Please Help!

i'm absolutely sure this doesn't belong in the Windows forum, but i have absolutely no idea what the problem is and where this should be posted... as you can see, i'm having a major problem with my display!

the problem started randomly while i was playing a full-screen game - suddenly the screen just went nuts. i had to hardboot it to restart, and everything was just fine for awhile - and then it happened randomly again. it's happened a few times now but usually when i restart the problem is fixed, temporarily. i don't know if my computer froze or not when this happened because the screen was so distorted and messed up i have no idea what was happening.

the problem is usually much worse than in the two pictures i posted, the first few times nothing on the screen was at all recognizable. the one screenshot is from a time when i restarted and it did not fix the problem. that's the "Windows was shut down the wrong way, do you want to start in Safe Mode etc etc" screen. it did not freeze my computer - i was able to select to start Windows normally and then restart, and then the problem was fixed again. i've noticed if i'm not doing something too processor intensive it usually doesn't happen, but if i even try to load a game the problem kicks in.

i am sure it has nothing to do with the monitor because i can bring up the menu on the monitor (brightness/contrast/etc) even when it's frozen and screwed up and it comes up looking normal and let's me go through the options.

i have Windows Vista 32bit. i have absolutely no idea what the problem is or what area of the forums i should post this on. can someone please help me diagnose this problem?

 

Hi,

Welcome to CHF.

Take a look at the monitor cable.
Disconnect it from the pc and check the pins. Make sure there are no bent / broken ones.
( There may be one pin missing - this is normal )

Take the video card out. ( assuming you have one )
Clean the contacts with a pencil eraser and reseat it in the slot.

 

If what KenB has advised doesn't fix the problem, I am tending to think also you may have corrupted Graphic Drivers.

I suggest you uninstall your Graphics Drivers and install the latest update.

 

Thanks guys! When I opened up my case I found that the video card was completely choked with dust. I've cleaned it off and everything is working great now! Thanks so much!