Laptop Gpu Failure... With A Twist.

Hey guys, got a bit of a head scratcher here, figured I'd run it by ya. First, a little background:

"ZT" brand laptop, purchased off NewEgg roughly 2008/09. Never heard of that brand before and it wasn't a top dog computer at the time, but I would say it was up there. Wound up being a sweetheart, a great gaming computer (Deus Ex, Skyrim, etc) and a movie I got into a film festival was even edited entirely on it. Specs:



Well, I'm obviously here for a reason. Inevitably, about 2 years ago something went haywire with the GPU. Bluescreened and then restarted with 6 small duplicate displays on the same screen with black separating them. Lines and random artifacts on each.



I'm no amateur but no pro either, so I just ran through as many ideas as I could, researched, asked higher tech proficient friends and nothing fixed it. Before I get into the twist... here's pics of the motherboard (I tried new thermal paste at some point):




Now the twist... VGA out? No dice. HDMI out? No dice. I'm thinking I'm fairly screwed when a friend recommends TeamViewer... not sure if you guys are familiar with that but I think it's what IT guys use for remote access. I gave it a shot and no sh**, it works. And I mean PERFECTLY. No graphics issues, no 6 screens. It's like there was nothing ever wrong with it. I've been using it like for the last 2 years whenever I edit video for my YouTube channel. You heard me right... it's running Premiere CS4, letting me edit, render and export/produce video. I don't understand how this is possible.



Now, here's where I'm at. I've been busting my butt and I'm nearing my goal of having a 20% downpayment for a house. I'd love to build a new gaming/editing desktop, but I can't even spare any cash for a burger and a beer on my way home from work. It ain't happening. I'll keep getting by with this ridiculous setup if I have to, but I'm just finally wondering... are there any creative solutions here, considering SOMETHING is clearly working with this laptop if it's able to function flawlessly via TeamViewer? VGA and HDMI both snubbed me, but what are the chances one of those USB portable monitors would work? Any other solutions besides that? Could I take this entire laptop apart, slap it's parts in one of my spare desktop cases and try to attach some kind of video card to it? Again, it's working through TeamViewer... how can the GPU be fried if I'm editing, rendering and exporting HD video?

Any ideas would be awesome guys, thanks!

 

First, you say it is a ZT brand but your DirectX shot clearly shows Micro-Star International, commonly known as MSI. So it may say ZT on the outside, but inside is MSI.

What do you mean VGA and HDMI are both out? Do you mean you connected an external monitor via both HDMI and VGA and got no display? Or the same 6 windowed display?

I don't know about a USB monitor, but there are plenty of USB external graphics cards for notebooks that might work for you.

 

Yeah, I had never heard of the brand before looking into the purchase. They sold a variety of laptops, not sure if they are still in the game.

Anyway, with regards to my comments about VGA and HDMI, you nailed it on the head... as soon as the laptop's screen went into 6 replicas from hell mode, I immediately tried plugging an external monitor in via VGA and it refused to send any signal at all, same result with the TV via HDMI. That's why I thought she was completely done until the TeamViewer option presented itself. I really don't understand how it can't display on it's own screen or an external source via it's own video out ports, but it can display perfectly fine via remote access through LAN. I'm baffled. Ever heard of anything like this?

I'll start looking into those external graphics cards, that's something I haven't heard of yet.

 

Well, actually it does make sense. This is suggesting to me the notebook's graphics' solution has failed or is failing. And since it appears that is integrated (not a separate graphics card), you cannot really replace it.

With TeamViewer, you are seeing the display as it is before it is sent to the notebook's graphics solution. That's why it looks fine via remote access.

As for the ZT brand and support from them, it does not look good. When I go to their website and look up support, it takes me here and all it says is,

What about notebooks? I don't know.

You could try uninstalling the graphics driver, rebooting, then reinstalling the graphics driver and "hope" Windows picks up the correct one. If that does not work, then I think the USB external graphics is your best choice.

HOWEVER - I would advise against sinking too much money into an 11-12 year old notebook that is already showing signs of failure. Chances are, other components are nearing their end-of-life too and the problem with notebooks is many of those components are proprietary - meaning replacement parts may be difficult to find, if possible at all. If the battery, for example, has never been replaced, then I have to give it credit for lasting this long - but would not expect it to last much longer. Replacement power supplies/chargers can be hard to find too. Even things like the clamshell hinges and ribbon cables that flex with every opening and closing of the lid may be wearing out.

It is probably time to start saving up for a new computer.