Monitor or Video Card?

[Rayceee]

Weirdest thing happened. Hubby bought me a new keyboard and after I plugged it in, my system would boot up but then instead of getting log on screen, I had black screen. Put the old keyboard back on and installed software for the new one, replaced it again, same problem. Went back to old keyboard and viola, no problem getting the log on but now had erratic monitor function. Blurring and shaking with sporatic interference. Using WinXP System Restore I went back to earlier time prior to driver change and this did not solve the problem.
This only happens after the unit has been on for about 15 minutes- so whatever the culprit is, it needs to be warmed up before it acts this way. The only thing not new about this system is my video card and my monitor (not that old either - LCD 17" Kogi) and I would like to know what would be recommended for replacement. System info is:
OS - WinXP Home Service Pack 2
1.10 gigahertz AMD Athlon XP
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
512 kilobyte secondary memory cache
80.02 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
70.47 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

Board: MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD MS-6570
Bus Clock: 100 megahertz
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG 03/29/2004WDC WD800JB-00ETA0 [Hard drive] (80.03 GB) -- drive 0, s/n WD-WCAHL6000363, rev 77.07W77, SMART Status: Healthy
NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 Model 64/Model 64 Pro (Microsoft Corporation) [Display adapter]
GVT L7EH [Monitor] (17.1"vis, February 2002)
NVIDIA(R) nForce(TM) Audio
NVIDIA(R) nForce(TM) Audio Codec Interface

I haven't received any error messages or warnings in my MSINFO or Administrator tools, have run defrag, tried reinstalling driver files from system disc and although the problem is sporatic, it is consistent in its daily return.
I would love to hear some suggestion regarding 1) what the problem could be and 2) what (if any) video card is recommended for efficent use.

We have a wirless router and use cable access, as my husband plays his X Box Live and he hasn't experienced any problems whatsoever.
If anyone has suggestions or questions, I'm all ears. :confused:

[ski]

See if the monitor has the same problem on another system.
If so, then it may be bad.

If not, then make sure the video card is fully inserted.

Also, if either the old or new KB is not USB, then you did shut down the system before disconnecting/connecting it, right?

[Rayceee]

Yep, I did. The only problem with the monitor switch is that I don't have another system to hook it to. :(

One thing I did notice just now is that it tends to be more frequent and severe when I have more than one window open at a time. I'm thinking that it's got to be the video card. Any suggestions about what kind I should get? I play ALOT of online poker and some games but my computer is mainly for graphics programs and I need something that will keep up.

[pop pop]

You have a heat problem. Maybe the video card is about to go too, maybe not. Get a can of compressed air from an electronics shop/computer store. Open the case and blow out the dust bunnies everywhere. Get a small house fan. Leave the case open and start the box up. Make sure all the fans inside are working including the one on the graphics card, if there is one. Turn on the house fan and have it blow inside the case. See what happens.

As for replacing the video card, nVidea Riva's are really old. I'm gong to assume it's an AGP-type. You could replace it with something like this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130200) for about $40. If you don't want to buy online, you can spend a little more for an equivalent at a local store like a CompUSA.

[ski]

Did you make sure that the video card is fully inserted?

If it is, then in addition to pop pop's suggestion to make sure that its fan running, also check that its heatsink is securely mounted and dust free.