Predator G3-571 Crashing (no updates were installed)

The first helios 300 I purchased off Amazon had the same problem where games would crash almost immediately after loading.
After sending it to Amazon, my current second laptop had the same problem. I used Display Driver Uninstaller and it fixed the problem since around December 2017.
However last night, out of the blue, my laptop started crashing after loading a game/during loading of a game. I've used DDU to uninstall and reinstall both Intel and Nvidia drivers and still having problems.
Should I just start an RMA? I really don't want to reformat as I don't believe it will fix the issue. Feels like an hardware issue.

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XiDa

All my drivers are up to date and everything was working for 4-5 months until last night

XiDa

Also, my first laptop had the battery problem where the laptop wouldn't run on battery power

JackE

Try the suggestions in this link first http://www.tomsguide.com/faq/id-2320359/fix-direct3d-errors.html Jack E/NJ

XiDa

JackE said:

Try the suggestions in this link first http://www.tomsguide.com/faq/id-2320359/fix-direct3d-errors.html Jack E/NJ

Everything is in working order and up to date, no errors found. Also, there were no windows updates that happened prior to this problem. No other installs were made as well. So it leads me to believe that it is a hardware issue, which isn't uncommon with the Helios 300 (based on Amazon reviews)

AntoJoseph

Hi try to perform a factory reset, Setting-Update and security- Recovery- System reset.

JackE

>>>no updates were installed>>>

OK. At this point, the only way to rule in or rule out a hardware issue is to do a factory reset outside Windows. But before recommending that, how do you know no Win10updates were done when you weren't looking? Jack E/NJ

XiDa

JackE said:

>>>no updates were installed>>>

OK. At this point, the only way to rule in or rule out a hardware issue is to do a factory reset outside Windows. But before recommending that, how do you know no Win10updates were done when you weren't looking? Jack E/NJ

Windows update has a history log, the last update was yesterday, but the problem started the night before. Doing a factory reset = I have to go buy a ~200GB external hard drive to backup all my data. (I just moved across the country 2 weeks ago and didn't bring along my 2TB external hard drive). Also, this isn't the first time this problem has happened, it was the same issue with my first identical laptop that I had to return. I'm assuming I got one of the bad laptops from the first couple of batches.

XiDa

AntoJoseph said:

Hi try to perform a factory reset, Setting-Update and security- Recovery- System reset.

And then if it doesn't work, I've just wasted 2-3 hours of my time, not including the time it would take to re-download and re-install programs. I also need to go buy a external hard drive now to attempt to fix a problem that I am almost 100% certain is hardware related. It's ridiculous that Acer doesn't have a exchange program and excepts a user to be without a PC for ~12 days

XiDa

It's also a possibility that I ship the laptop back to them and they can claim they've ran tests and saw no problem. Then they'll send it back and I'll have problems again. I've never googled Acer reviews but looking at their online reviews I'm actually horrified. My coworker has a Acer Nitro that also seems to be randomly crashing as well. These laptops were all purchased during a sale on Amazon, I'm suspecting Amazon/Acer are probably working together to get rid of possible faulty batches.

JackE

>>>but the problem started the night before>>>

Ok. When was the 2nd to the last Win10update? And do you have system protection enabled so that there's a restore point? Jack E/NJ

XiDa

JackE said:

>>>but the problem started the night before>>>

Ok. When was the 2nd to the last Win10update? And do you have system protection enabled so that there's a restore point? Jack E/NJ

Second to last was 4/11, 12 days before 4/23 (night of problem starting), so it was working for 12 days straight with no problems. (which involved me playing video games almost every night for many hours). No, I don't have a restore point

JackE

If the diagnostics tool and event logs show nothing --- and if the update log can't account for it --- and if it was mine --- I'd back up my personal stuff on external media and send it back for a refund pronto. Jack E/NJ

XiDa

JackE said:

If the diagnostics tool and event logs show nothing --- and if the update log can't account for it --- and if it was mine --- I'd back up my personal stuff on external media and send it back for a refund pronto. Jack E/NJ

It's been 5 months and I tried calling Amazon and they refused to return/exchange (expected). Acer doesn't have a loaner program nor send a replacement program. I remember when my Nexus 6P had a battery problem under warranty, Motorola had an option to pay a little money to get a refurb device and just send the current one back. I'm currently afraid that if I send it back and they run some tests, they might not find any problems as I can't replicate any graphics problems using GPU benchmarking software but any game will crash the computer. If my laptop was out of warranty, I would take the graphics card out and throw it in the oven as I've seen this problem before with desktop GPUs and the oven trick has worked my friends and family 3/3 times lol

JackE

>>>I can't replicate any graphics problems using GPU benchmarking software but any game will crash the computer>>>

It appears that the discrete nvidia graphics is not in the form of a removable card but a mainboard chip. So the whole mainboard would need to be baked. So you're only choice seems to be warranty service. If you send it back, you'd have to be ***very*** specific about the nature of the crashes in 25 words or less, and avoid a broadbrush statement that any game will crash the thing. Jack E/NJ

XiDa

JackE said:

>>>I can't replicate any graphics problems using GPU benchmarking software but any game will crash the computer>>>

It appears that the discrete nvidia graphics is not in the form of a removable card but a mainboard chip. So the whole mainboard would need to be baked. So you're only choice seems to be warranty service. If you send it back, you'd have to be ***very*** specific about the nature of the crashes in 25 words or less, and avoid a broadbrush statement that any game will crash the thing. Jack E/NJ

Fortunately I have 100Mbps Down/Up so I'm actually going to backup everything into my company's Gdrive. Then reset the PC and see if that fixes it, though I doubt it will. In 25 words or less? Hmmm

"Loading/Playing any video game causes the graphics card to crash. Usually the entire computer freezes/crashes and does not automatically restart"

headgearhair

Hey man, I had the problem, same time as you, same one as you. I just found an article saying the latest NVIDIA drivers have caused these issues among 1060 6GB users. Try using an older driver version.

XiDa

headgearhair said:

Hey man, I had the problem, same time as you, same one as you. I just found an article saying the latest NVIDIA drivers have caused these issues among 1060 6GB users. Try using an older driver version.

Did it work for you? I tried 1 version before and it still didn't work. I even used DDU to uninstall in safe mode. This driver worked for almost 1month so IDK why it would stop working all of a sudden other than physical/hardware issue. Which isn't uncommon.

JackE

@XiDa >>>This driver worked for almost 1month so IDK why it would stop working all of a sudden other than physical/hardware issue>>>

Agreed. So pick a game or three that you know for sure will choke the machine everytime. Then hustle it off to ACER warranty repair with your 25 word-or-less complaint in big fat bold font that it chokes on these games every time. Jack E/NJ

XiDa

JackE said:

@XiDa >>>This driver worked for almost 1month so IDK why it would stop working all of a sudden other than physical/hardware issue>>>

Agreed. So pick a game or three that you know for sure will choke the machine everytime. Then hustle it off to ACER warranty repair with your 25 word-or-less complaint in big fat bold font that it chokes on these games every time. Jack E/NJ

Just reformatted last night and used DDU to uninstall/reinstall latest driver, games/computer still crashed. Then tried it with a driver 4 versions old, same problem. Waiting for a replacement laptop before I send this one back for repairs. I complained on Amazon and Acer in texas actually called. I'm wondering if they'll be willing to just ship me a refurb or something before I send this one back.

JackE

>>>I'm wondering if they'll be willing to just ship me a refurb or something before I send this one back. >>>

Yeah. Probably about as likely as you getting more snow before the end of May.

Jack E/NJ

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