Member Avatar for KawRiverrat

I have a Dell Latitude D600 I have green horizontal checkering. As I scroll on a page it goes completely green. While still being readable.
At start up a bunch of unreadable gibberish comes up in black & white. When I try Safe mode the screen is unreadable.
This problem is still there when I plug into another monitor.

This started I believe after my son clicked on an alert message that popped up on the screen.

Edited by KawRiverrat because: n/a
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A short expert summary and practical next steps tied to the replies from and .

If the display corruption appears before an operating system loads, that strongly points at the video subsystem (GPU/video memory or the video path on the motherboard) rather than a simple driver or malware issue. Before deciding whether to trash, repair, or salvage the machine, run a few low-effort checks and take steps to protect data.

Quick isolation and recovery steps:

  • Boot to BIOS or a bootable diagnostics USB/CD. If artifacts are visible there, the problem is hardware-level.
  • Remove and reseat memory modules; test one stick at a time to rule out bad RAM.
  • If comfortable opening the case, inspect the LVDS cable and connector between display and board for damage or a loose plug; a bad cable can mimic GPU faults.
  • Remove the hard drive immediately and image or back it up on another PC if the data is important.

Repair and cost options to consider:

  • Replacing the motherboard is usually the definitive fix but often costs more than an older laptop is worth.
  • Professional reflow/reball services sometimes revive solder-failed GPUs; this is a temporary, risk-prone fix and offers no long-term guarantee.
  • Buying a used donor laptop or salvaging parts (hard drive, RAM, screen) is often the most economical route.
  • DIY reflow is not recommended unless experienced with solder and ESD-safe tools.

Note and caution: clicking a popup alone does not cause physical GPU failure; visible corruption that exists outside the OS almost always indicates hardware. Prioritize backing up the drive before any teardown or repair attempt.

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Member Avatar for Xlphos

Perhaps their is something wrong with the graphics card do you have an onboard one or dedicated one? It maybe worth trying to get a dedicated card for your PC. As for clicking a pop-up message I am not sure what damage it could have done as you say it show gibberish as you start it up I would think this is a hardware issue.

Member Avatar for KawRiverrat

It is the vdeo card. More than its worth to fix

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