[endgame]

After the two week ordeal of cleaning house, i.e. adware, spyware, virus, etc... just last night Panda finally ran a clean sweep: nothing, nada, perfect. The quest was finally complete and PC back to normal.

First web page after a Google Search, screen goes black, no video input. Test the card, by switching my monitor to the PC's built in rather than the upgraded FX5500 card. It works. My goodness, even FaceGen works!

Now, the question. Forget the bad timing, bad luck, next monster to draw blood, etc... that's just my life. Is it common for a video card to suddenly just quit!? I think it's about 2 years old, give or take, and I ended up just yanking it out of the PC altogether, but something tells me I should do something to make sure the card is bad, or to make sure I can't make it function somehow. Beyond blowing (forced air) both the card and socket, I'm not sure what else I can do to ensure I do need another card or can live with the built-in. Ideas?