Why is my laptop showing weird lines when i start it up?

For the past month my laptop sometimes shows these weird lines when i turn it on and it looks so odd. I dont know what is causing it. I can hit things on my keyboard like if i hit caps lock the light on that key will go on. But not sure why my laptop is doing this all of a sudden? I would have to restart it again and its fine. Not sure something with my graphics card or something. I have My CPU is AMD Ryzen 7 8840U with Radeon 780M Graphics. And my AMD software Adrenalin edition version is up to date. Its 25.12.1. I have Win 11 25H2 Build 26200.7462. My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 16 5645 I attached some pictures of the lines im seeing. I just hit power button my laptop and after a second or two it shows that and i gotta restart to fix it and its fine. It only happens time to time but its annoying.

I've never had this problem. I think your Dell has component tests if it's like mine. There should be a key to press at startup to launch a genetic test, then once this genetic test is finished you can choose component tests and there should be these tests in advanced mode including for the screen. That's how it is for me with my Dell laptop.

I feel you've got 2 possible issues here. One, your laptop graphics hardware is glitching or two, you've got a conflict with the video driver. You might try booting in Safe Mode and see if the video issue remains. If you don't see the issue while in Safe Mode this helps narrow down the possible issue to the graphics driver being used. The other possibility could be with the AMD driver being used. Are you using the one from AMD itself or the one provided by Dell? I ask because even AMD suggests to using the graphics driver provided by the vendor over their own in certain circumstances.

Have you noticed if it does this when only using battery power?

My previous older Dell that I still have would do something a bit like that on battery and the fix was a setting in the graphics driver control panel. From my notes at the time:

I always download my driver from the amd website or if amd adrenalin on my computer prompts me to update then i do. I usually dont do drivers from dell except for like BIOS update. Its hard to see whats going on cause it just happens randomly. It doesnt just happen every time i turn on my laptop. Is there like something if it happens again and i reboot i can hit something on my keyboard and it goes to like a specific test or something and tells what happened from previous boot in a way if that makes sense to kinda pinpoint whats going on? My laptop wasnt charging when the screen lines happened by the way. My charger wasnt connected at the time.

In the link below, expand "Run a Diagnostic Test on a Dell Inspiron 16 5645" and follow the instructions in "How to run a pre-boot system assessment test?"

BamaInArk said:

The other possibility could be with the AMD driver being used. Are you using the one from AMD itself or the one provided by Dell? I ask because even AMD suggests to using the graphics driver provided by the vendor over their own in certain circumstances.

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Laptops tend to be finicky when it comes to graphics drivers. Usually best to stick with the laptop manufacturer driver vs the latest website driver even though they're usually older.

All Drivers for Dell's and any other OEM computers are specifically written from the hardware manufacturer for this Dell model.
If having problems, first update the driver from the Dell Web site
Even if if is older.
If you downloaded the latest driver, then try using an external monitor or TV. If you are still having the same issue, then run a Diagnostic test
Support for Inspiron 16 5645 | Diagnostics | Dell US

If you continue to have the same issue, Your video chip that is soldered onto the motherboard is failing. The whole motherboard would need to be replaced.

itsme1 said:

In the link below, expand "Run a Diagnostic Test on a Dell Inspiron 16 5645" and follow the instructions in "How to run a pre-boot system assessment test?"

Dell Inspiron 16 5645 Laptop Usage and Troubleshooting Guide | Dell US

Click to expand...

Test passed fine. No errors it found. But i am gonna try to look into more about this issue.

itsme1 said:

We need to be respectful of others and follow the forum rules, taking everyone's sensitivities into account. Hardware specifications, showing your desktop, photos, etc., are all optional. Saying it's not considerate to list them is disrespectful to other members.

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Hardware and OS spec's are the minimum information required to be able to diagnose an issue and are hardly state secrets and has nothing to do with respect.

Spunk said:

All Drivers for Dell's and any other OEM computers are specifically written from the hardware manufacturer for this Dell model.

Click to expand...

No. The core driver code is almost always written by the original hardware manufacturer (NVIDIA writes the core GPU driver - Intel writes the core chipset driver). Then comes the OEM (Dell in this case) takes this core driver (which could have all kinds of issues - as many do at a given time) and applies their custom modifications (if necessary) and runs some tests for the sake of stability. If the Driver proves to be broken in one way or another - yet stable enough for the GPU to work in general, the OEM - might give it another try with a future release - that's deemed good enough. But then a new driver from Nvidia/AMD is released - which fixes more stuff - but your laptop is already 3 years OLD and most OEM devs will pretend it doesn't have a GPU anymore - and expect you to be grateful - you still get some security updates. In those 3 years since the last GPU Driver from the OEM site - Nvidia/AMD released 35 other drivers - which can fix A LOT of issues - while also optimizing the drivers for latest games and all kind of creative apps - running considerably smoother than that 3 years old driver (again, we're talking 35 driver releases).

Coincidentally, last weekend - i solved an old client's issue by simply installing the AMD driver instead of the 2 year old OEM driver - which had some weird Power Saving Bug (randomly switching to iGPU after some time playing a game). For past 2 years he kept restarting the PC - while playing games - cause the friendly neighborhood tech-guy - advised him to use "only" the OEM video driver.

Experience wise - i only agree to the OEM part - when it comes to Sound Drivers, Card Reader - or any other component - where the original manufacturer does not release drivers on its own. Since, even if it shares the same chip - a newer version made by a different OEM and for an entirely different product (customized particularity for that system) - is usually less than adequate (can cause all kinds of issues). The higher version number - says very little in that case.

Does your laptop have the lid open all the time - or do you open/close it?

Pinching or a loose connection of the eDP/LVDS cable - could also be the culprit (due to bad design/construction - the protective sleeve wears down on some laptops - causing the tiny internal copper wires to break or short against each other).

Wiggle it to test this out - by moving the lid back and forth. If the screen flickers, changes pattern or clears up at a certain angle - then it's some issue with the display cable.

neves said:

Does your laptop have the lid open all the time - or do you open/close it?

Pinching or a loose connection of the eDP/LVDS cable - could also be the culprit (due to bad design/construction - the protective sleeve wears down on some laptops - causing the tiny internal copper wires to break or short against each other).

Wiggle it to test this out - by moving the lid back and forth. If the screen flickers, changes pattern or clears up at a certain angle - then it's some issue with the display cable.

Click to expand...

One could also try an external display to see if the external display behaves correctly. If it does, then @neves is correct.

Trying out all your suggestions but still same issue going on. I noticed it shows my dell logo when it boots up but when that dell boot screen goes away then that screen issue pops up after. So weird. i keep my laptop lid open most of the time. I even wiggled my lid when it does the screen issue to see if it fixes it but no it doesnt. Someone said about rolling back graphics or something? I had AMD Adrenalin Edition drivers 25.11.1 and i thought that that was causing the issues at first but when i updated to the new drivers that came out on 12/10 and now its 25.12.1 i am still having this issue. I just got this laptop like maybe 2 or 3 years ago. Can it be something if it over heats or something when i use it? I know when i am using my laptop and browsing the web or something my computer freezes sometimes and then a few seconds later the fans go on and then my computers unfreezes. I am wondering if i should do a windows reset. I am clueless at this point now. Any other information about my laptop do you need that can be helpful pinpointing this issue? Thanks!

Does it behave the same booting into safe mode?

eLPuSHeR said:

Does it behave the same booting into safe mode?

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Im not sure. Like i said the screen issue happens randomly. One day i can turn my laptop on and its fine and another day i can turn it on and the screen problem appears. Its a hit or miss. Maybe i should replace my laptop im not sure.

1) you state ‘when you turn it on’. Is it powered off or in hibernate when you do so?

2) is fast startup enabled? If so disable it to get a true full shutdown

3) in device manager, change your display driver to Microsoft basic adapter and leave it like that for a bit and see if it happens again

Many Dell laptops including my Inspiron 7000 have a poorly designed GPU cable routing which routes the GPU cable around one of the screen hinges. After a long period of use, the strain on the cable can cause a poor connection where the GPU cable connects with the screen. This causes all manner of problems like screen tearing or in my case intermittent black screens. Check the laptop HDMI output and see if that is OK. If so, then suspect the GPU cable. The fix is to resecure the GPU cable to screen connection. I stuck a wound closure plaster over the connection to apply tension to the connection. I also inserted foam where the cable wraps around the hinge to prevent chafing. The Dell manual indicates you have to disassemble the laptop to do this but I was able to fix it by removing the touch screen and screen behind taking care not to stress the cables. In the worst case the GPU cable could be damaged requiring replacement.

bryan123 said:

Im not sure. Like i said the screen issue happens randomly. One day i can turn my laptop on and its fine and another day i can turn it on and the screen problem appears. Its a hit or miss. Maybe i should replace my laptop im not sure.

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Perform the more in-depth Dell tests at startup if you haven't already done so.

Rollback_Jockey said:

Hardware and OS spec's are the minimum information required to be able to diagnose an issue and are hardly state secrets and has nothing to do with respect.

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This isn't important personal/digital data. It's more of an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) than anything else. I've already mentioned computer components in my posts in a few threads, and if I start a new one, I'll include them in the opening post.
The OCD manifests itself in the "my computers" section perhaps I'll fill that in later. This needs to be respected.

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