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If you have an external monitor plugged into a notebook computer, a completely garbled screen is most often due to improper, incorrect, or unsupported settings for the refresh rate, resolution, or color depth. Using incorrect drivers as well can also cause this. To check the configuration of the card, the first step would be to power on the system and verify whether you can see the POST or the system splash screen on the monitor and then enter the BIOS Setup. If the screen looks fine during the POST but goes crazy once Windows starts to load, then almost certainly the problem is due to an incorrect setting or configuration of the card. To resolve this problem, boot the system in Windows Safe Mode (hold down the F8 function key as Windows starts to load). This will bypass the current video driver and settings and will place the system in the default VGA mode supported by the BIOS on the video card. When the Windows Desktop appears, you can right-click the Desktop, select Properties, and then reconfigure the video settings or change the drivers as necessary.

If the problem occurs from the moment you turn on the systemand even, for example, if you boot to a DOS floppy, such as a Windows 98 startup floppyyou definitely have a hardware problem with most likely either the video circuit cable, or monitor. First, try replacing the monitor with another one; if the cable is detachable, try replacing that too. If replacing the monitor and cable does not solve the problem, most likely the video circuit in the laptop is defective. Because laptops use integrated video or a discrete chip built in to the motherboard, you will need to service or replace the unit.