Random lines across screen on programs, but not an LCD panel issue.

[ADTRAN]

I have a Windows 7 Ultimate x64, 3GB RAM, Pentium Dual Core T4200 2.0 GHz...

After a few minutes of usage, random lines appear across the screen on programs. I can verify it's not a damaged LCD screen because they show up on screenshots, also.

Please help me determine the root cause and resolution to this randomly annoying problem.

 

[Robert Cook]

DO you have a dedicated graphics card? have you ever over clocked it? is it an old card? it would seem that your card is starting to die. also this could be a cable problem. the best and cheapest test would be to swap cables and see if the lines go away. if they do not, then I would think it to be your GPU.

 

[ADTRAN]

It's a Dell Studio XPS laptop. I think it does have a dedicated GC. I've never over clocked it, but this unit is about 6 years old.

What's funny to me is, why would it show up on screenshots if it is a hardware issue?

 

[Robert Cook]

Screen shot takes a picture of what is going to the monitor. so, if what is going to the monitor is no good, then it shows up in screen shot too. since it is a laptop, there is no cable in question, so it would seem you might want to start looking for a new laptop. As always before giving up the ghost on an older no longer warrantied laptop open it up and clean it out. give it fresh thermal paste, it might cost $20, but it sometimes works, and then you would be saving a whole lot more than $20.

 

[ADTRAN]

Screen shot takes a picture of what is going to the monitor. so, if what is going to the monitor is no good, then it shows up in screen shot too. since it is a laptop, there is no cable in question, so it would seem you might want to start looking for a new laptop. As always before giving up the ghost on an older no longer warrantied laptop open it up and clean it out. give it fresh thermal paste, it might cost $20, but it sometimes works, and then you would be saving a whole lot more than $20.

Yeah, I'm going to declare the GC dead. This machine is too old to justify going out to buy another GC, crack the case open, go through the trouble of removing the integrated GC (it's mounted to the sysboard), and installing the new one. Maybe I'll just use it for parts, it was getting old anyway.