Screen goes white

[RussianBear]

I'm sorry if a similar question has been posted and I can't find it. Lately the performance of my machine has really deteriorated. I have a Dell that is about 2 years old. I've decided I need more RAM (I'm waiting on my damn check from UB to buy it). For about two weeks now I've been having a strange problem, the screen just goes white. Usually it happens instead of the screen saver being activated, but more recently it can happen while surfing the web too. And, it has been taking longer and longer for the screen to return to normal. The last couple of times I had to turn the computer off. Is this a RAM issue or maybe a monitor issue? Anyone here have a similar problem and, if so, what was done to resolve it?
Thanks 2+2.
Bear

[Low Key]

Rawr! Bears scare me!

So, what happened two weeks ago when the screen starting using itself as white out? Didja update anything, like graphics drivers? Do you have the pc set to autoupdate anything like that via Windows Automatic Updater?

Also, when you say the screen returns to normal, how does it do this? Do you have to do anything to make it do so?

This sounds like it could be a fun combination of things. How old is your monitor? Did you get it with your 2 year old computer?

As far as your ram concern, I wouldn't think, from the issue involved, that ram would be the problem. Could your pc use more ram? Hells yeah! Every pc wants, no, CRAVES more memory! But if you want cheap pep, defrag that hard drive, make sure it's not too full, minimize the number of background tasks/processes operating (ctrl + [censored] + esc in windows XP, I have 44 processes running currently on my laptop right now. But don't go shutting them down willy-nilly. Your pc needs some of them. A quick google search can show which ones are needed, which are annoying, and which are viruses you got that one time you were redirected to a beastialty website.)

[RussianBear]

I use CCleaner and RegCleaner everyday. I shutdown the processes that I don't use (windows messenger, etc.) Yes, I got the monitor when I got the PC. No, I can't say that I updated anything. I don't know how to check if my computer autoupdates. Sorry,I'm just not that computer savvy.
Bear

[Low Key]

If you're using Windoze XP, the easy way to check if you have auto-updates would be to go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Security Center. From there you can view the status of your auto-updates.

To be honest, the first thing that pops to mind is that you're using a new screen saver that's trying to access a resolution that's not supported by your monitor. Not what I'd typically expect it to do as a result of that, but it could be possible.

The reason I bring up updates is that if perhaps Windows saw it as necessary to update your graphics driver, it could have installed something that was less than compatible.

On the other hand, if you haven't updated anything, it may be time to so do. If you're using a less than legit copy of XP, you can get around the ever intrusive Genuine Advantage thinger via Microsoft's own auto-updater. I'll not get into that here for obvious reasons, but it's a pretty simple trick.

[RussianBear]

Previously I had scrolling text for my screen saver, now I have a cylinder thing that moves around the screen (standard screen savers, I've never dowloaded a screensaver in my life).
XP is legit. Auto Updates is on...should I change it?
By the way, I do appreciate you trying to troubleshoot this for me.
Bear