Pixelation!
SpywareShooter
127.0.0.1
Please help! I was talking on AIM, and all of a sudden some of the letters in the chat window started getting pixelated and blurry. I ignored it and continued chatting. Within the next 30 minutes it got worse, and now my desktop icons are pixelated, and every site in Internet Explorer is too (I haven't tried Firefox yet, but no doubt it'll be the same thing if my desktop is like that). I tried rebooting my computer, restarting my monitor, neither of them worked. My screen resolution is 1024x768, where it has been since I got the computer. I tried resetting it to 800x600 and everything got huge (I know it is supposed to) so I set it back. I tried the next size up and it got too small. 800x600 seemed to fix the pixelation, but I really don't want to use such a large setting. Please help me find a way to cure this problem.
Also the computer is only about a month old and is running Windows XP SP2. I have not downloaded anything today. The only thing installed was an autoupdate from Norton. It is the same one I was having heat issues with BTW.
This was probably supposed to go in Graphics. Sorry. I forgot about that forum.
Also the computer is only about a month old and is running Windows XP SP2. I have not downloaded anything today. The only thing installed was an autoupdate from Norton. It is the same one I was having heat issues with BTW.
This was probably supposed to go in Graphics. Sorry. I forgot about that forum.
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To test the theory, try removing the side panel from yoor case and pointing a table fan right at the card. If you don't have a table fan, try hooking a spare case fan up to blow on the card. A couple of twist ties make it easy to mount it to the case, hanging down at video card level.
If the problem doesn't come back you will know it's the heat causing it. You might then invest in a video card cooler. Other people would be in a better position than I to tell you what's a good one.
(Ignore the red arrows - I used this pic to help someone else with a different problem.)
Kanezfan, I have been a moderator since a little while after I joined (I believe about a month). This is my first name on SM.
Also, the problem seems to be fixed. I didn't have time to check it in the morning before I had to leave, but as of now it seems to be working fine. I will reply back if it happens again later tonight.
I'd recommend you buy a spare case fan the next time you are out at the computer shop. It can be handy for times like this. Make sure you get one the same size as one of your existing case fans so it can pull double-duty as a backup for that, too.
Also, I left my computer on for another hour or so after I posted that, and when I checked back, it seemed a bit more pixelated than normal, but wasn't half as bad as it was when I originally posted this topic.
EDIT: It also seems now that the fans are sometimes spinning faster, as the computer randomly seems to get louder. I learned from my old computer that this was the fans.
If your video card is pixelating due to overheating then continuing to run the computer when this happens is a bad idea. I'd shut down and leave it off for 1/2 hour when that happens.
As far as adding case fans, I'll attach a picture. This particular case is somewhat unique due to the fact that the fan mount has a double set of holes, allowing you to use either of two sizes of fans. Normally you would just have one screw hole in each corner. I've outlined the area in red. You may have a similar opening at the front of your case, or in another location altogether.
A case fan shouldn't run more than ten bucks. Having a spare around to use for spot cooling in a troubleshooting scenario is worth the money. If your case has room for another fan I would buy two of the size you need, install one, and keep the other for your backup/troubleshooting fan.
Assuming you find that video card overheating is the source of your problem, your best bet would be a graphic card cooler (it clamps on the video card like a heatsink on a CPU) and a case fan installed in the side panel located so it can blow directly over the video card. This will require a hole saw if you want it to look right. Just yell if you need me to elaborate on any of this.
Also, I just found another vent hole... In possibly the dumbest place you can put one. UNDER THE CASE. I told one of my friends about the overheating, and he said his HP had a vent under the case. So I looked under mine, and sure enough, there it is. It's not completely under the case, it is under where the blue light is, but at the bottom. I didn't see this at first and had that vent covered by the shelf. However, I moved the computer up and it didn't make any difference in the temp.
Next time I go to the computer store I will see about getting another case fan. I should be going there sometime within the week. I am still not exactly sure about how to install it. As I said, I know almost nothing about the hardware, and I don't even know how the heatsink connects to anything, or what the heatsink even looks like. I have never opened up a computer case before.
The fan housing is plastic (unless you spend big bucks for an aluminum fan - overkill IMHO) and should come with four self-tapping screws. As long as you have a phillips screwdriver you are set.
You might also want to take a peek around your MB to see if there is an open three-pin fan port. This will allow you to monitor the fan rpm's in the bios, and in Windows (using a program like Motherboard Monitor or SpeedFan). If you don't have such a connection you'll want to make sure your fan comes with a standard molex connector like the ones used to power hard drives and cdroms.
A couple typical fan connectors, and a fan which fits them:
Yes, he is quite correct in saying that any video card should be able to run simple non-taxing tasks without overheating. However, if the entire inside of the case is too hot the card could overheat even in that case. That's why I would recommend rigging up a temporary fan to troubleshoot the problem. If the pixelation goes away with extra cooling you'll know that the problem is heat related. If not, then it will be necessary to try something else. It's almost always better to try the simple fixes first, before taking drastic measures.
So, yes, initial cause and major blame to OH enough to cause visible damage (pixelation), with enough damage that card no longer works right. Ditto, unfortunately and a bit less likely normally (odds favor GRAM damage over GPU for pixelation nomrally), for GPU damage, or a monitor that is damaged or has a bad Power circuit in monitor or LCD device.
Sorry, still think heat got the card, just for too long once too many times.
Also, the pixelation just started again. The third time tonight.
This computer was bought at Best Buy, and came with a 1 year hardware warranty. Where the cause of the problem seems to be heat, which is caused by lack of ventilation through air vents (which this computer has very few of) how much of this do you think Best Buy will cover? They should know enough not to sell new computers will such little ventilation, since probably a bunch of other people who bought the same computer are having the same trouble right now, and will be returning theirs. I don't want to have to spend $200 on a new video card on a computer I just got a month ago for around $1000
EDIT: I just thought of something. Maybe it is not the card after all, but the driver. I believe it may have been a day before this pixelation started that Windows Update alerted me that there was an update for the graphics card driver. I installed it, then shortly after, the pixelation started. Is there any way I can revert back to an old version (other than System Restore)?
EDIT: I shut it down for one hour after I posted this. Within 10 minutes of being turned on it begain to get pixelated. However, I left it on this time, and now the pixelation seems to be going off and on.