Presario 1800T Laptop Video Question

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Can an external laptop power supply go bad in a way that would mess up
the laptop video during booting?

My 1800T laptop recetnly started showing signs of a problem.
About 2 weeks ago, on boot, (with the external power supply), I would
get 3 beeps. But no sign of a problem.

Was the three beeps a warning (video)? THe screen would be black, but
on reboot, it started normally.

The next week, on boot (with power supply), after showing the Compaq
logo, and with Windows starting, the display would go fuzzy in a pixel
manner. Upon reboot, the display would also go white in a gradational
manner.

However, when I switch power supplies, the problem seems to go away.
It's only during the boot that the video problem occurs, and if I
reboot a couple of times, it runs like a champ. But only if I'm on
battery or using my alternat power supply.

Is it possble that the power supply was causing the video issues, or am
I just trying to keep from admitting that my machine is starting the
long slow decline?

Thanks,
Eric