HTC VIVE grey screen, tried everything.

[Roual]

Another grey screen discussion, I have read every post I can find and followed all of them, noting seems to work. I hate to be the one to make yet another grey screen post but VR is awesome.
Ive done everything, updating everything, default bios, removed wifi card and gone wired, reset everthing 1000 times, updated all usb firmware, installed inateck 4 usb 3 card, moved to every usb port, removed all usbs, updated all vive firmware THE LIST GOES ON!
Ive been sitting here for 2 days trying to get this to work. Ive emailed steam,htc and asus.
Yes im using the asus z170a but as the vive is on the inateck would that still matter?
Im going to try moving to a bigger room to so if it helps but it works for about 10 mins perfectly, then a controller could drop out try and get it back on and bam grey screen.
Is it the rig or the vive?
Please help me find out what in the foooook is going on!!!

ill copy and paste my setup.

Number of cores 4 (max 4)
Number of threads 4 (max 4)
Name Intel Core i5 6600K
Codename Skylake
Specification Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6600K CPU @ 3.50GHz
Package (platform ID) Socket 1151 LGA (0x1)
Memory Type DDR4
Memory Size 16 GBytes
Display adapter 0
Name NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
Board Manufacturer ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Revision A1
Codename GP104
Technology 16 nm
Memory size 8 GB
Memory type GDDR5
Software

Windows Version Microsoft Windows 10 (10.0) Professional 64-bit (Build 14393)
DirectX Version 12.0

[Orange bite]

Dont install any Asus software like AI Suite. Try to kill any Asus service/process in the backgaround and see the impact. One of my friend had met simialr issue like you and uninstalled of AI Suite had fixed his problem. Good luck.

[Roual]

I did have ai suite have now removed this but like you say some things may be running in the back ground I shall give this ago later thanks

[Roual]

I have removed every peice of Asus software I have, no change. I ve been speaking to a vive tech today who has been helping me with a few things and is going to call me tomorrow. I also have an email from Asus admitting the z170a dosnt work with the vive, although one of their selling points is "VR ready beyond"
Nothing beyond Bullshat
No change as of yet but thanks you.

[Roual]

Can anyone answer me this, I have the Asus z170a which gets issues instantly, if I am using the inateck PCIe card would that rule out the issues the vive has with the MoBo? It slightly improves when plugged into the inateck I can get about 10 mins out of it.

[Roual]

I have tried a different room, much bigger room and still have the same problem.

[Orange bite]

Try a clean windonw install and see the impact.

[Wildheart]

I occasionally get this problem but it occurs with some games more than others. The lab gives me a grey screen almost all the time when starting and I have to reboot the vive.

[Roual]

Still testing it, Changed my wifi card (tp300mbps) and stopped using a wifi extender and it hasnt happened since (about a month) will report back when im 100%

[oso_enmascarado]

Any advance? I have been using HTC Vive for months, and suddenly started having that problem a month ago. I reinstalled all software. I even reinstalled the whole operating system. And still happens. Last time everything was going on smoothly when installing windows 10 and vive from scratch, but Vive asked me to update. After the update, the problem arised again and it goes on smoothly for about 10 minutes, but grey screens appear after that time and get worse and worse. In one occasion, I noticed a weird thing, I find a dead angle with headset, so looking at that angle grey screen appears but only when a vive controller is close to a chaperone limit. If I move it away, picture returns. But other times dead points are not close to limits :-(

[Roual]

From all my research a dead angle seems like enviroment, such as mirror, reflective surfaces interfearing with the lighthouses.
I'm glad to say my issues has now full fixed due to changing the TP300mbps card, later I find out the HTC dosnt get on with the wifi card driver, even if the card is removed the driver may still be present, a new asus card fixed it.

[Goalkeeper]

@iDan how is the situation rigth now? Got my vive back from service- they flashed firmware in controlers and lighthouses, but my problem persist... i must try your advice with TP(tp link?) card... How did you get on this idea that your WiFi card drivers colide with VIVE?

[Roual]

Originally posted by JG:

@iDan how is the situation rigth now? Got my vive back from service- they flashed firmware in controlers and lighthouses, but my problem persist... i must try your advice with TP(tp link?) card... How did you get on this idea that your WiFi card drivers colide with VIVE?

So the situation is over! If you haven't already tried the Innateck USB card(which is the most common problem), then there is a site somewhere I have tried to find it again but cannot, that lists a few different programs and hardware that doesn't work well with the vive, 1 of these was the tp link wifi card, now although I had already taken the card out and tried it with no luck it is the driver that is the issue. So in buying a new card that uses a totally different driver it sorted it and haven't had an issue since.
I had also stopped using a wifi extender, after some research about the HMD, controllers and lighthouses they run on 2.4ghz band.
Likewise does the wifi card (some on 5gz) and wifi extender also, so eliminated this also. But im sure it was the wifi card. I brought an asus one about £30 if you are wondering.
Software like asus suite can effect it as its has power saving on its usb ports which causes issues with it.
Hopefully that helped, anymore questions please ask!
I'll try and find that link for the list of items that dont get on well with it.

[Roual]

Originally posted by JG:

@iDan how is the situation rigth now? Got my vive back from service- they flashed firmware in controlers and lighthouses, but my problem persist... i must try your advice with TP(tp link?) card... How did you get on this idea that your WiFi card drivers colide with VIVE?

@oso_enmascarado

This is where I found out about the TP link card first. They also use to note Razor software conflicts with the vive, not sure if thats still true.

Remove or Disable Conflicting Software

Some software has been found to conflict with SteamVR or SteamVR driver installations. If you have any of the following software installed, try uninstalling it and re-testing:

Asus AI Suite

JDS Labs ODAC USB Audio device

Older Apple Cinema displays with devices attached through USB

TP-LINK 300Mbps Wireless N PCI Express Adapter TL-WN881ND

[Goalkeeper]

Thanks for reply! Meanwhile I'ev already disconnected TPlink card (exactly: TL-WN881ND) and uninstalled driver, restarted PC, and spended araund 1h without problems. My Vive was shipped yesterday from regeneris HTC service point in Romania...( i live in Poland) Reports only informs about firmware flash and calibrations of sensor in HMD... today I trayed Vive in Assetto Corsa... 15 minutes of driveing and... yep grayscreen... so i once again checked steamVR forum for post like yours, and BAAM! So far it is OK, need to check more extensivly... But seriously Thanks for that post, I have walked long road home... (steamVR home ;) )

[Roual]

Originally posted by JG:

Thanks for reply! Meanwhile I'ev already disconnected TPlink card (exactly: TL-WN881ND) and uninstalled driver, restarted PC, and spended araund 1h without problems. My Vive was shipped yesterday from regeneris HTC service point in Romania...( i live in Poland) Reports only informs about firmware flash and calibrations of sensor in HMD... today I trayed Vive in Assetto Corsa... 15 minutes of driveing and... yep grayscreen... so i once again checked steamVR forum for post like yours, and BAAM! So far it is OK, need to check more extensivly... But seriously Thanks for that post, I have walked long road home... (steamVR home ;) )

It took me 3 weeks of frustration and a totally new vive under warrenty to narrow my problem down. If it dosnt work then please try and new wifi card, you never know if its still interfearing.
Your welcome to add and i'm more than happy to help you try and figure it out, I know how frustating it is.