Just wondering if anyone who is IT literate could suggest a possible solution to the following PC problem.
On start up XP the screen goes a funny colour and the text is blurred.
If you then turn it off and then back on again it appears to load fine.
The computer then has started to crash when I open an internet page and the screen goes completely black.
Other times when the above process of restarting is repeated various messages regarding Outlook express and Acrobat not working have popped up.
Finally applications have started to run really slowly and I have to close each to look at one at a time.
This seems to be getting progressively worse.
I haven't done anything different to the machine and security essentials haven't detected any virus.
Sorry Richard, can't do anything for you other than give this thread a bump.
Exactly what TB said.
It could be lots of things.
Sounds like a hardware issue, probably overheating if the problems develop after the PC has been on for a while. This (http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/) may help identify if the temperature shoots up. Could be you your CPU or your power supply.
First thing to do is back everything up while you still can. Then, I would open up the case and give the dust a clean, especially around the fans. Don't be too rough! Try running your PC with the case still open and see if that helps. This may be impractical but will help identify if the problem is temperature.
Or, it could be some dodgy RAM. In this case, unseat one stick at a time (with the PC turned off, obviously) and see if this helps.
Also, do the problems happen in Safe Mode? If not, it could be your GPU (graphics card).
If your HDD is on it's way out, there's very little you can do about it. CHKDSK will help fix errors in the short-term, but it's best to buy a new HDD now, rather than than risk losing everything.
M@
It does sound a bit like the final swansong of your computer and I second banners suggestion - back up now!!
When you get back...
I'd do the following to make sure there isn't something obvious:
Virus check - you say this:
Quote from: Richard Field on 15 December, 2009, 10:59:07 PMI haven't done anything different to the machine and security essentials haven't detected any virus.
But it isn't clear what you are running - if "security essentials" is Microsoft Security Essentials then that is a good start, I've had a horrible time the last few weeks and this seems to be the one to sort it out. If not (or perhaps still if so) it might be worth installing another free anti-virus to cover your bases (you can always uninstall it) - I tend to use AVG Free. Also make sure you are covered for spybots (Spybot Search & Destroy is a good one and it locks down the registry) and on the firewall front (Zone Alarm's free version is good start). You should be able to scrub the computer clean and then lock it down so if any nasties do crop up you can deal with them.
As Banners says, check it is overheating - you can never go wrong with cracking the case open and running a hoover round the inside once every few months (those troubles sound similar to my brother's problems which I fixed with a vacuum and a blast of canned air - word to the wise don't put your finger over the nozzle to see what it is like as I can tell you now it is very cold). While the case is open check for loose cables or connections.
Beyond that it would depend on technical competence - I'd suggest most people take the box to PC World or their local computer shop, where the knowledgeable folks there can do some quick checks (I took a family member's PC to the former and there was nothing they could do so we got it back with no charge, which is why I think they are always worth a go). It saves a lot of wasted time knowing when to quite and pass the problem along, it also avoids making the problem worse (I had someone tell me that they tried to fix a problem by going through the main Windows folder randomly deleting files and somehow this didn't seem to help).
The above is pretty much my general advice to people if they aren't that confident with mucking around inside the computer - it fixes a high percentage of the problems and seems a bit fancier than "turn it on and off again". ;)
Sounds similar to issue I had when my Graphics card started to go...
A soft paint brush is great for cleaning the dust off everything...
Hi thanks for the words of advice.
I did have a go at cleaning the computer but didn't have a can of compressed air so it wasn't as comprehensive as I would have liked.
Years ago I got some extra internal mempry added (named as D & E Drive) I have recently also bought an external hard drive based on conversations on this board.
Presumably as long as I copy everything from my C drive to one of these all my info should be saveable.
Quote from: Richard FieldPresumably as long as I copy everything from my C drive to one of these all my info should be saveable.
You can't literally copy everything across (ie. Windows and program files etc.) from your hard drive and then back again to a new HDD and get it to work. To do that you need disk imaging software (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_disk_cloning_software) like Ghost (much-maligned, but saved my life once).
It should be pretty straightforward to copy your data back and forth though, especially if you just have everything in "My Documents".
M@
Quote from: Richard Field on 16 December, 2009, 08:45:01 PMI did have a go at cleaning the computer but didn't have a can of compressed air so it wasn't as comprehensive as I would have liked.
As long as you get rid of the dust around the cooling fan, processor housing and any other large dust bunnies hanging around (especially near the motherboard) then you should be fine, compressed air only helps put that final polish on the job and won't have much impact on overheating.
Quote from: Richard Field on 16 December, 2009, 08:45:01 PMYears ago I got some extra internal mempry added (named as D & E Drive) I have recently also bought an external hard drive based on conversations on this board.
Presumably as long as I copy everything from my C drive to one of these all my info should be saveable.
Banners has addressed the technical bit but you also want to make sure the computer is virus free before you do this, because you could end up coping the problems over to the external memory, actually backing up your problems for future misfortune (you should also be able to scan the external memory if it is hooked up to the computer and you want to make doubly sure you are OK).