Is my monitor dying?

I have a NEC MultiSync XV15+ manufactured in '96

It's been a great monitor. . but today is the beginning of it's last.

I rarely get BSOD, but I got 1 last night and noticed the screen was garbled . . . like the resolution was off. I ignored it and pressed ESC and continued working.

Later I rebooted and noticed the POST screen was garbled. I thought it was really strange since I powered down. Luckily, once Windows loaded the native 800X600 resolution showed fine . . . but I noticed the monitor's power LED didn't show . . and the push button adjustment buttons aren't lit up or functioning.

I tried rebooting again, but my monitor is stuck in that last resolution before the BSOD, 16-bit 800X600

I found out I can also use 32-bit 640X480, but not 16-bit 640X480

HOWEVER, the display has shrunk to 50% the size of the screen! And I can't use the broken adjustment buttons to stretch the display.

Is it dying?

I not longer hear the "click" I once heard when it would switch resolutions.

Damnit! does anybody have the URL of that "cheap monitor" discussion going on here? :damn:
 
it does that automatically with the power button. There is no manual degause button. . . However, all of my buttons no longer work now. :-(

Yes, I have tried powering it on and off a few times.
 
I have a 15" monitor you can have for the cost of shipping ^_^;;; well shipping and however the hell you package a monitor for shipping lol.
 
Originally posted by Scared0o0Rabbit@Sep 5, 2003 @ 06:35 PM

I have a 15" monitor you can have for the cost of shipping ^_^;;; well shipping and however the hell you package a monitor for shipping lol.

That might end up dead too by the time it arives -- especially if it's shipped UPS
 
Btw the bit depth of a particular resoultion should not have any effect on the monitor. The video card automatically outputs the colors as 24 bit anyway.
 
My father has worked for several large pc resellers. At one point during a tour of a fedex, he saw one of the monitors they'd shipped... come down the conveyer... get stuck... then the next thing down was a muffler... and said muffler put a hole right through the box... and the monitor. APparently the fedex tour person said afterwards, "You weren't supposed to see that."
 
Originally posted by Scared0o0Rabbit@Sep 5, 2003 @ 07:41 PM

My father has worked for several large pc resellers. At one point during a tour of a fedex, he saw one of the monitors they'd shipped... come down the conveyer... get stuck... then the next thing down was a muffler... and said muffler put a hole right through the box... and the monitor. APparently the fedex tour person said afterwards, "You weren't supposed to see that."

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Well I've had better experiences so far with FedEx and even the USPS than UPS.

I had a whole PC system trashed during delivery and had to get the insurance money -- but even that whole process took 2 months!

My new mobo and CPU got delivered via FedEx today according to their website, so hope all went well with those.
 
One time 2 days in a row, fedex put my package on the truck and status said it was out for delivery. Then they never came all day. Twice! What makes me even angrier was I payed for 2nd day delivery! That was after it taking 2 days from when they picked it up to the time it got to the local fedex place.
 
Something like clears or adjusts for the magenetic field. It's been quite handy the few times I've needed it, and sorely missed the times I needed it and didn't have it.
 
racketboy, take the topic where it flows . . . I don't care.

What kind of Mobo and CPU did you get?

I left the monitor unplugged for 24 hours, powered it on, it was garbled on the previous working resolution, powered it off, powered it on, and now works good, . . . but stilll doesn't change resolutions, but at least it's in my preferred resolution.

I'm going to use it until it blows . . . hopefully not in my face.

Scared0o0Rabbit, Thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mind. I do have several extra 14-inch monitors around . . . but those are like torture devices to the eyes. I'm gonna squeeze every juice of life out of this one first.

gameboy900, you're too smart for your own good. I have no idea what you're saying. All I know is the monitor would only work with 2 of many settings; "16bit 800X600" and "32bit 640X480." I don't have 24bit as an option on this video card.

RitualOfTheTrout, "degauss" is another word for "de-magnet-ize" . . or whatever. It neutralizes any magnetic field that has built up inside the monitor.
 
Actually I know exactly what I'm talking about. A monitor uses RGB (maybe you heard of it?) to display the image. Each of the three colors uses 8bits of information (more or less, depending on how accurate the encoder is) in the final image. What bit depth the video card processes the image at doesn't matter as it always gets upgraded to 24 bit (32bit is a misnomer btw, it's really 24 bits of color info and an extra 8 bits for other stuff usually the alpha (transparency) channel).

As for it working on only certain resolutions and bit depths could have alot to do with what refresh rate the video card decided to use at each on. It may have picked a higher/lower rate for the two different bit depths at 640x480. Some cards lower the refresh rate when you increase the bit depth to maintain overall speed.

Little factoid: An analog monitor (read CRT) can in theory display an infinite number of colors. It's only limited by the possible variances in line voltage that it's generally limited to the 16 million mark (then again we can only see 10 million or so colors so that's no big deal.)
 
I suspect an overheating, poorly powered and/or dying video card / chipset more than a dying monitor, even though monitors are generally more failure-prone than video chipsets. Like GB said, if 640x480 works in one color depth, it should work in all of them, since the only difference should be the configuration of the video processor's RAMDAC. The sync timings (i.e. the only thing the monitor really cares about) for the 640x480 modes should be either identical or extremely similar; certainly closer to one another than to a different resolution. The monitor controls not working is a bit odd, but it could possibly be explained by the onboard processor seeing a borderline acceptable sync signal (especially if the controls are onscreen). I suggest finding another computer to try the monitor on...

It may have picked a higher/lower rate for the two different bit depths at 640x480.

Yeah, but it would have had to be a different vertical refresh rate, not horizontal, and then higher resolutions should probably work too by virtue of having an equal or lower vertical refresh rate...

edit: just ignore me, I'm not thinking clearly at the moment. Of course the horizontal refresh rate would scale with vertical...

An analog monitor (read CRT) can in theory display an infinite number of colors.

Unless you listen to those pesky quantum physicists, of course. :ph34r:
 
Originally posted by Tindo@heart@Sep 6, 2003 @ 12:01 AM

racketboy, take the topic where it flows . . . I don't care.

What kind of Mobo and CPU did you get?

I got an Intel D875PBZ (their flagship board) and a 2.4Hgz Pentium 4C.

The package came ok, but the mobo retail box looks like it's been opened before.

Any I don't see any screws or anything to mount the board. Is this normal?
 
The package came ok, but the mobo retail box looks like it's been opened before.

I'd worry about the mobo and peripheral bags inside more than the box, unless you notice that stuff was loosely packed (e.g. foam was missing). The mobo bag should be sealed with an ESD warning sticker, which typically (but not always) has to be torn to open the bag.

Any I don't see any screws or anything to mount the board. Is this normal?

Yeah. Mounting screws should come with the case rather than the board.
 
Originally posted by ExCyber@Sep 6, 2003 @ 02:33 AM

The package came ok, but the mobo retail box looks like it's been opened before.

I'd worry about the mobo and peripheral bags inside more than the box, unless you notice that stuff was loosely packed (e.g. foam was missing). The mobo bag should be sealed with an ESD warning sticker, which typically (but not always) has to be torn to open the bag.

Any I don't see any screws or anything to mount the board. Is this normal?

Yeah. Mounting screws should come with the case rather than the board.

alright then, everything seems ok then.

I'll check my case when I get home.

Wish me luck -- it's my first time building a PC from scratch
 
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