.

The gravitational field of your mom.

Hey I get that a lot too I am interested in the answer to JM's question

To be honest, I get those too, so I'm just as interested (so sorry for being an arse, heh).

I think it's the initial stage of this:

http://media.photobucket.com/image/static%20video%20card%20crash%20screen/mattgonebad/_MG_5960.jpg

(a video card crash, possibly due to overheating)

But that's just an uneducated guess.

Yeah I had this BS happen to me when my video card started crapping out.

Pommy, do you happen to be using VS2010?

The graphic card can't select the correct lines to push the image data to... If it doesn't go away after doing a very delicate cleaning of the videocard-monitor connectors and the graphics card itself, you'll be best of starting to look for a new one.

I am, is there something wrong with it?

Just that so far this has only happened while VS2010 was running.

Looking for new hardware isn't really an option, it looks like it's the integrated intel chip that's going. I can run without it, but it means guzzling batteries. Wonder how long it will take HP to fix it.

I've had this happen in Fireworks 8 and in Chrome. I don't think it's the software.

It happens on my desktop on my X61t (Mine seems do do it for portions of the screen rather than for specific programs) and I've always assumed it's just my Intel X3100 being crappy (is that the chip you have)?

I don't think it's a result of overheating, though, or a sign that the card is dying. I can generally correct it just by performing some action to cause that portion of the screen to be redrawn (e.g. drag-selecting a blank area of the corrupted desktop)

Going through Connection Problem's link led me to http://superuser.com/questions/45296/display-glitches-in-windows-7-on-dell-latitude-xt2

Of special interest is the reply "Disable virtualization support in the bios and it fixes the problem. It's a known fault with the chipset. The other option is to install matching memory modules. This fault seems to be present with any computer which is using the 4500mhd intel graphics chipset. I had the same problem on my Dell e4200."

This might just be it, as my laptop meets all the prerequisite conditions : Asymmetrical memory modules (1 4gb stick, 1 2gb stick), intel gpu with shared memory (It's switchable : This problem does not occur on the ati gpu which does not have shared memory), and hardware virtualization is enabled. So I'm going to turn hardware virtualization off and see if it goes away. Shame I can't turn it off for one gpu and on for the other.

So another reason to hate intel chips, I guess.

Had to RMA my 8800gt because of a problem like that, except it became permanent after the 3rd or 4th occurrence.

Hopefully what you mentioned works, otherwise I suggest you start looking for a new one pronto! (Not like you need my suggestions >_>).

New One == Claim Manufacturer Warranty.

The only difference is that VS2010 uses WPF, which uses Direct3D which means your video card. Which as you have already discovered is the problem because Intel graphics chips suck ass.

Deeper than that. I enabled hardware virtualization to boost performance of the winphone7 emulator, which is (possibly) why the effect coincided with the installation of vs2010.

Uhhh? Why would it affect the winphone7 emulator? Unless the emulated phone uses an x86 chipset, the emulation couldn't use virtualization techniques.