atikmdag stopped responding then recovered

[bigjizzle]

Hi,

Whenever I play a game after about 1 minute the screen artifacts, go's black then goes back to the game screen. This happens every minute or so.

On returning to windows there is an error notification stating "atikmdag stopped responding then recovered".

I have trailed the net looking for a fix and haven't found anything. I have cleaned the drivers out and installed the latest 7.10 catalyst suite.

My system spec is as follows.

OS Windows Vista Premium 64bit
AMD 64 Athlon x2 6400+
Asus Crosshair MoBo
2 GB pc2 - 6400 RAM
MSI ATI R2600XT Diamond 512mb ddr4 (this is the offending article i think)
700w EZ Cool PSU

I have contacted MSi and ATI/AMD, both don't have an answer to the problem.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[FightingScallion]

My favorite magic solution to these things is to pop the card out, let it sit around for a couple minutes, then plug it back in carefully. The key is to convince yourself in those 2 minutes that you did it right the first time and you're going to prove it to the computer this time so that it can never doubt you again.

I don't know why, but this seems to work a lot.

The card could be an issue, though. Is it a specific game, or all games?

 

[64bits]

Just a thought and it may not solve your problem, but i encountered it recently.

Check to see that windows, your monitor, and the games are all set at the same refresh rate ie. 75Hz.

My friend had issues with games, and it turned out to be that windows had defaulted the monitor to 60 Hz, even though the games had detected it at 75Hz.

So it may be worth checking in the display properties and see what it's set too, then make sure your games are set the same as windows!
Worth a try!!??!!

 

[bigjizzle]

Thanks for the reply's

I have taken the card out a few times but still no joy.

I will look at the refresh rate.


Thanks

 

[bigjizzle]

The refresh rate change didn't work, thanks for the tip though.

It is all games even old ones like call of duty 2 and halo 2.

In particular Im trying to play jericho and Halo2 eps 2.

Its a total pain, brand new computer, brand new games and I cant play them

 

[FightingScallion]

Is there another slot you could try the card in? I'm sure you've done it. I'm just trying to think of what I'd try.

 

[FightingScallion]

Ooh! Even better than trying in a different port (though that might come in handy later): Do you have another computer you can try popping that card into?

 

[bigjizzle]

I dont have another computer that it will go in. Im thinking of abandoning vista all together and going back to XP to see if that makes a difference.

Oh by the way check out the response I got from AMD/ATI:

SolutionSolved:
(10/31/2007 10:29 AM EDT) Solution:
Currently there is no solution.
ATI Engineering has been advised of this issue and is investigating. Any updates will be published when they become available.


What a joke!

 

[FightingScallion]

Well, I'd hate to see you abandon Vista, but I guess you have to do what you have to do. I am very tempted to blame the card here, especially if you haven't used it successfully before.

Do you have a co-worker or friend who might let you try it on their computer (even if it's an XP computer), just to check the card? If not, you might be able to take it to the store you bought it at (if you didn't buy online) and convince them to let you trade it for a new one of the same.

 

[bigjizzle]

Ive found the solution, it is an overheating issue.

I now play games with the case window open and now the crashes hardly ever happen.

The crashes still happen though so I think vista isn't blameless, but your right it would be a shame to get rid of vista, I WAS going to change the card.

 

[FightingScallion]

Good call. Any chance you've got room for an extra fan somewhere?

 

[bigjizzle]

You should see my PC Build, the whole system is geared up for cool running. I think i really need a new heatsink and fan on the card.

 

[wige]

I found this thread is a search on Google, and I have been having a similar problem, recieving the atikmdag has stopped responding message. However, unlike the situation presented in this thread and most other related forum threads I have seen, I have encountered the problem regardless of the application - I have had the problem in games, and when the only program running was Firefox. Even had it happen once when I was at the desktop. The only constant I have been able to find is that the problem only happens for me when I have two monitors (one LCD and one CRT) connected to the PC. The problem even occurs if one of the monitors is powered off, as long as it is connected.

My System is as follows:
ATI Radeon HD 2900XT Card (Latest Catalyst drivers)
Intel 945PSND Motherboard (Latest BIOS and board drivers)
Intel Pentium 945 Dual Core Processor (3.2Ghz, with giant cooling tower)
3Gb RAM
Creative SoundBlaster Live 24-bit Sound Card (Latest drivers)
Gaming Keyboard and Mouse, with latest drivers
SyncMaster 20.1" LCD Monitor at 1600x1200@65Hz connected via DVI (latest drivers)
DDC 17" CRT Monitor at 1028x760@75Hz connected via VGA (adapted, generic drivers)

Also, I have determined that the problem sometimes gets more severe. After the error message is displayed, the system will either recover and be usable, or crash 4-5 more times and go to the BSoD.

I have run tests on the memory and drives, uninstalled and reinstalled all the drivers, and even reformatted the hard drive and reinstalled Windows, all with no effect. Any other suggestions of what I might try?

EDIT: I should also mention, I have several fans surrounding the card and between the card and system processor. The CCC reports an operating temperature between 63-65 degrees C, and an external temperature probe that is part of the case confirms temperatures are staying below 70, which I understand is relatively cool for this card.

 

[bigjizzle]

I downloaded and used rivatuner.
Im underclocking my card (just a touch) and have had no issues for ages.
Give it a try.

 

[GINTER]

I found that video driver restarting issues are generally related to computer memory errors and/or heat. They are not driver or Vista issues. Thus, better cooling or testing your memory (use memtest x86 3.3) and replacing if bad, should help.

The hardest problem to diagnose is if the video card itself has bad memory. I don't know of any video-ram testing tools - the only way to verify this for sure is to swap video cards and if one is busted, send it to the manufacturer if you still have warranty. Otherwise, buy a new one.

 

[Level5Owner]

Please Check my post at this link
http://www.vistax64.com/vista-general/126861-atikmdag-error-message-computer-freeze.html

 

[Natesh]

Go into the system configuration utility (Start menu then type "system configuration" in the Start Search bar).
Choose the boot tab and then to advanced options.
Check processor and memory. Set to max amount of memory that is on your system.
Hit apply and ok.
Restart your system and it should run quickly in 2d and 3d works!

 

[thepizzaman]

i had the same prob then when i changed from a 3450 to a 3650 it stopped.....
but it prolly is either overheating or its to much for your card to handle

 

[tbone]

I have same problem display driver atikmdag stopped responding and has been reset. Only happens when using tv tuner with Windows media center in full screen mode. Hauppauge tv app. works all the time

OS Name Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium
Version 6.0.6001 Service Pack 1 Build 6001

OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation

System Manufacturer Dell Inc.
System Model Studio XPS 435MT
System Type x64-based PC
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz, 2668 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. 1.0.2, 11/14/2008
SMBIOS Version 2.5
Windows Directory C:\Windows
System Directory C:\Windows\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume3
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "6.0.6001.18000"
ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
Time Zone Eastern Standard Time
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 3.99 GB
Available Physical Memory 2.47 GB
Total Virtual Memory 8.15 GB
Available Virtual Memory 6.47 GB
Page File Space 4.28 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

 

[Litewave]

Ive found the solution, it is an overheating issue.

I now play games with the case window open and now the crashes hardly ever happen.

The crashes still happen though so I think vista isn't blameless, but your right it would be a shame to get rid of vista, I WAS going to change the card.

I resolved the same issue by completely uninstalling the Catalyst Control Center, and installing a Nvidia card. Vista, and ATI dont get along for some reason. Ati blames Vista, Vista blames ATI.

Are you running dual monitors?