Strange crash Vertical Lines on Screen

Hi everybody, i'm new here.

All right so here is the thing, i have been having very strange crashes with my alienware laptop recently. The computer is a bit old, 4 years to be exact, it's the Area 51M 7700.

So this is what happens, i'm either playing a game or on windows or such, and all of a sudden out of nowhere (i havent been able to find a pattern of the cause so far) something like this comes on:



The lines on the screen are usually the same, many many of them, but the color usually change depending on whats on the screen. The one i put there happened while i was on the forum so mostly white.

Now i've downloaded the latest drivers for my video card (ATI Radeon Mobility X800), no changes.

I've cleaned up the fans and elevated my computer to see if it could be an overheating problem, no changes.

The crash occurs mostly while playing warcraft3, otherwise when on skype, sometimes on windows, but so far never when viewing series on VLC.


I have really no idea where the problem might come from but am willing to take any advice from you guys if you have any clue on what could be causing this and how to stop it.

Thanks in advance,

Shazmog

 

sounds like a failing graphics card

 

That was my first guess too, only thing is because its a laptop there's not much i can do is there ? Not like you can easily replace that ?

 

contact Roswell in my sig and see if they can help you with this. even though it is an older unit, they may be able to get you a card that can be used in it. no guarantees though.

 

Try connecting it to an external monitor or TV, and see if that happens. If it does, its most likely a failed GPU. If not, its probably your Display, Display interter, or a faulty/loose connection.

 

Inverter won't cause that, only backlight issues. Other than that... golden post. I would have suggested exactly the same thing.

 

Oh... no? ok.

Thanks

 

Thanks for the quick answers ! I'll see if i can find a way to connect it to a tv to see if the crash still occurs ! Will keep you posted

 

agree to disagree...
most monitors, when faulty, are confined to pixel issues or just plain not working. (and a few shadow or impressioned watermark looking things - usually caused by pressure on the screen)

aside from this, a faulty/loose connection was a good call, but being it has been good for over 4 years now, i would venture it is ok.

but hey....great thinking outside the box.... +1 to you.

 

lol, yeah.

Thanks... i guess.

You never know...

 

Actually I replaced a screen in an HP DV2000 last week, which had the same exact issue. The laptop was thoroughly tested, and the only thing wrong with it was the LCD panel itself. Good inverter. Good GPU. Was not a loose connection.
Besides, connections come loose, 4 years means nothing, all it takes is one jar in the right direction. Ahl's not thinking "outside the box," he's thinking on track, consistent with the problem - the way a good computer technician would.
Though I am going to have to say, if those lines move at all, it's probably a bad GPU and not a bad screen.

 

Thanks.

Either way, any of these problems could be it.


To add, after a year, my connection went loose to my screen.
Kinda relevant.

 

I had a display like that on my old laptop after returning from a trip. It turned out to be the monitor cable was jarred loose. Once the 'puter was opened up and the cable pushed into it's connector more tightly, it was fixed.