Weird screen behavior! please i really need help!

[Zim0n]

Today i was using my computer just like normal and then suddenly the screen just froze.. at first i though it was just a normal freeze since i know it can happen sometimes... still i never got it on my computer before. The difference from a normal freeze was that in the screen it appeared small rectangles which was in very big pixels and then it froze totally, i tried doing alt+f4 since this happened while i was playing a game on the computer, then nothing happened so i tried doing control+alt+delete, and still no response.  So then i tried rebooting it. The computer booted up just like normal, but as soon i came to the ''log on to your login user'' page the problems began.  the first time i did it i couldn't even see the login screen, the screen was just all black, and again these weird rectangles again... i tried again, this time the screen was just all black, no rectangles, and once more, then i actually saw the login screen a bit, but the screen clearness was just terrible, and again these small rectangles everywhere which was i really big pixels. But the computer worked in this bad clearness of the screen, but it was at least 10 times slower than normally and suddeny the screen just turned black again and the rectangles disappeared, and then it got back to the login screen with bad clearness and the rectangles

Please, what shall i do?  i cannot use my computer at all! i need help!

[cj85]

I'm no expert, but you might want to post your computer specs so that the expert can see what all you have for your computer. Good luck!

[Zim0n]

thanks  i am using a laptor which i had for about 3-4 years now, i haven't really had any problems before with it. (its a laptop)

Acer Travelmate 4652LMi
*intel Pentium M 740 processor 2MB L2 cache, 1.73GHz, 533MHz FSB , (i don't think i have that one anymore tho...i uppgraded to a faster one for not 2 long ago think its a 4MB or something, what i can remember it was double up.
*15.0''SXGA+TFT LCD
*NVIDIA GeForce Go 6600/64MB VRAM
*80GB HDD
*DVD-super Multi double layer (support DVD+R Double layer/DVD+RW)
*512MB DDR2 (support dual channel
*802.11b/g wireless LAN

Well i hope this helps..i didn't really know what to write so i just basicly copied of what it said on my computer and i can't understand half of what this means either, but if hope you do 

[Calum]

It sounds to me like it's overheating.
Turn your laptop off and unplug it.  Blow into all the vents you can find, they'll be mainly underneath or on the sides.  If there is a fan you can see, use something to hold it still while you blow, like a toothpick or cotton swab.
If you have a can of compressed air that would work even better.
Hopefully this will dislodge some dust, and it may help with the overheating, if that's the problem.
Let us know how it goes.

[Zim0n]

...i tried starting it again..it worked this time, without me having to do anything i just left it for 30mins-1hr, but after about 20 sec the bad pixels and rectangles and stuff came back, its really slow as well, but i can at least see the screen this time even if things are slow... it has overheated before, but just when i play games on it, else i can do ANYTHING on it without it overheating, i think it might be the battery, but i cant understand how that can affect the screen...because if i remember correctly my computer warned about my battery was bad and that i should change it immidiatly, but i couldn't..i only have 1 battery...pls help 

[Calum]

An overheating graphics card would mean the display would get corrupted, causing those rectangles, black screens, etc.
When you play games the graphics card gets used, so it would heat up - at any other time it's not being stressed, so it wouldn't overheat.
If your battery is bad you should buy a new one, old batteries have been known to cause problems.

[Zim0n]

ok, thanks! well i guess the graphic card is really getting used since i play the online game ''world of warcraft'' a lot, and  thats usually when my computer overheats, but when it overheats it usually just freezes the screen for about 3 sec and then it reboots  itself again...this time i just froze and nothing happened...so u sugest that i should buy a new graphic card as well?  ???and if so, do you have anything u can recommed? that is good but doesn't cost too much.., and aprox what would u think the price would be?

[Calum]

You can't upgrade the graphics in a laptop.
Follow the instructions in my first reply to try to eliminate the overheating.
If that doesn't work, your graphics card may be damaged.
Also, overheating is a serious event, if it causes the computer to shut off due to heat then that's a big problem, it could cause damage.