Video Corruption

Hello...
I have recently (a month ago) upgraded some of my hardware:
(upgrades marked with an *)

Dell Precision M70

-*2.13mhz - used from ebay hum... (replaced 1.6mhz)
-*2GB (Kingston DDR2 800mhz -> working at 533mhz 4-4-4-12) (replaced 1G-2x512)
-*160GB HM160HC (replaced 60GB Hitachi 7200rpm)
-quadfro go1400 256MB
-WUXGA

while updating CPU, I also decided to "renew" the GPU thermal paste (I wish I hadnt lol...)

Everything went good, working for like a month... (I dont play games)
Yesterday I had it turn on and left it alone doing nothing... I was working in another PC... I looked at it.. and it crashed.. lol.. I was able to see something like a fast blue screen and it reboot immediately, and now for the fun part...

Pre-Symptomes (dumb me, and might be usefull for others...):
-In windows when the screensaver kicked in the screen flashed a little between entering or leaving that powerstate or screensaver thingie..)
-I also notice that I had two white stripes on the bottom of the screen parallel to each other, only when the screen was blank.
- weird thing was that when I used to open "Software Remove" in windows.. NVIDIA drivers showed like 2.1GB in size.. lol.. never really cared about it..
-I ear a CLICK noise rarelly, that I think its the HDD, like metal scratching

Symptomes:
-Video gets corrupted (anywhere.. on boot.. inside BIOS.. everywhere...)
-If I do some pressure on the keyboard the screen changes.. and sometimes it gets "normal".
-CANT use drivers... only windows in safe mode, or linux without accelerated drivers.. if I try to use it normally (with the drivers) I get a blank screen and a dead notebook... (I was able to open in normal mode this morning, but after a few seconds it blanked and died.)

I already:
-formated operating system
-flashed notebook BIOS
-dismounted everything - including GPU and reapplied thermal paste.
-memtest86+

I have looked at the GPU and it seems fine, no visible damage.

So before I choke myself with tests like replacing CPU, mem, HDD, is it safe to asume that the GPU has hardware failure?
-Can the cable GPU->LCD cause this kind of problem?
-Or maybe the LCD got stupid and goes crazy when accessing GPU driver.
-Flashing GPU BIOS?, never done that, but is it possible that GPU BIOS went nuts?...
Because to fix this I cant really go and buy a GPU, or LCD just to find out its like the motherboard lol...

So any ideas are appreciated.

 

Hi

in June 2007 I have a similar issue on my M60 shipped in August 2004 and i don't change the shipped configuration at all, so i don't think its your fault.
I still had that 5 years Next Buisness Day Service, and so i called a technican and on the next day they changed my GPU (Quadro FX 1000 Go)
2 Weeks later i got the same graphic issues again, you see lines also directly after turn the machine on in the BIOS loading screen.
I called again and i had my second GPU replacement.
4 Weeks later same issue
Again they changed the GPU, this time also a Mainboard replacement and a change of the Heatpipe.
September 2007 the same comes up again.
They offer me a complete replacement with a new DELL Precision M90
In Autum 2007 Dell and a couple of other NB Manufactors has delivery Problems with Panels and so i wait and wait till December.
They changed their offer from a M90 to an M6300
nearly 5 Months with out a NB or a stable NB i got a brand new NB.
DELLs Service is not beatable!

I can not told you if Dell solves this issue, or if i have a early Monday Machine, but i would consider to spend more Money in that M70.
Maybe the replacement GPUs where to old (outdatet Modell) or the Panel was defect, but 3 diff. GPUs a new Mainboard and Heat Sink and they don't get rid of it.

I guess your service Time is over right now, if not call them

Good Luck

Christopher