I can't stand the flashing screen anymore!

[Manny Cav]

While I'm browsing the internet on my XP Home Edition laptop that is connected to a dial-up internet connection, sometimes, the screen will turn into a weird color, like black or purple, and I can't get it to go back to "normal" with any key presses or anything like that. The only way to do it is to force it into "standby" mode with a special button on it. Exiting standby mode will restore the screen, but I have to re-dial to resume browsing. Is this a common problem? Is there something I can do about it? Is there a Trojan or other form of malware?"

[Atariangamer]

It might be malware...I'd suggest (I'm doing alot of advertising) going to the tech support guy forums. Found here: http://forums.techguy.org/   They have lots of good people. Just login, post your problem, wait for awhile, then get ready to do what they say. After about 5 posts back and forth, you'll start to see improvement... (they helped my with my crashed PC and my sisters Myspace stuff...)

[Manny Cav]

Spybot S&D and AVG haven't found a thing, and they typically find more than my old Norton used to, so I'm thinking it could be a hardware or software issue. It looks like I have to register there, and I really don't want to. I have a thing for registering at sites that I don't plan on using regularly or only once....

[Atariangamer]

Oh, you'll use it more than once! (unless you run a tight ship on your pc). And they use Hijack this logs and other things. Except they need to analyze it cause the program on its own might delete something important.

[Loremaster]

Spybot S&D and AVG haven't found a thing, and they typically find more than my old Norton used to, so I'm thinking it could be a hardware or software issue. It looks like I have to register there, and I really don't want to. I have a thing for registering at sites that I don't plan on using regularly or only once....

AVG is not very good. Try Kaspersky, that's the best out there on the market.

BTW, how old is your lappy?

[Manny Cav]

I began using AVG when I realized that it did a better job than Norton for free (I use the free version of AVG). I use Spybot-S&D as a supplement to catch any remaining spyware. Is there a free version for Kaspersky, or do I have to pay to get any functionality?

I think I got my laptop in 2005. I'd say 2 and a half or 3 years at the most.

[brain candy]

To me it sounds like it's a hardware issue. I've seen older laptop (or brand new Lenovo Thinkpads) monitors develop connection issues that manifest themselves in the screen going crazy like that

[Loremaster]

Heh, I've heard of that. I did wonder if it's the lamp though [s'why I asked him how old it was. I don't know the lifespan of a mercury vapour lamp, but it can't be unlimited], but if it's only a few years old it can't be [unless it's faulty.]

Brain Candy is probably correct. Mebbe take it into a shop to get it looked at?

[mob720]

I used to have a laptop (actually a Compaq laptop w/ win 95) that had somewhat of that kind of problem, except it was the screen and I could fix it by squeezing the sides of the screen. IDK if this is your problem, however, because you say you can fix it temporarily by making the comp hibernate. It does sound like a hardware problem. Maybe the harddrive...?

What exactly did you do before this happened? Download something?

[Manny Cav]

It seems to happen randomly, so I can't pin it on one single thing, like a particular download. It does it quite infrequently. The screen works almost all of the time that I use the laptop, but it will, indeed, randomly turn a solid color like that occasionally.

[Atariangamer]

That happens to my old teachers laptop...Its 'obscenely old' and every few years, a small group of pixels will go haywire and not work how they are supposed to. Her screen recently started flashing when she opens the lid and leaves it in the wrong position...