I'm afraid I have bad news for you, CarolLeigh. the pixelization (image breaking up in squares) and the flashing every 30 seconds, even in safe mode, and the fact that it won't boot up in regular mode means it might be your video card. Shut down your Mac pro, disconnect the power cord,flip the latch at the back and remove the side panel. the video card should be there, under the optical drive cage and the hard drive sleds. Check to see that it's not clogged up with dust and that the fins on the fan on the card are not too dusty. a can of compressed air might be helpful in removing that dust, and there may be a vent at the back of the card, so a stream of air through the card might be okay. If you know that the cables going to the monitor are okay, and that the monitor itself is working, then there's no need to check 'em. Do you have a backup done? do you have a backup system in place, just in case.... oh, and make sure that the power cables to the video card are fastened securely, both on the card, and on the logic board. you could try resettting the smc/pmu---that's a simple thing to do, it's free and it's worth a try. How to do it can be found with google or yahoo, etc. If none of the things I have suggested have worked---eg; problem is the same as before, then replacement of your video card might be your only option. You may be able to find a used Mac video card (working) for a reasonable price, or you may be able to get a newer slightly more powerful one, but it probably won't be $200. I don't know what your budget is for this, though. However, you can replace your own video card. That is simple to do. I would not be inclined to take it to my local A**le store for service though. For one-you'd be paying their prices, and I've heard that policy is to replace like with like, as in, whatever you had before you'll have again. Nothing better-just the same. However, this is just my opinion....good luck and let us know how it turns out
John b
