Question Strange horizontal lines appearing on the laptop display, along with distorted text at the top?
Question Strange horizontal lines appearing on the laptop display, along with distorted text at the top?
I experienced an unexpected issue that appeared suddenly. Early yesterday, the laptop worked perfectly, but when I returned home, the monitor displayed noticeable horizontal dark lines resembling filters. I watched a YouTube video and initially thought it was part of the content, only to discover it was actually an external effect. This problem now impacts all functions, including the boot logo and BIOS menu. The machine is relatively new—second year of use, purchased in March 2024.
I’ve tried troubleshooting to determine if it’s related to a GPU driver issue from NVIDIA or Intel, but other strange occurrences have also emerged. For example, the monitor is listed as generic non-NPPA, and the refresh rate in Windows Display Settings is only one option (144.02 Hz instead of the usual 60Hz/144Hz).
I also checked Event Viewer and found an unusual entry about a failed IntelArc system driver around the time the issue began, leading me to suspect a driver problem. Later, I felt less certain because the jagged pixelated text or lines were visible in the BIOS and boot-up logo, suggesting the GPU drivers might not have taken effect yet.
The laptop wasn’t moved during this time, and it didn’t receive direct contact except through connected peripherals like an external keyboard and mouse, which rested on a cooling pad made of memory foam. However, I suspect a static charge level, as I lightly dusted the area with a non-microfiber cloth under the cooling pad (not on the laptop itself).
The lines aren’t extremely clear, but they’re more noticeable on darker colors, and the text at the top of the screen looks more pixelated or jagged—similar to what you’d see if you set system properties to adjust visual effects. This isn’t a major disruption, but it’s still noticeable and frustrating. I plan to open the laptop for cleaning again (not done in over a year) and noticed some buildup around the exhaust area, which might help resolve the problem.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please share any logs that could clarify the cause. It’s difficult to capture on photos, but I’m happy to provide more details if needed.
Determine the make, model, and SKU of your laptop. It may be useful to verify if the motherboard requires any BIOS updates. What thermal options are available for your laptop when idle and under load? Regarding the GPU, have you attempted using DDU to uninstall all drivers (Intel, AMD, Nvidia) in Safe Mode, followed by a reboot to install the newest driver from Nvidia's support site?
I understand the situation well, especially regarding the usual steps.
I've checked Lenovo Vantage, but there are no new updates available.
I've attempted to use DDU for both NVIDIA and Intel drivers in safe mode, though I think it works best by uninstalling, booting, installing, and repeating for each driver.
I also tried CRU, and it seems it only removed the non-NPIP generic monitor. After deleting all profiles and rebooting, a default profile appeared, but I still can't access the 60Hz option from Windows Display settings—it still shows 144.02 instead of 144Hz.
My model is Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8.
Where can I find the SKU?
Thank you very much for your help.
I've attempted to use DDU for both Nvidia and Intel in safe mode, but I think it works differently (as in safe mode -> uninstall, boot -> install, then repeat for the other driver). You can delete all drivers while staying in the same window without needing to reboot. Only after removing everything do you need to restart and then manually install the GPU driver via the elevated command, such as right-clicking the installer and selecting Run as Administrator.
the lines remain visible on the laptop display yet not on the external one, which appears normal. Also, they become more noticeable at higher screen positions (where the text also looks blurry), while the lower areas stay clear. It has only recently started showing up, so I wouldn’t have noticed before since I usually use the laptop for drawing. Thank you, I’ll verify if the latest BIOS is properly installed from their website. I’ve only used Lenovo Vantage’s check to update the BIOS a few times before. If that’s the case, then yes—most likely I should have uninstalled and reinstalled both GPU drivers. I’ve downloaded Intel’s FX driver on setup, but NVIDIA has re-downloaded it now. The lines still seem very faint, especially on lighter colors or backgrounds, but I’d like to resolve this issue and understand the reason.
Also happy new year friends, I'm hoping I'll receive sufficient assistance to resolve this, sorry if it takes time. I'm seeking additional troubleshooting methods!
Was dieses Gerät jemals auseinandergenommen worden? Hat es auf einen harten Boden gefallen?
Es könnte einfach ein Problem mit dem internen Bildschirm sein. Das passiert durchaus.
Um eine Softwarefehler auszuschließen, starten Sie das System mit einer Live-Linux-Distro (jede aktuelle sollte funktionieren). Zeigt sich das Verhalten auch bei einem anderen Betriebssystem?