Ok, I am working on this computer for somebody. It is having a very wierd problem. It is very sporatic and I cannot get it to repeat it when I want to. They just call me every few days saying it is doing it again and everytime they are doing something different.
The image starts to fragment so that the whole monitor has images fragmented all over it. The mouse shows up in many different spots on the monitor and parts of the image is overlapping other parts. It's wierd and that is the best I can explain it.
I swapped the monitor and that wasn't the issue. It is using basic VGA drivers. The video card isn't conflicting with any resources. But when I reset the computer, the BIOS image is perfect which leads me to believe it is an issue with Windows. Any ideas what could be causing this?

latest video drivers installed? Latest DirectX from Microsoft?

It's not a windows problem. It's either the video card or it's driver. Most likely the card itself.

Hi

I'd agree with ham30. Check the video ram on the card. You may need to get a video ram tester that can boot or run from dos. (eg a text based tester)

Following on from Ham.

First try reseating the video card.
a) check its contacts, clean with a pencil rubber if required
b)make sure it is 90 degress to the connector

If still fails try another card and its driver.

Alternatively, is it possible there is a virus causing this. Have you tried Spybot to identify?

Good luck - Keep us posted.

Sounds kind of like your low on ram or your ram has a problem, and Windows is being forced to use the (much slower!) page file to store stuff.

How much ram do you have? Did you recently install a new program? And as Mike said, you may have a virus or some spyware on your computer.

Symbios

sound like graphics corruption the card is probably faulty and for some reason either heat related or load related it brings about the problems

Q-TEC 550 Watt PSU
MSI VIA KT4AV-L
2800+ Barton 512 DDR333
GeForce Fx5200 128Mb
Aero 7 Lite
80Gb Samsung ATA133 HDD
120Gb WD ATA100 HDD
LiteOn LDW-851S
LiteOn LTR-52246S

Sounds consistant with a overheated FPU. Check the fan on the card is it still working?

J.
j e r u v y a t y a h o o d o t c o m

This computer isn't anything great. I think it is only a few hundered megahertz. This is a computer that a local hotel uses to process credit card transactions. I don't even think it is hooked up to the internet. But it is hooked up to the local network. And I think it has onboard video. But I could put in another video card. But does everyone really think it is the video card? I was thinking that until I reset the computer and the BIOS images looked perfect. I was thinking if it was the video card, it would do it all the time.

When you first posted you advised there was a video card, thus everyone homed in on it.
Particularly as your other details places the fault somewhere in the base unit.

Again I suggest try a virus check.

Here in the UK you can pick up a good used base unit from £50. You have already spent for more than that with your time. Put in the original hdd and see if the fault moves with it.

Good luck - keep us posted.

Hi

Regardless of whether or not the video is onboard or not, the symptoms are typical of video ram failure.

If it is onboard, it'll have to be disabled (usually a jumper) and then the video card installed.

However if this computer is in a workplace, you seriously have to consider other reasons as well. (eg virus malware etc)

As mentioned earlier - test the video ram. (from a clean floppy disk with video benchtester).

no luck then: Check hardware and connections.

no luck then: Change the video card

no luck then system files need checking.