bump

Could you show a screenshot of the problem area?
Would be rather helpfull

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_exq1hR62-0M/Sas2CtHc7qI/AAAAAAAAAC0/3190ynrKRDk/s1600-h/Capture_3.jpg

Hope this helps! I took the tower and blew it out with the air hose today but was not much help as far as the problem. In the display properties under setting tab then the advance then the troubleshoot tab. I moved the slider down 3 notches from full on the hardware acceleration problem slider. (Disable all cursor and and advanced drawing accelerations use this setting to correct drawing problems). This setting seem to correct the problem but not really suer what it means !

That definitly looks like a driver problem. Haven't seen that particular 'error' since I used win98....
Purhaps you should try different versions of the drivers.

Might want to take a look at your graphic card capacitors as well...they could be starting to go on ya. If they look like they are popping out on the top...swelling on the sides or oozing out on the bottom its gonna fail on you soon. And rather than buy a new card you can replace the capacitors for a few dollars if you know anyone handy with a soldering iron.

Or maybe something as simple as a loose/defective gfx cable. If you can then try testing with another cable

Installing problems + applications not wanting to run....

Does indeed sound like a buggered up Windows. A re-install of *could* be the way..... but only as a last resort

I have reinstalled windows safely on my 1st comp one time but the second time it reinstalled the whole deal not to my liking but now I know what to expect if it goes wrong now !!!!. I'm not a geek( Loving name for a wizard) although I wish I were! Snowman (My Hero) at least  I feel like I don't have Stupid embedded to deep on my forehead. I felt like it was also a windows problem partly. I am on a last resort leg for now as an Industrial Electrician I am angry that after working on Bar Meg control panels for so many years that I can't deal with a simple home computer. Let  me get back to all and let you know tomorrow.

Control Panel/ Folder Options/ View: uncheck: Hide protected operating system files.

Start/ All Programs/ Run: type: sfc /scannow

I haven't reinstall Windows yet . I ran the sfc/scannow and nothing showed up so I assume it went alright. I did get the Impulse to run for now. The Catalyst ATI control center will still not open or show up in the display properties Every thing is moving like water  when you are running the explorer now. I will try reinstalling the controll center today and see what happens.

Ok I give up on the software part as I have been around the world and I am back to the driver that I started with and the problem is back to the original status. I really never liked the ATI driver any how. I prefer the Nvidia GeForce like I have on the one that I use mostly. I have never had trouble with it or the updates and my comp is 8 years old . The comp with the ATI driver is not even 3 years old yet. Thanks for all of the help people and will let you know in another post what happens but I will check back on this post to see if anyone els has any more Ideas.

New Nvidia GeForce card installed in place of the ATI card today and all is well . The graphics are so much clearer now. The noise is gone now and I wonder if maybe the fan was not running properly. But what the hey for now!

Awesome, tippy!
Happy you're back in action

I fear my GeForce 8600GT is heading the same way. 'Heavy' games keeps on randomly crashing. Sometimes Windows just reboots when I play graphic intensive games, like 'Race Driver:GRID'. Typical signs that somethings getting a bit too hot.
The card originally had no fan, so I've put one on the GFX card, and it helped for a while - just ain't enough anymore.

So I'm currently looking for a replacement.

I have been considering an extra fan also. The ATI had a fan but it didn't seem to help with the life time of the card. My sister loves to play her games on the comp but we mostly just use the older TV with a game console. The graphic work around here gets intense at times but not like a game. Hope you find a replacement you like. After seeing hers I may get one myself. The only difference that I can see is the sharpness. But the colors are basically the same now where as before hers was dull from the get go. For the first time we can both see the same image to work on or fight about which ever comes first. he he