CRT monitor going bad?

M

m3avrck

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Oct 2, 2003
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So I have a Dell P991 that I bought about 3.5 years ago and lately, the picture will all of a sudden go very blurry. If I turn the monitor off then on again, the problem is fixed. This happens anywhere from 1 to 3 times a day and I'm not sure what is going on.

Help/suggestions are welcomed. Thanks!
 
I would say its getting ready to go to monitor heaven soon. Since it's out of warranty, it's time to plan for a new display.
 
Oh man, really? That is a bummer. It's strange though, it looks perfectly great right now, but then goes blurry, reset, and it's fine.

Any idea what is actually going bad? And yeah I'm planning on an LCD later this summer.
 
It could be caused by a number of things. If you have a monitor service site close by bring it in for them to check.
 
I have the EXACT same problem with the same model Dell. All of a sudden, it looks like you can see the screen refreshing , but turning it on/off will set it straight for awhile. It has happened ever since I bought the system new 3 years ago. Originally Dell tech support had me reinstall my videocard drivers, then finally told me that I'd have to reformat my hard drive. I gave up.

Three years and one month later, I get a new computer. Of course, the monitor still doesn't work properly. I call Dell tech support again and argue that my monitor never worked from the beginning. They say there's nothing they can do since it is a month past warrenty.

I bitch for a long enough time with enough people and ask for mangement, and finally a guy says he'll write in my log that the sales dept should sell me a new monitor at a discount. I called up the sales department and after enough arguing, this woman offered me a really crappy discount on some of the older LCD screens, if I send back my CRT. I asked for her extension so that I could decide and call her back. I call her back the next day and guess what, her extension doesn't work.

Anyone else have this type of problem? Does Dell sell crappy CRT's or what? And yes, I am never buying from Dell again.
 
a monitor isnt happy when you have to reset it to make things look ok. i realized it was time after i hurt my hand hitting it to make the picture slide back on center. it started as a light tap to make it fix itself and escalated to domestic violence after only a few weeks.

sounds like you will get some more life out of it even though its a pain in the ass. even still, i'd start preparing the funeral arrangements. costs of repairing a monitor might not be cheap, this may also be the time to consider a new bride ;)
 
Originally posted by nut854
All of a sudden, it looks like you can see the screen refreshing
Click to expand...
Peruse Sam Goldwasser's most excellent Sam's Repair FAQ some time (or read it obsessively and start fixing people's TV sets). The three sections most appropriate to your problem (in order of most to least likely) are: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/monfaq.htm#monretlip, http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/monfaq.htm#monshortsc and http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/monfaq.htm#mondecefs.Since turning the monitor off and on "fixes" the problem, it may be buried somewhere in Dell's discount electronics. Does gently whacking the monitor from various angles while it's in blur-mode have any effect? A bad connection is fixable in principle. Your monitor's age is likely past the tube's half-life and simply getting a new display at this point would be much better ;)

Most large companies these days have multi-tiered customer support centers. The lowest level monkeys are simply reading from a script, may not have a good grasp of English, and by the time you have to call them you usually know much more about your system than they do. You usually have to play their game, running through the silly list of bonehead problems their scripts are designed to solve (power cord not plugged in, caps lock on, etc.) before you can get your call escalated. When escalating the call, get the first-level tech's name and badge number to show that you mean business. In fact, get everyone's name and badge number when you get transferred around a support system.
 
I had a similar problem. With my monitor the screen will tint blue depending on the position of the VGA cable. Once of my best mods was to duct tape the cable into a position that would remove the blue tint. I am thinking about getting a new monitor, but not until I get a red/pinkish tint.
 
lol.. funny stories.. these are all due to buying a computer that came with a monitor and decent specs for dirt cheap.. build your own pc and you dont have these problems... I did notice that a few years back Dell's monitors sucked, but dell sucked back then. Now Dell is a more stable company producing better products, but still... I NEVER BUY PREBUILT... EVER. I want what I want, and I want it that way. hehe. For about $199 you can get a great CRT monitor that will outlast any $599 LCD, and have better resolution/color settings.
 
Thanks for the help everyone! Looks like I'll just wait it out and buy an LCD later this summer, as originally planned. Thanks again!
 
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