Posts by Jonathan Mendoza17

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Jack Smith4 said:I’m not entirely sold on that theory—I mean, there's usually a reason why all those XYZ reviews report the exact same thing, right? I'm really not sure... though, to be fair, I'm running into the same issue myself. Everything on my motherboard seems perfectly fine, except for the VRM, which is running incredibly hot.

The best way to figure this out is pretty simple: check your data. If your minimum, maximum, and average temperatures are all identical, something is off. There is just no way it would instantly jump to 110 degrees—you'd at least see a lower reading for the first few seconds while it climbed.
I'm fairly confident you're looking at a faulty reading here. Honestly, I've even stumbled across similar comments online.
Are you pulling that data from those auxiliary sensors? That's the tricky part—where manufacturers actually place those sensors on different boards. It's a real question of whether your specific board even *has* a dedicated VRM sensor. High-end ROG ASUS boards are usually packed with them, but with the more budget-friendly models, you have to wonder if they even bother including them, how far away they are from the actual components they're supposed to monitor, and what exactly that software is actually picking up.

Jack Smith4 said:I've got an ASUS motherboard running into that exact same issue—the VRM temperatures are absolutely insane. -.-

Actually, I think those readings are just plain wrong. I’m using an ASUS board myself, and both HWMonitor and HWInfo are reporting temperatures hovering around 110 degrees. It usually happens when there isn't a specific sensor where one is expected, or sometimes the software just tries to aggregate data from multiple sensors incorrectly. There is no way those numbers are actually accurate.

swiftraven2 said:Wait, what just happened?

It sounds like you might need to tweak your boot order—it happens more often than you'd think! Once you power up the laptop, try tapping the ESC key, and then I believe it's F9 on an HP machine. That should pop up a little menu where you can pick which device takes priority during startup. Just select the DVD Rom or whatever drive you're planning to use to install Windows. You can also dive into the BIOS settings to get it sorted if that's easier.

Is that just a single monitor you're running, or is there maybe a TV hooked up to that graphics card too? If you can, take a quick look to see if the display settings are set to "clone" or "extend" desktop mode. That can really mess things up—especially if the aspect ratios aren't matching up perfectly.

Wouldn't this be a great way to handle things?

http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=118048

I’m not entirely sure what the specific culprit is here. In my experience—and this is just one case, mind you—I ran into an issue during a Windows update where it failed to copy certain files into the drivers folder properly; specifically those two files, atikmpag and atikmdag. Of course, that doesn't mean you're facing the exact same headache! One thing you could try right now is manually copying that file into Windows\System32\drivers—it might just do the trick. It’s also worth checking the digital signatures on those two files, just to see if the date and version actually align with the driver version you installed.
If things still aren't running smoothly, I'd suggest starting from scratch—just take it slow. Boot into Safe Mode, use DDU to completely wipe out the old drivers, run a quick sweep with CCleaner to tidy everything up, and then go ahead and install the latest version.

Honestly, WhoCrashed spelled everything out for us—it's just that none of us are actually paying attention.

Keith Lee94 said:So, I’m dealing with a brand new PC here. I built the whole thing myself and everything was running perfectly fine at first.
Over the last few days, though, things have gone sideways. My monitor starts showing these weird, distorted squares, then the screen goes black, and suddenly I'm staring at a Windows blue screen with a "video TDR failure atikmpag.sys" error—pretty much like what you see in this link.

https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge...or-windows-10/
I already tried the fixes suggested in that link, but the problem just keeps coming back.
Every single time I reboot, the computer works normally, but yesterday it completely lost the signal. The screen just went black and wouldn't respond to anything at all.
Right before the blue screen hits, my monitor actually gave me a "going into sleep mode" notification twice.

Here is the setup: Intel Core i7 6700, 16GB of RAM, a Sapphire Nitro + Radeon RX 480 GDDR5 8GB graphics card, running on Windows 10 x64.

I've got the latest drivers for the GPU and the chipset, and I've updated everything else too.
One of the solutions mentioned in the link involves renaming a file called atikmdag.sys inside the System32 folder, but I can't even find that file anywhere!

What is going on here? Is this a software issue or a hardware problem, and how do I fix it? Thanks!

Edit: WhoCrashed says:

On Sat 12/17/2016 1:36:17 PM your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\121716-14468-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: atikmpag.sys (atikmpag+0xF284)
Bugcheck code: 0x116 (0xFFFFB3057E7A94A0, 0xFFFFF8062951F284, 0x0, 0xD)
Error: VIDEO_TDR_ERROR
file path: C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\c03 09270.inf_amd64_47c09dd18e1ee4c5\atikmpag.sys
product: AMD driver
company: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
description: AMD multi-vendor Miniport Driver
Bug check description: This indicates that an attempt to reset the display driver and recover from a timeout failed.
A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error. It is suggested you look for an update for the following driver: atikmpag.sys (AMD multi-vendor Miniport Driver, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.).
Google query : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. VIDEO_TDR_ERROR

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5 crash dumps have been found and analyzed. A third party driver has been identified to be causing system crashes on your computer. It is strongly suggested that you check for updates for these drivers on their company websites. Click on the links below to search with Google for updates for these drivers:

atikmpag.sys (AMD multi-vendor Miniport Driver, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)

If no updates for these drivers are available, try searching with Google on the names of these drivers in combination with the errors that have been reported for these drivers. Include the brand and model name of your computer as well in the query. This often yields interesting results from discussions on the web by users who have been experiencing similar problems.

Read the topic general suggestions for troubleshooting system crashes for more information.

Note that it's not always possible to state with certainty whether a reported driver is responsible for crashing your system or that the root cause is in another module. Nonetheless it's suggested you look for updates for the products that these drivers belong to and regularly visit Windows update or enable automatic updates for Windows. In case a piece of malfunctioning hardware is causing trouble, a search with Google on the bug check errors together with the model name and brand of your computer may help you investigate this further.

So, should I try rolling back to the previous drivers? Like, the ones released right before these current ones?

I ran into a nearly identical headache myself. You might want to take a look at this thread—it could spark an idea for you.

I’m honestly stumped as to why you can't find atikmpag.sys even in your old Windows directory—that really should be one of the core driver files. It’s even more baffling that your crash dump is pointing toward a file that doesn't even seem to exist on the system! Have you made sure your settings allow you to view hidden files? That might be part of the mystery.
The DDU tool that Larry Ortiz5 linked in his other post is definitely something you should run while in Safe Mode. Did you give it a shot that way?

Do you happen to have a Windows.old folder sitting on your C drive? If so—and this might just work—try locating those two specific files, atikmpag and atikmdag, within that old directory. Once you find them, just copy them over directly into your current Windows folder, placing them in the exact same spot.

Edit: I should probably mention—it’s highly likely that folder is hidden by default. You might need to jump into your Folder Options and toggle the setting to show hidden files and folders before you can actually see it.

Thanks, I appreciate it! I’m not jumping the gun and buying anything just yet—I like to think a few steps ahead. It honestly feels like both companies are at a bit of a crossroads right now. It seems like AMD is finally stepping up their game, putting some real muscle into their drivers and extra software features. If they could just find a way to dial back that power consumption a notch, things would look much brighter. On the flip side, you've got Nvidia, and they seem to be playing catch-up when it comes to DX12 support.
I can't quite decide if it's worth holding out for the next generation of cards. Does anyone actually know when that's slated to happen?

So, how are Nvidia and AMD actually holding up on Linux when it comes to drivers? I’ve been kicking around the idea of setting up a dual boot system down the road—nothing set in stone yet—but I’m really curious about how much effort is actually being poured into driver development for the Linux ecosystem. And I don't just mean "do they exist?"—I'm talking about actual stability and how things feel when you're actually gaming. Are we talking decent performance, or is it a struggle?
From what I’ve been digging up online, it seems like Nvidia puts a massive amount of work into the gaming side of things, whereas AMD might have the edge when it comes to applications relying on OpenGL and Vulkan. Does that sound right to anyone who has actually spent some time under the hood?

Honestly, you should just select "let me choose what to download and install"—that way, you aren't stuck downloading a bunch of junk you don't actually need. Besides, given your current internet speed—and we both know how those things can be—it might take ages! It’d probably be much smoother if you just plugged into the LAN while everything installs.
And really, you should have figured this part out by now. See, that checkmark next to the update isn't enabled by default; you'll only end up downloading it if you manually opt-in. You could have had the answer in a heartbeat with a quick Google search, but hey, I went ahead and did it for you just now. The specific ID you're looking for is KB971033

Sensors can be incredibly finicky—they’ll give you readings that just don't make any sense sometimes. Plus, since every motherboard layout is a little different, the sensor placement varies so much that the software might pull data from the wrong spot or even accidentally aggregate multiple sensors into one messy number. Don't get me wrong, HWMonitor is perfectly fine for a quick bit of basic troubleshooting, but I wouldn't bet the house on those specific numbers being 100% accurate.
That said, I'm right there with you on checking the power supply. Honestly, the best move is to see if you can borrow a different unit just to rule it out completely.

You're actually mistaken there—there is really only one specific update you absolutely should avoid, and by default, the checkbox isn't even selected. Even if you decide to grab it after a reboot, a prompt will pop up forcing you to confirm the installation, which basically just runs a check to see if your Windows is genuine.

It’s entirely possible we're looking at a driver issue here. You mentioned you've disabled Windows Update—which I get, sometimes those updates can be a headache—but if you're running a really old installation of Windows 7, you might be missing a ton of the cumulative updates released over the years... maybe even Service Pack 1 itself. It's quite plausible that the network card driver is actually hunting for a specific update that just isn't sitting on your hard drive yet.
Another thought—and feel free to disagree—is that the culprit might not be your actual internet connection, but rather the raw speed of your Wi-Fi network. I mean, I'm talking about the transfer rate when you're moving files from one computer to another within your own home setup. Your Wi-Fi should ideally be hitting around 54 Mbps. You could always grab NetLimiter—it's a handy little tool—and use it to monitor the speeds in real-time while you attempt to move a file between machines.

Richard Clark36 said:Man, where did the beginning go? 🤦
Are you planning on labeling everything you disagree with as "irrational"?? Someone who spent decades voting Democrat (like the working class in the Rust Belt) and saw zero benefits—or even direct harm—is now deciding to try Trump. For them, things couldn't get worse, so they're just trying something different. You're acting like it's written in the stars that everyone should aim for these specific liberal values, like it's some ultimate goal for humanity. It's definitely not a universal truth, not even in the West, let alone the rest of the world. And that liberalism "that gave us so much good"? It also brought us wars in the Middle East. This constant propaganda about "universal values" like freedom and democracy is nonsense. We've tried forcing Western-style democracy on countries where it clearly doesn't work using guns and bombs. The result? Failed states and massive migration waves.
We’ve been over this whole Trump and Mexican situation a million times already—he’s talking about the criminals hiding in the migrant groups who need to be deported, but those liberal media outlets just won't stop spinning it...
You’re out here talking about refugees "just fleeing war." Please. They wouldn't be running if it weren't for people like Hillary Clinton and that whole agenda of forcing liberal values on everyone under the guise of "saving" the Middle East.
And don't even get me started on your takes regarding conservatism—it’s honestly painful how little you actually know. Just curious, though... who were the biggest political heavyweights in 20th-century Europe? Which parties did they represent, what were their core values, or who gave the UK its first female Prime Minister and Germany its first female Chancellor? It definitely wasn't the liberals!

This whole thing is weighing on me too, but honestly? I don't think it's worth the effort. It’s just like that other thread—most people don't actually grasp what liberalism entails, so they end up projecting all their personal hang-ups and frustrations over various social trends onto the concept itself. And frankly, it's pretty incoherent. Just ask yourself: is Angela Merkel really running a conservative platform?

nimblepuma69 said:It’s not irrational at all; it’s pure human instinct. People see the road they're on heading straight off a cliff. It’s perfectly normal to want to slam on the brakes, take a beat, and look for a different route.

Taking a step back isn't the same as moving forward. In the old days, we had decent solutions that we tossed out, only to end up swallowing every terrible idea coming out of Western capitalist nations. If these tiny North American states would just stop blindly accepting every bad policy forced on them and reclaim even a few of the good ones from before, things might actually get productive.

Since you're preaching about irrationality, let me tell you: breaking up America and joining the EU was the most irrational move of all—and the EU is just the same mess, only worse. So, the British move? Not irrational in the slightest.

Well, being irrational is quite human! And I do wish people would at least pause to think. This whole "pulling the handbrake, spinning 180 degrees, and reversing" vibe? That’s exactly what Trump represents—he is the pure product of irrationality. Just look at the US election cycle; it’s the ultimate proof. They focus so much on Hillary that they push her as the only alternative, seemingly forgetting to rationally evaluate who Trump actually is or if there’s any substance behind his promises. And frankly, many of those promises are nonsense that only lead us backward. Moving manufacturing to China made goods accessible to the masses, sure, but now things are shifting again. On top of that, pushing certain groups out of the country is totally counterproductive—it fuels racist thinking and drives away productive people. You have plenty of lawyers, doctors, and hardworking, exemplary individuals among the Mexican community and others. Meanwhile, you certainly find criminals among immigrants from Europe too. I read just yesterday that Germany has already employed 50,000 refugees. Most of them aren't criminals or extremists; they're just regular people who were pillars of their own societies and are fleeing war. They're simply trying to save their lives, much like people fled from here during the war years. Trump, Farage, and the rest are just reopening old wounds to exploit the situation. It almost seems like Trump doesn't even want to be President or know what he'd do with America; he just ran to prove he could.

Brexit is an even better example of irrationality. Literally the day after the vote, voters start changing their minds, claiming they were misled or fell for media misinformation. Their reasoning was that foreigners were taking their jobs, yet in the end, they won't actually kick the foreigners out—they'll just lose jobs because so many companies will pull out of the VB to stay in the EU.

Liberalism has brought so much benefit to the modern world, and the ideology is mostly sound. People forget that we have never lived this well before; the problems we face didn't spring from liberalism, they've always been here—liberals just haven't found the fix yet. The conservatives coming up now are just trying to drag us back to the end of the last century. We've seen all their ideas and methods before, and we rejected them with disgust. As for their economics? It's just throwing sand in people's eyes; conservatives don't offer anything truly different from the status quo. Their real program is just attacking human rights and pushing for isolation. Conservatives can't make a "step forward" because they never actually took one—that's the very definition of conservative, isn't it? Being against change. In fact, that's the crux of it: conservatives never accepted the changes liberals brought, and now they just want to dismantle them. That isn't progress; it's a retreat.

Brenda Johnson65 said:

Jonathan Mendoza17 As stated by:
By discarding our current system, we aren't actually forging a path toward the future; rather, we are merely retreating into the past.

Given how the ruling elites have engineered a future designed to alienate the common citizen—essentially building a fortress where they remain deaf to the people's will and utterly self-satisfied—this sudden pivot toward traditional values feels less like a regression and more like a necessary leap forward. It serves as a much-needed cold shower for those high-and-mighty types who truly believe they are divinely appointed to dictate our lives under the delusion that they always know what is best for us.

I find myself quite compelled to respond to this particular assertion, though I must say, the logic presented feels somewhat as fragile as a glass sculpture in a windstorm. One cannot simply overlook the sheer complexity of the situation by reducing it to such a simplistic, almost caricatured narrative. It is much like attempting to navigate the labyrinthine streets of Chicago using nothing more than a hand-drawn map from the nineteenth century—it might feel intuitive in the moment, but you are almost certainly headed for a dead end. We must approach these matters with a degree of intellectual rigor that, frankly, seems to be in short supply lately.

Jonathan Mendoza17 As stated by: This turn of events isn't exactly a shock to anyone paying attention. When you have a population simmering with discontent, it becomes remarkably easy to weaponize that frustration—just look at how they successfully mobilized figures like Farage and Trump.

It is quite fascinating to observe that even before Donald Trump has made his first official moves, he has already managed to exhaust his political capital by leveraging certain individuals. I had previously entertained the notion that there was a genuine possibility he might actually deliver on his campaign promises, perhaps only to eventually pivot toward the established policies favored by the ruling elite.
Well, let’s be honest: he certainly capitalized on the circumstances at hand, but one has to wonder what his predecessors were up to in the meantime. If we are going to point fingers, we should at least acknowledge that they were just as guilty of weaponizing the democratic system to force their own agendas down everyone's throats, essentially running a one-party show under the guise of consensus.

Jonathan Mendoza17 As stated by:
What I find truly fascinating about this entire situation is the burgeoning influence of social media, which has now effectively eclipsed the reach of traditional mainstream outlets. We have reached a bizarre tipping point where people are more inclined to place their faith in some random handle on Facebook than in a seasoned, professional journalist. Honestly, it isn’t even surprising when you consider how much those legacy institutions seem to relish the art of obscuring the truth behind layers of spin.

The primary culprits in this debacle are today's journalists and the mainstream media establishment, who have utterly abandoned the fundamental tenets of objective reporting in favor of clinging to a brand of delusional, pathetic propaganda reminiscent of Goebbels. How is one expected to place any shred of trust in a media landscape where every outlet unthinkingly parrots news from the exact same handful of sources? It is truly remarkable to witness how they all maintain a singular, monolithic opinion, effectively insulting the intelligence of their readership by peddling a solitary "correct" way to think—all while hiding behind the hollow mask of democracy. They have descended into the lowest forms of subjectivity, resorting to the demonization of anyone who dares to dissent from the ruling political structure, and indulging in every other sordid tactic of political indoctrination available to them.
So, what is the ultimate outcome? We witness the rise of figures like Viktor Orbán or Donald Trump, or we see the fallout of Brexit, only to watch the "journalists" react with such staggering, vacant bewilderment, asking "why" as if the answers were written in the stars. It is truly a comedic spectacle, particularly when you tune into the major national news networks and witness that collective sense of shock from the pundits and self-proclaimed "experts." Well, excuse me for saying this, gentlemen, but you are largely responsible for the chaos you find so baffling!

Not necessarily—just because things are changing doesn't mean they're actually getting better. Honestly, everyone is so wrapped up in their own immediate struggles right now that they can't even see how this shift might actually be taking us backward. There were perfectly valid reasons why both America and Europe wanted to pursue a Union in the first place. And look, if the way the Union is organized is broken—which, let's face it, is a massive debate—that doesn't mean we should throw the whole idea of unity out the window.

Brenda Johnson65 As expressed by:
It’s actually quite fascinating—Trump hasn't even made his first official moves yet, and he's already managed to exhaust his supporters. Honestly? If you ask me, there's a very real possibility that he’ll end up meeting everyone's expectations only by pivoting right back toward the status quo—you know, basically aligning himself with the same old policies held by the current ruling elites. It's all very interesting to watch unfold.
Well, look, he certainly capitalized on the moment—there's no denying that—but let's be honest, what exactly did his predecessors do any differently? If we’re being perfectly fair, they were just as guilty of twisting the democratic system to force their own agendas down everyone's throats—essentially running a one-party show under the guise of democracy.

He essentially used them as a stepping stone to seize power—and he did it by lying through his teeth. Now, he’s going to run into a massive wall of reality when it comes to actually fulfilling those campaign promises. If he truly tries to push forward with building that wall and mass deportations, he’s going to face staggering domestic opposition—not to mention the nightmare it would pose for the US deficit. Let’s be real: that wall isn't exactly cheap for the American taxpayer. And if he pivots on the whole concept? Then he’s just straight-up lied to his voters. It’s a pattern, really—even Clinton didn't end up before a committee because of some scandal involving a blowjob; he was there because he couldn't stop lying.

Brenda Johnson65 said:

Jonathan Mendoza17 As stated by:
By discarding our current system, we aren't actually forging a path toward the future; rather, we are merely retreating into the past.

Given how the ruling elites have engineered a future designed to alienate the common citizen—essentially building a fortress where they remain deaf to the people's will and utterly self-satisfied—this sudden pivot toward traditional values feels less like a regression and more like a necessary leap forward. It serves as a much-needed cold shower for those high-and-mighty types who truly believe they are divinely appointed to dictate our lives under the delusion that they always know what is best for us.

I find myself quite compelled to respond to this particular assertion, though I must say, the logic presented feels somewhat as fragile as a glass sculpture in a windstorm. One cannot simply overlook the sheer complexity of the situation by reducing it to such a simplistic, almost caricatured narrative. It is much like attempting to navigate the labyrinthine streets of Chicago using nothing more than a hand-drawn map from the nineteenth century—it might feel intuitive in the moment, but you are almost certainly headed for a dead end. We must approach these matters with a degree of intellectual rigor that, frankly, seems to be in short supply lately.

Jonathan Mendoza17 As stated by: This turn of events isn't exactly a shock to anyone paying attention. When you have a population simmering with discontent, it becomes remarkably easy to weaponize that frustration—just look at how they successfully mobilized figures like Farage and Trump.

It is quite fascinating to observe that even before Donald Trump has made his first official moves, he has already managed to exhaust his political capital by leveraging certain individuals. I had previously entertained the notion that there was a genuine possibility he might actually deliver on his campaign promises, perhaps only to eventually pivot toward the established policies favored by the ruling elite.
Well, let’s be honest: he certainly capitalized on the circumstances at hand, but one has to wonder what his predecessors were up to in the meantime. If we are going to point fingers, we should at least acknowledge that they were just as guilty of weaponizing the democratic system to force their own agendas down everyone's throats, essentially running a one-party show under the guise of consensus.

Jonathan Mendoza17 As stated by:
What I find truly fascinating about this entire situation is the burgeoning influence of social media, which has now effectively eclipsed the reach of traditional mainstream outlets. We have reached a bizarre tipping point where people are more inclined to place their faith in some random handle on Facebook than in a seasoned, professional journalist. Honestly, it isn’t even surprising when you consider how much those legacy institutions seem to relish the art of obscuring the truth behind layers of spin.

The primary culprits in this debacle are today's journalists and the mainstream media establishment, who have utterly abandoned the fundamental tenets of objective reporting in favor of clinging to a brand of delusional, pathetic propaganda reminiscent of Goebbels. How is one expected to place any shred of trust in a media landscape where every outlet unthinkingly parrots news from the exact same handful of sources? It is truly remarkable to witness how they all maintain a singular, monolithic opinion, effectively insulting the intelligence of their readership by peddling a solitary "correct" way to think—all while hiding behind the hollow mask of democracy. They have descended into the lowest forms of subjectivity, resorting to the demonization of anyone who dares to dissent from the ruling political structure, and indulging in every other sordid tactic of political indoctrination available to them.
So, what is the ultimate outcome? We witness the rise of figures like Viktor Orbán or Donald Trump, or we see the fallout of Brexit, only to watch the "journalists" react with such staggering, vacant bewilderment, asking "why" as if the answers were written in the stars. It is truly a comedic spectacle, particularly when you tune into the major national news networks and witness that collective sense of shock from the pundits and self-proclaimed "experts." Well, excuse me for saying this, gentlemen, but you are largely responsible for the chaos you find so baffling!

I completely agree with you regarding the state of mainstream media—it’s a mess—but that doesn't mean alternative outlets are automatically right. Honestly? Sometimes they pull even bigger stunts and peddle even more nonsense than the big networks do. Don't you see that figures like Viktor Orbán, Donald Trump, or even the whole Brexit movement are essentially products of those very same alternative media circles? They aren't necessarily "truth-tellers"; they are just the aggressive competition rising up against the existing establishment.

The issues are staring us right in the face—it’s no wonder everyone is itching for a total overhaul. But here’s the thing: the "solutions" being offered are actually working against us. If you look at both Trump and Brexit, they aren't real fixes; they are just irrational outbursts born from that same desperate craving for change. When we try to tear down the current system, we aren't actually stepping into the future—we’re just retreating into the past. Honestly, this whole trajectory isn't even surprising. Once people get fed up, it becomes incredibly easy for figures like Farage or Trump to step in and exploit that frustration.
What I find even more fascinating in all of this is how social media influence is skyrocketing—it’s actually starting to eclipse the old-school mainstream media. We’ve reached a point where people tend to trust some random profile on Facebook more than actual, professional journalists. And really, can you blame them? Given how much those outlets love to spin the truth, it's no surprise. It feels like we aren't living in an "Information Age" anymore, but rather an age of information overload, where the truth is becoming little more than a matter of perspective.