Display problems becoming unmanageable. Thinking about replacing motherboard
Not sure how to classify this problem other than just being a general hardware problem. I have an All-In-One Desktop PC manufactured by a small company in Massachusetts that I believe is now out of business. They called it their SpaceSaver computer. It essentially is like a laptop with a screen attached to the front.
Software/Hardware used:
Win XP Pro
The problem I am having is with the display. I purchased this PC new in December 2007. About a year ago, the computer started making a high pitched whine, I couldn't even hear it, but it was bugging my wife. So I opened the PC thinking maybe it needed to be dusted off, thought maybe the fan was getting dusty or something. I was able to determine that the whine was coming from somewhere on the motherboard. We put up with it. Then the flickering started. We noticed it while watching You Tube videos. But only when they were made full screen. The screen would flicker, or more aptly described as white lines across the video. I updated the display adapter drivers and of course all of the windows updates are up to date.
The problem only grew worse and now the flickering not only happens when a small video is being played, but web sites using FLASH (which many are nowadays) also are affected by the flickering. I knew it was out of control when just the desktop started flickering with the desktop image. So anyway, normally I would replace the display adapter, but with this being on board audio and video I dont believe that is possible without replacing the entire motherboard. I dont mind doing that but honestly am not sure if that will solve my problem or not.
Here are some specs on the computer.
Operating
System
System
Model
Windows XP Professional
Service Pack 3 (build 2600)
Install Language: English (United
States)
System Locale: English (United States)
Enclosure Type:
Desktop
Processor
[sup]a[/sup]
Main Circuit Board
[sup]b[/sup]
3.40 gigahertz Intel Pentium
4
16 kilobyte primary memory cache
2048 kilobyte secondary memory
cache
64-bit ready
Hyper-threaded (2 total)
Board: MS-7290 1.0
Serial
Number: 7710288351
Bus Clock: 200 megahertz
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies,
LTD W7290IMS V1.10 09/05/2006
Drives
Memory Modules
[sup]c,d[/sup]
160.04 Gigabytes
Usable Hard Drive Capacity
56.88 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free
Space
Optiarc CD-RW CRX880A [Optical drive]
ST9160821A [Hard
drive] (160.04 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 5MA4Z236, rev 3.ALD, SMART Status: Healthy
2040 Megabytes Usable
Installed Memory
Slot 'A0' has 1024 MB
Slot 'A1' has 1024
MB
[!--TD width=48%] [/TD--]
Local Drive
Volumes
[!--TD width=48%] [/TD--]
[table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
[tbody]
[tr]
[td width="50%">[/td]
[td width="20%">[/td]
[td width="30%">[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]c: (NTFS on drive 0)[/td]
[td]160.04 GB[/td]
[td]56.88 GB free[/td]
[/tr]
[/tbody]
[/table]
Software/Hardware used:
Win XP Pro
ASKED:
December 19, 2010 2:58 AM
UPDATED:
December 23, 2010 2:32 AM
Answer Wiki:
Well the only way you are going to know is to do it. If it is out of warranty or the company no longer exists then you are out of luck as far as their support anyway, so you're pretty much on your own with what you decide to do. Do try to verify if they are indeed out of business. If they are still in business they may be able to help you determine exactly where the failure lies. Otherwise if you can replace the monitor, start with that. It is just as likely to be the problem I think and will save you from replacing the MB if it works. Proceed from there as you see fit.
To see all answers submitted to the Answer Wiki: View Answer History.
Add in display/audio cards behave quite nicely with modern BIOS and vice versa. And with the cost of high quality cards getting lower all the time, you could not only solve your problem but also imrpove both video and general computer performance since you would free up shared memory as the new card would undoubtedly have it’s own memory and more of it.
Hi Guys,
Thanks for your thoughts. But neither of these solutions are viable for me. The monitor is not replaceable, this is an ALL-IN-ONE PC. The monitor is attached to the entire computer. Likewise there are neither any audio or video cards nor slots to put a card if I wanted to.
Still I appreciate the feedback and welcome others.
JoeFixes
Well, I would not recommend replacing the motherboard. I would recommend replacing the machine.
Even if you solve the problem replacing the motherboard, some other component could fail soon, and you will be in the same situation again.
Well, it was a well stated and documented question. I don’t think we can solve the problem, sounds like a limited edition type of machine.
I would suggest looking to see if there is a user forum for your PC on the internet somewhere. Most times, when a PC manufacturer goes out of business, someone starts a user group for support.
Thank you Chippy for a thoughtful and intuitive reply. Although it is not a limited edition machine, there were many made and also many made by other manufacturers, looking for a forum on line would be a good idea.