My video's glitching out... help!

[Syera]

...And it's not even in TS2.

Lately, when I scroll in various programs, weird things start happening.  Spots of color start appearing, generally on pages/programs with complicated colors.  If I minimize or switch to another program and then switch back, the spots disappear until I scroll again.

PSP...
http://www.springhole.net/pics/glitchy1.jpg

Internet Explorder...
http://www.springhole.net/pics/glitchy2.jpg

Any idea what could be going on?  It's driving me batty.  I've run ScanDisk; everything checks out fine.  I've recently emptied my cache, cookies, etc.

[SaraMK]

When that happens in Internet Explorer it's usually either a low memory issue or you have too many windows open. Or both, since many windows open tends to lead to low RAM.

I've never seen it happen in other programs though, so that leads me to think it might be something else. Especially if this started happening out of the blue.

Did you install/uninstall any programs lately, upgraded any hardware, updated any drivers, or had anything unusual happen (like your computer crashing)?

[Syera]

Nope - as far as I can tell, this just happened for no apparent reason whatsoever.  Also, sometimes it seems to be worse than other times - just now, Notepad is wierding out on me.

Is it possible my RAM is going corrupt? 

[witch]

Is it possible my RAM is going corrupt? 

Yes. You might try making sure the RAM is seated properly in the slot - as long as you are confident about not staticing your PC etc. You might try re-installing/upgrading your video drivers too. I think drivers can be corrupted.

Or do you have a rollback feature in your WinXP? Make sure you back up your desktop though, I didn't realise winxp regards that as belonging to it, not me, I lost a bunch of stuff there. Now I back up my desktop along with everything else 'cos I usually have sims stuff there waiting to be installed.

EDIT: There are freeware programs on the net that will let you test your RAM, somebody may be able to recommend a good one.

[Syera]

I have Win98 SE, and I tried re-installing my drivers last nights.  Thanks for the suggestion, though. 

I'll see about giving my RAM a nudge or two...

[witch]

Somewhere on this site, I left a description of how to get a really clean driver install, you might be installing over the top of corruption.

Here, just found my textfile notes - may be of some help. Cleans out old drivers completely before installing new.

d/l the latest driver
then in the device manager uninstall the video card
when windows finishes uninstalling the card, reboot, tapping f8 and choose vga mode
disable a/virus
install your drivers
reboot the computer

[Syera]

Well, I've tried uninstalling/reinstalling my drivers, and it hasn't helped.  I also tried taking out the RAM and video card and blowing them and their slots out with compressed air - this didn't work, either.

What's really frustrating is that shortly, I'll be getting a new computer.  However, it's not shortly enough that simply waiting this out is very practical, but at the same time it's a shorter time than I want to go to all the trouble of formatting this machine for.  Narg narg.

[witch]

try a RAM testing program then?

[J. M. Pescado]

It could be overheating. Try taking it out of your computer and putting it in the freezer for a few minutes. Or better yet, put your entire computer in the freezer.

[Syera]

I don't think it's overheating - nothing in there feels really hot.  (The one time my computer did overheat due to an arthritic cooling fan, I about burned myself checking the temperature.  )

[MokeyHokey]

My computer wasn't overheating either--I use Motherboard Monitor and it's been running about 36-45 degrees.  I was having major problems last week with my (less than a year old 6800 Ultra) giving me what I (un)affectionately term "frizzles" and eventually pretty flashing color blocks.  After much screaming and cussing and airing out the case, we discovered that the connector for its dedicated fan had been disconnected.  After reconnecting it, haven't seen a frizzle in 4 days now.

These are my frizzles.  Is this something like you are seeing?

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Syera]

Yep, that's pretty similar, although a lot more severe.  However, my computer fan is very merrily fanning away.

WAIT!

My SECONDARY fan wasn't blowing  Don't ask me why, but apparently its plug was juuuuuuuuust loose enough to keep it off.  In the meantime, I'm gonna keep my shirt on and see if it helps.  MokeyHokey, I may owe you a drink. 

[Syera]

Well, that didn't do the trick.  It seems that the problem was my video card all along - I switched to my mother's old video card (which is just a step down from the one I had, but adequate nontheless) and my problems have disappeared!

Thanks for all your advice. 

[J. M. Pescado]

If your video card fan is not providing adequate cooling to the video card, as is often the case nowadays, your video card may overheat while the computer itself remains cool. You may have to upgrade the standard issue fan: They are often inadequate for cooling the card under heavy and extended use. As a rule of thumb, if you can't hear the fan, it's inadequate: A computer with an adequate and properly operating set of fans should sound like an airplane taking off.

[Syera]

I've been using this video card for about two years now (and under much heavier stress), and I tried cleaning out the heat sink to see if that would help the problem, so... *shrugs*

[J. M. Pescado]

Fans can get slightly worn with age and become somewhat less effective. If the bearings have worn down, your fan may end up generating heat from the friction instead of cooling your card as well. You should listen to the noise it makes: A healthy case or CPU fan sounds like a jet airplane taking off. A smaller fan should sound like a power drill. A fan which is nearly inaudible is not spinning fast enough, and a fan which makes grinding noises is very bad.

[Bangelnuts]

I use speed fan to monitor temps in desktop and speed up the rpms as necessary on my computer fans. for example its current readings are 97 degrees F,temp1,temp2,84 F,temp 3 89 F and HDO temp 77F and I hear my fans kick in and out when more RPMS are needed .and Hum when Idling.if the Computer gets above a certain temp the fans sound like a jet engine taking off. when its relatively  cool they hum

[Syera]

Fans can get slightly worn with age and become somewhat less effective. If the bearings have worn down, your fan may end up generating heat from the friction instead of cooling your card as well. You should listen to the noise it makes: A healthy case or CPU fan sounds like a jet airplane taking off. A smaller fan should sound like a power drill. A fan which is nearly inaudible is not spinning fast enough, and a fan which makes grinding noises is very bad.

Interestingly enough, the card I pulled out didn't even have a fan.  This older, "outmoded" one does, though.  I had to blow about 58,189 pounds of dust before I installed it, though.  o_0

[Regina]

Interestingly enough, the card I pulled out didn't even have a fan.  This older, "outmoded" one does, though.  I had to blow about 58,189 pounds of dust before I installed it, though.  o_0

Ummm, Syera, there's no way you blew off 58,189 pounds of dust off that fan alone.  My entire case only holds 47,000 pounds of dust and that fan didn't even hold one-tenth of what's usually in there! 

[Oddysey]

You know, you don't need a jet engine level fan if you use near frozen booze as a coolant. Beer works well, and although I'd have to check, I would guess that hard liquor works even better, since alcohol has a lower freezing temperature than water. I think.

Of course, to really maximize your cooling power, you'd best go with a setup like this.