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Having some issues with my Sony Vaio at the moment (Do ask if the model/make is needed however for this particular issue I don't think its that necessary)

Some background information:

My Sony Vaio laptop has been running fine for a few years since I got it, but as of last night, whenever i boot the laptop, a weird fuzzy/black/great/white/vertical lined screen appears. But here's the strange thing. It only appears in place of where the Initial VAIO logo screen/windows 7 startup screen was originally meant to be shown. After a few seconds it takes me to my user login screen and I can login like normal and so on. Everything works after that. What's really worrying me is that I feel it might get worse for some reason. Any ideas as to why it's doing this? Also, I've tried booting in safe mode and no matter what, the unreadable and as described before screen shows up whenever I attempt to enter a bios or safe mode attempt.

Additional notes:

My laptop is very clean, I clean it every 6 months from dust build up so it's not a freak overheating issue. I also have Malware Bytes, SuperAntiVirus, Microsoft Security essentials and have run multiple deep multi passed scans with all the programs. I have also done a system restore and it does not make a difference at all. I have de dragged my computer millions of times (unrelated but may be useful). Please could someone tell me why it's making this temporary weird screen at the start and during bios pages etc?

PS. The background of the login screen is also no longer the vaio styled wallpaper and is just black.

Notice that there's subtle but visible vertical banding in the image below.

enter image description here

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  • We may be able to help you better if you post a screenshot.
    – bwDraco
    Commented May 9, 2015 at 23:42
  • You'll need a camera (a smartphone will do) to take a picture of the screen, since it's in text mode.
    – bwDraco
    Commented May 10, 2015 at 0:26
  • Model's absolutely necessary IMO, as is the video card model. If nothing else, it makes it easier to find known issues.
    – Journeyman Geek ♦
    Commented May 10, 2015 at 0:26
  • It's a 410m Nvidia. And Sony VAIO E Series VPCEH26EG.
    – Matty
    Commented May 10, 2015 at 0:30
  • per the official specs sheet I assume its the GPU (nvidia 410M) getting hot or needing re-pasted when was last time it was ? this is different then the dust bunny removal you do every 6 months in regards to the post
    – linuxdev2013
    Commented May 10, 2015 at 0:32

1 Answer 1

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The graphics processor or its memory may be failing.

  • On older (non-UEFI) systems, the graphics system starts in the legacy 640x480 VGA mode. This mode is used for the splash screen during POST. In VGA mode, the contents of the video memory correspond directly to what is displayed on the monitor. Corruption of this memory, called the framebuffer, will cause visible artifacts on the screen. This may be caused by the GPU failing to correctly render the image in text mode, or the video memory itself failing. In more advanced graphics modes, the graphics memory is used for many purposes other than just the framebuffer, and the corrupted memory regions may not necessarily be the framebuffer.

  • This type of failure usually means that your video memory is failing. It is also possible that the GPU itself is failing—the GeForce 8000 series was notorious for this problem. See: Garbled graphics in text mode environments (pre-boot/BIOS) only, not in Windows

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  • Thanks for this! Do you perhaps know of this issue is a sign that the pc is on its way out? Or is it just a random thing that happens with no fix other than to replace the GPU/Motherboard?
    – Matty
    Commented May 10, 2015 at 0:26
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    GPU not system at large... some quality thermal paste should at the minumum give you another year or two ---may consider re-pasting the cpu while its open
    – linuxdev2013
    Commented May 10, 2015 at 0:36
  • It's the GPU or its memory, not the system as a whole, but given the age of the machine, you would be best served with a new computer. @linuxdev2013: There's no reason a GPU with a 15-watt TDP would overheat during normal operation (barring a serious hardware defect), so reapplying thermal paste would not help.
    – bwDraco
    Commented May 10, 2015 at 0:38
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    I run 8 yo nvidia cards that are not even that hot. I re-paste every 14-18 months, its not so much the heat as it is the metal to metal contact ---think old oil in the engine still works but slugs out (assuming you DO change it of course)
    – linuxdev2013
    Commented May 10, 2015 at 0:45

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