Dead card? Please help

Card: 6800gt agp
PC: core2 duo 2.4
xp pro


I've had this setup for over a month. Worked great. Today I was in the middle of game when the screen turned gray (all vertical lines). Restarted computer, Xp logo, i click on user and then crazy screen (nothing but lines). I un-installed drivers, now the computer boots normally...great, but as soon as I install the drivers, I get the dreadful screen and sometimes No signal on monitor. I boot in safe mode and uninstall drivers and it's back to normal. I other words, I can only run my computer when I uninstall the drivers.
I also tried various driver versions and I tried restoring xp to an earlier state, but it didn't help.
Will a dead card let you boot to safe mode or work with no drivers? any ideas or suggestions?

Thank you