Hi there

Not sure if this is a hardware, software or virus issue.


Every now and then my computer hangs for no particular reason.

it doesn't seem to relate to any specific software or hardware i'm using and I can tell when it's going to hang because just before it happens i GET single pixel lines appearing on the screen in various colours.  

This might suggest that it is a display problem.

However, when i reboot, some of the characters displayed in the boot messages have been transposed with other letters so that they display gobbledegook.

My display drivers don't load and windows can only display 16 colours.

When i reboot again the gobbledegook gets worse and there can be chasing odd letters all over the screen.

if i continue to reboot, just as quickly the boot messages return to normal and i am able to load windows with no problem restoring the display drivers.

ok, so a virus then.

i tried reformatting my hard disk and REINSTALLED Windows, but the problem remains as before.

Could this be a boot sector virus?
Or a problem with the BIOS or Athlon chip?
Or what about a FAILING video card?

Any help would be appreciated because i cannot find anything on the web relating to these specific symptoms alone.

thanksDid you try updating your video card driver? If so then try taking out the video card and putting it back in. Might be because your video card is loose or something. When my video card was loose i had this green line that goes right through my screen and black boxes. Try it out. I never heard of a video card failing. it only failing if 1. It crashes all of a sudden. ie. The screen freezes and when you start hearing beeps with nothing on screen that means your video card is deadThe card has always worked fine with the drivers supplied so i reloaded the original drivers after reformatting my hard disk.

i'll try taking it out and putting it back in, but what is causing the corrupted boot messsages?Did you try to reset your motherboard settings? You can do this by unplugging the power and removing the LITTLE battery in the computer for about 10 sec. then put it back in. THis should reset your motherboard back to the default settings.Do i need to back any settings up before i do this?No, this is your COMOS setup. You know when you have to hit Delete or F1 etc.. to enter sytem setup in BIOS. that is what it does it just resets it for you. Quote

Hi there

Not sure if this is a hardware, software or virus issue.

However, when i reboot, some of the characters displayed in the boot messages have been transposed with other letters so that they display gobbledegook.