What just happened to my monitor?
 

I have a Daytech 17" flatscreen monitor that I purchased in Sept '03. I was just looking around the web, and the picture all of a sudden started to go funny and scrolling up the screen creating multiple images. It got progressively worse over about 8 seconds, and now all that can be seen is purplish white splotches and no picture. I tried unplugging the monitor from my computer, but left it plugged into the power source, and it still showed the same purply white screen. Did my monitor just burn out - do things like these happen over 2 years with a monitor like this? FWIW I leave my computer running almost always, but the monitor has a power saver feature that puts it into standby mode after 20 mins of inactivity. Any suggestions?

Re: What just happened to my monitor?
 

You aren't running it at a refresh rate higher than supported are you?

Re: What just happened to my monitor?
 

There are a few possible problems that can cause this, and though my first instinct is to troubleshoot the monitor (fixing TVs was my hobby as a a kid), that probably isn't very useful: most TV/computer shops don't bother fixing monitors anymore, aside from the simplest, priciest repairs like swapping out mainboards or the B+ power supply.

The screen scrolling is a vertical sync issue, and if I understand your description, you then developed a blowout of your horzontal sync, too. The best case is that your video card is generating the wrong signal because of a corrupted driver. The card is cheaper to replace and sometimes you just need to reinstall thr driver or use a different resolution/pallette.

1. Does the computer show text normally during boot. Does it stay reliable aster an hour or so in command prompt mode?

2. Does the display work properly and stably in VGA when you boot into Safe mode?

3. If your video starts out okay in normal mode, you might check if it is stable at lower resolution/pallette

4. If the computer can be trusted for about 10 minutes in normal or safe mode, try downloading the latest driver for you card, turning the computer off to let your card "cool" (to give yourself the maximum time, in case the install takes a while) and then booting and installing the drivers.

Alternatively, you can check your monitor (vs. card) by seeing how it works with another desktop or laptop, and then check your video outpur by using another monitor (if you have one or can borrow one)

There's more, but that's the first level of things to check, on a unknown monitor and video card.

Re: What just happened to my monitor?
 

I have unplugged my flatscreen and replaced it with the stock CRT that came with my computer now and it works fine. It's just a pain to have this big bulky thing on my desk, and it's just not near as nice in general.

I'm pretty certain it is not a video card issue, and it is the monitor itself. As I mentioned, I tried disconnecting the monitor from my computer, and leaving it plugged into the power outlet. Normally this would just give a black screen with a "No Signal" display. Instead, now it gives my screwed up purple screen just like it would when it was plugged in.

Re: What just happened to my monitor?
 

Okay, I misunderstood. FWIW "flatscreen" means a CRT that has a [nearly] flat screen. This term was established a good decade before today's reasonably priced LCD monitors.

It does sound like the problem is with your monitor. You'll have more luck getting an LCD fixed than a CRT, since, unlike the high internal voltages (thousands of volts) of a CRT, it's mostly digital-circuit voltages internally, except for the backlight power supply (which is a small circuit tucked out of the way)