Most of the time vista works without any major problems, but sometimes the
display goes crazy, either by "spinning" from left to right, or it just
flickers in some strange way. This comes out of nowhere and I havn't noticed
that it comes when I do special things... Anyone have an idea about what can
cause this and how to correct it? It's very anoying, since the only remedy is
to restart the computer...

You didn't mention if this is a laptop or desktop. If it is a desktop, make
sure the monitor cable is securely screwed into the video connector. A loose
connector will make the display go nuts.

If it's a laptop (or desktop for that matter), it could be a driver
problem...re-install the driver and/or make sure it is the latest
Vista-supported driver. It could also be a hardware problem. If it's a
laptop, try connecting an external montor to see what happens. Swap with
another monitor if it's a desktop.

If it's a high-end CRT monitor, it may have a degauss feature that you could
try. I'm sure there are other things to try but this is a good start.

Good luck.

Tim

"DJ_danne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:0C1F1104-072D-47B1-AF55-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Most of the time vista works without any major problems, but sometimes the
> display goes crazy, either by "spinning" from left to right, or it just
> flickers in some strange way. This comes out of nowhere and I havn't
> noticed
> that it comes when I do special things... Anyone have an idea about what
> can
> cause this and how to correct it? It's very anoying, since the only remedy
> is
> to restart the computer...

It's a laptop. Since the problem only occurs from time to time it can be hard
to change to a external monitor, but next time it happens I'll try (if I can
push the right buttons without seeing them....) to connect another monitor.
Since it's a laptop it does not have a degauss button. I can tell that the
video card is a intel 945GM (integrated). The drivers are from windows
update. I checked dells latest drivers for this card, but they where older
than the ones from windows update.

"Tim" wrote:

> You didn't mention if this is a laptop or desktop. If it is a desktop, make
> sure the monitor cable is securely screwed into the video connector. A loose
> connector will make the display go nuts.
>
> If it's a laptop (or desktop for that matter), it could be a driver
> problem...re-install the driver and/or make sure it is the latest
> Vista-supported driver. It could also be a hardware problem. If it's a
> laptop, try connecting an external montor to see what happens. Swap with
> another monitor if it's a desktop.
>
> If it's a high-end CRT monitor, it may have a degauss feature that you could
> try. I'm sure there are other things to try but this is a good start.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Tim
>
> "DJ_danne" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:0C1F1104-072D-47B1-AF55-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Most of the time vista works without any major problems, but sometimes the
> > display goes crazy, either by "spinning" from left to right, or it just
> > flickers in some strange way. This comes out of nowhere and I havn't
> > noticed
> > that it comes when I do special things... Anyone have an idea about what
> > can
> > cause this and how to correct it? It's very anoying, since the only remedy
> > is
> > to restart the computer...
>

DJ_danne wrote:
> ...The drivers are from windows
> update. I checked dells latest drivers for this card, but they where older
> than the ones from windows update...

Sounds odd, but that's no reason not to try them. As long as the
drivers are intended for Vista I would give them a try. Windows
Update can always reinstall the newer ones if the problem isn't
fixed. (Make sure you know how to boot into 'safe mode' just
in case the Dell drivers are a disaster.)

I've learned never to use hardware drivers from Windows/Microsoft Update. I
always go to the manufacturer's web site to get them. Not sure why but I
have had drivers from MS do fairly weird things in the past. Find out what
the video chipset is and vist their web site for the latest drivers. But I
should add that I have not had problems with drivers downloaded from Dell
(but they may not always be the latest).

Tim

"Don" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> DJ_danne wrote:
>> ...The drivers are from windows
>> update. I checked dells latest drivers for this card, but they where
>> older than the ones from windows update...
>
> Sounds odd, but that's no reason not to try them. As long as the drivers
> are intended for Vista I would give them a try. Windows
> Update can always reinstall the newer ones if the problem isn't
> fixed. (Make sure you know how to boot into 'safe mode' just
> in case the Dell drivers are a disaster.)
>