Advice on display issue

[Doc]

NGs included in crosspost
microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware

I am looking for advice on the likely source of my problem.

I have a 4-5 year old Dell desktop running XP Home SP3. I usually leave the
computer on and restart it once or twice weekly. Scans for viruses with
current definitions (Norton), malware (MalwareBytes) and spyware
(SuperAntispyware) are run daily. I have been fortunate and not had any
problems with the computer until now.

Several days ago, I awoke the computer and it was at the XP welcome screen.
I would only expect the welcome screen if I restart it and forget to login,
automatic update/install with restart or a power failure lasting longer than
the UPS backup. Nonetheless, when the computer awoke, the screen was
identifiable as the welcome screen but it was distorted. Colors were
incorrect and it had the appearance of larger than normal pixels. When the
mouse was moved, the screen refreshed with a different layout (i.e. my login
picture was in a different part of the screen). As I continued to move the
mouse, the screen would refresh but it would sometimes just go black. I
could not login. Turning off the computer or restarting it did not change
the behavior. I never got a BSOD.

My attempts to resolve the issue are:
1. Safe mode ---> No problems, normal graphics. The most unusual fact was
that I had no system restore points available to me in safe mode. System
restore is enabled for my C: drive.
2. I disabled all startup routines in MSConfig and restarted normally with
no joy.
3. Events viewer did not show any new errors that have not appeared previous
to the problem.
4. The computer has an NVidia GeForce FX 5200 display adapter. I updated
the driver while in safe mode. After a restart, the problem persisted. The
differences were that I could login but the display appeared less distorted
and the colors on the screen were different.

Does this appear to a video card going bad or a software issue ? I do not
have a second video card on hand to install to see if the problem is
rectified.

What would the next logical step be to address this issue ? All
recommendations welcome.

Thank you.

Doc

In my field, a consultant is someone who know more than you.
An expert is a consultant with a Powerpoint presentation.

 

[sgopus]

update most likely will not resolve this, I suspect your video drivers are
corrupted, and a fix will require removal of the drivers, and a reinstall,
revert to a standard VGA adapter before you remove the video drivers.

 

[peter]

Safe mode ---> No problems, normal graphics
this suggests a video driver problem not a hardware problem.
Try Control Panel/Add&remove and uninstall your Nvidea video drivers
then MyComputer/Properties/Hardware/Device manager and uninstall the video
adaptor
Reboot and XP should redetect the adaptor and load the Generic XP Video
driver.
The Dell website should have the proper driver for your Video Chip listed
under your model number
download and install it.

If you have XP's Update set to check and install automatically it could have
during the nite installed a "new" video driver
You should change that setting to notify only.

peter

 

[David B.]

Not necessarily, it is quite possible for a defective card to display
640x480 just fine, but when bumped up to higher resolutions will do just as
the OP describes.

 

[Twayne]

Not necessarily, it is quite possible for a defective card to display
640x480 just fine, but when bumped up to higher resolutions will do
just as the OP describes.

Agreed: And add to that, refresh rates too, especially one the monitor
can't handle right.

Agreed. Based on the fact that drivers were updated with only slight
changes, I'd suspect the video card, unfortunately. Probably a good
time to use it for an upgrade excuse to a better card. <G>
It could also be something to do with the refresh rate: try a
different rate and see if that helps anything.

Just to be certain it's not the monitor, it'd probably be a good idea to
switch out the monitor first, AFTER redownloading and installing drivers
directly from the mfr is that's not where they were sourced from.

And consider: What else was changed on the machine at about the same
time the display problem appeared?

 

[peter]

I stand corrected
thanks

peter

 

[Doc]

sgopus, Peter, David B.and TWayne,

I appreciate all of your input on this matter. I tried replying late
yesterday but I could not sign in to Windows Mail.

I followed the recommendations by uninstalling the NVidia drivers and then
uninstalling the graphics adapter. Upon booting, it looked promising. The
system found the "new hardware" (NVidia video card) and installed the needed
drivers. I logged on and it still looked good. The display was normal,
although at a low resolution......for about a minute. It then reverted to
the same problem I started with.

It appears my problem is leaning towards a video card issue. All is well,
though. I got 5 years of use out of this one. The only problem is that it
is a PCI card and I can't take advantage of the new PCI Express technology.
Don't play any violins for me. If I look at the bright side, a PCI video
card will only run me near US $100, if that. I do not play games or run
anything that requires complex graphics. A new PCI card with 512Mb memory
will suffice.

As an aside:
Peter - I checked and my automatic updates were set to notify only so it
was not likely caused by an update. Thank you for bringing that to my
attention so I can check it.
TWayne - I swapped monitors and my problem was the same. Thank you for
the advice.

This discussion was helpful in providing me with the answer I needed,
hardware or software.

Much abliged to all,

Doc