MY COMPUTER IS BROKEN (AGAIN) PLEASE SEND HELP

Projeck

So, as of a couple days ago I've been having a weird problem with my computer

What's happening is that the screen will get this weird pixelated pattern over everything, and shortly there after the dang thing'll freeze and the screen will go black and I can't do anything but turn it off :0

So sometimes, when I boot it back up, the pixel pattern will remain, but it seems to run fine

I really don't know much about this sort of thing, so any help would be mad appreciated

Sorry if this doesn't make sense, I'll try and get a photo of what's going on as soon as possible

thanks!


EDIT: SEE MY LATEST POST PLEASE

theclam

If it actually freezes (i.e. music will stop playing) rather than just the monitor turning off, it's probably overheating. Open it up, blow some compressed air in to clear out dust, make sure the fans are spinning.

Projeck

Alright, I'll clean it out in like an hour or so

thanks, clamman

Projeck

im not sure how helpful this picture is, but its the best I could get
http://i26.tinypic.com/ehxm49.png

Figgy

This is likely an issue with your video card. Does this happen immediately when Windows boots (or even a few seconds after,) and what happens if you switch through resolutions?

I would first try updating your video drivers, or rolling back one version if you just updated them.

Thegreatcow

Figgy wrote: »

This is likely an issue with your video card. Does this happen immediately when Windows boots (or even a few seconds after,) and what happens if you switch through resolutions?

I would first try updating your video drivers, or rolling back one version if you just updated them.

Aye 2nd'ing this idea. Usually when the video starts "artifacting" like you showed there, it's usually a sign that something is going wrong with the video card. I had this happen to me a couple of times with some early ATI cards that had terrible QC on their cooling fans which had the tendency to die and overheat. If you've cleared out all the cruft and dustbunnies from all the fans inside your compy and your ambient is not too high and you're still getting this issue, try the software angle first and either update/rollback your drivers if you just updated them.

If that does not work, then it could be a case of your video card overheating/dying. The only way to test this is either to visually confirm your card's fan is spinning or test with a friend's video card and see if you're getting the same issue.

Projeck

sometimes it'll be there on boot, sometimes it won't, it's weird!

also, the first thing I tried when I got this problem was updating the drivers, and it seemed to work for a bit, but now it's back :S

I can't find my damn compressed air can, but as soon as I do I'll get-a-cleaning

Buttcleft

Your video card is dying, Get a new one asap before it decides to take other shit with it.

Projeck

oh, shoot

that sounds dangerous!

Thegreatcow

Projeck wrote: »

oh, shoot

that sounds dangerous!

Yeah you definitely want to get that swapped out sooner than later. The chance of damage is fairly minimal, but a LOT of power goes through a Video Card, and you don't want a short happening inside your system.

Projeck

alright, so what would be a good replacement card? Right now I got an 8800 GTS something or another, so what's a good cheap card on about the same level?

also, if I could order it through amazon that would also be preferable (I got mad gift cards)

Figgy

Get it by Wednesday if you order now: http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-512-P3-N841-TR-e-GeForce-PCI-E-Graphics/dp/B002AS9UPG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1252987665&sr=8-1

Or, if Amazon takes gift cards as payment for marketplace items (I have a feeling they don't?): http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-e-GeForce-8800GTS-PCIe-Video/dp/B000NGIDIM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1252987665&sr=8-2

Thegreatcow

Projeck wrote: »

alright, so what would be a good replacement card? Right now I got an 8800 GTS something or another, so what's a good cheap card on about the same level?

also, if I could order it through amazon that would also be preferable (I got mad gift cards)

Ok, well if it's an 8800 GTS, I'm assuming PCI Express then, what's your budget going to be then? (Including all the gift cards/cash you have, and what you're willing to spend)

Also, and this is important, what kind of wattage does your power supply carry? Depending on the card, you may need more power. A good way to check is to see how many 6-PIN power connectors come from your power supply, usually 2 is a sign it's a pretty beefy power supply, but you should definitely check the wattage/brand to be sure.

Edit: Ahh Figgy beat me too it. Yeah if you're just doing a straight replacement, then that would be the way to go.

Projeck

i think my power supply is pretty crummy, since it came with the case

also that card looks pretty good, is there anything else easy that I might want to try and rule out before ordering?

Figgy

Projeck wrote: »

i think my power supply is pretty crummy, since it came with the case

also that card looks pretty good, is there anything else easy that I might want to try and rule out before ordering?

Open your case and ensure that the card is seated properly. If you're uncomfortable doing this, then don't try.

Download the latest driver as well as at least two versions before it. Uninstall the current driver and try the latest one, then the one before, then the one before, etc. Reboot between each uninstall and then each fresh install.

Go into your display options in windows and mess around with the resolutions, see if that changes anything. It's a long shot but you might see some interested artifact changes.

Lastly, take it somewhere to be looked at or have a savvy friend check it out. Ideally, you want to swap your video card out and see if the problem persists, but if you aren't comfortable doing that (or have a friend who is), then your best bet might be a repair shop.

Projeck

okie dokes, thanks!

Projeck

Hey, yeah

ordering a new graphics card tonight, but I was wondering if it would be smarter to get this card?
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-512-P3-N802-AR-e-GeForce-Superclocked-PCI-Express/dp/B000Y16TXM/ref=dp_return_2?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics

It's cheaper, and I think I've heard it's better?

Projeck

oh shoot, those are all used :0

EDIT: OKAY HOW ABOUT THIS
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-512-P3-N973-TR-GeForce-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B001KZH8KO/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1253407314&sr=8-14

Projeck

alright well if that card doesn't work I'm going to shoot every one of you

Projeck

OKAY SO

i installed this card, and everything was going like gravy until a week or so ago when I started getting blue screens at boot

I figured it was my graphics card but WHO KNOWS

I was finally able to get my hands on an Ubuntu disk yesterday, and I can boot off of that just fine

would that mean it is just my windows fuckin' up or what

Erandus

If you swapped graphics cards without reinstalling windows, you can have driver issues causing blue screens.

I would say you probably want to download the newest driver from the manufacturer's website, run a driver cleaner, uninstall your card from the device manager, reboot, and reinstall the card.

If you're still blue screening after that, you may be looking at a total windows reinstall.

Projeck

I don't think it is a driver issue, since I can't even boot into safe mode

maybe I'm wrong?

MrMonroe

So you're getting the blue screen, what, right after selecting "safe mode?" Or do you get a bit of Windows load screen before it borks itself?

Projeck

Windows will start to load and then after a couple moments I get a quick blue screen and it reboots

very frustrating!

MrMonroe

do you have your Windows disk? If you can boot from that I'd say it sounds like your OS install up-chucked it's bamboo if you know what I mean

Projeck

hm alright i'll mess with that and if all else fails I'll send in my card for a replacement