Make sure your power settings (usually found in screen saver routine) do not turn off the monitor after idle time. I am also thinking some of your problem could be heat build up as this sounds more like a hardware issue with the video card. Try reseating it and make sure you have good air flow inside the case. You can try running the PC with the side panel off to see if the same things happens. If not, it could be heat related even to local components on the card.
From time to time (once a month or so), we have to resintall our video card driver - we know we have to do it when the computer starts up at 800x600 and it can't be changed. This is what happens EVERY time we turn on the computer:
1) Power on computer (using power button on CPU, after having Shut Down to power down)
2) Monitor kicks in and everything sounds normal. But you look at the monitor and it has flecks squares of assorted colors that are stuck - at best - at worst it's just an assortment of flashing colors you can't make sense of at all.
3) Once everytihing is started up you can see if you pay close enough attention, but only for a while... The mouse leaves trails across the monitor, and eventually it's like using an etch-a-sketch and the whole screen is a blur. To get around that...
4) As soon as everything is started we automatically restart the computer. About 90% of the time that does the trick, and you'd never know there was anything funny going on.
Also, if the computer is left idle for a while (like 2+ hours) the screen goes black and there is NOTHING you can do to bring it back other than turning off the monitor and CPU power and starting over at #1. When you find it in that condition and try to wake it up, you can hear the static in the monitor like there should be something appearing on the screen, but there's nothing. Tried just turning off the monitor and turning it back on, but then it looses it's connection to the computer and we get "no input" message.
So last night I found myself at CompUSA and bought a new monitor. To my disappointment (did anyone hear a scream??!!), the new monitor looks and behaves exactly the same!
Please help... I can't take this much longer. ![]()

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