Very Strange

[poordevil]

Recently when I try to play a game or view a streaming video my comp will crash and my monitor will display a colorful herring bone pattern instead of the game or video. Only way out is to restart and reboot. Device manager says the video card is normal. Also, I just experienced a random reboot. Video card is a GeForce Fx5900. Nothing is overclocked. Any ideas? I have never seen anything like this before.

[poordevil]

I suspected the video card was okay, and I was thinking the problem was with the power supply. At least I was hoping it was a power supply problem because they are a lot cheaper to replace than a video card.

My son, my 13yo son, fixed it. He just replaced the cord that connects the power supply to the wall outlet with another one we had lying around. That simple task cleared up the trouble. It wasn't any hardware problem at all, just a cord that had gone bad.

Now I know what the symptoms are when there is a power supply problem. I never experienced it before but I have read that random reboots signal a problem with power. It was especially weird because sometimes the cord would work okay and the comp would be fine. Then a day or two later the comp would start crashing when I tried to play a game or a streaming video. So, all's well that ends well. Especially when the solution is cheap and easy.

:)

[saphalline]

Glad to hear it worked out. And yes, a MUCH cheaper solution! :D

Yes, a slight difference between a heat-related problem and a power-related problem. A power-related problem will cause instability and reboots when you start a more demanding task (like playing a game). A heat-related problem will cause instability and reboots during a more demanding task (like say 10 minutes into playing Doom 3).

Know it, learn it, replace less parts. ;)