Issue with Dual Monitors connected to NVS 300: Display Freezing, Display Delay, and Unresponsiveness?

Hello Everyone,

I am currently facing an issue with my setup, where I have dual monitors connected to the NVS 300 graphics card. Over the past few days, one of the displays (primary) (Left One) has been experiencing intermittent freezing or unresponsiveness. To resolve this, I have to press CTRL+ALT+DEL, and then the display starts functioning normally. I've noticed that when the computer is powered on, the same monitor initially flickers before the logo appears, displaying two or three colors (Orange, Green, and Blue), and then it starts up normally.

Strangely, despite the freezing, other operations such as right-clicking, clicking on the start menu, and minimizing active windows are functioning in the background but not visually displaying until I use CTRL+ALT+DEL.

Initially, I suspected that the problem was related to my old HDD, so I upgraded to a new SSD and performed a fresh OS installation with up-to-date Windows updates, including the installation of all monitor drivers.

However, the issue persists even after these updates and hardware changes. I am now unsure if this is a hardware problem or a cable issue. I currently have both of my VGA cables connected to the DVI output of the NVS 300.

I would greatly appreciate any insights or suggestions on how to diagnose and resolve this issue effectively.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Edition Windows 11 Pro
Version 22H2
Installed on ‎22-‎07-‎2023
OS build 22621.2428
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22674.1000.0

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770S CPU @ 3.10GHz 3.10 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display

From your post it appears you've done a lot of research and thought - I can't give you any pronounced answers but have you checked the Windows reliability (monitor) history? I had a problem a few months back with a video program and it pointed me to the potential problem program. Many times it will show the technical details

MitchAtHome said:

From your post it appears you've done a lot of research and thought - I can't give you any pronounced answers but have you checked the Windows reliability (monitor) history? I had a problem a few months back with a video program and it pointed me to the potential problem program. Many times it will show the technical details

Click to expand...

Thank You for the Response :)

Below is the reliability (monitor) history. Could you please check once?

Do we have any scope to get any reports related to monitors? In my case, when my laptop freezes, do we get any footprints in OS?

Signup1 said:

Below is the reliability (monitor) history.

Click to expand...

I fail to see any reliability history It's not in your system specs - Open the Control Panel Click on Security and Maintenance. Expand Maintenance and click on View reliability history. I'm really not the guy to give you trouble shooting ideas for your problem but I'll wager someone in the forums will. They have always been so helpful for me. My problem I mentioned the report looked like this -

One other thing - have you visited the NVIDIA user forums for help ? NVIDIA Official Forums

MitchAtHome said:

I fail to see any reliability history It's not in your system specs - Open the Control Panel Click on Security and Maintenance. Expand Maintenance and click on View reliability history. I'm really not the guy to give you trouble shooting ideas for your problem but I'll wager someone in the forums will. They have always been so helpful for me. My problem I mentioned the report looked like this - View attachment 75675

One other thing - have you visited the NVIDIA user forums for help ? NVIDIA Official Forums

Click to expand...

Sorry attached XML file, but it seems the forum didn't take XML files. Here it is: LINK

Since that card has a single DVI, I assume you're using a DVI to VGA splitter.


So, the issue could be the monitor, one of the VGA cables, the splitter, or the GPU, on the hardware side.

A quick check would be to swap the VGA cables on the splitter (Don't swap them on the monitors). If the same monitor still has issues, it's likely either the monitor or the cable.

If the issue moves to the other monitor, it's possibly the splitter or the GPU itself.

johnlgalt said:

Since that card has a single DVI, I assume you're using a DVI to VGA splitter.

NVIDIA NVS 300 Specs

NVIDIA GT218S, 520 MHz, 16 Cores, 8 TMUs, 4 ROPs, 512 MB DDR3, 790 MHz, 64 bit

www.techpowerup.com

So, the issue could be the monitor, one of the VGA cables, the splitter, or the GPU, on the hardware side.

A quick check would be to swap the VGA cables on the splitter (Don't swap them on the monitors). If the same monitor still has issues, it's likely either the monitor or the cable.

If the issue moves to the other monitor, it's possibly the splitter or the GPU itself.

Click to expand...

Great, I have swapped the VGS cable on the splitter, and surprisingly, the freezing issue has not been shown till now for the last hour. However, as I mentioned in my earlier post, the color flickering issue has been transferred to second monitor.

This means there is a problem with the DVI splitter or GPU. Do we have any test processes or any software to check further and get a conclusion about the exact issue?

Thanks for suggesting this method :)

Update: It seems I was wrong. The starting flickring issue is shifted to the second monitor, but this freezing issue is again shown on the first monitor now after swapping the VGA cables on Splitter. Earlier, I kept the browser window on the first monitor, so it seems the freezing issue did not show up due to continuous activity. The system has been ideal for some time, and this issue has shown up again now.

Flickering Video : LINK

Signup1 said:

Great, I have swapped the VGS cable on the splitter, and surprisingly, the freezing issue has not been shown till now for the last hour. However, as I mentioned in my earlier post, the color flickering issue has been transferred to second monitor.

Click to expand...

OK,. SO this color flickering issue is easily tested by getting a new splitter and replacing the one you have. If it still happens, not the splitter, but those are (usually) much cheaper than a brand new video card. But read the rest of the post first, as that should not be the first thing you try.

Signup1 said:

but this freezing issue is again shown on the first monitor now after swapping the VGA cables on Splitter.

Click to expand...

This, unfortunately, sounds like the monitor is having issues.

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All that aside, there is still the possibility that all of this is due to the GPU itself. All of that system is really old, TBH, and electronics are not guaranteed in anyway, as they are overly sensitive to even the simplest of things - like dust.

Have you take compressed air and blown out all of the components (including the monitors, there should be *some* air vents somewhere, to blow air into)? Compressed air is probably going to be even cheaper than a new splitter, though it really does sound like the splitter is wearing down as well.

A new GPU that your system could actually make use of may be hard to get a hold of, as I'd have to do some research on your system (it's been a while since I last looked and I don't remember as easily as I used to) so let me look and see what I can find.