On my HP Pavilion mx703 that runs on Windows XP, the screen will get wavy black lines working their way up.

October 12, 2004 9:12 PM

I have an HP Pavilion mx703 that runs on Windows XP. Lately, right in the middle of working on it, the screen will get these wavy black lines on it (can't really be more specific than that) that start at the bottom and work their way to the top. It's annoying as hell, and nothing gets rid of them except shutting down completely - rebooting doesn't help. A friend suggested "Degausse", but that doesn't work. I'm not as computer-savvy as other MeFites here - anyone know what to do? It's done it four or five times this evening alone, and I'm at my wits end. Please help!!
posted by ScarletSpectrum to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

First step: When it happens, unplug the monitor from the computer, and power it (the monitor) down. Plug it back in again and power up. If the problem still exists, but goes away when you shut down your system, it is likely a problem with your video card or software. If powering the monitor only down cleared it, then it might be a monitor issue.

PC troubleshooting is pretty much a matter of isolating the faulty component. Generally you simply replace it.
posted by Manjusri at 10:37 PM on October 12, 2004

You might want to turn off the monitor before unplugging it, if following Manjusri's advice.

That said, do you have anything else near the monitor that could be causing electromagnetic interference? Television? Another monitor? How well shielded are the speakers that (I believe) are attached to your monitor by default?
posted by Danelope at 11:21 PM on October 12, 2004

Fans and transformers can do this too.
posted by shepd at 6:25 AM on October 13, 2004

You've probably tried these out, but (in ascending order of nastiness):

• Make sure the cable is plugged and screwed into the video card (not just the monitor). My bet is that this is the problem.
• Remove any potential high-RF sources from the surrounding area
• Get a new (decent) power supply for the computer if it's an el-cheapo factory standard
• Get a new video card (heck, you know you were looking for an excuse to get a new ATI beasty)
• Get a new monitor (heck, you ... well, rats, that just sucks. Sorry)

posted by Civil_Disobedient at 7:07 AM on October 13, 2004

Response by poster: Thanks, guys - I really really don't want to get a new monitor (the 'puter's only a little over a year old itself) but I'll try all the above suggestions before biting the bullet *sigh*.
posted by ScarletSpectrum at 10:29 AM on October 13, 2004