3D Screensavers Cause Hardware Damage!

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

From: Zaman (hu.man_at_excite.com)
Date: 07/02/04 

Date: 1 Jul 2004 19:26:49 -0700

My advice to you: DON'T USE THEM UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR SYSTEM TO CRASH!

Through a long and costly process of puzzling hardware failures I
figured out that the dasteredly 3D screensaver that I had so proudly
configured to appear on my screen burnt out my CPU and resulted in a
confusing hunt for the problem.

It is hard to believe but do the following to see what I mean. Open
Windows Task Manager and monitor your CPU usage. Then activate any
screensaver other the 3D ones listed. Wait for a minute or two and
look at your CPU usage. The usage of this type of screensaver barely
registers.

Then switch to one of the 3D screensavers and do the same. The CPU
usage shoots up to a solid 100%!!!! Yes you are saving your screen but
your CPU is bound to overheat after a while no matter what kind of fan
you are using. My computer kept freezing and I couldn't figure out
what was going on. After a while CPU gave out and could no longer boot
up.

I am wondering if this can be substantiated by independent testing.
Any comments? If I am correct about this, I believe Microsoft is
liable. I wonder how many other poor saps got screwed without knowing
what happened.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: ntvdm.exe
    ... Jeffrey Randow (Windows Networking & Smart Display MVP) ... >to be spiking my CPU while using remote desktop. ... >of the host PC causing the ntvdm.exe to use 90% of the CPU ... that screensaver would over-use the CPU. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.work_remotely)
  • Re: 3D Screensavers Cause Hardware Damage!
    ... > Through a long and costly process of puzzling hardware failures I ... > Windows Task Manager and monitor your CPU usage. ... > screensaver other the 3D ones listed. ...
    (microsoft.public.win2000.general)
  • ntvdm.exe
    ... to be spiking my CPU while using remote desktop. ... of the host PC causing the ntvdm.exe to use 90% of the CPU ... that screensaver would over-use the CPU. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.work_remotely)
  • Re: d3dsaver.cpp
    ... The important thing is to make sure the screensaver doesn't use so much CPU ... I substituted normal priority and use IDLE ... > only while the D3dX sprite is offscreen. ...
    (microsoft.public.win32.programmer.directx.graphics)
  • Re: Yet another SVCHOST.EXE posting (my workaround)
    ... SVCHOST.EXE is an important part of Windows. ... Process Explorer you can see which and that is why I asked about the Command ... about the Windows Automatic Update service -a common cause of excessive CPU ... First off I killed PID 1302 and noticed that CPU usage fell down ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)