Recently, my monitor has started showing horizontal lines and visual glitches across the entire screen during the boot or loading screen. Once Windows finishes starting and I reach the desktop, the display looks normal. Games, GPU stress tests, and general use all work without issues, and reinstalling the graphics drivers did not change anything. Could this still be a driver problem, or is the issue more likely related to the monitor, cable, GPU, or boot display process?
2 Answers
Since games and stress tests are stable, a serious GPU failure is less likely, though it is not impossible. The quickest way to narrow it down is to test another cable or display and see whether the artifacts appear in BIOS. If they do, focus on the GPU, cable, monitor, or motherboard firmware rather than reinstalling Windows drivers.
If the distortion only appears before Windows loads and disappears completely at the desktop, it may not be a normal Windows driver issue. Drivers usually take over once the operating system starts. Check whether the glitch also appears in the motherboard BIOS or boot logo, and try a different display cable, monitor input, or monitor if possible.
It covers the whole screen during startup, with horizontal lines and heavy flickering, but everything looks normal once I reach the desktop.