The Pink Screen of Death?

[Foolmewunz]

I'm sitting here doing my morning news searches and was running a video from MSN, when various parts of my background (all text fields of one sort or another) go pink.

I've rebooted - twice, once in safe mode - and the effect is still there. I'm typing this on a bright fuchsia or pink background and all the JREF graphics are in somewhat distorted colors but all the text fields on my screen are this bright pink/fuchsia.

Running a Compaq laptop with Vista.

Is this situation known? Or am I basically ska-rewed? e.g. is this a sign that the hard drive is going or that the display is cooked, or what? Nothing of any major importance on this machine - it's our home laptop - but I hate the thought of having to get a new one.


[COLOR="White"]Sort of this color.[/color]

[Stankeye]

Sounds like video.

I came home last night and my PC was psychedelic colors.

The monitor cable was loose but not out completely at the computer. Plugged it all the way in and fixed it.

That would be an easy check, cause pink seems like only some of the pins are connecting.

[HeyLeroy]

Have you consumed any wild mushrooms lately?

[Lensman]

It's a fault in the LCD controller chip/surrounding passive components controlling the green pixels (RGB minus the G gives magenta which is kinda pinkish) behind the LCD screen - probably "dry-jointed", could probably be fixed by "re-flowing" the solder joints of the chip & surrounding components.

ETA: or you could replace the screen - not hard to do.

[Foolmewunz]

Originally Posted by Lensman

It's a fault in the LCD controller chip/surrounding passive components controlling the green pixels (RGB minus the G gives magenta which is kinda pinkish) behind the LCD screen - probably "dry-jointed", could probably be fixed by "re-flowing" the solder joints of the chip & surrounding components.

ETA: or you could replace the screen - not hard to do.

I ran that through BabbleFish and it didn't help. See tags - "Technically Challenged" is an understatement.

Change screen on a laptop? What will they think of next?

Does that translate into, "FMW, take it in to the Compaq guys and let them have at it?"

[dtugg]

Originally Posted by Foolmewunz

Change screen on a laptop? What will they think of next?

Does that translate into, "FMW, take it in to the Compaq guys and let them have at it?"

You can probably find a screen on ebay for like $100. If you can, replacing it yourself wouldn't be hard.

[Foolmewunz]

This is why the FSM gave me techie friends at work, I guess. I'll run it by one of them.

In the interim - second question.... Is it harming anything other than my well-known aesthetic sensitivities?

[quarky]

If its fuchsia, your computer has 'gone gay', and is coming on to you.

If it goes to 'mauve', its time to consider major life changes.

[six7s]

Originally Posted by Foolmewunz

I'm sitting here doing my morning news searches and was running a video from MSN, when various parts of my background (all text fields of one sort or another) go pink.

Is it in all applications (e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, etc.)?

Or is it only your (default) browser (e.g. IE, Firefox, etc.) that the fields have suddenly turned to the 'Venusian side'?

[Foolmewunz]

Originally Posted by six7s

Is it in all applications (e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, etc.)?

Or is it only your (default) browser (e.g. IE, Firefox, etc.) that the fields have suddenly turned to the 'Venusian side'?

I'm not at home right now, and didn't run any spreadsheets or word docs this morning, but it's actually on my log-in screen, e.g. the password to open up Vista, and a couple of the icons on the main screen have their white parts now in a lovely shade of fuchsia.

[six7s]

Originally Posted by Foolmewunz

I'm not at home right now, and didn't run any spreadsheets or word docs this morning, but it's actually on my log-in screen, e.g. the password to open up Vista, and a couple of the icons on the main screen have their white parts now in a lovely shade of fuchsia.

OK... so its not just your browser... bummer, cos that would have been easy to fix

[six7s]

Originally Posted by Foolmewunz

I... it's actually on my log-in screen, e.g. the password to open up Vista, and a couple of the icons on the main screen have their white parts now in a lovely shade of fuchsia.

Have you checked the settings under Control Panel?

It might be worth checking out www.soyouwanna.comCUSTOMIZING YOUR WINDOWS VISTA EXPERIENCE

[Lensman]

Originally Posted by six7s

Have you checked the settings under Control Panel?

It might be worth checking out www.soyouwanna.comCUSTOMIZING YOUR WINDOWS VISTA EXPERIENCE

It's a hardware problem - I'm 99.99% certain of that.

[kedo1981]

Sounds like good slang term for when you find out your girlfreind has an STD

[learner]

Turn it off, hold it upside down and shake it violently. Worked for me. Realy.

[.13.]

Originally Posted by Lensman

It's a hardware problem - I'm 99.99% certain of that.

I agree. Especially if the laptop has an Nvidia graphics chip. They had a lot of problems with those. If I remember correctly some laptop makers even extended their warranties after the scale of the problem became apparent.

Foolmewunz, you should check if your chip is made by Nvidia and if it is you might get a new laptop from the manufacturer.

[six7s]

Originally Posted by .13.

Originally Posted by Lensman

It's a hardware problem - I'm 99.99% certain of that.

I agree.

Based on what information?

Originally Posted by .13.

Foolmewunz, you should check if your chip is made by Nvidia and if it is you might get a new laptop from the manufacturer.

Yeah... immediately assume it's the fault of the manufacturer...

PEBKAC syndrome is, after all, an urban myth

[Lensman]

Originally Posted by six7s

Based on what information?

Yeah... immediately assume it's the fault of the manufacturer...

PEBKAC syndrome is, after all, an urban myth

Based on 30 years of electronics fault finding & repair experience & having come upon this exact problem many times before in TVs & computer monitors.

[.13.]

Originally Posted by six7s

Yeah... immediately assume it's the fault of the manufacturer...

well...

http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_1215037160521.html
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...842189&lang=en
http://www.electronista.com/articles....insurer.sues/
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/...hips-defective

[jsiv]

I've seen this before, although not with pink. Chances are it isn't the graphics card or the LCD, but rather the controller board that sits between the two. The best way to diagnose this is by connecting an external monitor to the machine, if you have one.

Is the machine still under warranty? If so, they'll likely replace it as this is not something that should happen.

[six7s]

Originally Posted by Lensman

Originally Posted by six7s

Based on what information?

Based on 30 years of electronics fault finding & repair experience & having come upon this exact problem many times before in TVs & computer monitors.

That is not information

[Foolmewunz]

At the moment, I'm too busy with visitors to work on it. It did something strange, though.... My girlfriend was running CivIV, and when she exited, it was all gone. As soon as I connected to my browser homepage, though, it came back.

(One of my techie friends is going to look at it on Monday - he's the guy who took me to buy the thing in the first place and generally knows his stuff.)

[wuschel]

Originally Posted by Foolmewunz

As soon as I connected to my browser homepage, though, it came back.

This one?

[negativ]

six7s: This is also merely anecdotal, but I have rather a lot of experience dealing with HP & Compaq laptops. There is a particular range of products that are very susceptible to failure of the video chipset that can result in anything from symptoms like the OP describes, to a complete failure to POST.

Quote:

It's a fault in the LCD controller chip/surrounding passive components controlling the green pixels (RGB minus the G gives magenta which is kinda pinkish) behind the LCD screen - probably "dry-jointed", could probably be fixed by "re-flowing" the solder joints of the chip & surrounding components.

That is pretty close, except that, in this case, it's the actual GPU attached to the motherboard. And yes, re-flowing the solder joints is the fix.

It /could/ be the LCD itself, which is a far easier repair. The easy way to tell is to connect the laptop to an external display (there's a VGA port on the laptop) and see what happens.

[six7s]

Originally Posted by negativ

The easy way to tell is to connect the laptop to an external display (there's a VGA port on the laptop) and see what happens.

Yeah... that's easy... if there's a spare monitor handy...

Sure, there's a high probability that it is a hardware issue

High.

Not 100%

Not 99.9% as Lensman asserts (a figure he plucked from where, I wonder)

There is also a high probability that it could be a software issue

We don't know - simply because the OP is low on info

My point is that the most effective and efficent approach to 'problem solving' is to begin by gathering information (in contrast with 'jumping to conclusions' - even if they are based on a gazillion years of 'experience' with hardware)

[.13.]

Originally Posted by six7s

Yeah... that's easy... if there's a spare monitor handy...

Sure, there's a high probability that it is a hardware issue

High.

Not 100%

Not 99.9% as Lensman asserts (a figure he plucked from where, I wonder)

There is also a high probability that it could be a software issue

We don't know - simply because the OP is low on info

My point is that the most effective and efficent approach to 'problem solving' is to begin by gathering information (in contrast with 'jumping to conclusions' - even if they are based on a gazillion years of 'experience' with hardware)

I thought he meant that 99.9% as a figure of speech. Anyways... It's not that I'm jumping to conclusions. I'm just giving my opinion as just one more thing to think about when troubleshooting. And yes if the laptop has an Nvidia chips in it there is a very high probability of a hardware malfunction.

Nvidia engineers made wrong material choices when they designed their new chips. It is a systematic flaw. It's not just some bad batches of chips. Every single chip in certain productlines are flawed. Up until the time the problems started to surface and they made changes to their materials. The scope of the problem should become clear when one considers the losses Nvidia has admitted to: "Separately, NVIDIA plans to take a one-time charge from $150 million to $200 million against cost of revenue for the second quarter to cover anticipated warranty, repair, return, replacement and other costs and expenses, arising from a weak die/packaging material set in certain versions of its previous generation GPU and MCP products used in notebook systems."

Originally Posted by negativ

That is pretty close, except that, in this case, it's the actual GPU attached to the motherboard. And yes, re-flowing the solder joints is the fix.

If it's one of the chips I'm talking about that seems unlikely. There are so many pins between the die and the substrate in such a small area that you'd need pretty special equipment to fix the problem. Though you might be talking about something entirely different. It's a moot point anyway since one of the tags of this thread is technically challenged, I don't see him doing any soldering

[six7s]

Originally Posted by .13.

I'm just giving my opinion as just one more thing to think about when troubleshooting. And yes if the laptop has an Nvidia chips in it there is a very high probability of a hardware malfunction.[/i]<snip/>

Though you might be talking about something entirely different. It's a moot point anyway since one of the tags of this thread is technically challenged, I don't see him doing any soldering

Yep

Hence my reaction to the 99.9% certainty...

Sure... its a figure of speech, and when its uttered by apparent experts to the self-confessed technically challenged, it can sound convincing... which is bollocks

[negativ]

Originally Posted by six7s

My point is that the most effective and efficent approach to 'problem solving' is to begin by gathering information (in contrast with 'jumping to conclusions' - even if they are based on a gazillion years of 'experience' with hardware)

Experience matters. Experience is is theory applied.

Quote:

Sure... its a figure of speech, and when its uttered by apparent experts to the self-confessed technically challenged, it can sound convincing... which is bollocks

Well then, to whom would you listen? In other facets of life, do you routinely seek the advice of non-experts when you are confronted by situations with which you have no real experience? Do you go to your doctor's office and argue with his years of experience and education in the event his opinion sounds like "bollocks" to you?

[six7s]

Originally Posted by negativ

Experience matters. Experience is is theory applied.

So what?

Is this supposed to sound deep and meaningful?

Any fule can rack up years of experience... it takes success - in terms of being efficient and effective - to build a reputation

Originally Posted by negativ

Well then, to whom would you listen?

Originally Posted by negativ

In other facets of life, do you routinely seek the advice of non-experts when you are confronted by situations with which you have no real experience?

Why... seriously, why do you ask what seems to be an inane question?

Originally Posted by negativ

Do you go to your doctor's office and argue with his years of experience and education in the event his opinion sounds like "bollocks" to you?

No (and you, too, are jumping to conclusions: he's a she)

Nor do I necessarily accept her opinion as 'gospel'

Ever heard of the saying 'I'll get a second opinion'?

Seriously... this forum is aimed at promoting 'critical thinking' - a key skill in 'problem solving'

I sincerely wonder why there is such reluctance to acknowledge that, in this thread, as the problem is so ill-defined, it is absurd to even suggest that there will be ONE solution

[.13.]

Originally Posted by six7s

Yep

Hence my reaction to the 99.9% certainty...

Sure... its a figure of speech, and when its uttered by apparent experts to the self-confessed technically challenged, it can sound convincing... which is bollocks

I'm not even sure what your problem is or why highlighted the part of the post intended for negativ. It's not strictly related to this laptop problem. I'm just curious if he has some more insight. Or why would you have a problem with me qualifying my statements.

The thing is, like I said, I'm just giving my opinion (which is not just pulled out of my ass as should be apparent by now) on the matter for foolmewunz to consider. And just to be clear I'm not an expert, apparent or otherwise. I'm just a "tech head". But I've gathered some knowledge by reading the web and I'm just trying to share it.

I think you're taking this too seriously. This is afterall a simple techsupport thread. No need to turn it into an internet drama.

[six7s]

Originally Posted by .13.

This is afterall a simple techsupport thread.

OK....

Why complicate it with crystal-ball based conjecture?

[.13.]

Originally Posted by six7s

OK....

Why complicate it with crystal-ball based conjecture?

Crystal-ball? Seriously? It is a very reasonable path of investigation...

[six7s]

Originally Posted by .13.

Crystal-ball? Seriously? It is a very reasonable path of investigation...

OK...

Please, identify the reasons and describe the steps along the path

TYIA

[.13.]

Originally Posted by six7s

OK...

Please, identify the reasons and describe the steps along the path

TYIA

Graphics not drawn correctly -> if Nvidia chipset ->
http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_1215037160521.html
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...842189&lang=en
http://www.electronista.com/articles....insurer.sues/
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/...hips-defective
-> A probable cause: defective graphics chip.

[six7s]

Originally Posted by .13.

Graphics not drawn correctly -> if Nvidia chipset ->
http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_1215037160521.html
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...842189&lang=en
http://www.electronista.com/articles....insurer.sues/
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/...hips-defective
-> A probable cause: defective graphics chip.

How did you get to step #1?

[.13.]

Originally Posted by six7s

How did you get to step #1?

Originally Posted by Foolmewunz

I'm sitting here doing my morning news searches and was running a video from MSN, when various parts of my background (all text fields of one sort or another) go pink.
...

Well, judging by the very first sentence in this thread and the context of the rest of the post... What problem have you been trying to solve? Missing hard drive partition?

[Lensman]

Originally Posted by six7s

Yeah... that's easy... if there's a spare monitor handy...

Sure, there's a high probability that it is a hardware issue

High.

Not 100%

Not 99.9% as Lensman asserts (a figure he plucked from where, I wonder)

There is also a high probability that it could be a software issue

We don't know - simply because the OP is low on info

My point is that the most effective and efficent approach to 'problem solving' is to begin by gathering information (in contrast with 'jumping to conclusions' - even if they are based on a gazillion years of 'experience' with hardware)

I plucked it from having encountered this exact same symptom many times before & it's a measure of my certainty of the hardware nature of the fault.

[CORed]

Originally Posted by learner

Turn it off, hold it upside down and shake it violently. Worked for me. Realy.

Are you absolutely certain you laptop isn't actually an etch-a-sketch?

(Shameless Dilbert ripoff).

[six7s]

Originally Posted by CORed

Originally Posted by learner

Turn it off, hold it upside down and shake it violently. Worked for me. Realy.

Are you absolutely certain you laptop isn't actually an etch-a-sketch?

(Shameless Dilbert ripoff).

Are you absolutely certain you laptop isn't actually a lava lamp?

(Shameful 70s flashback).

[CORed]

Originally Posted by six7s

Are you absolutely certain you laptop isn't actually a lava lamp?

(Shameful 70s flashback).

Ah yes! I went to college during the '70's. Every dorm room had a lava lamp and a copy of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". Only one of those is enternaining without ingesting large quantities of cannabis. Not that it isn't entertaining with the cannabis.