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Hi all: new member, i suspect you get a lot like me (one post count, just stumbled on desperate for help.) Which means I hope there's a few smart people patient enough to weed through the irrelevant stuff and give me some help. I would usually lurk a forum before posting, but a problem is a problem no? My tech skills aren't awful but i'm no expert, if that's important to point out.

I'm on a Dell Inspiron 8600 w/ a pentium M 1.8 ghZ processor. The set up is a centrino but i got the dell wireless card rather than the intell one, but the chipset (i believe that's the correct term) is all the same. 1 GB RAM and about a 60 or so GB harddrive. Monitor is a 1680 x1050 SXGA LCD screen I believe. My problem is wierd because it comes in and out at random times and doesn't seem to respond to anything I try to do to revive it. Lately it hasn't been as bad but I am concerned if it's a bigger problem and of the belief that ignoring it will probably just make it worse in the long run.

Problem: Periodically my screen will "scramble" such that the screen repeates itself with transperent overlays cascaded over one another. As in, the top of whatever application I have open appears over and over again every inch or so on the screen, I have three mouses which move in unison, etc etc. I think it's analogous to when the vertical hold on a tv is screwy and the picture sort of repeats.

If that's not a clear description, i can upload some digital camera photos of my screen (screenshotting won't work, i don't think) to better explain.

Troubleshooting Steps already Taken:

1. Checkdisk
2. Defrag
3. Virus Scan
4. Spybot Scan
5. Video Test--maaaybe. The dell tech support chat told me to turn off the computer and hold Fn for 25-30 seconds so that a video test would begin on startup. I do'nt think any did, but i'm really not sure what i was supposed to look for.
6. Checked with and without AC charger plugged in, no difference
7. Turned off skype (recently downloaded)- some difference, but did not stop it from happening.

Recent Changes:

1. Went to the UK recently, have been using power adapter with no apparent problems (adapter properly built to handle over 220V)
2. Installed Skype recently, but as I said, disabling it did not COMPLETELY remove the problem.

So, that being said- am I in for more trouble? What's my next step?

Thanks much to whoever steps up on this one.

Edit: apologize for the swear, wasn't a bad one. I'm not here to troll!

Hi Balonkey, welcome to the PCHF!

Just a quick Q...

I'm assuming this is a laptop (i believe the inspirion is a laptop)....aynway...

If you have the laptop screen and the monitor - does it happen to both?

If it's just a computer witha monitor - are you able to test a different monitor.

I'm more leaning towards an overheating issue - or perhaps drivers.

Just an LCD laptop screen. I don't have any other monitors to test it on. Did I post this in the right place?

Yea, this location is fine

Are you able to boot up into safe mode without the same thing happening?

Unsure. As i said, it kindof goes in and out with that problem. The next time it happens I will restart in safe mode and report. Not trying to skip a step, but if there are any other steps i should/could take I'd be happy to.

I'm not sure what to make of the fact that it occurs with varying degrees of frequency. Perhaps that's a good thing, but it could also mean that one of the times it happens it will be more serious. :|

Thanks much for the continued help.