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General discussion

Dodgy Monitor

Aug 19, 2004 11:31AM PDT

Ive had a Packard Bell Desktop PC for about 4yrs and for about the last year(im new to this forum Happy) the monitor has been faulty. basically the contrast/brightness/hue, wahtever u wanna call it is dodgy. the screen has gone dull so it makes it difficult to see certain images on screen. i can still use the comp, but its just a little 'dark'. the funny thing is, if it tilt the monitor on to the left or right, or even up a bit, the normal screen brightness returns. but once i let go, the screen goes dark again. im pretty sure its nothin i cn fix at home, but im just wonderin if anyones had a prob like thi b4 and if it cost much to fix it. sounds like a lose connection, but i know nothing about monitors.

Discussion is locked

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3 foster now Paddy
Aug 19, 2004 8:50PM PDT

Its like this Paddy no matter what is wrong with the monitor it will usually cost a minimum of 1 hour labour + any parts - most places seem to charge an up front fee of a standard hour - best to ring packard bell and ask them what their fees are - if it is a good monitor it maybe worth while fixing - but like all computer equipment the prices have dropped that much a new one is not more expensive than getting the old one repaired - and the newer models are a lot better - one other thought is that some companies give a trade-in value so it is worth while asking about that when you ring Packard.
Paddy, it is getting to the point these days where nothing gets fixed just replaced. If it were me i would pull the monitor case off and at least see if i can find some lose connections - but be careful not to give yourself an electric shock!!
Peter

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Don't Open that monitor!!!
Aug 19, 2004 11:31PM PDT

To definitely narrow down what is going wrong either use a different monitor on the computer or take the monitor to another computer and see if you still have the problem, sometimes this is the video card, not the monitor.

Be aware that a monitor holds at least 10,000 VOLTS, and after being unplugged for 3 or 4 months can still pack a wallop that will throw you across the room in an instant if you touch the wrong part. Do not open one up and try and work with it unless you know exactly what you are doing.

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Re: Dodgy Monitor
Aug 20, 2004 12:15AM PDT

Getting 3-yrs from a monitor is very good and anything beyond that is a plus. However, after 5-yrs, usually some problem crops up and its best to toss the monitor as any repair may not be cost effective. As it is, some replacement monitors are just more capable and it would be nice to jump into a 4-yr. later model and enjoy what it can deleiver. The choice is yours...

good luck Willy Happy

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Only 3 years?
Aug 22, 2004 3:21AM PDT

My main monitor is a 9 year old NEC MultiSync xv17, and it's as good as the day I bought it. I've seen many monitors that failed after only 2 years, (cold solder joints in the video input section) but almost as many that took >10 years. I'd say that there may be an issue of quality and price here, but I've never seen a correlation between service life and brand name. If you can get your "druthers" get a monitor that uses a separate cable, it's painful to discard a monitor for a connection issue.

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Re: Only 3 years?
Aug 22, 2004 6:20PM PDT

"My main monitor is a 9 year old NEC MultiSync xv17, and it's as good as the day I bought it."
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

I'm happy for you but look around do you really see that many 9-yr. old monitors around unless they have to be. Like I said, it's a real plus to get beyond 3-yrs+. I'm using a older Compaq 17in. myself at least 5yrs. and when it goes, I won't think twice about fixing it, toss it and rumage around for another "used" one. As you've may have noticed, "quality matters" and NEC is a decent name in my book. Happy

good luck -----Willy

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Paddy, JMachi is right
Aug 20, 2004 6:32AM PDT

As I said, "if it were ME i would open it up... and be careful you dont give yourself a shock" But i know what I am doing and I make sure the power is turned off - but i am also not worried about the fact that there is 10,000 volts as it is the combonation of volts "and amps" that kill you - so when JMachi say it will "throw you" he is correct but it wont kill you - more of a "shock" than an electric shock (after all farmers put up electric fences that are 10,000 volts to keep horses in!!)
Anyway on reflection best not to live dangerously like me - after all i am australian - but you know what - bet it is just your lead to your monitor from the computer that is stuffed - try wiggling it to see what happens - bet the screen flickers as you have explained
- let me know
Peter

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Re: Paddy, JMachi is right
Aug 20, 2004 8:23AM PDT

Thanks Pete! nah, im not plannin on openeing it, but its def the monitor cuz ive tried it with other comps and the monitor is still dodgy. ive tried messin with the leads but no differnce so far, but im gonna get a lend of my mates lead and see if that helps, he has the same monitor. A lot of people say to me that I shud be grateful that i got 4 yrs out of a monitor, but they forget...they're talkin to the guy who had Win 98SE for almost 4yrs without havin to re-install once! Bonza! oh, and thanks for the cd-progs, it appears my dvd can write up to 16x, but that seems a bit high. can you even buy 16x dvd-r's?

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Re: Paddy, JMachi is right
Aug 21, 2004 3:46AM PDT