I have a UNIQUE computer problem

In one of your other threads you said you couldn't take it elsewhere for testing because you are in midtown NYC.
Are there any reputable PC shops in your neighborhood ?
If something happened in April to cause this issue, maybe they have heard about it from other folks, and could explain it.
Also, if it's possible to take a desktop box to the shop they should be able to test it with a Digital monitor as well as a VGA monitor.
I'm sure there would be a $ cost so you would have to ask them what they would charge for this.

Anak said:

This is frustrating, and I can see you've been at it longer:

At my wits end! Hope someone can help! - Geeks to Go Forums

Is it Windows or my PC? | Windows Secrets Lounge

After reading through those two threads, your theory about the bad graphics chip might be true. I believe you said in one or both you bought the machines from Ebay?

That got me to thinking about dried out thermal paste, and I couldn't find anywhere that anyone mentioned about testing for a bad Motherboard (MB).

You could use Prime95 to test the MB to see if it can handle the stress, and heat, I can point you to it, but I don't know much about it because I've never used it.

Here's some documentation: Prime95

If you decide to go with the Jaton card install (Support) don't forget to go into the bios and disable the on board graphics, and personally in my humble opinion, I'd stay away from Ebay.

If it's not too late return those units and deal with a local computer shop.

All the e4100's I got from e-bay. But the e-4610 I got from New Egg. Manufacturer refurbished. And the first e-4100 I got was running fine until April. That's when this strange issue just appeared. I think if the motherboard were bad I'd be having many more problems than this weird slant. I checked out my BIOS, I don't have an option to disable on board graphics as simply that. I do have options to use PCI, PCIe (PEG) or IGA as primary video adapter though. Currently, it's set to auto to use the intel chip. By the way what's thermal paste and what would it have to do with this issue?


Someone said I should've just gotten a new Gateway PC on Amazon but for like $800+ dollars? Not to mention all of Gateway's new towers are those giant fat ones. I have gotten used to my small form towers. According to my research, most if not all display issues are tied to the graphics chip or card. Because they are solely, and directly responsible for how Windows displays on your computer monitor.

DavidW7ncus said:

In one of your other threads you said you couldn't take it elsewhere for testing because you are in midtown NYC.
Are there any reputable PC shops in your neighborhood ?
If something happened in April to cause this issue, maybe they have heard about it from other folks, and could explain it.
Also, if it's possible to take a desktop box to the shop they should be able to test it with a Digital monitor as well as a VGA monitor.
I'm sure there would be a $ cost so you would have to ask them what they would charge for this.

No PC shops in my neighborhood unless you count the high end places that are in the business of selling, and have no clue about anything else beyond getting you to BUY a PC. As far as it's inner workings, they're clueless beyond the usual stuff. They're salesman, nothing more really. I've asked. Just got blank stares.

I thought about a bad motherboard but bad motherboards just don't pop up like that. It's usually a series of events that are rolled out beforehand like dead pixels, burning smell, out of place colors or pixels, BSOD's, etc. My PC is in excellent physical condition. Runs smooth, fast, programs and files open and close quickly and painlessly. No blue screens or weird shut downs, it hibernates when I set it to do so, flawlessly, etc. Colors are crisp, clear, and normal. This weird side-slant is my ONLY current PC issue. Hence why I doubt the motherboard is bad.

In total, after the first e-4100 I bought last October, developed this weird issue in April....I've bought 4 replacements from e-bay. And an e-2000 as well. All have the same issue. So I got an e-4610 from New Egg. And the same issue again. So it must be the graphics chip, or something in the area messing with my signal. Which is why I asked at the start of the thread if there was a piece of equipment I could buy to null any signal interference in this instance?

I just find it hard to believe all the graphics chips would have the same issue, but before April there was no problem.
I think in one of your other posts you said you tried a different graphic card and had the same issue, right?

So, local outside interference seems the most likely cause with everything you have tried...

Crazy as this sounds...
Is there a basement in your building you have access to and can take a PC there to test it?
If it's local interference I think that would at least help in eliminating it...being below ground within concrete walls.

Nope our landlord has the basement locked up. Only folks allowed down there are Con Edison to read the meters, and workers and such who need access to the panels. Don't wanna come off as a total freak running around my building with this issue anyways.

Yes, one e-4100 I ordered had the on board graphics disabled. And had a Nvidia graphics card installed. But looking at that card it didn't seem to be a PCI card. Looked AGP to me. Here's a link to how THAT other card looked...http://www.pcliquidations.com/p9703-...60164167166161. It looked EXACTLY like that, except it had a low profile bracket, and the VGA socket was on the bottom, and above it was a plug of some kind for something else. But it was DEFINITELY an AGP card, not a PCI. See the bottom rows that fit into the mother board slots? They were a trio of small ones, just like that one has. Not one long one, and then one short one. So the scenario was an e-4100 sent to me with an AGP card installed in place of the on board graphics.

My next idea, is using my Gateway e-4610 with W7-64 bit, buying a Jaton PCI card and installing it into the PCI slot. Thus taking place of the on board graphics.

Magikal said:

In order to have a digital display, I'd have to buy a whole new monitor. My DVI socket on my pc tower is DVI-D.

Can you connect your PC to any of your Flat screen TVs?
If a TV has a DVI input you may just need the right cable?
If the TVs only have HDMI input, you may be able to get a DVI/HDMI adapter or cable?