laptop display b0rked

[Simon Preston]

There I was happily playing some old Amiga games when my laptops screen started going nuts and then completely froze (and in some 2.8 years I've had it that's about the first time it's ever done that).
So I have to force it to power down. Restart and this is what I get:


It boots into Windows XP In safe mode albeit in the same way as that BIOS screen with 4 barely readable rectangles but I can't get it to boot into normal XP so can't have it output to an external display to check if its just the display cable come loose or something.
Anyone got any guesses as to whether its a gfx card gone tits up or something much less expensive to repair?

Laptop is a Mitac 8227D btw with an Nvidia GeForce 8600M.

[Kamal]

Re: laptop display b0rked

can you try to reset the bios defaults? if the display is coming on, then it means the screen is ok, but there's something defo wrong with either the vid card as even loading the BIOS has the same effect (and windows hasn't even started loading at this point). Id try to update the vid card driver. Put it in on a USB flash drive and try updating it through safe mode.

[Simon Preston]

Re: laptop display b0rked

Well this is odd. I haven't used it for days, decided to switch it on for no reason and its working again! Very strange.

[ganjamo]

Re: laptop display b0rked

Apple has recalled many of their Macbook Pros because of that video chip from nvidia. Maybe its the same one, id check with your sales rep. about it.

[PROG]

Re: laptop display b0rked

if it happened once. it'll happen again. prob some lose wire

[Simon Preston]

Re: laptop display b0rked

Kamal, tried to find a BIOS reset switch and I can't see one at all which seems a bit strange. The laptop has gone back to not working again. All very odd.

[Kamal]

Re: laptop display b0rked

in desktops, I think one of the F keys resets the bios to default settings (F11 iirc)

[Simon Preston]

Re: laptop display b0rked

Apple has recalled many of their Macbook Pros because of that video chip from nvidia. Maybe its the same one, id check with your sales rep. about it.

I'd heard about that myself, but as my machine is some 2.5 years old I figured it was fine. Seems maybe not though.

http://www.nvidiadefect.com/taking-up-the-fight-with-pcnextday-co-uk-t133.html