# Crazy monitor problem



## theletch1 (Jun 10, 2008)

Alright.  Here's what's happening.  I have an older Dell.  17 inch monitor.  The monitor will suddenly go black and the LED beside the power switch on the monitor will begin flashing on and off.  After a while the monitor will come back up and work for a few seconds and then do the same thing over again.  I'm actually typing this without seeing the screen right now as it's doing one of it's "things" at the moment.  I've done a virus scan and come up with nothing.  Unplugging it doesn't help, killing the tower doesn't help.  What's going on?  Do I need to replace the monitor or what?


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## Sukerkin (Jun 10, 2008)

Top guess is that the power-supply is on the way out as I had the same thing happen to my old 21" (which was a shame as she was a beauty).  Certain voltage regulating elements eventually give up the ghost and altho' they are usually replaceable, these days the costs are higher than replacing the whole monitor.


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## morph4me (Jun 10, 2008)

It sounds to me as if you're monitor is on it's way out, but on a positive note, you did a great job typing without being able to see the screen, well done :highfive:


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## Kreth (Jun 10, 2008)

What Sukerkin said. Sounds like a good excuse to go flat-panel. You'll never look back!


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## theletch1 (Jun 10, 2008)

Kreth said:


> What Sukerkin said. Sounds like a good excuse to go flat-panel. You'll never look back!


Flat panel is what I've got. It's back on now, for the moment at least.  We have several computer "fix it" stores in the area.  Maybe I can find a new power cable or just another monitor.  I don't want to spend much as we're planning to replace the whole thing later in the year.


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## theletch1 (Jun 10, 2008)

morph4me said:


> It sounds to me as if you're monitor is on it's way out, but on a positive note, you did a great job typing without being able to see the screen, well done :highfive:


Tom, the monitor went out about three words into the post.  Ain't it a sad statement to how much time I spend on this site that I can not only type out but submit a post without seeing the screen?:lol:


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## Kreth (Jun 10, 2008)

theletch1 said:


> Maybe I can find a new power cable or just another monitor.  I don't want to spend much as we're planning to replace the whole thing later in the year.


It actually sounds more like the actual internal power supply, rather than the cord. Repair costs would probably be close to the price of a new monitor.


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## Brian R. VanCise (Jun 10, 2008)

Kreth said:


> It actually sounds more like the actual internal power supply, rather than the cord. Repair costs would probably be close to the price of a new monitor.


 
What Kreth said.  I would probably just buy a brand new monitor.


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## Bob Hubbard (Jun 10, 2008)

Try borrowing a different monitor. If that fixes it, it's the monitor.
If it happens with a different monitor, it might be the video card.


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## Sukerkin (Jun 10, 2008)

Good advice, Bob.  It's always an excellent idea to swap parts out when diagnosing a problem - of course that's easy to say when I'm sitting in a room with five of them to hand :lol:.


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## terryl965 (Jun 10, 2008)

Kreth said:


> It actually sounds more like the actual internal power supply, rather than the cord. Repair costs would probably be close to the price of a new monitor.


 
I would go along with Kreth on this one.


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## Kreth (Jun 10, 2008)

Bob Hubbard said:


> Try borrowing a different monitor. If that fixes it, it's the monitor.
> If it happens with a different monitor, it might be the video card.


Yeah, this is possible. Although, IME graphics card issues usually either manifest as a complete lack of video, or issues crop up when using graphics-intensive apps (newer games, for example). This intermittent issue really does sound power related.
Still, it's worth a shot to check the card manufacturer for a newer driver, or the chipset manufacturer. It beats buying a new monitor.
I have been wrong before, but that's usually when arguing with my fiancee... :lol:


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## Brian R. VanCise (Jun 10, 2008)

Kreth said:


> I have been wrong before, but that's usually when arguing with my fiancee... :lol:


 
I think we can all understand that.


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## Kacey (Jun 10, 2008)

Fixit stores often have spares that people have traded in on new items - monitors are right up there on the list of available items.  If you can't borrow one from a friend, I'd ask at the store if they have a trade-in you can have cheap.


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## jks9199 (Jun 11, 2008)

Bob Hubbard said:


> Try borrowing a different monitor. If that fixes it, it's the monitor.
> If it happens with a different monitor, it might be the video card.


I'll second this...  Had almost the same experience with several computers at work where the video cards went back.  But I've also seen pretty near identical behavior by power supply problems (Or other problems) in the monitor.


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## Big Don (Jun 11, 2008)

On a side note, unless you "need" an inch thick monitor, consider visiting a thrift shop or two. I paid $20 for my current monitor at a thrift shop, it works great, looks fine, and has lasted 2½ years for me, so far. Retail is fine, but, if you don't have to pay it, don't.


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## ackks10 (Jun 11, 2008)

theletch1 said:


> Alright.  Here's what's happening.  I have an older Dell.  17 inch monitor.  The monitor will suddenly go black and the LED beside the power switch on the monitor will begin flashing on and off.  After a while the monitor will come back up and work for a few seconds and then do the same thing over again.  I'm actually typing this without seeing the screen right now as it's doing one of it's "things" at the moment.  I've done a virus scan and come up with nothing.  Unplugging it doesn't help, killing the tower doesn't help.  What's going on?  Do I need to replace the monitor or what?




thats crazy i got the same thing as you and it does the same thing that yours does, here is what i do ,,when it flashes i hit the back , but you have to be in time with the flash, i know that this sounds crazy, but it works, btw i think that we all need a new one,anyway that is what i do, don't hit it hard just a tap,and it will work, now you might have to tap it up to 6 times before it works, but sometimes i hit it just once,let me know:eye-popping:


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## newGuy12 (Jun 11, 2008)

Bob Hubbard said:


> Try borrowing a different monitor. If that fixes it, it's the monitor.
> If it happens with a different monitor, it might be the video card.



I want to say something that might be of interest.  At the house where I live I have two boxes using one monitor with a KVM switch -- this is a nice, hardware KVM switch of some kind that someone gave me, and I have confidence that it is "known good".

Okay, the PRIMARY box is running OpenBSD, that is my firewall, but I also have X on there and a browser and so forth.  I will use it without fail.  The monitor never fails with this box.

Now, I have a SECOND box with the Vector Linux on there.  I boot this box up occasionally, to watch videos and so forth (it has more proprietary CRAP software on there to render videos and so forth -- I do not want such things on my firewall).

Now, when this Vector Linux box is running, SOMETIMES the monitor will do this -- it will go black, and the led lights will flicker, in a line, from left to right.

At that point, I kill X, with Ctrl-Alt-Backspace, and start it again, with `startx`.  Okay, the window manager starts again, no problem, and away I go. 

I say that to say this -- this suggests to me that at least in my case, the problem is NOT  with the monitor, as the monitor has never done this while the KVM puts the video output of the Primary box to the monitor.

Regrettably, I have never "switched" the KVM while the problem was happening, as that would be the way to prove this one way or the other.

EDIT -- this monitor is some kind of cathode-ray oldschool monitor, not a flat panel one.



Oh -- and to type with no echo to the screen -- the able martial artist can do this kind of thing, no problem, as we see here!!!  Especially the Aikido person -- once they have contact, they know where everything is!


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