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Some advice please

I

imported_Katie

Junior Member
I hope I am posting this in the right place. A few weeks ago I noticed my display was blurred. At first I thought it was my eyes, seriously, but when I turned the monitor off and back on again the display was clear. Every time I turn the monitor on it eventually blurs, sometimes within the first minute and sometimes a little longer, but it eventually blurs. It clears up each time I turn it off and then back on but this is getting real old, real fast. The monitor is a Dell 1626ht 21" Sony Trinitron. I bought it a couple of years ago as a refurbished monitor. The computer is fairly new, about a year old, and came with an S3 Graphics ProSavage DDR. It's probably obvious I don't know much about computers and I've probably left out some important information, but I have spent the last couple of weeks trying to find any information that might explain what the problem is, with no luck, and then I found this site.
I would appreciate any help or advice.
Thank you in advance.😱😕
 
I don't think you did anything to cause it. These things just happen with CRTs.

I don't think it is something the end user is supposed to adjust either - a Dell authorized repair outfit might be able to help you. Don't try to fix it yourself. CRTs have dangerous internal components and can shock you.
 
Ok, thanks Pandaren. No, I wouldn't dare attempt that kind of thing. I was afraid it might be going out, just my luck. I was sure hoping it would just be the driver or the card or something I could do.
Just time for a new monitor I guess.
Thanks so much.
 
About the only "repairs" a user can perform on a CRT is the manual adjustment controls.
And it sounds like that is no help to your problem.

Opening the monitor case is generally a bad idea and is dangerous for us amatuers.

Also, unless you have a buddy who does professional TV or monitor repairs, the cost
is usually not worth it.

Its safe to say that a two year old refurbished monitor is out of waranty, so Dell is
not going to be much help. I would call them anyway, who knows what they might do.

If possible, try to hook up the monitor to a diferent computer to determine if the
malfunction repeats itself. And to rule out the very remote possibility that the
computer (or video card) is the problem and not the monitor.

The bottom line is that there isn't much you can do to an ailing monitor.

I may have overlooked some item and an alert viewer will correct that.

Good Luck ___________

 
I worked with 140+ desk tops for 4 years at my last job. I never saw a monitor that got fuzzy/blurry that could be adjusted. Usually they were just getting old and "tired" and we threw them away at that point. As cheap as monitors have become, if they were out of warranty, we just bought knew ones. If yours is getting "tired" and there is no warranty, start shopping for a new one. It all depends on how bad it is, whether or not you can tolorate it, and what you can afford to spend on a replacement.

I doubt hooking that monitor up to a different computer will make any difference, not in my experience anyway. Any monitor that was fuzzy that I removed from a users desk at work I would usually test later to double check, and the results were always the same.

Good luck.
 
Thanks techwanabe, I'm increasingly afraid that's the case. I have an even older 17" Hitachi that I can use if this one does go out, I've just really gotten use to this big screen! It's odd though, I've been on about 4 hours this morning and have only had to turn the monitor off twice to get a clear picture and that was when I first turned it on. There doesn't seem to be any particular pattern for this malfunction. What I mean is, it doesn't matter how long it's on when it happens like if something was getting hot, it just gradually gets blurrier and blurrier. I haven't waited to see what will happen if I dont' turn it off but I think the next time is does it I will, at this point, just out of morbid curiosity!!
Thanks so much.
 
Many better monitors have a small hole on the lower side of the monitor case that you can adjust focus by inserting a screw driver in the hole and turn a focus adjustment. Like Techwannabe said if it is a old monitor or refurb it may not do much to help then again it may. Generally it does good if it is a rather new monitor and focus was not set correctly at factory. Never never buy a refurb monitor. If you do be prepared for it to last ~1 year. It is probably time to start looking for a new one but you can email dell tech about where the focus port is on that monitor and try that first. If you have the owners manual it will probably show in that also. Also if you are using a high resolution then drop it down and see if it improves. One last thing, the monitor should degauss when you turn it on. It makes a loud sound when powered up if there is a video signal. In other words it may not degauss if you turn the monitor on with the computer powered down. You can try manually degaussing the next time you notice blurry text and see if that improves it.
 
Thank you bucksnort. I can't find the little hole to adjust focus so I guess it doesn't have one. I am on dial-up and was disconnected a few minutes ago and noticed as soon as I got back online the screen blurred. Coincidence I guess but I disconnected several times to see if it would happen again and it didn't.
I waited a few minutes before turning off the monitor to see if it would get any worse or go out completely and it did neither. I don't know much about using the manual controls for the monitor so I don't mess with them very much but I will try that manual degaussing next time.
Thanks so much.
 
I have a 21" Hitachi that has the same issue, it generaly means one of 2 things 1 the electron guns that display the image are out of alignment (not common unless your display has been droped or hit recently) or the high voltage stage in your monitor is starting to fail (this tends to be the part that wears out in CRTs and makes them die as it's the part that heats up and cools down the most) In either case your monitor could last for years more like that or fail right away, but it's time to replace it as the cost for either repair will exceed the cost of a nice new 19-21" CRT
 
One other thing to try is to plug your monitor into a different outlet and preferrably running through a surge unit that has signal interference filtering. Also make sure you have nothing in close proximity to your monitor that may produce interferrence such as fans, speakers, other electrical components.
 
Well, I haven't hit it recently and I never move it as I only outweigh it by 30 pounds!! LOL. I will have to have help to haul it off when I do replace it. I sure hope it does last a while longer. I'm a bit irratated at spending 400 on this one and it developing this problem so soon.
Oh well!!
Thanks so much.
 
I do have it plugged into a surge protector but that must be the only thing I did right as my printer is on one side and my tower on the other and my speakers sit right on top of the monitor!!
I've had this configuration since I purchased the monitor. I had no idea it could be potentially damaging.
 
Your monitor is getting old. It could be any of a number of circuit components, or it could be the CRT. If there's a monitor repair place in your area, you could get an estimate, but since it's a refurb, they may tell you it's already been pushed to its limits.

If the estimated cost is anywhere near the cost of a good new monitor, it's time to replace it. OTOH, the really cheap ones aren't worth buying new. My favorite would be a ViewSonic G series monitor. You can get a 19" for around $200.
 
The fact that the monitor gets blurry after a period of being turned on indicates an unstable or flakey component, probably with degrading performance as it heats up or something. Its a repair job at the least, but probably more likely replacement is going to be the most cost effective and least hassle.

As was mentioned, The Samsung 19-inch can be had inexpensively new (at Best Buy for $180) - it is still pretty big and a good over all monitor for a good price.
 
Originally posted by: techwanabe
As was mentioned, The Samsung 19-inch can be had inexpensively new (at Best Buy for $180) - it is still pretty big and a good over all monitor for a good price.
Click to expand...
We agree about the repair/replace situation, but if you compare a ViewSonic G series (not an A or E series) monitor with a Samsung, it's an easy choice to spend the extra $20 or so.

I recently took a friend monitor shopping and did just that comparison, and there's... well... no comparison. The ViewSonic has a sharper pic with better contrast and color depth when hooked to the same computer with the same vid card and the same graphic info on the screen.
 
Thanks so much. I had to install a new cd rom and just now finished but thank you all for your help. It seems the general consensus is that my monitor is about to go out, which was my fear.
I haven't shopped for one recently and had no idea of the cost, so thanks for the information. I had a Toyota Corolla many years ago and put almost 300,000 miles on it before I gave it to my sister and she drove it another year or so, so I will get what mileage I can out of this monitor before I junk it!! LOL.
Thanks again!
 
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