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  • Optiplex 745 + OpenGL blanks the screen and freezes the 'puter

    From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Fri Oct 7 20:03:08 2022
    Hello all,

    I've got an Optiplex 745 with a build-in "Intel Q965/Q963 Express Chipset Family" videocard. On it I've written a OpenGL (3D) program. In certain circumstances the screen blanks and the 'puter locks up. The same program
    on another 'puter runs fine, even though it stutters a bit at the "certain circumstances" I mentioned (likely an indication of needing a bit more time
    to finish drawing the scene).

    The only way /not/ to get the black screen and the 'puter locked up is to pretty-much disable (one step above none) all hardware acceleration for the videocard.

    My question : Does anyone recognise it and knows how to fix it (other than
    by keeping the hardware acceleration on a low setting) ?

    Again the specs:
    Computer : Optiplex 745
    Videocard: Intel Q965/Q963 Express Chipset Family

    Regards
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From Paul@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Fri Oct 7 15:31:19 2022
    On 10/7/2022 2:03 PM, R.Wieser wrote:
    Hello all,

    I've got an Optiplex 745 with a build-in "Intel Q965/Q963 Express Chipset Family" videocard. On it I've written a OpenGL (3D) program. In certain circumstances the screen blanks and the 'puter locks up. The same program on another 'puter runs fine, even though it stutters a bit at the "certain circumstances" I mentioned (likely an indication of needing a bit more time to finish drawing the scene).

    The only way /not/ to get the black screen and the 'puter locked up is to pretty-much disable (one step above none) all hardware acceleration for the videocard.

    My question : Does anyone recognise it and knows how to fix it (other than
    by keeping the hardware acceleration on a low setting) ?

    Again the specs:
    Computer : Optiplex 745
    Videocard: Intel Q965/Q963 Express Chipset Family

    Regards
    Rudy Wieser

    I would double check the memory allocation for the Q965
    in the BIOS, versus the total system memory.

    Really, the setup should make safe allocations that
    cannot overrun the OS.

    There are various schemes for iGPU memory allocation. You can
    have a small static allocation suited to compositing. But you
    can also have a dynamic allocation (some up to 1536MB setting),
    that allows DirectX/OpenGL to chow down on graphics memory.
    And this is system memory that is grabbed at runtime
    (has the potential to starve the OS and freeze it).

    I would revisit the BIOS, and adjust any 1536MB values, to
    something more realistic and within range of system memory.
    If the machine only has 512MB (WinXP era), then even 128MB
    is pushing it on dynamic. You might have to hop down to
    the minimum setting available.

    There are OpenGL drivers, which lack a working "mem avail"
    call in OpenGL. This causes stuff to blow up. LibreOffice
    triggered this on my other machine. LibreOffice could not
    tell that OpenGL had run out of RAM, and something crashed
    as a result of the software failure. I was drawing a graph
    in Calc (Excel) and the machine was very busy for five
    minutes, before it ran out of RAM. I was not impressed
    later, to discover via Google, that programs really could
    not tell the graphics RAM had run out.

    I would sooner believe a memory issue, than some other
    kind of issue. At least, as a starting point in the analysis.

    Paul

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Sat Oct 8 09:36:38 2022
    Hello Paul,

    I would double check the memory allocation for the Q965
    in the BIOS, versus the total system memory.

    Alas, when I visited the BIOS I saw no options in that regard anywhere (just one to use the internal or an add-on video card).

    looking at its properties (right-click the desktop and all that) I see it
    has 256MB of memory, with no indication of any kind of allocation from
    system memory (static or dynamic).

    There are OpenGL drivers, which lack a working "mem avail"
    call in OpenGL.

    You're referring to "OpenGL32.DLL" there ? AFAICR its the one that came
    with my installation of the OS (XPsp3). And I've just checked, but none of its functions have "mem" in its name.

    LibreOffice could not tell that OpenGL had run out of RAM, and something crashed as a result of the software failure.

    In my case I've created a simple static scene (a textured floor, walls and a cube) and just moved the "camera" around. Nothing dynamic (that I'm aware
    of). IOW, if the card would run out of memory I would expect it to crash
    in the scene creation or while drawing its first scene.

    Also, I've currently have zero idea how the "hardware acceleration" comes
    into play.

    I would sooner believe a memory issue, than some other
    kind of issue. At least, as a starting point in the analysis.

    Possible, but than I would assume I would, in the past five years, have had more problems with it. Especially when running stuff like VLC Media player (which, even on the next-to-lowest "hardware acceleration" setting still
    seems to work fine. Chapo.)

    Thanks for the suggestions, it gave me a few things to check (amazing how
    fast you forget stuff when you don't use it regulary. :-\ )

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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