Laptop - Dying or just not very well?

[TWINSET]

This belongs to a mate of mine, it's a Dell XPS Laptop, but the screen's playing up The 'pattern' is there from switch-on and doesn't go away regardless of what laptop's doing - DOS, Setup, WIndows startup splash screen and Desktop itself

Any ideas?

The system restore (above) did result in a clear screen, but the pattern came back whilst I was having dinner

Pattern also shows on a monitor when connected

Bios Setup screen prior to Windows starting

BSOD

Safe Mode Startup

Windows

[Daves956]

It looks like a semi cooked Nvideo card. It's showing up on the bios screen so it's not software. After a restore it could have just been timing that made it work again.

[GregM]

I think so, this must be a major video hardware fault.

I'd recommend your friend to backup all his data immediately.

[TA-Mark]

Plug a desktop monitor into the VGA out port on the laptop. Is the image clear on the external monitor? You may need to use the 'fn' (function key) and one of the F keys at the same time to switch between monitor output modes. There will be a picture of a screen on one of the F keys.

If the image is clear on the external monitor then laptop's LCD panel and power invertor (small circuit board behind the LCD panel) has died. Depending on what model screen, they can usually be repaired with around 20 tiny screws (under glue on covers around the panel) and 1/2hr work, 2 internal plugs and about US$100 for the panel and invertor. There are a few 'expensive' models that have super high resolution panels, and these replacement panels are silly prices and you're better off replacing the entire laptop if it's one of them. If it's your regular 1366x768 pixel LCD panel, then the fix will be cheap.

This laptop I'm typing on here has a similar problem, and I've just been using it with an external monitor, usb keyboard, and usb mouse for the last 5 years. This has one of those silly priced panels, so I replaced the entire laptop, but the 'computer' side of the laptop still works fine, so use it like a 'desktop'.

If the pattern is still there on an external monitor then it's the VGA card's memory. Some laptops have plug in VGA cards, some have VGA cards built into the mainboard. If the VGA is built into the mainboard it's almost easier to just scrap it. A VGA card in a laptop is as easy to change as it is in desktop, you just need to find the right model as they a built specifically for each model laptop with the plug and shape.

[TWINSET]

Cheers guys

If I plug a VGA monitor in, the monitor duplicates the screen problem.

The laptop's 8 years old and the display (when it's clear) isn't as good as an old monitor I've kept 'just in case'

The fault seems to occur when the laptop's warmed up; even when doing nothing, the underside gets very hot - not too hot to touch, but very nearly

The first time I tried a system restore it cleared the problem, possibly coincidentally, as every system restore since then has failed.

Starting in 'normal' mode now always resulst in BSOD, regular issue is nv4_dipp

[TA-Mark]

Remove the inspection cover on the bottom and see if it has a plug in VGA card. The heatsink for the CPU can sometimes be quite large with heat pipes that extend to the removable VGA card. This one I'm using has one big heatsink, with two fans at the CPU and one at the plug in VGA card. The VGA card is hidden under the heatsink.

Also check the insides for dust/fluff build up while you're there. This one gets very hot if there's a fluff build up inside the machine. I usually drop the inspection cover and de-fluff it with a large artist brush and the vacuum cleaner every 3 months or so.

The corruption is generally to do with the memory chips that are either built into the VGA card or built into the mainboard itself (on models with intergrated video). Once the memory chip gets hot, it will either send a corrupt picture to the screen or in the case of the BSOD's, send a corrupt instruction set to the GPU/CPU.

System memory can also sometimes be shared with the video. Remove the RAM and give the contacts a clean with a soft pencil eraser.

[matman]

I have the same problem on my games computer & that WAS the G'card getting hot .

I looked at the G'card & the fan was working . I would turn the computer off & leave it for

a minute . Then turn it on again & it would be fine , Till i started to play a game , then it would

do the same thing . SO out with the old G'card & in with the new & bingo .

Works fine . Lucky i build computers & had a G'card to use .

SO I'm sure it's your G'card , So all you need to find out is it is replaceable or not .

Like TA-Mark has said .

Good luck !! .

[Bigwheels_inc]

It could verywell be caused by the CPU fan also, (Usual cause of extreame heat on the underneith of a laptop)

There's usualy an access panel on the bottom of the laptop unless its a HP (means taking the whole laptop apart if it is)

if there is a panel remove it and remove the screws holding the cpu fan in place, (put them safe)

then open up the fan (usualy 3 tiny screws)

clean and remove any fluff and dirt in there and check the vents around the fan and reasemble,

see if it makes a diffrence.

Either way its a heat build up problem of some sort

allot of system problems especialy on laptops are caused by fluff in the cpu fan and lack of cleaning it,

just repaired my brothers 2 year old laptop which was doing a simular thing. and done allot of them in the past.

even got quoted £400 before i was into computers about 11 years ago to sort out a system (turned out it was dust and dirt in the system, cleaned it out and it ran fine for another 4 years)

try it and see what happens

[TWINSET]

Just switched it on this morning, and it's still doing it from 'cold'

Windows XP won't at all (BSOD every time) but it will start up in safe mode ok although screen's barely readable.

Dragging windows around causes 'smearing' on display, so if a window's shuffled 10mm up/down/left/right it creates a solid lock of colour eventually

It's a PP14L - I couldn't find much at all on the graphics front

[TA-Mark]

The video chip of a Dell PP14L is intergrated into the mainboard. It uses the system RAM for the video also. Run memtest on the system to see if the memory errors. If the memory is clear, then it's the GPU itself which cannot be replaced without replacing the whole mainboard, and in my opinion, not worth it. Scrap the laptop for what is saleable, like the RAM, Hard Drive, CD-DVD multi drive, power supply, etc and get back what you can for it and buy a new one.

[TWINSET]

Many thanks Mark

It got steadily worse over the weekend, and the screens completely unreadable now.

After a look around at the weekend, he's bought himself a SFF tower with Win8 on it

Cheers for all the info, made my job of convincing him it was cattled a whole lot easier