I truly do. But there are times I wish he’d never been “born.” He’s evidently seriously PO’d at me for working on everything except his story. I’ve had nothing but computer problems ever since I began working on the Closed Circle stuff.
USB problems on my year old desktop mobo have already been overly-chronicled.
The laptop I’m currently working on, a refurbished Dell (never again), had to get a new mobo just as the warrantee wore out. Now, three months into the life of the mobo (and two months past the end of the policy) the internal nik card is apparently going. At least, that’s all I can figure. It just loses its connection several times a day. With Word Press, on which I build the blog, this is really annoying, since it’s a program that dwells on the server, so you’re not actually working on your machine. (I know, there are programs that would let me build it on my machine and upload, but this is what’s working and I just don’t have time to work out another program at the moment.) I’ve got an old linksys networking pcmcia wireless nik that I’ll probably convert to, but it didn’t just plug and play work the way I thought it might, so I’ve got to explore how to use it in XP, if I even can (I got it for a 98 machine.)
That’s a minor annoyance. Last night, however, my beloved Toshiba laptop, on which I do all my graphics work, appears to have had a major…er… brain fart. I was working on an animation for the CC site, when all of a sudden, certain background elements on the screen turned into lines. The image I was working on seemed fine, but when I closed out of the program,
this is what I saw:
That background is supposed to be black, not red. The desk top, which appears black here (the edges) is actually not quite black but a very dark red. This was taken after I’d played with some options. But it’s still got a red line on the far left side of the screen, which s/b black. Anyway, the computer seems to have lost its ability to smoothly integrate its RGB colors in a flood fill. A shot from PSP’s palette shows:
Those should all be smooth little color blocks, but except for your basic Cyanin, magenta and yellow, the blocks are little alternating lines of color. Individual pixles are fine, so for the most part, what I’m working on appears normal. It’s when there’s a whole section that’s the same color that it goes all linear.
I’m really afraid it’s the graphics card, and I’m just sick. This machine has the most beautiful screen. It’d be really hard to work the covers on any other machine we own, but it looks like I’m going to have to.
I’ve tried unplugging and cooling off and removing the battery. I’ve tried coming up on Ubuntu…same problem. And it shows right from the bootup screen. I suppose I could have a corrupted bios, but somehow, I don’t think so.
Sigh…I’m going to go cry into my Captain and Lime….Sorry to dump on you all, but if anyone has any ideas, I’m all ears.
Ja ne!
Wow! He did get you good; although, it sounds more like a power issue than anything else. Hmm… have you tried updating your Toshiba’s video card firmware and drivers, or looking on the Toshiba support forums to see if anyone else has had the same problems? When Toshibas do mess up, they usually do it in packs. . . and mine better not be apart of it ^^
If cooling it down for a couple of days doesn’t do the trick, I’ll try that. The only thing we found online remotely like this was solved by a two-day cooldown period. Perhaps that’s exactly what Mr. Smith needs! A cooldown period.
{I’m always cool—>TW}
Back stuff up right away. Back up externally every time you do some work until this is resolved. Assuming you haven’t changed anything physically recently? or didn’t just move it and have the problem occur soon after? If yes to either of those, recheck internal connections you made for loose ones or bent pins and stuff. And you haven’t recently run some power cables nearby or set it near something mechanical/magnetic? (these near a N.I.C. or router can also cause problems).
Sounds like a video card problem of some kind, but it may not yet be hosed. It can be caused by excessive heat too as well as plain old worn out, though of course heat always causes some damage but usually long term. Change of temperature in general can cause this kind of problem too. Fans still working?
Unless you’ve changed other software just prior, I wouldn’t think it would be drivers and I wouldn’t complicate the problem further by changing any software/drivers unless you have, and then the course to take is to back them out and see if the problem stays (doesn’t sound like that).
General advice, whatever you do to try to ameliorate the problem, do one thing, reboot, then if it doesn’t work, put it back the way you had it, reboot and then do the next thing.
Thanks for the great advice.
Fortunately I’m pretty well backed up on all the computers right now, thanks to my Free Agent Drive. I’ve got everything but the newest changes to the ‘Netwalkers covers.
I’m suspecting heat. Hoping the damage isn’t permanent. It’s currently on a two day cooling off period. If that doesn’t work, I’ll begin looking into software/firmware issues. Sigh.
The Wesser is a character from my first series (now ‘Netwalkers) who is a computer genius…and practical joker. It’s very possible he virtually pissed on it when I wasn’t looking!
Thanks again!
Attention seeking cat didn’t pee on it while you weren’t looking did it? *grins*
Oh, and about the bios. I’ve seen bumping actually change a bios before but that wouldn’t be one of the first things I thought of, and I wouldn’t change anything in it unless you definitely recognize something has changed.. But I wanted to say yes, possible though unlikely.
A bios change was the only thing I could think of (software-wise as opposed to hardware)that would affect the bootup screen as well as the linux live disk OS. I mean, the machine has to get basic video drivers somewhere. Aren’t there Windows-specific video drivers that get loaded with Windows?
Hmmm…then where does Linux get its drivers?
Ah, well…
Jane,
To narrow down the problem, try plugging the laptop into an external monitor. You may have to do the Fn-F8 thing a couple of times to get it to switch over. This should at least isolate the problem to the graphics card or the laptop display. I would normally expect the laptop display to be the issue, and that is normally just an issue with the cable running through the hinge from the graphics card on the mobo to the display. Maybe when they replaced the mobo, the cable wasn’t plugged in all the way…
- S
Thanks! I’ll try that.
Just came back to say what Sandor said. :) That unless it’s been getting hot (fans not working, no air flow etc) it would be more likely to be the display than the video adapter.
I haven’t noticed that there was anything wrong with the fan, but this one had a mobo replaced a LOOOOOng time ago (like three years). The recent mobo replacement was on the Dell. That’s the one that seems to be losing its nik. Sounds like I’m death on mobos, but I just happened to wind up with two laptops with known mobo issues. The original Toshiba Qosmio and a Dell latitude D510. Sigh. Come to think of it, the original Qosmio mobo was replaced because of graphics card issues. Ah, well… We’ll see if cooling it off works, then, if it doesn’t, I’ll definitely try hooking it up to another monitor. Good suggestion.
Graphics card or hardware
. It’ll cost you an arm and a leg. Left arm; right leg. On the other hand, the hard drive is probably intact. Investigate a MacBook Pro for your next laptop. It should give you the good graphics, and you can buy Applecare. I use Bootcamp to run Windows on mine. Of course, I teach computing and security (and do neuroscience).
I periodically think about switching over. The problem is all the money I have invested in programs for the PC, not to mention the time I’ve put in learning those programs. I should really investigate the programs that come with some MAC systems. Sigh…somewhere in here, I want to get back to writing.
If cooling is the trick then try one of these: http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?s=gen&c=us&l=en&cs=&k=cooling+pad&cat=all&ref=ac
I bought one for my laptop and haven’t had anymore heating issues.
Interesting. Probably a good idea anyway. Thanks!
Three things that keep coming up from google searches:
1. overheating
2. graphics card/drivers screwed up.
3. wires that are in the hinges of the laptop connecting your screen to the rest of the computer have been damaged (by heat maybe) or just loosened.
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/error-lcd-screen-turns-red-on-laptop/
Thanks!
Jane,
How old is the laptop and which model of Toshiba Osomethingorother is it? And given a choice, would you rather have it working or a new bigger monitor for the desktop you’re having to work with now?
Tee hee…Good question. The REAL answer? Both! :D But if I can’t resurrect the Toshi cheaply, I’m just going to make do. We really can’t afford either right now.
It’s the original Qosmio (no “u”) and doesn’t really have a model number anywhere apparent. (Makes it a pain going after driver updates.) It’s a GORGEOUS screen, but they just had mobo problems. The advantage of a graphics-capable laptop is that I can work on stuff while I watch Mariners’ games. :D (Doesn’t do much good for watching Bleach. Subtitles and all)
Carolyn makes cracks about our desktop monitor, but it’s a very nice, if older, flatscreen with a lovely display. David (Carolyn’s brother who helps me with graphics questions) insists I need a second monitor to really work photoshop. He has a point. It is cool to have the entire screen available for the image. And I’ve got a good, older monitor downstairs that I should haul up, but it’s not a flat screen and we’re already pressed for space in the office. (They’re both Viewsonics)
The reason I suggestion the firmware deal is that I’ve actually had one of my older G-Force cards do that to me(Qosmios ship with G-Force shipsets if I remember rightly). It was messed up in every aspect of it’s use. Then: presto! I updated the drivers/firmware and it’s been a happy card since. Now, if I can just get my chip to behave…
Glyn,
You’re right, that’s certainly a possibility. You installed or updated some application software, Windows update or changed some hardware just prior to that graphic card driver incompatibility, right? Which was fixed by the firmware update?
I just think she should do one thing at a time. First thing, see if cooling has any effect. The wandering neutrino idea I’m just.. not hearing until all other options are exhausted hehe.. Then hook up an external monitor to see if it’s possibly the display instead of the graphics unit (whether it’s hardware, firmware or drivers). If neither of those has an effect, then that tells us something.
And btw Jane, that thing I said about being too near a power cable or something generating a magnetic field, that was in regards the dropped line problem with the other pc and or router/modem/data cable, not the Toshiba.
Here’s hoping! :)