Is this my graphics card causing this?

I can't install video card drivers. If i do, i either get a BSOD, or i am able to install them, and when i boot up, my screen goes completely dead.


Here is what my screen looks like. A 7900GTX is about $200, so i want to make sure that is what is causing this issue.

This is what it looks like:

 

edit: dead gpu

 

Try and call Dell first before going off and buying parts they may be able to do somthing for you. From the screenshot Yes I would say you have a dying GPU. Good luck!!

 

Dead pixels do not show up in that sort of pattern, furthmore you would not see dead pixels in a screenshot, only a photo.

 

dead pixels... are you kidding me.


anyways, i've tried dell, they are no help. since i have no warranty they really dont even care.

 

Does it look like that when you see your Bios screen? If not, then there may be hope, otherwise if your screen looks like this from the moment you press the Power button, your gpu is dying.

 

99.9999% sure it's the GPU. My salutes to you and your dying GPU.

 

Oh yeah... when i start it up and the dell logo is on, the screen has dots everywhere.

then right after that, there is this screen that has a bunch of characters like square roots and stuff... not even kidding. then my xp screen looks alright but it blends in with everything.

but yeah, it looks like this 100% of the time.

 

GPU is dying.

 

so lets all agree to this:

a new GPU should solve my issues/

 

I think your gpu is dying.

 

Yes sir...

 

alright.

i have a concern too..

last time i opened my laptop. i could get all the screws in the base removed, except one. for the love of god it just wouldn't come out. it isnt stripped or anything, and it turns, it just doesnt come out.

i think i can possibly slice it in half with a knife in a location. its right under the right speaker.

 

i also have no clue where to find a 7900GTX go...

 

Your only options in finding a card that fits are pretty much Dell directly or eBay. eBay is probably cheaper, of course, but make sure you're getting exactly the card you need.

 

I've looked around and i can get a 7900gs, 7900gtx, 7950gtx, fx1500, fx2500, or fx3500 all in respective order. i dont want a a 7900gs/fx1500 though.

 

this is what i have now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160254028404

problem with that is that its sold as is..

now this is a 7900GTX basically, double the price, but i can return it if it doesnt work:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dell-M1710-M90-...ryZ74957QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

pour some oil/grease into the screw and leave it like that for 2-3 hours, it should open then.
PS: a screw on my 360 power brick wouldnt open and thats what i did and then it opened

 

oh, its definitely, definitely your gpu thats causing the graphical corruption stuff on your desktop.

now, are you sure that the graphics card isn't overclocked currently? make sure its down at stock clocks when you boot... if you have like atitool or rivatuner automatically OC'ing on boot, that could cause the problem. i know its stupid, but just making sure...

 

Just a quick question - I have sometimes had similar graphics corruption when uninstalling graphics drivers - the screen has sometimes started flashing and gone pink (!), and the whole system has crashed. Is this a sign of a dead GPU also, or am I safe because it only happens when I am tinkering with a driver uninstall? Once the driver is correctly installed again there is no corruption like with the OP...

 

yes?

And from the strange characters that you saw in text mode it is probably a vram issue.

I get a bad screen sometimes when the nvidia driver dies. At least ATI knows that drivers dies and retarts it automatically.