How do I take black lines off camera?

What causes many brown lines when I take pictures on my digital camera?

• Hewlett Packard digital camera, about 1 1/2 - 2 yrs old. Really a wonderful camera. All of a sudden though every picture I take has darker brown lines running over the complete viewer. Not the battery. Nothing happened to the camera. The lines show up when you view the pictures on your camera and also when you upload them to your computer. Just a constant neatly multi-lined darker streaking over the entire viewer/picture. I haven't printed any pics but, again, lines show up looking at pics on camera and also uploaded to my pc. Any ideas? Doesn't show up under trouble shooting on the HP site and of course I think my warranty is well over. I like the camera so much though (docks to the 4" x 6" HP printer) that I don't want to get a different one if I can fix this one somehow without it costing $3,000,000. Appreciate your time and suggestions/thoughts.

• Answer:

  Try a camera reset. When a camera does something strange, that's the first place to start. Since the lines show in the files on your computer, it's not the LCD. It might be the card. Take out the card and take a picture using the internal memory. If it works okay, then try formatting the card in the camera. Cleaning the card's contacts is a good idea too, in case there's a little corrosion. If the problem persists you may need a new card. Last option (and least likely), the sensor has developed a fault. It will cost too much to fix. Try typing the model number into Amazon and see if there's a second hand one for sale.