Hi, I have an issue that I've been trying to find an issue for, but so far I have not found a thread anywhere on the internet that even addressed my problem precisely. Occasionally, usually after my computer has been running awhile, my screen will randomly scramble up, and parts of it will become inoperable. There are no "black lines" going across the screen, and my screen hasn't "rotated"; parts of the screen shift up, down, left, or right, but nothing is covered by lines or rotated. I don't believe this to be a problem with my monitor. My reason to believe this is because sometimes, when I open a folder from my desktop, Windows Explorer (explorer.exe) will crash and restart, and after that happens the problem is gone. If the folder opens and explorer doesn't crash, then the only way I could fix this was to reboot, and after that it would be fine. By the way, when I open the folder, the window is completely black, and I cannot blindly click on the files nor can I rummage through them with my keyboard, etc. Another thing that this affects is the start menu. When I click the start menu, it is completely grey and partially transparent, like the top line of an explorer window (if settings are set to make it transparent). From there, I cannot select any file or option to open, and I cannot shut down, hibernate, log off, etc. from there. Basically, I want to know what is causing this to happen, how to prevent it, and what to do (other than reboot or force restart explorer.exe) when this happens again.

Computer specs:
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
Intel Centrino Duo Processor
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver
Refresh Rate at 60 Hertz



I really don't know what other information to supply, so there's any additional information you need to know before you can help me find a solution, just ask.

Is the video built into the motherboard, or do you have an AGP or PCIe
card installed? How old is this system? Check the inside of the case for
dust bunnies, hair, etc. around any heatsinks, on any fans and fan blades,
especially around the CPU and GPU.
As Rick said, also check for new/updated drivers. If there are no newer
ones than what is already installed, re-install the one you are currently
using. You may have to uninstall it first. If the video is on-board, check
with your PC or motherboard manufacturer for them. If it's a video card,
check on the card manufacturer's web site.

SC Tom

"darkangelofhell666" <guest@xxxxxx-email.com> wrote in message
news:2795958a3f11d7b3146accda2d3f304f@xxxxxx-gateway.com...

>
> Hi, I have an issue that I've been trying to find an issue for, but so
> far I have not found a thread anywhere on the internet that even
> addressed my problem precisely. Occasionally, usually after my computer
> has been running awhile, my screen will randomly scramble up, and parts
> of it will become inoperable. There are no &quot;black lines&quot; going
> across the screen, and my screen hasn't &quot;rotated&quot;; parts of
> the screen shift up, down, left, or right, but nothing is covered by
> lines or rotated. I don't believe this to be a problem with my monitor.
> My reason to believe this is because sometimes, when I open a folder
> from my desktop, Windows Explorer (explorer.exe) will crash and restart,
> and after that happens the problem is gone. If the folder opens and
> explorer doesn't crash, then the only way I could fix this was to
> reboot, and after that it would be fine. By the way, when I open the
> folder, the window is completely black, and I cannot blindly click on
> the files nor can I rummage through them with my keyboard, etc. Another
> thing that this affects is the start menu. When I click the start menu,
> it is completely grey and partially transparent, like the top line of an
> explorer window (if settings are set to make it transparent). From
> there, I cannot select any file or option to open, and I cannot shut
> down, hibernate, log off, etc. from there. Basically, I want to know
> what is causing this to happen, how to prevent it, and what to do (other
> than reboot or force restart explorer.exe) when this happens again.
>
> Computer specs:
> Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
> Intel Centrino Duo Processor
> Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver
> Refresh Rate at 60 Hertz
>
> I really don't know what other information to supply, so there's any
> additional information you need to know before you can help me find a
> solution, just ask.
>
>
> --
> darkangelofhell666

Uhm... I'm not exactly sure. I would assume it is built in because it's a laptop but I'm really not a computer savvy person so I honestly don't know. As for the AGP or PCIe, I'm not even sure what those are. And my laptop is about a year and a half old now. But this problem has existed since I first got it. I just didn't think to resolve the problem until now.
I recently reinstalled my OS, and had to download all my drivers again from the Gateway website (for my Gateway laptop, obv.) so I'm pretty sure they are updated, but again, the problem has existed for forever.

Originally Posted by SC Tom

Is the video built into the motherboard, or do you have an AGP or PCIe
card installed? How old is this system? Check the inside of the case for
dust bunnies, hair, etc. around any heatsinks, on any fans and fan blades,
especially around the CPU and GPU.
As Rick said, also check for new/updated drivers. If there are no newer
ones than what is already installed, re-install the one you are currently
using. You may have to uninstall it first. If the video is on-board, check
with your PC or motherboard manufacturer for them. If it's a video card,
check on the card manufacturer's web site.

SC Tom

darkangelofhell666 <guest@xxxxxx-email.com> wrote:

>Uhm... I'm not exactly sure. I would assume it is built in because it's
>a laptop but I'm really not a computer savvy person so I honestly don't
>know. As for the AGP or PCIe, I'm not even sure what those are. And my
>laptop is about a year and a half old now. But this problem has existed
>since I first got it. I just didn't think to resolve the problem until
>now.

Smart. Now that your warranty has long since expired, you are trying
to fix something that no doubt could have been fixed for free by the
manufacturer.

Since it has been happening since you first received the computer, it
is not a driver issue so you no doubt have a hardware problem that you
will now have to PAY to get fixed.

The fact that it is a notebook and not a desktop PC would be something to
mention right off the bat.
What model Gateway is it? As Cody mentioned, you may be in for some big time
spending now that it is out of warranty. It still may be a heat problem,
though, and possibly fixable. Download and install HWMonitor (
http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php ). Start it right after you boot up and
let it run for a while as you do things on the notebook. The items to watch
are the CPU and graphics temps. After it runs for a bit, post back the
maximum and minimum temps shown.

As a side note, if you do need to get it worked on, find a reputable shop in
town (not the Geek Squad or any of the big chain places). Ask friends,
relatives, or acquaintances for experiences they may have had at different
places. As a last resort contact Gateway- they sold out a while back and
their support is being covered (not too well) by another company, MPC. From
personal experience with Gateway and my notebook problems, I'd let
Jimmmyjoe's Liquor Store and PC Sales work on it before I sent it to Gateway
if I couldn't fix it myself.

SC Tom


"darkangelofhell666" <guest@xxxxxx-email.com> wrote in message
news:f202b5c5888ef3bb027ac3e7e761433e@xxxxxx-gateway.com...

>
> Uhm... I'm not exactly sure. I would assume it is built in because it's
> a laptop but I'm really not a computer savvy person so I honestly don't
> know. As for the AGP or PCIe, I'm not even sure what those are. And my
> laptop is about a year and a half old now. But this problem has existed
> since I first got it. I just didn't think to resolve the problem until
> now.
> I recently reinstalled my OS, and had to download all my drivers again
> from the Gateway website (for my Gateway laptop, obv.) so I'm pretty
> sure they are updated, but again, the problem has existed for forever.SC
> Tom;1090587 Wrote:

>> Is the video built into the motherboard, or do you have an AGP or PCIe
>> card installed? How old is this system? Check the inside of the case
>> for
>> dust bunnies, hair, etc. around any heatsinks, on any fans and fan
>> blades,
>> especially around the CPU and GPU.
>> As Rick said, also check for new/updated drivers. If there are no newer
>> ones than what is already installed, re-install the one you are
>> currently
>> using. You may have to uninstall it first. If the video is on-board,
>> check
>> with your PC or motherboard manufacturer for them. If it's a video
>> card,
>> check on the card manufacturer's web site.
>>
>> SC Tom
>>
>>

>
>
> --
> darkangelofhell666