Unable to start computer normally

damened

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Jan 6, 2010
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18,510
basically my computer has stopped working for the last 2 weeks. all of the sudden 1 day it froze and than when i rebooted it it would not load in normal mode.i noticed that when this problem started there were strange green lines in the background of the screen which had never been there before. when i load in safe mode they are also there.

i dont know a whole lot about laptops, but from what i have found im starting to think this is a hardware problem. when in safe mode all the images are much more pixalated and glitchy, along with the strange green lines in the background. so im beginning to think this is a video card problem. but i just dont understand how that can be the issue when 1- my computer stopped working for a week, than worked for a week, and than stopped working. i never changed anything this all just happened out of no where. 2- why would my graphics card stop me from running windows regularly. 3- why would i be able to run in safe mode if my graphics card was the issue?

ive had my laptop for about 3 years now and never had any major issues. no viruses or anything. and as soon as this issue started i ran everything i had to see if that was the problem, but i found no infected files.

any thoughts or ideas on whats going on would be greatly appreciated
 
G

Guest

Guest
Sounds like a problem with the video system driver or hardware. See if there's a newer driver set on the notebook maker's website.

If that doesn't help, see a tech -- though if it's a fault on the motherboard replacement may be uneconomic.
 

damened

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Jan 6, 2010
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18,510
if that is the case, how much do you think it would cost? i think my laptop costs me around $1,000+ so i mean i have to imagine unless replacing the motherboard/video card cant be as expensive as buying a whole new system.

ive heard that most laptop videocards are intergrated, but im not sure if mine is. im currently using a sony vaio model vgn-ar670 and my videocard is an nvidia geforce 8400M GT.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Chances are it's integrated. As far as cost is concerned, there's a lot of disassembly in fixing a laptop so it's time you're paying for. Plus parts of course.
 

damened

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Jan 6, 2010
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18,510
are there any other options i can explore? im a student and dont exactly have money for a brand new computer. is there anything else that could be the problem?

bad power supply or maby some other issue? i think i have eliminated virus and other malware options. ive done tons of scans with various software and nothing has come up.

my computer had this issue for a week, than worked again for a week, and not does not work again. is this typical for a gpu failure?

just tell me how i can produce a list of my hardware or anything information i can provide. im just desperate for help. i really need my computer working for school.