really strange (vga?) problems...

[Burgon]

Hey,

its been a while since I posted on here, but this one got me really curious as to what it might be.

One of my households computers has been acting very strange, it would crash after a while on almost every game, sometimes the screen would just loose signal, and the PC had to be restarted etc.

However, the very odd thing is that in BIOS startup screen, there would be random dots all over the screen ( maybe 5-10 of them), and some letters would have strange colors... most letters would be white, as they should be, but then there would be that one letter which is for example yellow, or blue.

anyone has experienced this? is the VGA bust?

thanks!

 

[johnb35]

I would say bad video card. Your monitor could be having a pixel problem but that wouldn't cause the game to crash.

 

[Burgon]

I would say bad video card. Your monitor could be having a pixel problem but that wouldn't cause the game to crash.

Monitor is fine, dots go away after BIOS screen. also had it hooked up to my computer as a secondary monitor and it was fine all the way :/

 

[johnb35]

Replace the video card then.

 

[JakeUSMC]

replace the video card then.

+100

 

[konsole]

is the video card overheating? Does it feel extremely hot? I'm not sure what free programs there are to check the temperature of Nvidia cards but I'm sure the temp will be listed in the bios.

video cards are suppose to handle well above 150 deg F but above 200 F then problems will start. If the video card has a heatsink and fan then try taking it apart and see if there is any thermal paste left were the heatsink touches the board, and then make sure the heatsink is tightened down enough so it contacts the board. Also clean any dust off of the card

 

[Burgon]

is the video card overheating? Does it feel extremely hot? I'm not sure what free programs there are to check the temperature of Nvidia cards but I'm sure the temp will be listed in the bios.

video cards are suppose to handle well above 150 deg F but above 200 F then problems will start. If the video card has a heatsink and fan then try taking it apart and see if there is any thermal paste left were the heatsink touches the board, and then make sure the heatsink is tightened down enough so it contacts the board. Also clean any dust off of the card

sorry didnt mention that its not this computer, its on the other one which has a ATi card (X1900GT or something... I'm not good with ATi cards)

I dont think its overheating as it happens on a fresh start after the PC has been turned off for a while. Is it possible maybe the firmware messed up? is there a way to reinstall that?

 

[konsole]

First you said it crashes after playing games for a little while, now your saying it crashes shortly after the computer boots up?

 

[swensoch]

I think he means he gets the dots right when he boots up.

 

[Burgon]

First you said it crashes after playing games for a little while, now your saying it crashes shortly after the computer boots up?

"One of my households computers has been acting very strange, it would crash after a while on almost every game, sometimes the screen would just loose signal, and the PC had to be restarted etc."

sorry, that wasn't written very well.


anyhow, I reformatted windows on it. I still get the dots but no further problems so far. strange problem.

 

[johnb35]

The dots is from the video card, replace it. I had an Ati x1600pro that did the same thing, after booting into windows the dots would disappear.

 

[ultipig]

Yeah. Like you suggested, the firmware that came with the card must be messed up. Then again, you could also have some weird virus that's affecting your video card performance and color issues. Check these:

- Is the card overclocked? If yes, put it to stock speeds and run some tests.
- Is the color set to 256-bit? (Stupid question, I know, but basic usually comes first) If not, well, you should know what to do.

Good Luck!