Laptop screen has gone haywire

[vinnybonboot]

Hello! I have a very odd problem with my laptop. I'm not really sure how to explain, so I hope somebody can understand.

When I turned on my computer this morning, it worked fine for a few minutes, but out of nowhere the screen started going crazy. There were all of these arbitrary horizontal lines of different colors jumping up and down the screen, and the actual desktop was not visible at all. After turning the screen off and on again a few times, nothing changed and it was still doing it. I decided to let it alone for a few minutes to see if maybe it will fix itself. Eventually, the screen starts to very slowing go black, starting from right to left. So finally I tried turning it off and on again, and it ALMOST worked. The desktop was actually visible this time, but it was still very distorted. After about 15 minutes of letting it sit like this, it slowing started going back to normal, and now it is perfectly fine. (I am actually typing this post on the laptop.)

Everything seems okay now, but I am worried that it will happen again. Does anybody know what might have caused this, and how to prevent it from happening?

I know this may have not been the best explanation, but it is very hard to explain. I hope you understood and can help me figure it out. Thanks for taking the time to read this!

 

[Thelps]

It is possible your laptop's Graphics Card is overheating. Laptops are very prone to overheating due to their dense design and more closely placed components than desktop computers. The simplest way to ensure a laptop with an above average GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) remains cool is to buy a fan pad to place the laptop on, which assists with cooling. It is also possible to prop the laptop up on two books, one book on the right edge under the laptop, the other book on the left edge along the laptop, ensuring the ventilation ducts on the underside of the laptop are suspended above the desk or surface the laptop is placed on.

It is also possible that there is a fault with the cable running from the Graphics Card to the laptop's monitor. If opening/closing the screen slightly/all the way affects the problem then this is the probable explanation.

Google 'Laptop Cooling Pads' for units that will keep your GPU cool.

Download GPU-Z to see if your Graphics Card is overheating:
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/

Temperatures above 70c are worrisome, above 80c indicate a real problem.