6 displays in 1?

I just want some confirmation on this one, I have a Dell inspiron 1420. The graphics chip is an Nvidia Geforce 8400m GS.

About 3 weeks ago now, I was playing a PC game (Guild Wars, if it's important) and right in the middle of it the computer locked up and wouldn't let me do anything, so i had to hold power for 5 seconds to turn it off. I let it sit for about 10 minutes and turned it back on, everything seemed fine, until i relaunched Guild Wars, it did it again.

So I turned it off, turned it back on, and reinstalled the graphics drivers. the computer then said new hardware was found (normal right?), it asked me to re-run the windows experience index (the thing that rates your hardware) i did, during all of the Aero tests the screen started getting covered in white dots anytime something on the screen moved. I let that finish, the rating went up from 3.6 to 3.7 i then shut it down and turned it back on, the POST test appeared on the screen 6 times, in 6 little boxes with parts of the logo missing. I let it run, until it got to the windows loading screen, it still had 6 displays but this time with a lot of blue dots and lines all over the place, it stays like this until it locks up and crashes again, then it just starts over. But, when i connect an external display to it it's fine as long as the display is connected before I power the laptop on. even with the external display I can't do anything like play games, or it locks up.

So, is my graphics chip dead or dieing; or is it something else?

Hello and welcome to Bleepingcomputer.

One of the things you should try doing is blowing the laptop out with a can of compressed air, because you could have some dust build up inside that is causing heat to build up.

If you use the compressed air, make sure you use the plastic straw and point it into any open slots, air vents or access areas.

Now test the laptop for problems.

If the problem goes away, you solved the problem, if not than you may need to gain direct access to the inside of the laptop for a more thorough cleaning.

This link I am providing may be of some assistance to you in disassembling your laptop, if its listed

http://www.insidemylaptop.com/category/4-dell-laptops/

Bruce.

Edited by MrBruce1959, 01 October 2010 - 06:17 PM.

Okay, I blew it out with compressed air, it appears to have made no difference, it's doing the same thing. I don't think it's heat build up because it's doing this even after having been powered off in a rather cold (about 70 degrees Fahrenheit) room for days, and it starts with the 6 displays right off the bat now.

I did a search on that site you listed and it came back with no results, but I'll go see if I can find dis-assembly instructions somewhere else.

Okay here is the support page for your laptop from Dell.

http://support.dell.com/support/DPP/Index....INS_PNT_PM_1420

This one related to video issues with this laptop.

http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/Di...hancement.aspx/ NOTE: Your laptop model number is included in this list displayed in this blog.

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/glo...;l=en&s=dhs

There is a Dell service manual and other manuals for this laptop at this link.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/syst...20/en/index.htm

Hope these help.

Bruce.

Edited by MrBruce1959, 01 October 2010 - 07:45 PM.

Should be part of the settlement:
http://www.nvidiasettlement.com/

Hey, Thanks for pointing me to those websites, I looked at the symptoms list on www.nvidiasettlement.com and my laptop seems to fit the symptoms. So, I guess there's nothing I can do until some undetermined time after December 20th. Jeez i seem to be having computer problems all over the place. First my desktop now my laptop. I need to stop walking under ladders. Well, again, thank you for pointing me to those websites, and thanks for your time.

I am sorry to hear you have had so many computer issues.

Your laptop was an unfortunate incident that was Incorporated into it during its assembly in the factory, there isn't much you can do about that.

Electronics are prone to hardware defects during manufacturing because so many electronic parts from all over the world are put together to create a working device.

There are many parts that were made with incorrect alloy formulas or cheaper chemicals which dry up quicker than they are supposed to during the components normal life span.

This is the case with those electrolytic capacitors with are found on almost all electronic circuit boards.

Transistors are known to be poorly manufactured as well.

When a manufacturing plant gets their supplies from a supplier, they do not always check the whole lot to confirm the shipment of 2000 transistors or capacitors are the correct values or if they are got an order with a vast mixture of different values. This is because Quality Control is not enforced as it was when electronics were manufactured in the USA. Thus QUANTITY has been the major concern over QUALITY.

I always ask myself, what would the world do if all electronic components were to fail all at once....think of all the things that would be affected...including automobiles and cell phones. The list goes on and on because almost everything we use day to day uses electronics including pace-makers.

One nuclear bomb can bring life as we know it to an end, even if there are survivors.

Bruce.