i don't know what kind of problem i have, if i had to guess i would say a motherboard problem or a video problem. i don't know if it has onboard video as i have not opened it up yet. it was working fine and then something started happening with the monitor making squares whereever i moved the mouse. then i shut it off and when i turned it back on this is what comes up.....a black screen with intel (r)aaaaaaaale-g pcirrrrrrrrated svgssssssss
build nu3333333329 pc de////////12/2004 222222224
decompilrrrrrrrr disasseoooooooohibited
copyrigh0000000000-2003 oooooooorp. allrrrrrrrreserved.
what in the heck is this. the pc sat in a closet for a few months just got drug out a week ago reinstalled xp professional and worked for a couple days after that. i have reinstalled os a million times and i know i didn't do anything wrong there.

You can check to see if the computer has onboard video by verifying a blue VGA port on the back of the tower, connected to the motherboard and not an expansion card slot. If this is the case, the easiest way to diagnose the problem would be to try a video card, if you have another compatible one lying around. The second thing I would do is swap hard drives. If you have reformatted an older drive so many times, it may be failing.

ok i looked at the back and it appears to be an onboard video. where the moniter plugs in is not where the expansion slots are located. also i haven't reinstalled windows at all on this computer previously, just sayin i was familiar with the process. i don't have any spare parts lying around and it is a dell computer. will i have to get dell exclusive parts and if so where can i get them cheap? the computer is about 5 years old would i be better off just getting a new one?

You might be better off investing in a new machine, but don't jump to that just yet. You wouldn't need to use "Dell-exclusive" parts in terms of a new video card or hard drive; such components don't exist anyways. There are compatibility terms, but in reality, Dell does not manufacture the parts, they just put them together into their own towers. If the motherboard features an AGP slot for graphics, you can pick one of those up for cheap money. Of course, getting a new system altogether benefits you by using more recent hardware and software support. I'm sure you could find an AGP card somewhere that you could try and if it doesn't work out, it's less of a headache hooking up a brand new system.

ok so since the motherboard has onboard video i can still plug in a new video card and it will override the video on the motherboard if i plug the moniter into it?