proper cooling, I don't think they ever believe people will use their notebooks for intense gaming. Although I also have a 9600 and it run hl2 @ 1280x 1024 @ medium texture and high shadings. Can crank it up to 1450 x 1050 @ medium texture and low shadings and bilinear filtering, runs smooth at both settings. I've played over three hours straight with no problems, so I don't think you have a driver problem and its not that your gfx can't handle it.

mbd2884 · Oct 22, 2005, 02:29 AM

Also I would stay away from Omega while he's teamed up with ATT, ATT can kiss my ass, f***ed up my computer, couldn't fix it with uninstall, driver cleaner or registry clean both using registry mechanic and manually going through with regedit, hate ATT, anyways, try the mobility 5.10. There is link in the forums.

mboeve · Oct 23, 2005, 04:50 PM

Thanks for the ideas, the weird thing about a overheating theory is that I used to play hl2 when it came out last January for 4+ hours at a time on this laptop with no problems at all. Is there any way to check if the heat sink/cooling fan on the graphics processor is broken or can be replaced?

Shuflie · Oct 23, 2005, 06:44 PM

If you were using it to play halflife2 last January then its more than likely that the fans are blocked up with dust. Turn off the laptop and use a can of compressed air to blow into the intake air port on it, this should blow out quite a bit of dust and improve the cooling again.

mboeve · Oct 23, 2005, 11:46 PM

Is there anything else that could be the problem besides cooling? I've been monitoring the temp with mobilmeter and it is not too hot, I also tried the compressed air in the air intake and no dust was really blown out.

Plus the distorted graphics happen immediately upon starting the game and remain constant no matter how long I play, they start off bad and do not get any worse. In games the HUD and menues are unaffected, only the 3D worlds experience massive 'scrambling' and you can see through walls and other weird things.

Any help?

swimtech · Oct 24, 2005, 12:15 AM

Have you tried dropping back to the driver you were using when you could play the game for extended period of time (the 4+ hours...)? If that works you know it's not your card.

mboeve · Oct 25, 2005, 03:07 PM

Rolling back to the previous driver does not remedy the problem, thanks for the tip though.

I've noticed that the garbling on the screen will disappear and return to normal occasionally during play as well and then revert back to 'garbled.' I also noticed that if I tap my laptop while playing a game with distortion it will sometimes change the 'garbling' or sometimes 'fix itself,' making me think the graphics card may have wiggled itself loose? Is that even possible with my laptop's setup?

daedal · Oct 25, 2005, 03:14 PM

Does the issue occur in other games, or is this specific to the Source engine?

mboeve · Oct 25, 2005, 03:33 PM

It occurs in all games that have a '3d element' to them, games like family fued are fine, but Source engine games, EA games like Need for Speed underground and others, simpler games like one called Incrediball that's basically a 3d version of Arknoid ball bouncing game (I can't imagine that one is too graphics processing intensive)

swimtech · Oct 25, 2005, 05:29 PM

What is the warranty on your unit, and did they give you a restoration disc set (or something similar...)? I don't know how the EMachines units are assembled, but tapping the unit to change the display is indicative of a loose, um, something - either the video daughtercard (if there is one...) or cabling. Is this 'fix' repeatable - can you make it happen at will?

Here's a check you can try to isolate the problem from the away from the cabling and LCD display itself - hook up an external monitor (known good) and see if your garbled display is reproduced on the external monitor.

mboeve · Oct 25, 2005, 06:01 PM

There is a restoration disc set to reformat the HD and return to factory settings. Warranty period is over.

And I usually hook an external monitor to the laptop when I'm using it at home and the results are the exact same as they appear on the attached LCD.

The 'tapping' to get different distorted display results happens somewhat sporatically, tapping to 'fix' the display has only happened a few times, usually it just alters the distortion to a different pattern.

I'm not sure how the GPU is intergrated into the mother board, it just says Graphics by ATI Mobility Radeon 9600. I think any loose connectino has to be with the GPU since regular 2D graphics in OS apps have absolutely no problem.

Any one have instructions on taking apart a eMachines M6810 laptop? Or any other ideas?

mboeve · Nov 7, 2005, 06:34 PM

I still have this problem, any ideas?

redsolar · Nov 8, 2005, 05:46 AM

Have you cleaned/tried opening your laptop yet ?

swimtech · Nov 8, 2005, 01:45 PM

The fact that the screen problem happens on the external monitor too means likely that the problem is not your LCD or cabling to it from the mainboard.

Not under warranty anymore - bummer - comes down to this. You will either have to take it somewhere and have someone work on an intermittent problem for you (can get expensive and is frustrating for most servicers) or learn to take apart your unit (You can do eeeeet!!!) to reseat modules and clean the unit.

Probably all you would need to do is figure out how to remove the keyboard (could be several screws on the bottom of the unit - and sometimes they are even marked specially...) and you should be able to access a lot of the things attached to the mainboard. Exercise caution as you remove the screws observing relative position one to another and the screw lengths so you can put them back exactly where they came from, and you may have some plastic tabs to pop open, kind of like opening a remote control for your VCR... Remove any shields and screws somehow remembering positiions of components screw position/lengths (I lay out things right next to unit in the same position as it was in the unit for the first time...). A well lit, uncluttered workspace is a must.

EDIT: You'll need a set of jewelers or precision electronics screwdrivers (about $6.00 at Radio Shack...) to work on the unit.

Look at it this way too, someone with no more ability than you have put it together - it can't be rocket science - and it isn't. Unless you have it hooked to power (remove any A/C adaptor and the main battery first) it is not going to shock you. Go easy, go slow, and just be patient.

If you're just not comfortable diving into your laptop, call Emachines repair depot here:

United States 1-408-273-0888 *
Tell them all your symptoms and see what they have to say. They may offer a flat rate repair price before you send it in so you'll know what to expect.

Achillesnick · Apr 4, 2006, 09:53 PM

I got the same problem as this guy all these things flying acros my screen i also got an radeon 9600 series on my computer xp profesional and its realy starding to piss me off lucky i looked around these forums and found this tread i realy hope you guys can help me out whit this

things i tried : updating the driver catalyst 6.2 i think
cleaning my driver whit driver cleaner pro
trying to turn on and off every option i have
smashing the damn thing dident work though

i had the problem befor but i forgot what i did to change it i am so stupid :S and now i rebooted my computer and its back ! pls help me i'm getting

ripdastrip · Nov 8, 2006, 03:38 AM

This looks like a dead topic but I am having the same problem. The only difference is the problem was progressive. Now everything - even booting up - is garbled, displaying lines, or characters. If anyone has any more info on the problem it would be greatly appreciated.

jwhite · Nov 30, 2006, 12:47 PM

I got the same radeon videocard and the problem is overheating, when I want to play continuously, ussually place a fan in the port hole of the laptop.... try it

ripdastrip · Nov 30, 2006, 07:08 PM

Thanks for the response jwhite. I'm pretty sure my problem isn't overheating because it happens even when the laptop has been off for a while. It seems these cards have all kinds of problems. =) I've taken my laptop apart and considered replacing the mobo, but I can't find a source for them. What a pain.

Oct 21, 2005, 01:52 AM	#1
mboeve DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	Radeon Mobility 9600 Garbled screen problems [color=gray]I have a screen shot of the kind of problems I'm getting, they only occur while playing games with 3D requirements, my regular OS and apps are unaffected:[/color] [color=gray]http://home.comcast.net/~mike.boeve/garbledscreen.jpg[/color] [color=gray][/color] [color=#808080]I get the same problem on all my games like HL2, Battlefield... etc.[/color] [color=#808080][/color] [color=#808080]It's weird because when I first start playing everything is fine, then usually about a minute into the game it starts doing this and gets even worse the more I play.[/color] [color=#808080][/color] [color=#808080]Anyways, here's my specs:[/color] [color=#808080][/color] [color=#808080]EMachines M6810 laptop 1 year old:[/color] [color=#808080]ATI Radeon Mobility 9600, 64 MB[/color] [color=#808080]AMD64 ~1.8 GHz[/color] [color=#808080]512 RAM[/color] [color=#808080]Win XP SP2 w/ all updates[/color] [color=#808080][/color] [color=#808080]As for driver's I've tried both the newest Omega Driver (2.6.71) and the newest ATI Catalyst driver (5.10) by using DHModTool3...[/color] [color=#808080][/color] [color=#808080]Anyone have any ideas?[/color]

Oct 25, 2005, 03:14 PM	#10
daedal Uber Coffee Drinker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gatineau, Quebec Posts: 2,250 Rep Power: 0	Does the issue occur in other games, or is this specific to the Source engine? __________________

Oct 25, 2005, 05:29 PM	#12
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	What is the warranty on your unit, and did they give you a restoration disc set (or something similar...)? I don't know how the EMachines units are assembled, but tapping the unit to change the display is indicative of a loose, um, something - either the video daughtercard (if there is one...) or cabling. Is this 'fix' repeatable - can you make it happen at will? Here's a check you can try to isolate the problem from the away from the cabling and LCD display itself - hook up an external monitor (known good) and see if your garbled display is reproduced on the external monitor. __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Nov 8, 2005, 05:46 AM	#15
redsolar Off duty Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Las Vegas, USA Posts: 1,242 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Have you cleaned/tried opening your laptop yet ? __________________ Real_Men_Do_Not_Use_Space_Bar Main rig: Intel Core i7 930 @ 4.0 Ghz \| Corsair H50 Push/Pull \| 12GB OCZ DDR3 \| ASUS Radeon HD 5850 \| 3x 1TB Samsung F3 RAID5 on Dell PERC 5i SAS + 1TB Hitachi \| MSI X58 Pro-e \| 850W Antec Truepower Quattro \| RocketFish by Lian Li Full Tower Case \| Gateway XHD3000 30" LCD \| Dell 2408WFP 24" LCD \| Dell 2407WFP 24" LCD \| Logitech Z-5500 Speakers \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 Laptop: Samsung x360-34P \| Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4 GHz \| 4GB DDR3 \| 128GB Samsung SSD \| Intel 4500M w/ HDMI \| WiFi \| Bluetooth \| 13.3" WLED 1280x800 \| Windows 7 Professional x64

Nov 8, 2005, 01:45 PM	#16
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	The fact that the screen problem happens on the external monitor too means likely that the problem is not your LCD or cabling to it from the mainboard. Not under warranty anymore - bummer - comes down to this. You will either have to take it somewhere and have someone work on an intermittent problem for you (can get expensive and is frustrating for most servicers) or learn to take apart your unit (You can do eeeeet!!!) to reseat modules and clean the unit. Probably all you would need to do is figure out how to remove the keyboard (could be several screws on the bottom of the unit - and sometimes they are even marked specially...) and you should be able to access a lot of the things attached to the mainboard. Exercise caution as you remove the screws observing relative position one to another and the screw lengths so you can put them back exactly where they came from, and you may have some plastic tabs to pop open, kind of like opening a remote control for your VCR... Remove any shields and screws somehow remembering positiions of components screw position/lengths (I lay out things right next to unit in the same position as it was in the unit for the first time...). A well lit, uncluttered workspace is a must. EDIT: You'll need a set of jewelers or precision electronics screwdrivers (about $6.00 at Radio Shack...) to work on the unit. Look at it this way too, someone with no more ability than you have put it together - it can't be rocket science - and it isn't. Unless you have it hooked to power (remove any A/C adaptor and the main battery first) it is not going to shock you. Go easy, go slow, and just be patient. If you're just not comfortable diving into your laptop, call Emachines repair depot here: United States 1-408-273-0888 * Tell them all your symptoms and see what they have to say. They may offer a flat rate repair price before you send it in so you'll know what to expect. __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it. Last edited by swimtech; Nov 8, 2005 at 02:15 PM.

Oct 21, 2005, 10:53 PM	Thread Starter #2
mboeve DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	Here are two more screen shots of CS:Source showing the problem... [color=gray]http://home.comcast.net/~mike.boeve/garbled2.jpg[/color] [color=gray]http://home.comcast.net/~mike.boeve/garbled3.jpg[/color] I've searched all over these boards for other threads that might help me, but all I've found is other people reporting the same problem with no responses or fixes. I can't think of anything that would have triggered this, nothing in my setup changed to possibly cause this that I can think of, Thanks in advance.

Oct 22, 2005, 02:25 AM	#3
mbd2884 HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 48 Rep Power: 0	I have a suspicion that maybe your gfx is overheating. The fact that it gets worse as you play seems like a clear indication to me. Remember, a lot of notebook manufacturers for whatever reason do an inadaquate job of proper cooling, I don't think they ever believe people will use their notebooks for intense gaming. Although I also have a 9600 and it run hl2 @ 1280x 1024 @ medium texture and high shadings. Can crank it up to 1450 x 1050 @ medium texture and low shadings and bilinear filtering, runs smooth at both settings. I've played over three hours straight with no problems, so I don't think you have a driver problem and its not that your gfx can't handle it.

Oct 22, 2005, 02:29 AM	#4
mbd2884 HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 48 Rep Power: 0	Also I would stay away from Omega while he's teamed up with ATT, ATT can kiss my ass, f***ed up my computer, couldn't fix it with uninstall, driver cleaner or registry clean both using registry mechanic and manually going through with regedit, hate ATT, anyways, try the mobility 5.10. There is link in the forums.

Oct 23, 2005, 04:50 PM	Thread Starter #5
mboeve DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	Thanks for the ideas, the weird thing about a overheating theory is that I used to play hl2 when it came out last January for 4+ hours at a time on this laptop with no problems at all. Is there any way to check if the heat sink/cooling fan on the graphics processor is broken or can be replaced?

Oct 23, 2005, 06:44 PM	#6
Shuflie DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Belfast Posts: 269 Rep Power: 0	If you were using it to play halflife2 last January then its more than likely that the fans are blocked up with dust. Turn off the laptop and use a can of compressed air to blow into the intake air port on it, this should blow out quite a bit of dust and improve the cooling again.

Oct 23, 2005, 11:46 PM	Thread Starter #7
mboeve DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	Is there anything else that could be the problem besides cooling? I've been monitoring the temp with mobilmeter and it is not too hot, I also tried the compressed air in the air intake and no dust was really blown out. Plus the distorted graphics happen immediately upon starting the game and remain constant no matter how long I play, they start off bad and do not get any worse. In games the HUD and menues are unaffected, only the 3D worlds experience massive 'scrambling' and you can see through walls and other weird things. Any help?

Oct 24, 2005, 12:15 AM	#8
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	Have you tried dropping back to the driver you were using when you could play the game for extended period of time (the 4+ hours...)? If that works you know it's not your card. __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Oct 25, 2005, 03:07 PM	Thread Starter #9
mboeve DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	Rolling back to the previous driver does not remedy the problem, thanks for the tip though. I've noticed that the garbling on the screen will disappear and return to normal occasionally during play as well and then revert back to 'garbled.' I also noticed that if I tap my laptop while playing a game with distortion it will sometimes change the 'garbling' or sometimes 'fix itself,' making me think the graphics card may have wiggled itself loose? Is that even possible with my laptop's setup?

Oct 25, 2005, 03:33 PM	Thread Starter #11
mboeve DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	It occurs in all games that have a '3d element' to them, games like family fued are fine, but Source engine games, EA games like Need for Speed underground and others, simpler games like one called Incrediball that's basically a 3d version of Arknoid ball bouncing game (I can't imagine that one is too graphics processing intensive)

Oct 25, 2005, 06:01 PM	Thread Starter #13
mboeve DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	There is a restoration disc set to reformat the HD and return to factory settings. Warranty period is over. And I usually hook an external monitor to the laptop when I'm using it at home and the results are the exact same as they appear on the attached LCD. The 'tapping' to get different distorted display results happens somewhat sporatically, tapping to 'fix' the display has only happened a few times, usually it just alters the distortion to a different pattern. I'm not sure how the GPU is intergrated into the mother board, it just says Graphics by ATI Mobility Radeon 9600. I think any loose connectino has to be with the GPU since regular 2D graphics in OS apps have absolutely no problem. Any one have instructions on taking apart a eMachines M6810 laptop? Or any other ideas?

Nov 7, 2005, 06:34 PM	Thread Starter #14
mboeve DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	I still have this problem, any ideas?

Apr 4, 2006, 09:53 PM	#17
Achillesnick DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	I got the same problem as this guy all these things flying acros my screen i also got an radeon 9600 series on my computer xp profesional and its realy starding to piss me off lucky i looked around these forums and found this tread i realy hope you guys can help me out whit this things i tried : updating the driver catalyst 6.2 i think cleaning my driver whit driver cleaner pro trying to turn on and off every option i have smashing the damn thing dident work though i had the problem befor but i forgot what i did to change it i am so stupid :S and now i rebooted my computer and its back ! pls help me i'm getting

Nov 8, 2006, 03:38 AM	#18
ripdastrip DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 2 Rep Power: 0	This looks like a dead topic but I am having the same problem. The only difference is the problem was progressive. Now everything - even booting up - is garbled, displaying lines, or characters. If anyone has any more info on the problem it would be greatly appreciated.

Nov 30, 2006, 12:47 PM	#19
jwhite DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	I got the same radeon videocard and the problem is overheating, when I want to play continuously, ussually place a fan in the port hole of the laptop.... try it

Nov 30, 2006, 07:08 PM	#20
ripdastrip DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 2 Rep Power: 0	Thanks for the response jwhite. I'm pretty sure my problem isn't overheating because it happens even when the laptop has been off for a while. It seems these cards have all kinds of problems. =) I've taken my laptop apart and considered replacing the mobo, but I can't find a source for them. What a pain.