stripey screen - can't turn computer off

[Guest]

Please help me! I am running Vista Home Premium 32 bit, sometimes when I
leave the computer for a while I find on my return the screen has got
vertical stripes (mostly green and white, a few red) all over it. Has anyone
else had such a thing happen? Once the screen has gone like this the only way
I can turn off my computer is to pull the plug! Any advice would be greatly
appreciated.

 

[Jon]

Please help me! I am running Vista Home Premium 32 bit, sometimes when I
leave the computer for a while I find on my return the screen has got
vertical stripes (mostly green and white, a few red) all over it. Has
anyone
else had such a thing happen? Once the screen has gone like this the only
way
I can turn off my computer is to pull the plug! Any advice would be
greatly
appreciated.

Doesn't sound very healthy, but try a different screen saver, or
'degaussing' the monitor (button on the monitor itself)

 

[Malke]

Please help me! I am running Vista Home Premium 32 bit, sometimes when I
leave the computer for a while I find on my return the screen has got
vertical stripes (mostly green and white, a few red) all over it. Has anyone
else had such a thing happen? Once the screen has gone like this the only way
I can turn off my computer is to pull the plug! Any advice would be greatly
appreciated.

This is probably a hardware issue, not software (Vista). If it were a
video driver problem I wouldn't expect the issue to occur after a few
hours the way you describe it. It sounds like something is overheating
and/or failing.

Since you didn't tell us whether you have a laptop or desktop, or
anything else about your computer and your monitor, here are some
general troubleshooting steps:

1. Assuming this is a desktop, attach the computer to a different
monitor. If the problems go away, then your original monitor is failing
and needs to be replaced. If the problems continue, then you know the
issue is with the computer.

2. Open the computer and run it open after cleaning out all dust
bunnies. Observe all fans (overheating will cause system freezing and/or
crashing). This includes the fan on your video card if you have one.
Obviously you can't do this with a laptop, but you can hear if the fan
is running and feel if the laptop is getting too hot. For a desktop,
without touching anything hold your hand close to the inside of the case
and feel how hot things are getting.

3. If doing #2 doesn't help, then uninstall your video card and swap it
out for a known-working one.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Tshoot

Standard caveat: Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out
suspected parts with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing
yourself and/or are uncomfortable opening your computer, take the
machine to a professional computer repair shop (not your local
equivalent of BigStoreUSA). Have all your data backed up before you take
the machine into a shop.


Malke

 

[Dave Cox]

Doesn't sound very healthy, but try a different screen saver, or
'degaussing' the monitor (button on the monitor itself)

Sounds to me like the video card is overheating "when I leave the
computer for a while" I've had simular experiences in the past. if
after you shut the PC down and let it cool down for awhile does it
clear the verticle lines?

Check to see if there proper circulation in the PC and see if there is
a fan on the graphics chip (it might be covered with dust)

 

[Guest]

Sorry! My bad. It is a new Dell Dimension E521 with a 2007WFP (analog)
monitor. I think the video card (I am no whiz on hardware, or anything to do
with computers actually) is a 256MB ATI Radeon X1300pro. When I have tried to
run diagnostics on this the test gets to a certain point and the says the
monitor is not getting a signal and to set it to optimum resolution. When I
go to do this I find it is already set at 1680x1050@60Hz. Could this be part
of my problem?