Image jumping about!

[bluebluewater]

I'm not sure what this is and certainly I'm not a computer guy.   I've tried to Google up a possible answer but no luck.  Anyone?  Anyone?

 

This is on my Dell laptop and started a couple of weeks ago.  A very thin line has appeared horiz all the way across the bottom of the screen about an inch from the bottom.  Below that line the image jumps (flickers) about.  Above that line all is well.  The rate of flickering varies.  The laptop continues to preform with no problems and since this started the area involved has not changed.

 

What might this be and is it something that can be repaired?

 

Cheers

[JB300]

Had this with a Dell before & it was the graphics card, try rolling back the Drivers if you've updated recently or updating them if they're out of date.

As a matter of interest, does it happen when the machine has been off for sometime (try unplugging it & removing the battery for a while). If it doesn't happen when it's "cold" it's probably a hardware fault.

Obviously if you have access to an external monitor try it with that to rule out a problem with the screen

[bluebluewater]

Thank you

 

Hot or cold it is all the same.   No access to external monitor.

[RichCor]

As mentions, try rolling back or downloading and re-installing the graphic drivers for your specific model.  If this is a Windows OS you can also boot into Safe Mode (as it will use a safe-mode version video driver). 

 

Another way to test if this is a driver or hardware issue is to boot the laptop using a 'live' linux boot DVD or Flash Drive and see if it still flickers under the different operating system.  

[katana]

Or boot into Safe Mode where a generic Microsoft video driver is loaded.

Might also bee the screen that's on its way out.