Display problems in oooooolddd pc

[TheAlco]

Hey guys, hoping you can help...

As the title suggests, Im having a display problem with a (very) old pc. Now the owner is aware that it needs a full upgrade, but thats not financially viable at the moment so..

When the computer is turned on, there is severe screen distortion. I.e the pixels become out of line with each other to the point that the boot up screen is unreadable. This continues until the XP bootup screen appears, then it will eventually reboot itself after a few more seconds.

First thing I tried was exchanging with another, similar monitor (19" CRT), however the problem was exactly the same.

The specs of the system are:

Duron 800mhz
256 RAM
20gb HDD
1st generation Creative GeForce.

Given the monitor isn't the problem, my immediate inclination is towards the video card. I have never seen anything like this before, so was hoping you guys could shed some light on whether the graphics card has just packed in because of its age, or if it is repairable?

Cheers!

PS: I have tried booting into safe mode etc, but that didn't work either.

 

[Big B]

Well, unless there's a screw loose on the bracket or the fan (assuming the card has one) isn't plugged in, there's not a whole lot you can do. Most likely, the RAM on the video card is shot. Even if you're a master at soldering, it's likely cheaper just to buy a new card. The good news is you can get a comparable, if not a little faster card for $30 or so (even less) online.