Member Avatar for RealEyez

Hello, long time reader first time poster.
I ran into a problem today with my XP system. While browsing the web, the graphics on my screen seemed to go crazy. There were all different colors of what appeared to be little tilde's (the character) on my screen. They generally were present where there had been a window that was open, and they would mostly be confined to the place of that window. e.g., if I opened the start menu and closed it there would be a patch of disfigured color in the rectangle where it was.

Anyway, I rebooted my system thinking that would fix it and saw a bunch of disfigured characters on my BIOS screen and while it booted in general (I included a screenshot of the character disfiguration at this point). It gets through to the Windows splash screen with the loading bar, and from there the screen goes black. The system and monitor are still on. I had the latest video drivers for my card. Here's a link to the picture

I have tried to boot from the original Windows XP CD and use the recovery feature without any luck.

My system specs are:
GeForce 8600 GT
4GB RAM
32-bit processor (AMD Athlon X2)
Gigabyte motherboard
340 GB HD
I run at 2560x1600 resolution

I built this machine a year ago and have never had any problems with it up until now. It's unlikely that it has a virus; I do a system wide scan twice a month, and the last scan happened to be 2 days ago.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful. I'll check back here as often as possible with updates.

Thanks.

  • 4 Contributors
  • 4 Replies
  • 115 Views
  • 15 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Xlphos

Dani AI

Generated

As described, seeing corruption during BIOS/POST makes this almost certainly a hardware-level problem (GPU silicon, video RAM, VBIOS or power delivery) rather than a Windows driver bug. That said, quick non-invasive checks can rule out display-cable or monitor issues before deeper troubleshooting.

Try these steps in order:

  • Swap the video cable and, if possible, the monitor (use the correct dual-link DVI or native connector needed for very high resolutions).
  • Reseat the card, clear dust, check cooler/fan operation and look for bulging capacitors or burn marks.
  • Verify any PCIe auxiliary power leads are plugged and, if you can, test with a known-good PSU or measure 12V rails.
  • Force the system to use onboard graphics (or remove the card) so the board will POST from integrated output — see BIOS setting for Primary Display/IGD. This expands on suggestion and isolates the GPU.
  • Boot with F8 -> Enable VGA Mode or Safe Mode to see if Windows-level drivers are involved, and try a Linux Live USB to check whether artifacts appear outside Windows.
  • As and proposed, test the card in another PC, or test a known-good card in this board. If the same corruption follows the card, the GPU is bad.

If the card shows the same artifacts in BIOS on another machine, replacement (or RMA if under warranty) is the pragmatic next step. Reflashing VBIOS is high risk and only for advanced users with an exact match backup. Prioritize non-destructive tests first, and document what you tried before buying parts.

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for thakur.ravi26

you should change ure graphic card

Member Avatar for epok13hart

i think you need check the slot of your PCI E before changing your graphic card test it first in other computer i u have one. i it is one year i think your card i already full of dest ^ _ ^.

Member Avatar for RealEyez

I'll try the above 2 suggestions when I get home from work -- thanks for the input also.

Member Avatar for Xlphos

You could also try removing the graphics card if it has onboard graphics.

If you motherboard has a VGA connection you should be able to boot without a dedicated graphics card.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.