spontaneous colour change

[Shaytar]

Yet more weird things my computer does:
twice now, when using netscape, my computer has spontaneously changed all the blue on the screen to red (including links, and all the little netscape icons) and locked up.[nbsp][nbsp]I can still move my mouse, but nothing else works and I have to reboot.

Any expert opinions?[nbsp][nbsp]Is this a video card or monitor problem? (my monitor is an AOC, 3 or 4 years old, bought brand new.[nbsp][nbsp]the video card is just listed as "onboard" ) or is it something else? (ie just general weirdness like my transparency problem)

Shay
[This message has been edited by Shaytar (edited 06-17-99)]

[flowersource]

This probably has nothing to do with it, but I recently had some strange 'monitor' effects. I even took the monitor to be tested at Best Buy, no problem. I then suspected the video card. Fortunately, before I pulled the computer apart, my son discovered that by moving the monitor cable extension, he could make the problem/effects come and go. I got lucky on that one...just a cable.

Mike

[Justin]

The monitor would have nothing to do with locking up the computer - it's just a display. However, the video card can and will lock up a PC.

I had a problem where the colors were all screwy unless I wiggled the monitor cable. I thought it was my 8 year old monitor at the time so I didn't worry, and shortly after that the monitor blew up and I replaced it only to find the same color problem... talk about mad :)

So wiggling the cable became more and more needed every day - I had tied it (tightly) to the printer cable to keep tension on the connector - eventually the PC would start locking up or - even wierder - characters and mouse pointers started looking really odd :)

So finally I replaced the video card and all was fine :) However, if it's your video card, I feel for you. If it's "on board" you cannot replace it. If it is PCI or AGP you can run another card along with it (only using the new one) but if the onboard card still locks up the PC then you can't fix that (unless there's a jumper to disable the onboard video??).

I hate onboard anything (unless it's a laptop hehe) - another reason I stay away from Packard Bell, Compaq, etc - can't upgrade the video really (or sound card or whatever else is onboard). Plus onboard sound is THE worst sounding I've ever heard - too much interference with digital data, horizontal oscillator from the video, etc - most onboard sound cards have a S/N ratio of less than 48 db, which is to say the equivelant of 8 bit audio... my ISA card is around 72 db, where the PCI one is more like 88 db - still not quite perfect but much much better :)

Speaking of S/N ratio... I'm going to stop rambling, drink some coffee and wake up now :)

------------------
Justin Nelson
FutureQuest Support

[flowersource]

Shaytar,
Did you ever find out what caused the 'red' problem and the lock up?

I use MSIE 5.0, and recently I have had the same thing happen several times. Had to reboot with the on/off switch, no other way out would work.

Mike

[Shaytar]

Hey Mike,

As far as I can tell, it's my onboard video, but I haven't taken it in to get checked yet.[nbsp][nbsp]I have a Houston mainboard, with onboard video, for what that's worth.

I get the red and lock up in Netscape, but I hardly ever use IE, so I don't know if it happens with both browsers.
Really weird.

Shay
[This message has been edited by Shaytar (edited 07-04-99)]

[Justin]

What I usually do in this type of situation (once I've narrowed it down to NOT being a software problem) is replace something. That's usually when I end up upgrading, when something breaks - yet another reason I prefer not to have onboard anything... I'm on my 3rd videw card in this box - now I wish I had another, since I now have 2 monitors - I've been dying to run dual desktop forever. Think about it:

Monitor 1 - Notepad (HTML)
Monitor 2 - IE

Monitor 1 - Visual Basic
Monitor 2 - The program I'm working on

1 - DOS, debugging a Perl script
2 - NotePad with the script open

This would save the taskbar and/or alt+tab - would be so perfect. Perl says error on line blah, so I move my head and look at the code, etc - if I had the cash I'd go pick up cheap video card - I do have an open PCI slot :)

Ah, but that's not what this conversation is about hehe - I was going to note an example of what may cause the problem but a little scrolling revealed that I already did that a month ago LOL :)

Ok, coffee's done - me wake up now :)

------------------
Justin Nelson
FutureQuest Support

[flowersource]

Justin,
I still like all onboard stuff. I'd buy a motherboard with an onboard waffle maker if I could find one. :D

Still no cover on my 'puter...maybe I can make little pancakes on top of the cpu (have to remove the fan first):D

Mike