New Problem - Display all messed up

[JiF]LtWaterboy · Post by **[JiF]LtWaterboy** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 12:49 am

Ok guys - troubleshoot this one:

Was on my computer with no problems.
All of a sudden my display went wacky - green and red vertical/horizontal lines all over the monitor.

I shut down and restarted my computer.

The first screen that says DELL ULTRASHARP etc etc can up crystal clear. Because of this, I dont think it is the monitor as the root problem.

Soon as the Windows came booting up, it was messed up (colors, pixels, etc). All the way to and through the desktop.

I've tried both reinstalling the ATI driver for the vid card, and also did a system restore (back to Saturday), and NEITHER helps.

Right now, the rest of the computer is fine, just tough typing in what I can't read!!!

Is this a sign of the video card itself failing?

Anything else I can try to diagnose, fix, etc?

Tanxs again.

LT

[JiF]Lonewolf · Post by **[JiF]Lonewolf** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 2:16 am

I'm not sure what the prob is but I have 2 nice ATI cards here that done the same thing and I could never get the problem fixed so they are on the shelf now and they was replaced with nVIDIA cards and no more problem. I can grab either one of those ATI cards right now and put it in any PC of anyones choosing and it will do the same every time so I just figured they was going out.

[JiF]rIot · Post by **[JiF]rIot** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 4:23 am

try omega drivers? I doubt it would help tho, its an idea

[JiF]LtWaterboy · Post by **[JiF]LtWaterboy** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 2:12 pm

Nope. I just uninstalled the recent ATI & catalyst control center and installed the Omega driver version - no better (actually worse cause everything has wierd settings, ie resolution, font, etc- the lines and distortion are the same).

Some only info:

1. After I uninstall and of the video drivers, and reboot to install another version, the left half of the display is back to normal. The lines & crap only are on the right half.

2. However, after I reinstall ANY video driver again and try to reboot, I ALWAYS get a blue screen crash with a driver error included.

3. When I reboot (either in safe mode first or just normally), it comes back up the entire screen is messed up again (after the install). Again, the very first DELL UltraSharp screen is clear, but then the Dell Latitude 8300 and Windows XP HE screens (the next boot up ones) are all pixelated and messed up.

Does this lend any more help to problem solving? My next step is to pull the vid card, reseat it and try again.

[JiF]KellysHero · Post by **[JiF]KellysHero** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 2:33 pm

You said Dell Latitude 8300 (Laptop), or did you mean Dimension 8300, the desktop system?

Maybe it's your lasik going haywire?????

Assuming you mean the desktop version, does it have onboard video? If so pull out the ATI card and switch to the onboard graphics and see if it helps.

Even pulling out and reseating the video card might help too, but...

I'm betting your videocard is shot though, time for an upgrade. Just make sure you konw if you have an APG of PCI-e card so you can get the proper replacement. APG slot cards are around, but the are a bit more pricey.

[JiF]LtWaterboy · Post by **[JiF]LtWaterboy** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:08 pm

Heehee - yeah sorry couldnt read in between all the crap!! LMAO!!

got it fixed.

I did pull out the card like I said and cleaned it out.

Amazing - even though I clean out the inside of my tower case routinely with compressed air, there was a layer of crap so bad on the video card heat sink/fan,
that I had to use 20 Q-tips to get it all out!! They were dark grey on all of them when done...

once I did that and put it back in - working like a champ again!! put the current ATI driver back on as well.

the card is only 2 years old so I'm glad I did not have to replace - waiting on buying a new quad-core system to do it then...

whew!!!

LT

[JiF][AARP]Grimp · Post by **[JiF][AARP]Grimp** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 4:14 pm

I had lots of problems with the latest ATI Catalyst driver set. Constantly giving errors from the control center and failing to load.
7-2_xp_dd_ccc_wdm_enu_41238 is the version that was giving me issues.
I went back to 6-11_xp-2k_dd_ccc_wdm_enu_37616 and it seems to be okay now.

[JiF]LtWaterboy · Post by **[JiF]LtWaterboy** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:16 pm

[JiF][AARP]Grimp wrote:I had lots of problems with the latest ATI Catalyst driver set. Constantly giving errors from the control center and failing to load.
7-2_xp_dd_ccc_wdm_enu_41238 is the version that was giving me issues.
I went back to 6-11_xp-2k_dd_ccc_wdm_enu_37616 and it seems to be okay now.

that's the one I have too... i'm crossing my fingers it was dirt/heat buildup...

LT

ps. it's been holding on since this morn..woohoo!!

[JiF]LtWaterboy · Post by **[JiF]LtWaterboy** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 3:26 pm

Crap!!

That didnt last long - I jinxed it and now its slowly coming back!!!

Will try your thoughts grimp with the old driver b4 I trash the card...

LT

[JiF]Stepovich · Post by **[JiF]Stepovich** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 3:45 pm

That was the primary reason I finally built the new rig...
I wanted to ditch the ATI card...those drivers were consistenty
bad, bad, bad.

BFG 8800.....smooth sailing.

[JiF]Smuckers · Post by **[JiF]Smuckers** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 8:52 pm

I used to have problems with Nvidia drivers and switched to ATI. I havn't had any driver problems with mine since the switch to ATI. jinx...................... Although I do only buy ATI cards and not other venders ATI chipsets.

[JiF]LtWaterboy · Post by **[JiF]LtWaterboy** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:29 pm

Okay.

Been gone for 6 days - it appears it was the video card was fried.

I believe it was because I put in a TV tuner card in the 1st PCI slot (right next to the AGP one with the card).
This is what the directions from Hauppauge told me to do!!
They were right up against each other and maybe the airflow from the fan & heat sink could not be dissipated.
Finally received the new card today from dell (ATI Radeon X1300 XGE 256MB). Only one I could find that was compatable
without replacing power supply, mother board, cooling, etc.
It is a slight upgrade from the ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 128MB that I had.

Seems to be working okay EXCEPT FOR ONE THING:

When the computer boots up, after the Dell Ultrasharp (the monitor) screen, the Dell Dimension 8300 screen is FUBAR'd. The white DELL lettering
(and other letters/words) is surrounded in a white block and cant really read it.
The following Windows XP screeen and everything else from there is working fine.

Tried rebooting a few times to ensure the drivers are fine, but it has the same issue every time.

Any thoughts on how to fix? I have NOT yet tried to go into the BIOS or setup/startup yet. Don't know what to "change" in there even if I did!!!

Any help would be appreciated!!

Just great to be able to see my computer again - and crossing my fingers it was the card that was fried!!

LT

[JiF]bigjohnson · Post by **[JiF]bigjohnson** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:56 pm

BIOS Adjustment! aperature, AGP color, memory hole, etc. something like that. may need flash BIOS (Ihad to do that when I upgraded video on my old machine.

The only problem I've had lately with my monitor is that if I take my galsses off... everything gets blurry.

[JiF]LtWaterboy · Post by **[JiF]LtWaterboy** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 5:47 pm

LMAO!!!!

That's why I got the lasik.....

I'll try and go into the BIOS and see if I can figured out anything!! cross your fingers!!

LT

[JiF]LtWaterboy · Post by **[JiF]LtWaterboy** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:08 pm

Looks like, again, I don't know what I'm doin!!

On boot-up, I tried hitting F2 to go into my set up (I assume this is the BIOS).

There is nothing in there that relates to the video card, other that a spot that says video controller (currently set to AGP instead of AUTO).

Can you walk me through, like the layman I am, where & how to do these types of changes??

ps. I have a Dell Dimension with Windows XP - FYI.

LT