Is my video card dead?

[Kennith]

Problem: when I boot up normally, as soon as the first screen shows up, which is the mobo logo, I get horizontal lines, they are basically checkered across my screen and look like this:

----- ----- -----
------ ------ ------
----- ----- ------

It continues to have these lines all over my screen goes on till the end of the load up bar for Windows Vista, after that only the sounds keep going, the screen freezes up and stays black. Mouse cursor still moving. Before this happened I was getting the lines near my mouse cursor.

Things I've tried:
I tried reconnecting the wire that is used for the monitor and my video card.
I've tried reconnecting and disconnecting my video card.

Booting in safe mode WORKS, but that's only cause it uses the integrated video card on the mobo. So I figured, naturally, it's my video card. It's an old one, a 2900 PRO ATI, about 3-4 years?

Any thing I can do to fix this, or do I just have to buy a new video card, which I have no money for. :/

[Jager]

if you know for sure its the vid card, then

first shut everything down and yank the power cord and then hit the power button to clear the motherboard capacitors of any spare juice.

take the vid card out and inspect it for any blow capacitors (the top is bulged or the cap wires have blackened or broken, and if its dusty blow the dust off/wipe the card down with rubbing alcohol. check the heatsink to make sure its firmly attached, if it isnt, then clean the core with rubbing alcohol, then apply a bit of thermal paste and reattach the heatsink. otherwise if its clean put it back in and skip down to the uninstalling your drivers paragraph.

id also clean the entire chassis and make sure its dust /debris free as well.

unless you are moving the monitor cable to the onboard vid card port, the computer cannot default to run it for safemode, it is simply using the main vid card with the windows stock drivers. which means your card isnt dead, it is having a driver issue or a bad connector(if it has 2 of the same connector on the back of the card (vga/dvi/etc) you may have the card defaulting to the other connector for w/e reason. swap the cable and test it.

it's more likely that your computer cannot get the drivers to place nice with your card if it works in safemode, and that the drivers you have may be corrupted/bad. if you boot into safe mode and uninstall them, then try to boot into vista normally it might work. if it does then simply download drivers you know work, and reinstall them.


many of the newer ati drivers that support newer cards can "break" older cards unexpectedly. its always worth noting what drivers you have that work, and save them incase you get a bad set later.

[Vinny]

Happened to mine and when I took out the GFX card some things where "popped" and little strands of what looked like hair where coming out. Got a new one and it worked perfect..

Try looking at the card itself.

[Kennith]

it's more likely that your computer cannot get the drivers to place nice with your card if it works in safemode, and that the drivers you have may be corrupted/bad. if you boot into safe mode and uninstall them, then try to boot into vista normally it might work. if it does then simply download drivers you know work, and reinstall them.

I've tried this just now while waiting for a response, still gets those lines, my video card isn't detected when I booted in safe mode, when I uninstalled my video card drivers and ran in normal, it started up fine, but once I installed the drivers, it gets the lines. I've used the latest catalyst for a while with no problem. Also, NOTE: It happens BEFORE start up, and even DURING BIOS.

[Jager]

hmm well that sounds odd, have you tried using the drivers you have off your video cards cd? or go to the video card companies website to grab the driver instead of using the ati broad ones?

your card may be dying as you are stating seeing the lines in bios. but if you can get it to limp along without drivers you still can do most tasks until you can get a better card.

and by better i mean as cheap as about 50-60 bucks off newegg.com

[Kennith]

and by better i mean as cheap as about 50-60 bucks off newegg.com

Yea I know this, just literally got no money atm, and I guess no games for me for a month or two. :/

I've never used the driver off the CD. This is the first time I've had a problem with this video card.

[Jager]

try that drivers off the cd, see what you get, if you see no improvement then its time to start shopping for a replacement. I am checking newegg etc for any deals, and seeing if any of my tech buddies haev anything laying around that can get you by that is at least as good as what you have.

[Kennith]

Did not work, its fine, I'll just find some things to watch online till I can get a replacement, but I'd be glad if you tried to help me find some deals for the upcoming month or so.

[Jager]

I am already on it, If we cannot find you a decent deal I have a 3870 sitting around and may have some 8600gts as well depending on whether my brother has done anything with them you can "borrow" til we find you a deal.

Ill pm you some options to peruse, we can get you damn good performance (better then my 3870) for sub 100 bucks usually. the 4770 used to be the budget deal of the century the 5750 may have eclipsed that a bit though now as 4770s aren't as plentiful.

Gimme a day to dig through options and Ill let you know what is available. just PM me a budget to work with overall if you want to work outside the 60 buck range.

[Shadowex3]

Video artifacts like this are the videocard equivalent of your hard drive making the click of death.