What does it mean when your screen goes black? This has happened to me before. I was reading my email and all of a sudden, the screen went black and it had a single row of 1/2 inch green lines at the very top. I hit any key on the keyboard and it caused my computer to restart itself. Has anyone had this happen before?

I have Windows 98 with a AMD XP 1.8 mgz processor and 256 RAM.

Also, one more quick question. Everytime I turn on my coputer, I have to restart it after it gets to Windows. I start it, it gets into to Windows and just as soon as Windows is done loading, my computer freezes up. Then I have to restart. This happens every single time.

Thank You

It sounds like you have a videocard fault?
or a cooling prob?
Couple of things to ask you to eliminate which is which..(post back if one of these things occurs on your machine? (rings a bell?)
1) Does this occur when the computer is cold or when it has been running for a long period?
2) Does it sound quieter than usual (fan noise)?
2a)Or makes funny noises? rattles/grinding sounds?
3)Are the ventilation holes clear on the computer case? have a clear air flow in?
There is another area to check out and that is in the DirectX Graphic area of your computer
it means going into the System Information
and running a test on the videocard. There is the possibility that the graphics acceleration speed may need to be turned down a touch,there is a fault described on the Window Video troubleshooter list that sounds like your fault.(but don't take it as Gospel OK?) Here are the extracts from the Windows Help(Have to adapt things slightly(this is from the XP Version))

Q)What kind of video problem are you having?
I see vertical lines on my screen when I start my computer.

A) Try lowering your graphics hardware acceleration setting.

Important
The following procedure might require you to restart your computer, which will close this troubleshooter. If possible, view this troubleshooter on another computer while you perform the steps on the computer you are troubleshooting.
To continue troubleshooting if no other computer is available

Right-click the page displayed on your screen, and then click Print.
Follow the steps in the printed copy of the procedure.
After your computer restarts, reopen this troubleshooter and answer each question as you answered it initially.

When you reach this page again, answer the question at the bottom, and then click Next.
Though many graphics-intensive programs require some graphics acceleration, setting graphics hardware acceleration too high can cause problems.
To lower your graphics hardware acceleration setting
Open Display Properties in Control Panel.
On the Settings tab, click Advanced.
On the Troubleshooting tab, move the Hardware acceleration slider all the way to the left.
Clear the Enable write combining check box, and then click OK.
Click OK, and then restart your computer when you are prompted to do so.
Note:
To open Display Properties, click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display.
Does your program run correctly after you change this setting?

just to let you know, it isn't a cooling problem. I have already experianced the loud fan noises and the over heating bit. I fixed that by replacing my gosh...I forget what it is called everytime. The start up box thingy. I had to do that because I could not run my computer for more than 5 minutes at a time before it would over heat and restart itself.

As for the current problems I am having, I have had them for quite some time. Before the overheaating problem. I will try your other suggestions and see if those help. Thank You, Bedstore