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  #1  
Old 12-24-2005, 12:07 PM
BarronVangorToth BarronVangorToth is offline
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Default Strange Computer Glitch -- Grey 3\" box in the middle of screen - VIRUS

First, I have run a billion and three spybot, adaware, blah blah blah -- Norton is up to date (2006) blah blah blah -- and I have no viruses or any other problems *that are being detected*.

Here is the situation:

From time to time, seemingly at random, a 3" x 3" grey box will appear in the middle of my screen. It has TWO smiley faces in it -- one is actually a frowny face and the other (green and lit) is a smiley face.

This "box" overlays everything and covers anything in beneath it.

Even when it goes to screen saver -- the box is there.

The only way to get rid of it is to shutdown.

Then, sometimes it will appear in a few minutes ... and sometimes not for hours ... and it doesn't just appear when I, say, load a particular piece of software.

Has anyone heard of anything like this before?

No one I know has and with this being the holidays, getting someone to physically look at it for a few days is going to be a challenge.

Any suggestions?

Any help would be much appreciated.


Barron Vangor Toth
BarronVangorToth.com
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  #2  
Old 12-24-2005, 01:36 PM
JDErickson JDErickson is offline
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Default Re: Strange Computer Glitch -- Grey 3\" box in the middle of screen - V

Go to start and run: msconfig

Go to startup tab and write down the names of all the programs running. Then google the programs and see if any are listed as virus/spyware.

A lot of the nasty things are not caught by virus/spyware programs.
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  #3  
Old 12-24-2005, 01:45 PM
BarronVangorToth BarronVangorToth is offline
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Default Re: Strange Computer Glitch -- Grey 3\" box in the middle of screen - V

Thanks, JD, I will do that.

Barron Vangor Toth
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  #4  
Old 12-24-2005, 02:34 PM
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Default Re: Strange Computer Glitch -- Grey 3\" box in the middle of screen - V

I think it is caused by your monitor. Check the buttons on the bottom.
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  #5  
Old 12-24-2005, 03:15 PM
smoore smoore is offline
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Default Re: Strange Computer Glitch -- Grey 3\" box in the middle of screen - V

Yeah, can you make the grey box appear with any combination of buttons? It does sound like video overlay, which is how you manipulate the menu system of the monitor.

Anything else using video overlay (DVD programs)?

Monitor manufacturer say anything about it?

weird.
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  #6  
Old 12-24-2005, 04:30 PM
Ray Zee Ray Zee is offline
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Default Re: Strange Computer Glitch -- Grey 3\" box in the middle of screen - VIRUS

sometimes its easier just to put duct tape over those things on the screen
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  #7  
Old 12-24-2005, 11:29 PM
BarronVangorToth BarronVangorToth is offline
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Default Re: Strange Computer Glitch -- Grey 3\" box in the middle of screen - V

Random Christmas Eve Update since I have a second away from my psychotic family:

I left my computer on throughout the night and this never appeared again. The suggestion from the two of you above Ray Zee that this is a monitor thing sounds plausible as the graphic is in no way sinister but rather it seems ... like some function ... of something.

But it hasn't appeared again.

Quite literally, there was no rhyme or reason before that made it come up: one time when I first started the computer, another time loading the Interpoker software, MS Word, random times in the middle of using various programs, etc etc.

Maybe just in my fast-typing I'm hitting some combination of keys that's causing havoc.

Having it be a "monitor problem" -- since there appeared to be no problematic programs running -- at least makes me feel somewhat better (although this is a relatively new monitor of a few months old) but I just hope it doesn't happen OR I can figure out how to NOT make it happen/stop it once it starts again.

Regardless, to everyone who took the time to respond (even Ray Zee with his duct tape-esque suggestion that my father would approve of) I appreciate it, especially during the holidays.

Barron Vangor Toth
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  #8  
Old 12-25-2005, 03:14 PM
smoore smoore is offline
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Default Re: Strange Computer Glitch -- Grey 3\" box in the middle of screen - V

I would have expected him to tell you to duct-tape a beaver over it.

*runs*
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