Nec Monitor. What can i do?

[Spydc]

I live in Jersey, and I have an NEC 19" Monitor Model CRT-MS95 (MultiSync95) monitor that I purchased from CompUSA on May 27, 2000. About a month ago, I had a really strange power outage where the electricity went on and off repeatedly for a short period of time. My monitor and computer were on during this time but I wasn't near it. When my power was finally restored 2 days later, I noticed that something was very wrong. The geometry near the bottom of the screen is all screwed up. It is almost like the screen is in two seperate resolutions. The top half is okay while everything seems to get smaller and squished when scrolling to the bottom of the screen. It can be quite annoying and clearly evident when scrolling from the top to the bottom of the screen. NEC has declined to repair the monitor because it was about 1 month over the 1 year warranty period. Their out of warranty service is charging me $220 to repair the monitor and $85 for return shipping. I can freaking buy this exact same monitor brand new for about $270. Anyway, what are my options? The problem hasn't rendered the screen unreadable, but it's annoying that everything is smaller at the bottom. I currently have my desktop set at 1024x768 32bits 85Hz. I've tried different resolutions and different frequencies. The problem is present upon booting up my computer so it isn't an Operating system problem. Anyway, should I go through the hassle of repairing it? Are there any repair centers or persons who would actually buy this monitor in its current condition? That way I can just buy a new one. I'm so pissed.

 

[eklass]

have you tried playing with the geometry settings built in to the monitor? most newer monitors have OSD (on-screen display) controls for adjusting your screen so the edges are parallel. the icon usually looks like this:
/ \ or \ /
Tht setting usually lets you fix what I think it is that you're having a problem with.

 

[bevancoleman]

Have you check your house insurance? Or the power company?

 

[Spydc]

It's definitely not a settings problem. I spoke to someone at risk management for my apartment building, but they don't seem concerned at all. He even said that if it goes through insurance, it could take up to a year and a half to get settled. That sucks.

 

[bevancoleman]

A year and a half.... thats fairly bad.

Often the insurance company make you repeair it, then you get you money back (though it can take a while). Given that it will probably cost a bit it is probably worth it anyway (you will get a nice cash bonus in several months time ).

 

[cofg4me]

I don't know about your hometown, but I went to a computer shop and they had an arrangement with a repairman to check out a monitor for me for $25 to diagnose the monitor and give a repair estimate. (The $25 would be applied to the repair bill.) Also we have an electronics shop in town that has the same arrangement. If the repair costs are the same or greater than the cost of the monitor I'd bite the bullet and buy a new monitor. (But it's not my money!) Hope you can find a shop to fix it cheap for you. (My monitor ended up needing a CRT. The electronics shop said that it would be worth repairing, but it was a 15" and I bought a 17" because I wanted a larger monitor!)

 

[Spydc]

Thanks for the reply guys. There is a repair center about 40 minutes from me. They have a flat rate of $110 not including crt. They are also NEC authorized. There is a fee of $35 if they aren't able to repair it. I guess i might consider them. I'm awaiting word from risk/insurance management. Those people are making no effort at all to update me on the situation.