If it is a bad monitor, I have about 20,000(figure grossly overestimated) I am trying to get rid of at work. Let me know if you(or anyone) is interested. I have from old 8"monochromes, to newish 28" sun drafting screens.
Computer Problem...
- Thread starter 125gJoe
- Start date
Have you checked power saving options in the control panel? Just make sure "turn off monitor after ... minutes" option is not turned on. I would also try to barrow a different monitor and see if you have the same problem. After that I would check the video card, make sure it is getting enough cooling and all the fans are spinning dust free. Good luck.
I haven't had time to dig into the machine yet. Hopefully by Saturday I will know what the problem is.. Thanks for the replies!
There's no time to get to the Control Panel to check anything, as it glitches and stumbles and then shuts down before I can change any settings.
There's no time to get to the Control Panel to check anything, as it glitches and stumbles and then shuts down before I can change any settings.
Hey Joe,
LCD Issues....
You can seperate the LCD screen vs. Video card issue by connecting the laptop to an external Monitor. If the image is fine on the CRT than it is your LCD.
Anytime I see white horizontal lines it's typically the LCD panel going
. Unfourtunatley, 4 years sounds about right for this type of failure.
Another thing to try: Gently squeeze around the perimiter of your LCD panel. Not the panel itself but the plastic just outside of it. Lightly squeeze all around it and wiggle the screen around. If the LCD fades in and out or randomly displays those white lines then you might have have a loose connection where the display meets the video card.
When the screen goes black can you see a vary faint image of your desktop in the background? I used to see this a lot on Toshiba laptops when the flourecent(sp) inverter would go. It basically stops illuminating your LCD.
As far as powersaving goes... Disable it all until you work out your issues. Especially if you are typically plugged in. You should be able to find an 'Always on' profile under power options. Disable hibernation and set your screen not to dim.
LCD Issues....
You can seperate the LCD screen vs. Video card issue by connecting the laptop to an external Monitor. If the image is fine on the CRT than it is your LCD.
Anytime I see white horizontal lines it's typically the LCD panel going
. Unfourtunatley, 4 years sounds about right for this type of failure.Another thing to try: Gently squeeze around the perimiter of your LCD panel. Not the panel itself but the plastic just outside of it. Lightly squeeze all around it and wiggle the screen around. If the LCD fades in and out or randomly displays those white lines then you might have have a loose connection where the display meets the video card.
When the screen goes black can you see a vary faint image of your desktop in the background? I used to see this a lot on Toshiba laptops when the flourecent(sp) inverter would go. It basically stops illuminating your LCD.
As far as powersaving goes... Disable it all until you work out your issues. Especially if you are typically plugged in. You should be able to find an 'Always on' profile under power options. Disable hibernation and set your screen not to dim.
I haven't tried Safe Mode.
I'm also going to dust off an old CRT and hook it up to the Dell desktop and see what happens. Thanks.. And I will be sure to turn off power saving modes.
Since this is a daily use computer, it rarely gets powered down all the way.
I've heard two very different stories on whether to leave a computer on ALL the time, or shut it down daily. Any comments on that, for future reference?
I'm also going to dust off an old CRT and hook it up to the Dell desktop and see what happens. Thanks.. And I will be sure to turn off power saving modes.
Since this is a daily use computer, it rarely gets powered down all the way.
I've heard two very different stories on whether to leave a computer on ALL the time, or shut it down daily. Any comments on that, for future reference?
lol. i never shut mine down .. it is always running .. havent had no problems...umm if your system is a Dell i would chek the video card .. someone else just recently went through the same thing you are .. same symptoms .. and it turned out to be the video card .. so if you are still under warranty then i would chek with them ..
Marn
Marn
125gJoe said:
as a general rule, I shut mine down every 4 days or so...you shouldn't do it daily, but you shouldn't let it run forever...I think 4 is a good number cuz your computer needs to be adjusted to the shock of a shutdown, and everyday is too much, but every 20 days is not enough IMO...
My dad ran his 486 none stop for 8 years till it died (it was setup as a fax machine). If you're going to keep the computer on all the time just make sure it is getting good air circulation. Also it should be dusted off often, specially if you keep it on the floor. An idle computer won't generate much heat. It's a good idea to use a battery backup for blackouts and surges.
My laptop gets shut down every day when I go back and forth to work. If it breaks I just grab a new one 
....
As far as hardware is concerned, heat is the enemy of all electrical components... Letting it cool while your not using it probably doesn't hurt. Although I guess the argument is the daily heating and cooling could cause problems (contracting/expanding)? Just don't leave it in your freezing car all night then turn it on right away. I see a lot of issues with this in the winter. The quick temperature rise can cause a lot of problems.
As far as software is concerned I would restart whenever your computer starts bogging down
. I have servers that I restart once a year as a best practice but they probably don't need it and I have EAs that restart twice a day becasue of all the crap they load on their machines.
They fight me to keep their desktop flags, weather bug, webshots and every other garbage background app they can get their hands on...
No mater how much trouble they cause.
No offense to the fans of the afore mentioned applications
....As far as hardware is concerned, heat is the enemy of all electrical components... Letting it cool while your not using it probably doesn't hurt. Although I guess the argument is the daily heating and cooling could cause problems (contracting/expanding)? Just don't leave it in your freezing car all night then turn it on right away. I see a lot of issues with this in the winter. The quick temperature rise can cause a lot of problems.
As far as software is concerned I would restart whenever your computer starts bogging down
. I have servers that I restart once a year as a best practice but they probably don't need it and I have EAs that restart twice a day becasue of all the crap they load on their machines.They fight me to keep their desktop flags, weather bug, webshots and every other garbage background app they can get their hands on
...No mater how much trouble they cause.
No offense to the fans of the afore mentioned applications
