monitor blinking,video freeze

help!
i was on the phone with dell all night and no help
here is my problem,
just recently i am having problems when viewing any type of video,
whether it be on the internet, ie6 or aol,or running a dvd in my player
my games don't run right either.
the video will start skipping,then
the monitor starts blinking in and out and then my computer will freeze,
can't even use alt,ctrl,dele i have to shut the power off
we (dell and i) went through all the basic steps
ie..drivers,hard drive, syst.restore..etc..
they wanted to send me over to software solutions for $99.00
i said i will call you back...lol
i have a 1 1/2 year old dimension 8300
p 4
3.0ghz
1g ram
geforce fx 5200
160 gig hard drive
norton services (came with comp.)
o/s xp sp1
checked for adware,spyware etc..
now i have it on warranty for hardware,
but they said that all their tests show that it is software problem
i did not add any software to the machine in the recent days
I have no clue what triggered this problem. This only happens with I watch
videos or play games.
thanks,for any help from anyone

 

this is EXACTLY what happened to me the SAME EXACT story

Dell 4600
about 1 and 1 and 1/2 years old

1 gb ram
3.0 p4
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
160 gig primary
200 secondary.


my post is here

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?p=700143&posted=1#post700143

this is probably worded better than mine but if u ever figure what is wrong with urs plz post back

went through basic steps, no spyware, viruses etc.... but i formatted my computer and im still having the same problem with the freezing and what not but now i cant even really get on it

 

I been searching for the past couple days for help
i will let you know what happens
thanks for the reply

 

It sounds like something is overheating,an 18 month old computer will have quite a bit of dust build up,I suggest you take the side off the case and blow out any dust ith a can of compreesed air,also check all your case fans are spinning


I noitice you only have service pack 1 installed?Is there a reason your comp wont run with service pack 2 or have you not got the latest updates from microsoft?

 

i definetly will take the case off and clean up the dust
will the fans work with the case off..is there a saftey switch i need to worry about from taking the case off
about service pack 2
im worried about messing up configurations and all.....
heard to many horror stories about computers getting all messed up from this

 

A dust off every 3 months I sign to, I must shed more skin than regular people ,there are no special requirements in removing the side of the case,leave the comp plugged in just turn it off on the back of the computer if it has a switch and also at the mains,use only a can of compressed air dont use a vaccum

I would also highly recommend you install service pack 2 I have installed it in many computers old and new with no problems, it has essential updates to keep your computer secure and compatible with modern hardware,you shouldnt have any problems at all your computer as it is pretty new

If you would like more advice on service pack 2 I'm sure some members can give you more reasurring advice in the software and security forums

 

i clean it out a good 1 time per month because where it sits gets major dust build up.


but now i can do nothingwith it. i click on My Computer and it freezes, i click on my documents and it freezes, i click on anything and it freezes, so im wondering if overheating would cause that? im gonna check the fans and all tonight to check and make sure that they are working.

get back with ya tommrow

 

cleaned it all out of dust today,installed dx9.0c again
still same problems, except now when i do a restart my monitor stays black yet the computer light display is on and its running, when i check the monitor it says its in save power mode turn on with pc.
i just don't get it

 

make sure that ur monitor is plugged into the video card and not the other slot for the monitor cord. i did it and had problems and felt REALLY stupid afterwards.

im not able to install anything on mine due to the freezing of anything i try to do



_______________________________

also try hitting the reset button on the monitor.

 

Mine is similar, Dell Dimension 4600 11/2 yrs old. Just started getting intermittant black screen and then total black screen and would have to power off at switch. Happens when running anything.

HELP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>!!!!!

 

Im thinking that something is overheating or ur components are just old.

 

Thanks Viper,,, I recently moved the computer from a desk to under a table.
This meant that some 'air holes' at the front were blocked.
So I have moved it back, cleaned out all the inside guts - pretty dusty.
and its cool and clean and fine now..... yippeeee!!

Just bought a new big monitor ( graphic designer ) and thought it was the monitor but it was the same with an alternative one too.

Thanks - this website is just great.

 

any luck bravo9? still none for me