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My screen first appears color-distorted, then freezes. How to solve it?
My computer (desktop) is 7 years old now, but it has undergone some upgrades before due to faulty hardware. As far as I remember, my motherboard, video card, and memory are the ones that were replaced. The most recent replacement was I think 2-3 years ago. I just notice this a few months ago. While I'm playing a game, my screen just appears to pixelate, then it freezes. I'm forced to restart the computer. When I restart, everything is back to normal, until I open the game again. It's quite annoying, because it stops me from playing continuously. The first game that I was playing since the problem was RAN online. Next, I installed Ragnarok online because it has lower requirements, but I still got the same result. My computer is Pentium III, 731 Mhz, 512mb RAM, Windows XP SP2. Not sure if my computer is 32 or 64mb video card. I also changed my monitor because the original one was broken. I don't think that the monitor cable is the cause though; the cable is properly connected. I have also set all the video and sound quality to a low enough setting. My color quality is at 32 Bit.
Public Comments
- Does this only happen when gaming, or with certain games? Do you have another monitor you can try to see if the same thing happens?
- what's your color depth? have you tried lowering your color depth?
your video memory is low ,it have to be at least 128MB for modern high resolution video games
Your processor cpu is also slow and olderone and your RAM is inadequate regarding your processor cpu (more 512MB would have been better) those may be the probable cause of your problem facing while playing online game you mentioned.
- sounds like a video related issue. possibly heat, and you don't see it until the 3d processing on your video card turns on and it starts really working.
first look at your video card and see if it's fan is running, and if it's plugged up with lint and dust bunnies. if yes, clean and try to run your game again, if no, read on.
does your computer have any case fans? are they running like they should?
Have you updated drivers for your video card?
- This one could take a bit of nutting out.
I'd suggest trying any or all of the following:
1. Updating Windows XP2 to the latest patches and fixes. Microsoft release several compatibility fixes for specific software, often games.
2. Ensure you have the latest stable video card drivers
3. Ensure you have the latest patches available from the game's manufacturer
4. Try running the game at a reduced resolution
5. Check your computer's hardware against the recommended hardware specified by the game's manufacturer
6. Shut down all non-essential programs before running the game
7. *with caution* Disable any security software whilst playing the game
