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Aycker

2 Posts

24148

March 17th, 2005 00:00

Garbled BIOS text and other problems

This all began about two days ago.  I first noticed a problem when I started up a computer game and there were all types of graphical corruptions.  I then noticed that there were also more graphic problems on the desktop such as the copying window has strange pink bars across it. 
 
After rebooting my computer I noticed that the text at the Dell logo screen had become garbled.  For example it says "Daeefsagf 4550 Sareas" instead of Dimension 4550 Series. 
 
Now the reason I put this post in the BIOS forums is because similar garbled text appears in the Setup menu and boot menu.  This leads me to believe that the graphics card couldn't be causing this problem.
 
So far (on the advice of Dell tech support) I have tried to run Windows Repair which only made things worse.  After reformatting and reinstalling Windows XP I am still having the same problems. 
 
Any suggestions as to what may be the problem and how to fix it would be greatly appreciated!

Majestic

2 Intern

 • 

9.4K Posts

March 17th, 2005 10:00

Garbled text during boot up and strange colors on the display is a good indication of video card problems.  If your BIOS was working good until two days ago and you made no hardware changes then I doubt the problem is BIOS related.  The fact that the problem occurs while in the BIOS Setup also indicates that the problem isn't related to the operating system since the BIOS Setup program is independent of the OS so there was no need to reinstall it.  The first step in finding a cure for your problem is to reseat the video card and make sure the video cables are secure.  If that doesn't resolve the problem then try another video card.

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