Help! My laptop screen is doing strange things. Can anyone give advice? [View All]

[Armstead]

A couple of days ago, for no apparent reason, my laptop screen (Dell circa 2000) started acting up.

It gets these strange color ghosts, that take the shape of liones of a different color. It seems to come and go. These lines extend out from certain pictures or menu objects horizontally, and are made of little verticle lines (kind of like a siound meter might look).

For example, an object on a black background will produce a blue ghost. Pictures also look a little off color as a result.

They're unpredictable as to when they appear, and how noticable they are. It's most notable in the menus, when a sickly yellow extends off the menu words.

It just appeared spontaneously, and i can't recall doing anything that might have caused it.

Any suggestions as to how to diagnose and fix it? All advice would be most welcome and appreciated.