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Monitor/ Vid Card problem

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X2sandman

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2002
Location
Melrose, MA
My dad is having a little problem with is IBM Aptiva PIII 500. We have had it for a while and he uses it for word processing and web surfing. Lately the picture on the screen has been displaying an image too big for the monitor. The image (desktop, game, Ms word, etc..) goes off the page by about 1cm on each side. I tried installing new drivers for the vid card but nothing worked. I tried all setting possible but with no avail. We then switched the monitor to a POS gateway i had lying around and it works fine. This leads me to believe there is a monitor problem. My dad wants to know of anyplace that can fix it, but i told him it would pry be better just to buy a new monitor (and comp). Before he goes out spending any money i wanted to get your opinion

Thanks in advance

-Andrew
 
Well, if switching the monitor resolved the issue, I would think that the monitor is the problem.

I suppose you tried things like degauss and reset teh monitor to its default positions, as well as shrink/stretch the display using the monitor controls?

It might well be that if the monitor is dying, the components which are responsible for steering the electron beams to the proper position on the screen are weakening, leading to a "less-tight" image on the screen. (e.g., the electromagnets that steer the beam and control the image width/height or their control circuitry may be dying.)

I'm curious -- put your hand on the monitor and let me know how hot it's getting. donny_paycheck and others have mentioned that overheading CRT's can have display issues that are resolved by cooling it off. (But I don't think that's the case here.)

One last question -- how comfortable are you (and your Dad) with your opening the monitor and looking around? (I wouldn't recommend it unless you are extremely confident and careful, as well as willing to lose the monitor.) There might be some pot's inside that allow further adjustment, since your onscreen adjustments are insufficient.

Good luck, and please post again how things are going.

-- Paul
 
good luck -- definitely try things like degauss and on-screen settings first.

good luck -- Paul
 
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