[Techtalk] Hardware issue, probably...

[The Girl with Frazzled Nerves]

On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 17:15:12 -0500, Raven Alder <raven at oneeyedcrow.net> 
wrote:

>
>>    <snip> The dark effect is pretty much immediate, from the initial 
>> BIOS
>> screen through whatever you do.  It just doesn't look right.  I am now
>> thinking that it might be the AGP slot on the motherboard, but as
>> there's only one of those and we don't have a spare mobo of the caliber
>> he needs around the house, we haven't tried that yet.
>>
>>     Before we run out and buy a new motherboard, any ideas on what
>> else it could be?  Any other detail I can provide?  Thanks in advance,
>> hardware gurus. </snip>
>

Is it a replacement AGP card? If so--do you still have your old AGP card 
that you can check out? It would let you know if the issue was your 
motherboard, at least.

Also, is it an 4x AGP in a 2x slot? Faster cards in slower slots have 
caused weird issues for me in the past. You might also want to check out 
BIOS settings related to AGP and PCI --they've been known to cause some 
odd problems, especilaly when you make a move to a faster card or from 
onboard to AGP. (try disabling any onboard video)

Was the card ever functioning? Your email made it sound like it was a 
recent development--after the card was functioning properly. Have you 
tried re-seating the card and making sure it's firmly in place? If there 
is a PCI card in the adjoining slot, I would also try removing it to see 
if the problem persists. (A lot of AGP cards take up an ungodly amount 
of space, and a card in the next slot can cause problems.)

Just a thought--it may also be that his computer is oddly sensitive to 
power fluctuations. The other day someone in my office building was 
redoing a floor, and causing the electricity to vary slightly for the 
rest of the building--my Mac went off and would not start back up, and 
my monitors dimmed slightly--something I've never seen. My PCs kept 
running fine (no crashing issues, etc.) just everything was 
ever-so-slightly darker. The lights weren't dimmed or flickering, it was 
only impacting the computers. I never would have known about it if the 
Macs suddenly shut off and refused to run. :) Strangest thing I've ever 
seen.

Please note: I've currently got a horrible cold and am taking 
benadryl/sudafed so that I can breathe. This results in breaks in the 
communication/thought processes, so I may not be overly clear in this 
email. Forgive me. :)



-Sara-