Diagnose this issue

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Mickey2013

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Jun 18, 2013
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Long story so please bare with me.


Around April of this year, my PC started to display a strange glitch. The left side of the screen was bent inward. Like someone took a shovel to my windows xp display, and as a result, the left side of the screen is noticeably bent inward. I originally thought this was a video card problem. My model was a Gateway e4100. So I bought a new PC off ebay. Same model. After hooking it up, I still see the same problem! To move this story along quicker, I have bought 3 Gateway e4100's (seller refurbished) from Ebay and I am still having the same problem with this left-side-bent-inward display.

I thought the computers were faulty with bad cards, video chipsets, or something. So I sent them all back. I have tested different hard drives, three different monitors (2 CRT's 1 Flatscreen), have taken the PC out of the living room and into one of the bedrooms for testing, have fiddled with the monitor settings for trapezoid, pin-cushion, etc., have checked out the VGA cables which aren't damaged, and then today. A Gateway e4610 with Windows 7 installed which I ordered from New Egg arrived. Manufacturer Refurbished. I got it hooked up, turned it on, and THE SAME ISSUE!

The left side of the screen is bent inwards still! I tested my flatscreen with this new unit and the issue persists! I am at my wits end now. Can anyone take a stab at nailing down the problem? I don't know what else to do. I thought my monitor could be the issue but three monitors don't all go bad at the same time. And prior to the first week of April, everything was gravy. Then within that first week, this (whatever it is) happened. This is the strangest PC issue I've ever encountered. Are there any codes I can put into run command to perhaps fix this issue?
 
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SecurityTheatre

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Aug 14, 2011
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I have seen a similar issue when there was a strong electric field (such as a high power motor, or transformer) very near the VGA cable.

Things that can be described like "bent" are clearly analog problems. There is no way for an LCD, or the digital components of a video card to cause something analog like a "bend" in the graphics - faults in digital components result in glitches, blocks, random colors or textures, etc. So clearly, this is in an analog component, and the only analog component in your video display system is the VGA signal from the video card to the display (unless you have a CRT, then the CRT components are also analog).

To me, this indicates it's a fault with your VGA cable, a lack of shielding in the VGA cable, or a high power field that is interfering with the VGA signal.
 
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Mickey2013

Junior Member
Jun 18, 2013
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SecurityTheatre said:
I have seen a similar issue when there was a strong electric field (such as a high power motor, or transformer) very near the VGA cable.

Things that can be described like "bent" are clearly analog problems. There is no way for an LCD, or the digital components of a video card to cause something analog like a "bend" in the graphics - faults in digital components result in glitches, blocks, random colors or textures, etc. So clearly, this is in an analog component, and the only analog component in your video display system is the VGA signal from the video card to the display (unless you have a CRT, then the CRT components are also analog).

To me, this indicates it's a fault with your VGA cable, a lack of shielding in the VGA cable, or a high power field that is interfering with the VGA signal.
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I have tested two CRT's with this unit though. A Gateway ev700 17 inch, and a Gateway ev700 20 inch. I'd tested two flatscreens. A Gateway 25 inch flat screen, and a Gateway TFT flatscreen. I've tested this in different rooms as well. There's no high power field in my house. I have heaters which are not on this time of year obviously.

I have flatscreen tv's, and color tv's, a DVD player, a Microwave. None of these things have ever interfered with my PC before. And when I did testing in one of the bed rooms. All that was in there was a weight bench, a TV, bed, shelf, dresser, and a chair. Mostly wooden things. Here's a link I found online about EMI...



http://www.networktechinc.com/article-noise.html



^My display looks nothing like that....here's a screenshot. Notice the bending in the display on the left side as mentioned.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2zpi8pj.jpg
 
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DrPizza

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
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I can't open that image here, but if you simply took a "screen shot" using the computer, then the image is simply what it's sending to the screen, not necessarily what's on the screen. Heck, you could take a screen shot with the monitor turned off and still get the image.
 
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Mickey2013

Junior Member
Jun 18, 2013
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DrPizza said:
I can't open that image here, but if you simply took a "screen shot" using the computer, then the image is simply what it's sending to the screen, not necessarily what's on the screen. Heck, you could take a screen shot with the monitor turned off and still get the image.
Click to expand...


I figured as much. Do you think it's possible that the graphics controller card could simply be bad in all of these computers? They are refurbished. The first one I bought back in October of last year was running fine until April. Then this issue appeared.

So I bought another Gateway e4100 from 3 different sellers. They all had the same problem. Then the Gateway e4610 from New Egg with Windows 7 installed. Again, same problem. The New Egg one was Manufacturer refurbished though. Could my luck be THAT bad?
 
Murloc

Murloc

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Jun 24, 2008
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I don't see anything out of the norm except for the blue line on the start button.

Can you post pics of the distortion with the LCD monitor? That would make it easier to see it since those screens are actually flat and not curved glass.

Have you tried the same set-up in another house/building?
 
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Mickey2013

Junior Member
Jun 18, 2013
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Murloc said:
I don't see anything out of the norm except for the blue line on the start button.

Can you post pics of the distortion with the LCD monitor? That would make it easier to see it since those screens are actually flat and not curved glass.

Have you tried the same set-up in another house/building?
Click to expand...



I live in a apartment in Midtown NYC so just gathering up equipment to take elsewhere wouldn't be easy. I don't have that sort of relationship with my neighbors. And have no friends under an hour from me.
 
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