Have I been thunderstruck?

[SomeOneS]

So, prior to going on a 2 month vacation in the beginning of june, everything was great. I had had this computer in it's current state for a about a year and it was possibly the one I've ever been happiest with. Now, I came back from said vacation last sunday and powered on. At first everything was cool, but about a minute or two after, a red hue/cover fell over pretty much everything. My 9800 pro was artifacting, it turns out. I know of this only happening when the video card overheats. However, my computer keeps to a steady 40-50 temperature.

I'm also having software problems; I can't install new drivers, I always get an error message saying "Couldn't start installer, usage denied" (translated), I can't even properly uninstall them. I did run ATI's cat-uninstaller, and it removed mentions of ATI programs in the registry, but not the files. Now everything is really slow, and scrolling windows and moving them is very choppy and wave like.

I did take out and check my radeon, and it seemed perfectly fine.
Could I have been thunderstruck; what else could be causing this?
And yes, I did have it plugged in all this time.

Added: Also, I can't seem to do a rollback.

 

[xtknight]

Leaving on the computer probably did it, even if temperatures are not insane. I had a friend who left his PC on for like 30 days straight. He started to get artifacts with his 9800 XT. I told him to shut off his PC for the night. In the morning, he turned it on, it was fine, and has since been fine. However his card was borderline 90C idle. You should check the temperature of your video card, not your "computer" (CPU). They will vary widely. I'm not sure if the 9800 PRO has a temperature sensor or not.

 

[SomeOneS]

I didn't have it powered on, just plugged in to the wall. And no, PRO doesn't have a temp sensor, however test show it doesn't go over 60 when idle. I have read about some people's PRO's (or 9800s in general) getting less resistant to heat over time though. Still, just the brakedown of the radeon doesn't explain why I can't install drivers, do a rollback on the entire system or defrag.

 

[OritionX]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Leaving on the computer probably did it, even if temperatures are not insane. I had a friend who left his PC on for like 30 days straight. He started to get artifacts with his 9800 XT. I told him to shut off his PC for the night. In the morning, he turned it on, it was fine, and has since been fine. However his card was borderline 90C idle. You should check the temperature of your video card, not your "computer" (CPU). They will vary widely. I'm not sure if the 9800 PRO has a temperature sensor or not.

I leave my computer on its been running straight for 2 months I have x800xt pe. It is cheaper actually to leave your machine running in idle. Your machine uses a lot more power in startup.