Video & Other Issues.

Question

Good Morning,

I was going to only include this in the video forum but there's been additional developments that may make it a general hardware issue.

I have an Dell Dimension 8250 bought 1 1/2 years ago.

Here is the issue:

My monitor display is flickering on DELL and Windows splash screen. After loading OS (Windows XP Pro) the monitor display 'blacks out' from time to time. Sometimes it comes back, sometimes not. This seems to become more frequent the more 'graphically intensive' an application is. For example, MS Outlook: not too bad/High-end games like BF1942, black outs alot.

Here are the steps I have already taken to try to resolve this:

1) Updated video drivers from ATI Technologies.

2) Rolled back drivers to previous version in case of a new driver issue.
3) Uninstalled video cards and drivers, reloaded same.
4) Disconnected and reconnects all cables.
5) Reseated all video/audio cards.
6) Tried on other monitor (symptoms still exist).
7) Tried other video card (symptoms still exist).
8) Ensured adequate power supply getting to computer.
9) Ran Dell diagnostics disk (all tests passed).
10) Ran Syssoft's Sandra diagnostics (all tests passed).

Additional/New issue:

As a last resort (and hopefully to clear up any virus/driver/software issue that may have been causing these symtoms), I decided to back everything up and then reformat my HDD. During the very last part of the reformat (>97% reformatted), the computer told me that 'an error had ocurred' and the reformat could not continue. Now I cannot even open either of my DVD/CD drives to get the disk out or put another in, cannot boot of of my hard drive as there is no OS, and cannot boot off of the windows setup disk which is trapped in my CD-ROM drive.

Does anyone have any suggestions, please? Help!

Thanks in advance,

Steve Johansen

snapohead · Answer

Not sure what your video problem is, but considering that it occurs on the dell splash screen, it is unlikely that reloading windows will fix the problem.

To get your disc out, there should be a small pinhole on the front of the drive. You can stick a paperclip or something similar down the hole and it will mechanical open the drive. Good idea to have the pc off as well. You may need to remove the cd drive from the system as the hole is probably hidden behind a bezel or something. But as the cd is stuck in the drive, couldnt you just hit F12 (brings up a temp boot menu) at the dell splash screen and boot from the cd drive?

sjohans1 · Answer

Thanks for the tips, I did use the paperclip/pinhole to get the disc out.  After that the BIOS would not recognize my CD drives.  I actually disconnected them and then reconnected them and then the BIOS was able to see them and they work fine.   Ran into some trouble reformating the HDD though but solved that through a debug routine.  Reloading windows right now (the reformat seems to have taken care of the flickering/blacking out issue also, figure that one out!) but the reload is going extremely slow (HDD issue?)   Anyway, I think this all may be a moot issue now since I order a new case, motherboard, memory and processor from NewEgg today.  If I can get my current system in shape, I think I'll make it a webserver.  It's a shame if it's the HDD though, second computer from Dell and second HDD to go within a year and and a half from date of purchase.   Any other thoughts on why Windows XP Pro is loading so slow?

snapohead · Answer

Could be a faulty hdd, like you said. Another possibility, the cpu may be running in compatability mode, which would dramatically slow things down. You can check this in the bios, although off the top of my head, im not sure whereabouts to look.

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Video & Other Issues.

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