Laptop freezes at random intervals with horizontal, colored lines of various length

[r.nijenhuis]

Hello, even though I have seen similar questions online, none is exactly as mine. And I have some specific questions. Let's start:

I have a 2.5 years old laptop (yeah, the time they die nowadays) from Lenovo.
For about half a year my screen sometimes completely freezes, most of the time with stripes horizontally, sometimes without any deformity on the screen (then the mouse just doesn't react and also nothing else but the power button.) But most of the time it looks about like this:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vcfhmQJzSLB6d0KX1DwBZSB8TREAhcx9

(that is not a picture of mine, but it looks virtually the same/somehow I can't get it to show it)


Windows 10 Home 64-bit
CPU
Intel Celeron N2840 @ 2.16GHz 46 °C
Bay Trail-M 22nm Technologie
RAM
8,00GB DDR3 @ 666MHz (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard
LENOVO Lancer 5A6 (CPU 1) 47 °C
Graphics
Generic PnP Monitor (1366x768@60Hz)
Intel HD Graphics (Lenovo)
Intel HD Graphics (apparently 4000?!)
ID 8086-0F31
Revision F
Lenovo (17AA)
Leistungsstufe Level 0
GPU clock 760 MHz
Driver version 10.18.10.4885

Further I have DirectX 12 installed and also Nvidia PhysX (I needed that to play a certain game)

Now I am wondering If my gpu is through or if I have sabotaged myself!
1. Some program I ran stated my graphics card supports DirectX 11 and I have 12 installed, could that be the issue?

2. I immediately, at the first freezing, realized this should be defective hardware or drivers, so I tried updating, but the funny Lenovo made it so you need their validated drivers, so it took me till now to renew the graphics driver. (with DDU I was able to completely delete the old driver, and after that I suddenly could install the normal newest driver from Intel) So, me happy, but today one day later it froze again with the stripes! Is it still possible there are remnants of the old driver which cause this?

3. Some 16 months ago I build new RAM in, I looked carefully at the specs needed, and replaced the original 4GB with an 8GB (from another manufacturer) with all the right 'numbers'. ...BUT since then it stated it runs at 666MHz (while it should be 1333(or 1500? not sure right now)MHz). Yet it ran perfectly, for almost a year before these freezes started. Still I wonder could it be the cause for the freezes?

4. I remember long ago some program told me there is a new BIOS available and I updated it, could that be the problem?

Well, now I know why I used to assemble my own PCs, I'd just replace the videocard or so. But here all I could replace is the RAM.
I hope someone can answer my questions, I tried a lot of things. Ran test programs, changed settings (and back) cleaned up registries... but I can't seem to find a 'healthcheck which identifies the problem exactly, it even doesn't freeze at a logical moment (most of the time I am not doing anything if it freezes). I'll add links to some logs I gathered. Thanks for any advice!
http:// CPU-Z
http:// GPU Sensor
http:// Intel SSU

 

[Sedivy]

Ahhh...that picture is like a poster for gpu dying. I remember it well as I've seen it many times over the years. Usually long time overheating related. Since it's looks like integrated graphics instead of separate video card, it's not easily replaceable either I think, but this is something to ask lenovo. It could I suppose be other things, but the only other time I've seen lines like that is when different display ports are used with converters, to be able to display to certain monitors and such. Since this is a laptop, this wouldn't be the case.
If those are your idle temps (47C), that would certainly seem to support it. No warranty I take it?

 

[r.nijenhuis]

Ahhh...that picture is like a poster for gpu dying. I remember it well as I've seen it many times over the years. Usually long time overheating related. Since it's looks like integrated graphics instead of separate video card, it's not easily replaceable either I think, but this is something to ask lenovo. It could I suppose be other things, but the only other time I've seen lines like that is when different display ports are used with converters, to be able to display to certain monitors and such. Since this is a laptop, this wouldn't be the case.
If those are your idle temps (47C), that would certainly seem to support it. No warranty I take it?

no, no warranty, of course just ended before the trouble arose! (maybe that 'Planned Obsolescence' article I read really has merit)
Do you think it could have something to do with the BIOS update I did in the past, or isn't that possible? I wish it was the directX12 I have installed,would be easiest... but I have invested so much time already, in those hours I could have earned the money for a new one... so I rather ask advice and only try things that can really help! understandable , right?

 

[Sedivy]

I don't think it's bios. Issues with bios usually involve crashes, freezing, bsod, that sort of thing.

Here's to show you in general what gpu dying looks like:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=gpu+dying&t=ffab&iax=images&ia=images
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=gpu+artifacts&t=ffab&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images
so make your comparison.

As it's a laptop, it'll be hard to cool it off much though you can try opening it up, cleaning the fan and exhaust grille, making sure that exhaust grilles aren't obsctructed from the outside (if they're on bottom, raise the laptop a bit by the corners) and seeing if it helps. But typically artifacting like this happens after prolonged high heat exposure of the gpu so not likely this'll be a long term solution.

 

[r.nijenhuis]

I don't think it's bios. Issues with bios usually involve crashes, freezing, bsod, that sort of thing.

Here's to show you in general what gpu dying looks like:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=gpu+dying&t=ffab&iax=images&ia=images
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=gpu+artifacts&t=ffab&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images
so make your comparison.

As it's a laptop, it'll be hard to cool it off much though you can try opening it up, cleaning the fan and exhaust grille, making sure that exhaust grilles aren't obsctructed from the outside (if they're on bottom, raise the laptop a bit by the corners) and seeing if it helps. But typically artifacting like this happens after prolonged high heat exposure of the gpu so not likely this'll be a long term solution.

Thing is: I do get a bsod occasionally, so maybe the other times 'it just doesn't get so far'.
Do you know if I would do a fresh install of OS if I can use Windows 10 again... because my laptop came with 8.1 and I upgraded as soon as it was available, but I read that it is not free anymore, so does MS remember I actually already had win10?

 

[Sedivy]

I believe you would have to reinstall windows 8.1 again and upgrade again. However, I think you'd be able to do it since you've done it once already. Log into your microsoft account and ask microsoft directly, their online chat support. They should be able to tell you pretty quick.