HP HDX 9200 Laptop
Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit
2GB Ram
Problem:
Anywhere from 1 - 5 times a day (laptop is on almost 24/7) - from when I first got my computer (about end of March 08), my computer "crashes". The computer could have the screen saver on, I could be browsing firefox, doing nothing, reading an email - anything - the screen will just start screwing up. When I first had the problem, it looked like lined notebook paper (white with blue strips close together vertically). Now, it looks like all the colors of the rainbow on a black background rotating.
To give you a better feeling, I have a video and pictures of what it looks like:
Again, this happens randomly. And was almost immediate after getting the computer. I don't "think" it's software that is doing it because it's so random (screen saver, idle, etc).
I almost think it's an issue with the hardware, such as the actual LCD screen and whatever projects the image.
It sounds like it's probably a hardware problem. I usually recommend running a bootable CD to see if it's a hardware issue. Try downloading Ubuntu or Knoppix and burn a CD. Then boot your laptop using the CD to run a version of Linux that doesn't install any software on your hard drive. If you're able to run without any problems for several hours/days, then it's likely a software problem (video driver, chipset, etc...). If you get the same problem, then it's most likely a hardware issue (motherboard, monitor, graphics chip, etc...).
