# [SOLVED] Graphic Artifacts, corrupted POST Characters



## RedTalonTPF

So I have something dying in my computer, not quite sure what it is and could use some help in tracking down the cause. The problems started maybe a few days ago. I was playing the beta for Fallen Earth and then the game would start to freeze up and the textures would go all multicolor. Well I just attributed this to the fact it was a beta. Then it started to happen more frequently. Also my frame rate would drop down right when I entered a busy town...although that is normal, I have never really had frame rate drops before (but I did have all the settings up). Still not sure it the frame rate drop is related or not. Anyways 2 days ago every time I would load up Fallen Earth it would crash right after character selection when it was loading up the game world. Same things as before, shuttering frame rate and crazy colored textures with lines all over the screen. 

I went and installed the new drivers for my card, loaded up the game, and the same thing happened. I then Tried out Left 4 Dead, and a similar scenario. I could play for like a 1sec -30sec then it would freeze up, and display weird colors. So must be an overheating Graphics Card I though. I opened up the case and did a thorough dust cleaning focusing on the Graphics Card. Checked the fan on the GPU and it works fine. Booted back up the comp, and not a single bit of improvement. A few resets, and driver reinstalls later and the problems just gets worse. 

Now the posting process has lines all over the screen, as well as the windows...plus a bunch of other weird things. Windows run fine, well kinda. I can load up firefox, and browse files and do basic function with little noticeable speed difference. Except when scrolling down webpages it skips, instead of a smooth scroll. Windows recognizes the GPU, but says it has a problem starting. I have tried uninstalling the drivers, and reinstalling with no improvement. Also something extremely weird was after I installed the drivers for like a third time, I went to reset and windows told me it needed to shutdown to install updates. So I said ok and windows went through the process of installing updates...dunno what that was. I have XP and it is fully up to date.

I have flashed my Mobo BIOS to the latest version, tested out my RAM stick individually, and updated graphics card drivers.

So following is some pictures of the current state of my computer. 

Here is my startup screen, the lines and blocks are clear.












After that screen is very weird, where boot information used to be is this.












Followed by another screen of jumbled mess, plus a legible common "Boot CD"...which normally showed up before the problems.












Then one more screen of very random stuff












Then windows loads, and has lines all over the screen. The wallpaper is tiling just from the change in resolution. I normally ran at 1680x1080 but not it will only go up to 1280x












Here is the info windows displays for my Graphics Card












The problem is the same in my BIOS









=======My Theories 

So looks like a definite problem with the graphics card, however it is not totally broken as my monitor is still hooked up to it and getting a signal. Also as I mentioned before the fan still runs fine on it. The question is why is the graphics card is not working and based on the way my computer is behaving I see two main reasons.

1) The Graphics Card its self is dying.
2) The PSU is dying

Personally I am hoping for the PSU as that is the cheaper one. Still I have no idea why my boot process is showing those weird characters. I did think it might be a virus, but I have ran a scan of my whole harddrive with AVG and picked up nothing. Plus the slow on set of this problem, and its direct link to graphics with windows working fine at a base level points away from a virus. 

So yes please help, any ideas of things it might be. I have an older PSU from my last computer but it is only 500W I think, where as my current one is 700W. I thought about switching it out, but I do not think my old one will have enough power to run the 8800GTX. I have a old ATI card, but I am not sure if it will fit in this comp..plus it draws way less power than the 8800 so it would not be a fair test of the PSU.

Thanks!


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## RedTalonTPF

*Re: Graphic Artifacts, corrupted POST Characters*

No Ideas yet?

Well from looking around I think it is leading to a Graphics card. I have a quick question. I know PCI Express 2.0 cards can be plugged into PCI Express. Would a card around the Geforce 275, see a hit in performance from being plugged into a a non 2.0 port?


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## Phædrus241

*Re: Graphic Artifacts, corrupted POST Characters*

What is the exact brand and model of your power supply? 

A faulty power supply rarely causes this particular type of problem, so your graphics card is likely done for. However, the graphics card could have been killed by a crappy or dying PSU. You may need to buy both.


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## koala

*Re: Graphic Artifacts, corrupted POST Characters*

From the random characters in BIOS and during POST, and the vertical lines on the desktop, it looks like damaged VRAM (graphics memory). This can be caused by overheating or a weak/faulty PSU.

The card will need to be replaced, but you should also get the PSU tested before installing a new card to prevent further damage.

Also, make sure the inside of the case is free of dust, the case fans are positioned correctly, and there's a clear airflow path between the front and rear fans to keep the temperatures down.

For an 8800 or higher, I would recommend a good quality 650W (plenty of +12V amps), although many people use a 550W with no problems. There's not much difference in price, but the 650W gives more headroom, allows for better upgrades, and can be more stable under heavy stress.


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## dh4tech

*Re: Graphic Artifacts, corrupted POST Characters*

I am dealing with a very similar problem with my 8800gtx. I have the same artifacts/lines on the screen which started showing only in games, then spread randomly to the rest of my computer, finally resulting in computer freezes on startup before/on the windows login screen with random blocking/artifacts.

The problems started after an update through Steam for the game Team Fortress 2. Is it possible that a faulty software update can cause these types of problems to hardware? I find it suspicious that I have had no problems with the card until this update, then a complete breakdown in a period of 2 days after the update. Seems the OP suffered a similar sequence. 

I've done pretty much the same things to try to fix it (drivers, re-seating the card, etc) but nothing seems to be working. At this point I think I will have to replace my video card, but hopefully someone can give me a less expensive alternative.

I'm running on a 700w OCZ.


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## ebackhus

*Re: Graphic Artifacts, corrupted POST Characters*

To receive better support please start a new thread.


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## RedTalonTPF

*Re: Graphic Artifacts, corrupted POST Characters*

Solved the problem, it was a busted video card. Threw in a new one and it cleared up right away. Thanks for all of the help.


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## Computerwiz

*Re: Graphic Artifacts, corrupted POST Characters*



dh4tech said:


> I am dealing with a very similar problem with my 8800gtx. I have the same artifacts/lines on the screen which started showing only in games, then spread randomly to the rest of my computer, finally resulting in computer freezes on startup before/on the windows login screen with random blocking/artifacts.
> 
> The problems started after an update through Steam for the game Team Fortress 2. Is it possible that a faulty software update can cause these types of problems to hardware? I find it suspicious that I have had no problems with the card until this update, then a complete breakdown in a period of 2 days after the update. Seems the OP suffered a similar sequence.
> 
> I've done pretty much the same things to try to fix it (drivers, re-seating the card, etc) but nothing seems to be working. At this point I think I will have to replace my video card, but hopefully someone can give me a less expensive alternative.
> 
> I'm running on a 700w OCZ.


I have 450 w L and C power unit, nvidia geforce 6800 ultra pci-e oc. First i had a 6800 gt oc which died on me a couple of months ago not allowing me to get past my bios screen i sent it in for an RMA at bfg. they sent me back a 6800 ultra oc 512 mb card which is better when i turn on my pc it goes past the post screen but theirs a new problem the screen shows lines on it horizontally on post and windows. and during windows it would freeze up and come back normally annually, and would show artifacts on nvidia driver logo preview. it would then say driver failure. i reinstalled the driver but same problem. did my psu kill my graphic cards because i heard l and c is not good? my cpu is amd 64 3000+ at 2.50 oc ghz ram is 1 gb pc3200 512mb (2) 266 mhz oc , 3 hdds ,80gb ,80gb, 40gb
2 DVD Drives. shows same effect without overclock. is their anyway to fix this, cannot RMA anymore because BFG new policy original Receipt required and i dont have it so im stuck with this card until i make enought money to buy a new one


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