I think this is an interesting problem - Computer acting funny

[powerfulcrunch]

This is my old computer. It's a Gateway DX4720-03. It faithfully served me for two years with no problems. When I built my new computer I abused the old one a little bit. Graphics cards got jammed into it that were too big for the case. Wires got cut and put back together. Hard drives came out. It was probably not the way I should have treated the lady who had been oh so good to me.

Now I want to sell it. So I am trying to slap on some bondo, put a cherry air freshener in, etc. Problem is, all that abuse appears to have damaged it. When I turn it on it sometimes it gets to the splash screen and sometimes it doesn't. When it does it looks something like this though always with some variation of the lines and colors:

Then in about a minute it looks like this:

And I just realized that it lets me press F1 and get into the CMOS Setup Utility. I bet if I tried I could get into the BIOS too. But even in the setup utility the screen is filled with black vertical lines.

I currently don't have the hard drive plugged in because I'm trying to eliminate as many variables as possible. Even if I do plug it in I don't think I would be able to install an OS with it in this state. I don't have a gpu in it right now either but even if I put a gpu in it I get the same lines and it takes a long time and its clear that something is not right.

I've already taken out the CMOS. .......NOW WHAT? Why might I be getting these lines?

 

[powerfulcrunch]

update: mobo gives two beeps at startup

I just put in the 7 OS disc to see what would happen and it appears to be working fine. Oh, no wait, it gave an error:

Windows Boot Manager:
Windows failed to start a recent hardware or software change might have caused this.
Put in os disc and select repair (umm okay there IS an OS disc in it)

Status 0XC0000225
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I think im just going to plug the hdd into my new computer, format it, and try again.