# [SOLVED] Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up



## Gremad (Apr 26, 2011)

I was playing a video game last night that I have played many times and my computer froze. I rebooted the computer and let windows load up; when my screen saver came on my computer froze again, this time with strange red lines all over the screen. I rebooted a third time and tried the game again, and it froze yet again, this time with red stripes appearing on the screen. 

I rebooted the computer and noticed that on the first screen which has the logo of my computer maker, there were red dots, when windows started loading there were green dots and windows never finished loading. 

I was able to get the computer to safe mode successfully, but even in safe mode I see faint red horizontal streaks on the desktop (not when I'm using the browser or other apps). What is wrong? 

I'm running a Quad-core Q6600 on Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit. My graphics card is NVidia GeForce 8800 GT.


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## Markgg88 (Jan 7, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

What's the brand and model of the Power Supply?


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## Gremad (Apr 26, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

I'm not sure, my pc is a Dell that I bought about three years ago.

I turned off the graphics card in safe mode and Windows was able to start up regularly. 

I am confused as to how this happened though, the computer was working perfectly fine until I ran the game last night and now all of the sudden the graphics card is fried? It doesn't make sense to me.


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## Markgg88 (Jan 7, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

All PSU's that Dell(or any OEM company) use are low quality ones that are barely enough to run the system. The likely scenario here that the card was damaged for being underpowered for so long. I'm honestly surprised it lasted that long.

You can open up the case and check the label on the side of the PSU.

What's the exact model number of the PC?


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## Gremad (Apr 26, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

XPS 420

Any recommendations on a new PSU I should put in?


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## Markgg88 (Jan 7, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

I reckon you should first make sure the card isn't permanently damaged, can you test it in another PC? 

In any case, this is the PSU to get:Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply


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## Gremad (Apr 26, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

I do not have another PC to test it on. I opened up the computer and tightened all the connections, the card looks fine to my eye and I even installed the newest drivers from NVIDIA's website, but the problem remains. 

The PSU in my system is the stock Dell 425P-00 running 425W as per the label.


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## Markgg88 (Jan 7, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

425W is just underpowered for a GeForce 8800 GT and the PSU quality didn't help the situation.

The card looking fine doesn't mean much, it could still be damaged. The definitive way to find out whether it's working or not is to try it on a different PC. Since you are unable to do this, I'd replace the PSU to the one I linked to and cross your fingers. 

If that doesn't work, the card is toast and will have to be replaced. At least you'll have the new PSU ready for a new card. You'll need to replace that PSU regardless before it ends up killing other components.


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## Gremad (Apr 26, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

Thanks for all the advice, hopefully I can get a PSU within a few days and start rectifying the problem.


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## Markgg88 (Jan 7, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

Ok, please keep us updated.


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## Gremad (Apr 26, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

I installed (I think) the PSU you recommended. When I turn the power on, I hear (and see) the psu and video card fans running, but the computer doesn't actually start up and I notice a yellow light illuminated on the mother board.


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## Gremad (Apr 26, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

So I fixed the PSU issue and the problem still exists, so it must be the graphics card right?


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## Gremad (Apr 26, 2011)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

I have resolved the issue, it was pretty simple: needed a new graphics card, though I also installed a new PSU, but the problem didn't go away until a new graphics card was installed.


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

*Re: Red dots and green dots on startup, Windows will not start up*

Thanks for posting back with your solution.

The graphics card was probably damaged by the weak PSU. If you're now using the Corsair 650W and another 8800GT, you'll be ok for power. You can confirm this by running FurMark to stress test the card, and a program like SIW or Everest to monitor the temperatures and voltages.


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## Gremad (Apr 26, 2011)

I actually upgraded to a GeForce 450 GTS


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

That's ok, the 8800GT and 450GTS both use the same amount of power.


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