Horizontal Line on Monitor. Help.!

[ZeroTwo]

Hi,
I have a Dell S2240L 21.5 inch monitor. I think it was last month when this problem started happening.
There is a horizontal line (red) on the left side of the monitor, sometimes it would just go away by itself and sometimes, I need to press (lightly) on the screen to make it go away. But this time, it has been 2 days now and won't go away.

The monitor isn't more than 2 years yet and should still be under warranty but unfortunately, I have lost the invoice/receipt which is going to be necessary in order to claim the warranty. I have seen someone who said that the LCD glue can become loose which will cause those lines to appear (or something like that).

Will it be hard to fix by myself? I have searched for an online guide for the solution but couldn't find how to take it apart and fix it. If you can link me or tell me a solution, it'd be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Oh! and by the way, I have tried different, ports, different PC, different cables but doesn't help. Which make sure that it is the monitor that is to blame.

Correction : Its vertical line not horizontal, I'm sorry XD

 

[dave_the_nerd]

LCD glue? That's a new one to me.

If there's something wrong with the panel, no, that's not something you can fix yourself. If it's a bad internal cable, those can be replaced easily enough.

I would check out Dell's website and see if you can find warranty coverage info for the monitor by searching for serial number. (Most manufacturers have a "Warranty Widget" that lets you look it up.)

If you originally bought it from Dell or through Amazon or another online retailer, you can look up your purchase history and reprint an invoice/receipt. (Even if you don't have the original packing slip.)

 

[ZeroTwo]

Only the 27" and larger Dell monitors get a service tag number. If you purchased the 24" or smaller monitor directly from Dell, you automatically get a Dell Order and Customer number tying you to the monitor. If you purchased the 24" or smaller monitor from a reseller, you cannot register the monitor into your name.

This is what a staff said on a Dell forum.

and also,

Regrettably, Dell does not repair monitors, sell monitor components, or have disassembly documentation. You will need to search for the panel on eBay or other parts reseller or simply replace the whole monitor

So, its pretty hopeless trying to claim the warranty. I shouldn't have bought Dell :/
I bought it from a local store in my place and trying to contact them without a receipt seems hopeless too.

Btw, I did some cleaning and probably due to applying of some pressure on the screen, the vertical line has now turned blue from red

Only if I know how to take the covers apart. I can at least try to figure out what is wrong.

 

[Valantar]

What they mean when they say they don't repair monitors is that if your warranty claim goes through, they will ship you a new/refurbished monitor, not repair the one you have. Yours will in turn either be recycled or refurbished and sold or used as a swap unit for another warranty claim. And so on, and so on.

I had zero issues replacing my girlfriend's 72713HM last year when it died - they even cross shipped the replacement, which is pretty much unheard of in Norway. My experience with Dell customer service is good.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

What they mean when they say they don't repair monitors is that if your warranty claim goes through, they will ship you a new/refurbished monitor, not repair the one you have. Yours will in turn either be recycled or refurbished and sold or used as a swap unit for another warranty claim. And so on, and so on.

This. OP, I'd really get to work finding that receipt. (The store may have a record, actually - can't hurt to ask.)

Only if I know how to take the covers apart. I can at least try to figure out what is wrong.

Without a pretty hard-core electronics testbench, you probably wouldn't be able to find the problem.

And LCD monitor has 4 basic components - the LCD panel, the inverter board, the power supply, and the cables that connect those components to each other. IMO, your issue sounds like a bad cable, so that's where I'd start. But "repair" just means replacing the components until you hit a combination that works. Which is kinda lame if you actually want to "fix" stuff, but makes my life as a tech REALLY simple.

 

[ZeroTwo]

Thanks for all your replies, I couldn't come online for a while because my main Hard drive went bad and I had to replace it.

On the topic, I've found a discussion regarding on my original "LCD glue" post on the lenovo forums.

One guy said

The problem is something called a column driver. There is a connection to every column of pixels on your screen. If you have a wxga screen, there are 1280 of them. The connection is made by a strip of tape with contacts, that is held against the back of the panel by the adhesive between the contacts. Sometimes, the tape works its way loose due to age or vibration. It can be strained through incorrect routing of cables, etc during assembly or repair. It can also come loose if the screen is hit or strained. The "fix" is to replace the screen

and another one replied

"The "fix" is to replace the screen."

I have this problem, my laptop is not within warranty, a new screen is expensive, for now, a folded piece of paper inserted behind the plastic fascia pressing on the place that has come unstuck is solving the problem, it moves sometimes and needs putting back in the right place again, but it works well enough.

This doesn't sound too hard, no? I have taken apart few things like laptops, graphic cards etc. But I haven't had any experience with PC monitors. What would you suggest, try it or take it to a repair store?
Although I don't really want to go to a repair store since they'll probably suggest replacing the whole LCD which will be too expensive.