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LCD monitor, dead or not?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Q
  • Start date Start date
Q

Q

Lifer
For my Compaq that I bought like 2 years ago (not for gaming, obviously), it came w/ a nice 15 inch LCD monitor, and just recently, (last week), when I turn on the PC, the PC boots up but nothing on the monitor. The green light flashes on and off constantly, and won't work. Once I got it to turn on and work, but then a few hours later, it didn't work again. Basically, when I turn the PC on, the green LED light flashes green on and off, and the screen flashes from black to white really fast, and sometimes no flash after a while.

So I tested it out on my other PC, to see if it was the vid card, and the monitor (not the LCD) works on mine. So obviously the monitor is shot. HP only has a one year warranty, and now my darn LCD is done with. BTW monitor was working fine up until a week ago.

I don't know what to ask, but is there any way to fix this or get it repaired at a shop or something? It frustrates me.

I just looked up some stuff on google, and it talks about replacing a backlight. Now, would that be my problem? My green LED still lights up, but just a black screen. Would it be the backlight or something else?

Now that I really think about it, I had a storm here, and the PC was on, that might have done something.

I'm pretty sure it isn't the backlight since when I move in close, I can't see anything at all, and plus, if backlight was/is out, I don't see why the green light would be blinking, normally it would just stay solid green.

Since it is blinking, I guess something works, but I don't know what.
 
Not sure if I can really help you but I can't stand an empty thread, LOL. You know how if ur view of the screen if you move up or down the contrast kinda changes? Like if you look down at the screen from the top it should look really bright. If it does that, the back light is not dead. Is it regular VGA or DVI connector? Doublechecked ALL connections? What does the green LED normally do when in use and in standby?
 
If the backlight is dead, you should be able to slightly see stuff being displayed very faintly. You might need a flashlight to tell.

But anyways, it doesn't seem like a backlight issue since the green light is flashing. It seems like the monitor isn't getting the signal from the video card. Not sure how to remedy it, though.

Good luck!
 
Ya but if the monitor is Compaq also, he's right about the warrenty. HP/Compaq are 1 year. May be different on the monitor, I dunno. I tried to get help from HP just after my year was up and they basically told me to take a hike. They even wanted to charge me for phone help, if I remember correctly......😵
I love HPs, they're like tanks, but their service sucks.
 
Thanks for all of the replies.

Yes, I know OEM's suck, I have my own built PC, but this is my other PC.

The LED green light usually (like most monitors) stayed green, no blinking.

I don't know what else to do. Can a PC shop fix it? If so, about how much would you think?
 
I know you prolly don't wanna hear this, but a lot of LCDs that come with OEM systems are more or less "throw-ins." Particularly the small 15" and 17" ones. That's why you'll often see ads saying things like, "Free Monitor" or "Free Monitor Upgrade" with a lot of budget systems. Some of these companies are buying cheapy monitors for a song and then almost giving them away (or just factoring their price into the rest of the system and then calling them "free"). They're often not high quality monitors to begin with (just look at their specs, if you can even find them). All in my humble opinion, of course. 😀

Anywho, don't feel too bad that a 15" Compaq LCD 'only' lasted 2 years. That's not particularly surprising.

As for what's wrong with it, my guess just from reading your post is either a power supply (in the monitor, not your PC) or, as you suspected, a backlight (and backlights should have nothing to do with panel lights like the green one you mention). I believe, however, that LCD monitors have multiple backlights -- not just one. When it comes to a small 15" LCD though, I'm not certain how many backlights it would have. If you did in fact have a power spike from the storm you mentioned, that could easily blow the monitor's power supply (or damage its LCD panel). This is all assuming, of course, that you don't have a cable, connector, or vid card prob, which you seem to have ruled out already.

If this monitor were mine, I'd try to find a service center or local shop that'll agree to diagnose the prob for a reasonable fee. Maybe spend $40 to $60 or something just to find out what's wrong. Then you can decide how to proceed. Then again, do you really want to put much $$ into a 2-year old Compaq LCD? I wouldn't -- 15" LCDs are pretty cheap nowadays and you might be better off just buying a new one.

If Compaq has any user forums, you might have better luck finding similarly afflicted users there and, hopefully, a better idea of what's wrong. And that might save you some $$. Good luck.
 
Yea, I just plugged in the monitor directly to the wall, and all it did was the LED green light blinked once, the screen flashed white, then nothing. Pushing the button again didn't do anything.

I just got done talking to a Compaq "live" person, and I'm not too happy, b/c they basically wasted 30 min., for they take like an average of 3 minutes to reply to anything you type, plus he helped me not at all. He told me that it seemed like a monitor problem, not PC....which is what I told him at the very beginning.....

So, do you guys think it is a PSU inside the monitor problem? I don't want to take it to a shop b/c they will charge me alot just to look at the thing, no even repair.
 
Originally posted by: Quintox
I just got done talking to a Compaq "live" person, and I'm not too happy, b/c they basically wasted 30 min., for they take like an average of 3 minutes to reply to anything you type, plus he helped me not at all. He told me that it seemed like a monitor problem, not PC....which is what I told him at the very beginning.....
Click to expand...

Yeah, that sounds like tech support in 2006. Except for Apple & maybe a select few other companies, most is pretty useless. I had a similar experience with McAfee a couple years ago. The rep I 'chatted' with online was a complete idiot IMHO (and rude). I haven't dealt with Compaq tech support personally before, but I've read a number of negative things about it and they're usually towards the bottom of customer satisfaction surveys IIRC.

So, do you guys think it is a PSU inside the monitor problem? I don't want to take it to a shop b/c they will charge me alot just to look at the thing, not even repair.
Click to expand...

Hard to say, particularly just talking about it here on this forum. The monitor's power supply would be my first guess, but it's not the only thing it could be. Someone will likely have to get their hands on it to diagnose the prob, unless you get lucky and find someone who's had this exact same prob & can tell you what it was.

I personally wouldn't put any money into repairing a 15" Compaq monitor, as none of them are very good anyway IMHO. You'd prolly be better off just buying a new monitor, but that depends on your budget, of course.

 
Here is a possible software fix for your LCD monitor. Yes, I said software and I don't understand how it works, but it worked for me!

The story. My friend has a 13 month old HP Pavilion desktop with a 17" HP LCD screen, model vf17. (note one month out of warranty.) Yesterday when he powered up his screen, it started flashing - black screen, no green power on light, for about 3 seconds, then the power on green light lights briefly then FLASH! the screen shows for an instant, then 3 seconds of nothing, green light, flash!, repeat ... And when the screen briefly flashes on it is the Windows desktop, the pc has booted ok.

After some Google searches I went to the HP site, searched and landed on their chat tech support. The tech came on line right away, I explained the problem and computer and lcd models. He asked the usual questions then suggested a monitor software update. To humor him I downloaded and installed the update, rebooted with the flashing monitor attached and IT WORKED! I have powered it off a few times and left it running all afternoon and it is still running!

Someone please explaing this fix to me!

Here is the update that worked for the HP vf17 LCD monitor:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/soft...28-1&product=348762&dlc=en%E2%8C%A9=en

I hope it helps someone else. Good luck!

-Mark
 
Originally posted by: marklund
Here is a possible software fix for your LCD monitor. Yes, I said software and I don't understand how it works, but it worked for me!

The story. My friend has a 13 month old HP Pavilion desktop with a 17" HP LCD screen, model vf17. (note one month out of warranty.) Yesterday when he powered up his screen, it started flashing - black screen, no green power on light, for about 3 seconds, then the power on green light lights briefly then FLASH! the screen shows for an instant, then 3 seconds of nothing, green light, flash!, repeat ... And when the screen briefly flashes on it is the Windows desktop, the pc has booted ok.

After some Google searches I went to the HP site, searched and landed on their chat tech support. The tech came on line right away, I explained the problem and computer and lcd models. He asked the usual questions then suggested a monitor software update. To humor him I downloaded and installed the update, rebooted with the flashing monitor attached and IT WORKED! I have powered it off a few times and left it running all afternoon and it is still running!

Someone please explaing this fix to me!

Here is the update that worked for the HP vf17 LCD monitor:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/soft...28-1&product=348762&dlc=en%E2%8C%A9=en

I hope it helps someone else. Good luck!

-Mark
Click to expand...

in your case, it sounds like the computer was outputting a resolution/refresh that the panel didnt like. the new inf file told windows what resolutions to use.

when my old mag lcd panel gets an out of spec resolution it goes blank, but I cant remember if the power light flashes.

that doesnt sound like the prob with the ops panel.
 
Update: the monitor is broken again.

I thought the software update fixed the monitor but today it is broken again, the same flashing routine.

Sorry for the false hopes.

Stuff breaks.

- Mark
 
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