Display, GFX issue? (Dot patterns)

[Beerdude22]

Greetings, humble computer community!

I've been browsing the web for 14-days, for a solution, and I finally found: http://computerhope.com !
First off, I gotta say that the new "Mr. Hope" function is just fantastic, it answered some of my earlier questions in the matter of seconds! However, I have a slight problem.

After playing World of Warcraft for a while, the graphic card (or monitor? I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to a advanced level of computer engineering as this) started to flip out, creating patterns of dots, or even pixels and graphic errors while playing (Which it never had done before, all of sudden!).

So I was thinking to myself; "Aha, probably some heat, or something in that genre?" So, I restarted the computer, hoping for better results.

As the start up screen approached, everything seemed to be normal, I logged into the game again, and continued playing. However, this time, it happened even faster.

So I asked myself "Probably the computer deny the will to run!?"

However, I restarted the computer for a second time, and the nightmare, obviously started.

I managed to do a Recovery, and log into Windows, but with no luck of helping.

The screen looked like this:


I restarted the computer once again, and this time my system didn't even detect my hard drive, for some suspicious reason.

The black squares are there, the black and white patterns of strips are there, even at start up before Windows.

What I've tried is the following, that did not make any difference.

- Switch monitor
- Switch monitor cable
- Partly cleaned the computer for dust
- Checked the graphic card is inserted correctly into the slot

The funny thing is that, occasionally, the screen removes the blurry dots, and patterns, and displays as it should, during start up, then it turns back to dots again, and it remains so for 95% of the time.

I got no idea what it is, is it the heat, is it the computer taking it's final breath?

I would really appreciate if any of you skilled-advanced computer engineers could point me in the correct direction, and perhaps conclude what is wrong!

Thanks.

[patio]

- Partly cleaned the computer for dust

I'd do it a bit more thoroughly...use a QTip to hold the fan blades in place when you are blasting them with compressed air to prevent damage.
Next suspect after a good cleaning would be the power supply followed by the card itself going bad.

[Beerdude22]

Alright, so you're saying that dust is my major problem here? :>

[patio]

I'm saying it's a possibility....along with not enough power and/or the card itself is failing.
Best to do the cheapest solutions first.
A can of compressed air is the cheapest of the 3 possibilities at this point.

[Beerdude22]

Alright, thanks, I'm very greatful for the support.

First off I'll clean the computer for dust.

Is there any thing else I should look out after, or to do when doing this?

Thanks

[saf-beagle]

Right click on your desk top. Click on the properties tab. Then Advanced tab.

From your screen shot it appears you're using a LCD monitor. Ensure you have the refresh rate set to 60 Hz.

Which video card are you using? ATI or N-vidia? Which model? ( driver ect, el ) OC'ing  your card in BIOS?

[Beerdude22]

1. I can't enter Windows, since the system, for some odd reason won't detect my hard drive. Even though it's set to "auto" in the BIOS options.

2. The card is a crap card, named: ATI Radeon 9555 Series (Not sure about anything more, as I can't enter Windows.)
Using the display driver from; http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx?p=xp/radeonx-xp

Thanks!

[patio]

From your screen shot it appears you're using a LCD monitor. Ensure you have the refresh rate set to 60 Hz.

How was this determined from a screenshot ? ?

If the BIOS won't see the HDD you have more serious issues than the vid card...
Post as much info on the machine; OS and what happened prior to this to give us some sort of starting point.

[quaxo]

Do you mean 9500 or 9550? I've never heard of (nor can I find through searching) a 9555.

[Beerdude22]

Oh, yeah, the 9550 is the one, my mistake.

Also, everything that happened says in the post, I don't know how to describe it better.

While playing it suddenly went dot-mode. And now it's stuck there.

Also the HDD issue happened after rebooting the machine a couple of times, after the video card issue.

(Note: Also the monitor is a LCD.)

[patio]

From your screen shot it appears you're using a LCD monitor. Ensure you have the refresh rate set to 60 Hz.

How was this determined from a screenshot ? ?[/s]

If the BIOS won't see the HDD you have more serious issues than the vid card...
Post as much info on the machine; OS and what happened prior to this to give us some sort of starting point.

[Beerdude22]

It's a:

Packard Bell - IMEDIA 5556.

All information and content inside the computer is located at:
http://support.packardbell.com/uk/item/?sn=047106220206&g=1400

You can click on every card and content, and it will list images, how the content is build up, and basically everything about it.

Hope it helps.

Also, what happened was just... I was just using the computer, rebooted it, and the problem started

[saf-beagle]

From your screen shot it appears you're using a LCD monitor. Ensure you have the refresh rate set to 60 Hz.

How was this determined from a screenshot ? ?

If the BIOS won't see the HDD you have more serious issues than the vid card...
Post as much info on the machine; OS and what happened prior to this to give us some sort of starting point.

If you take a photograph of a television tube or even a CRT monitor you would clearly see  the blue dot from the flash bulb because of the glass picture tube. With LCDs you see a dull, foggy flash. The plastic covering does not reflect the flash as well as glass does. Logical.


BIOS can't "see" anything. BIOS detects. Beerdude22 is using Windows XP home and Norton Internet Security..now how do I know that?

Beerdude22, to determine if your LCD monitor or your video card is defective remove the monitor cable from your video card, then press the OSD. If you're still seeing those black and white squares on your screen or not,  then you've discovered at least one of your problems.

When you boot are your hearing more than one beep from BIOS?

[Beerdude22]

It's not the monitor, obviously. Since when I disconnect the cable from the computer (video card) it says "No signal" and that is acting as normal, it's nothing wrong with the monitor, it doesn't display any dots or any errors when browsing the menu on the monitor or whatever.

It makes no beeps during boot, however.

What happens is that... I turn it on, it uses ages to continue (no beeps), and since the screen is quite blurry, and the text and letters are not "real letters", but an "A" turns into a some sort of symbol or a square something.

As what I can read from the text, I get the errors message "insert correct boot device and a press a key", when I press key, it only says (what I can see): "reboot and insert correct boot device".

[saf-beagle]

OK. Thats good news regarding your monitor.

What you're decribing indicates BIOS is not detecting certain basic input output devices, apart from your keyboard. I've read your system specifications and although your Packard Bell is only 2 years old the gigabyte mobo is 4 years old. You may want to check or replace your mobo battery. You can quickly check to see if the battery is in fact too weak. Cold boot and post to BIOS. Make a simple change, then save and exit. If the changes were not saved. There you go.