unwanted background pattern

Hi all . This is my first time in any discussion group . My new Vista Home
Premium PC has just started booting up with all the white areas (backgrounds
in windows programs,around the programs in the taskbar, and even the
lettering "Microsoft Corporation" on bootup) , with purple and white squares
.. I have been reading all the threads in this group but none are the same as
my problem . Any thoughts ?

koorrnong wrote:
> Hi all . This is my first time in any discussion group . My new Vista Home
> Premium PC has just started booting up with all the white areas (backgrounds
> in windows programs,around the programs in the taskbar, and even the
> lettering "Microsoft Corporation" on bootup) , with purple and white squares
> . I have been reading all the threads in this group but none are the same as
> my problem . Any thoughts ?

Computer description, please. Laptop? Desktop? Make/model of computer?
If a desktop machine, is this a new monitor? Flat panel or CRT?

Off hand, it sounds like a problem with the video card but that's just a
guess since I know nothing about your computer except that it is new.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

Thanks for the response . I suspect it is an OS problem but further info. =>
Intel E6750 2.6Ghz Core2 Duo,GA-P35-DS3 1333,Kingston 2G PC5300 667mhz,500GB
SATA11,512MB Asus 8600GT 2DVI HDTV HDCP. Monitor is an older CRT . The
bacground picture I have comes up ok with no problems its everything else I
open . I haven't yet tried any fixes apart from a couple of restores back a
few days .

"Malke" wrote:

> koorrnong wrote:
> > Hi all . This is my first time in any discussion group . My new Vista Home
> > Premium PC has just started booting up with all the white areas (backgrounds
> > in windows programs,around the programs in the taskbar, and even the
> > lettering "Microsoft Corporation" on bootup) , with purple and white squares
> > . I have been reading all the threads in this group but none are the same as
> > my problem . Any thoughts ?
>
> Computer description, please. Laptop? Desktop? Make/model of computer?
> If a desktop machine, is this a new monitor? Flat panel or CRT?
>
> Off hand, it sounds like a problem with the video card but that's just a
> guess since I know nothing about your computer except that it is new.
>
>
> Malke
> --
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic!"
> MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
>

koorrnong wrote:
> Thanks for the response . I suspect it is an OS problem but further info. =>
> Intel E6750 2.6Ghz Core2 Duo,GA-P35-DS3 1333,Kingston 2G PC5300 667mhz,500GB
> SATA11,512MB Asus 8600GT 2DVI HDTV HDCP. Monitor is an older CRT . The
> bacground picture I have comes up ok with no problems its everything else I
> open . I haven't yet tried any fixes apart from a couple of restores back a
> few days .

Here are four ways to tell if it is an operating system problem:

1. Go Nvidia's website and download the latest drivers for your video
card. Uninstall the old ones first, then install the new ones. If you
already did this and then the problem surfaced, roll back the drivers to
ones that worked:

Roll Back Troublesome Device Drivers in Windows Vista from the How-To
Geek - http://tinyurl.com/346lox

If that solves the problem, you're done.

2. If that changes nothing, then attach the computer to another monitor.
If the problem goes away, replace the old monitor. If it doesn't, go to
the next step.

3. Boot with a Linux live cd like Knoppix. A live cd is an operating
system that runs entirely from the cd and does nothing to your hard
drive. To get/create a Knoppix live cd:

Go to http://www.knoppix.net. You need a computer with a fast Internet
connection and third-party burning software. Download the Knoppix .iso
and create your bootable cd. You need to burn as a disk image, not as a
data disk. Then boot with it, changing the boot order in the BIOS first
if you need to. Or your BIOS may allow you to press a key for a
temporary boot order change.

If you get the weird artifacts in Linux, you know the video card (or the
monitor if you didn't do Step 2) is bad and this is hardware, not
software (Vista).

4. Uninstall the video card and swap it out for a known-working one. If
that solves the problem, RMA the video card or the computer, depending
on how you bought it.

Standard disclaimer: I can't see and test your computer myself, so these
are just suggestions based on many years of being a professional
computer tech; suggestions based on what you've written. If you can't do
the testing yourself and/or are uncomfortable opening your computer,
take the machine to a professional computer repair shop (not your local
equivalent of BigComputerStore/GeekSquad). Have all your data backed up
before you take the machine into a shop.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User