Out of nowhere, on Sunday afternoon my computer screen suddenly turned dark--not so dark I can't see anything, but much darker than normal, and some things I can't see: especially pics of people. I can also see some static on the screen occasionally. I turned if off all day Monday while I was at work (I have AT&T Broadband and a Gateway PC, Windows 98), turned it back on when I got home that night and rebooted it--and the date was all fucked up and the screen still this dark color.

Anybody know what could be wrong? About a year ago, the motherboard went and I had to get that replaced. Battier thinks my monitor is about to go...

Its probably only weird looking cuz you can see your ugly reflection in it.

Nah. If its insured, phone up your insurers.
We've only just had our monitor changed.

Attitude said:

Oh, yes, you're doing really well here...

Attitude said:

"Charming" ...

Attitude said:

It might be nice to put a razz or a wink in there. Unless you're purposefully being an asshole.

AnotherLover2 said:

Thanx!

Boob said:

Your right. But unless you 3 are totally unobservant.
You will see that I began my second post off with "nah".
Meaning to take back what i had said previous.
Ok?

The monitor is the obvious answer. Could someone have adjusted the brightness/contrast? Monitors don't usually go bad that quickly...but who knows.

If you have a videocard, it could be that too.

LaVisHh said:

Nope, no one touched the brightness/contrast...don't have a videocard, although the Broadband guy had to put in some type of card so the Windows 98 would be compatible with their system, as well as an Ethernet thingee.

AnotherLover2 said:

How old is your monitor? Did you buy it new?

LaVisHh said:

Bought it new--I'd say it's about 3 yrs old?

AnotherLover2 said:

Monitors don't go out that fast, but I can't think of anything else that would cause it to darken.

I'd imagine that Gateway would replace a monitor that went out that quickly.

I'm going to bed, AnotherLover2...again, I can't imagine it would be anything else but the monitor. The stuff they installed wouldn't affect your dark/lightness...

g'nite!

LaVisHh said:

Thanks for your input!

LaVisHh said:

Nah, usually Gateway's warranty covers parts such as monitor, speakers, keyboard and mouse for only one year after purchase. So if you bought it 3 years ago, it's probably out of warrantly unless you purchased an extended warranty.

Test with a friends monitor just to make 100% sure the problem is with your monitor and not your video card or drivers. Sounds like the monitor to me though. Monitors are quite cheap nowadays... so now you have an excuse to buy yourself a nice flat LCD screen and reclaim some desk space

Don't buy a cheap monitor. make sure you buy a quality one.
I've got a Sony PST 400 and been using it for about 4-5 years now, and it's still looks better than most screens today, not to mention is still works great.

It's very important to buy a good one for your eyes sake too.

Heavenly said:

Well actually (a) good monitors are quite cheap nowadays - a couple hundred dollars will get you a really nice 19" flat-tube (e.g. Trinitron) monitor with USB hub etc (b) LCD screens are now VERY affordable and are a lot easier on the eyes than a CRT.

Sony stuff is totally overpriced, and you'll get the same monitor with a different badge on the front for far cheaper (I have a Sony actually, but I didn't pay for it). Brands like CTX, LG, Mitsubishi, Iiyama etc all do really decent affordable monitors nowadays, and you can avoid paying the inflated Sony prices.

Also the quality of LCD screens has improved a lot in recent years - higher yields means lower prices, with less problems of "dead pixels" etc.

All I really look for in a display is (a) can it do the resolution I need to work at (b) is it a nice flat screen tube because I can't stand the "fishbowl" CRT screens and (c) can I push the refresh rate stupidly high so it's easy on the eyes. Frankly, you can satisfy these criteria with some really cheap monitors nowadays.

Monitors aren't an "investment" - PC hardware is disposable and will break down eventually. It is never worth spending a significant amount of money on a display unless you are in graphic design or desktop publishing or equivalent and have specific needs from your display (in which case usually your employer will be footing the bill!).

ian said:

not in Australia dammit!

MrBliss said:

Ah well, it's only fair the Aussies suffer a bit to make up for all that nice weather and good living.

Maybe reseat your video card! This sounds like the culprit.

sag10 said:

I was going to mention that, but she said she didn't have one. So, I figured it must be integrated.

try smackin' it really hard on the side

LaVisHh said:

Does she have a powerbook?

LaVisHh said:

Check for bent pins on the VGA connector too.

Nah, the monitor is usually the first thing to break anyway. My money is on the monitor.

ian said:

I think so too, I only questioned her because she said someone had done some installations of hardware, you know they didn't give a shit to check everything before they left.

If it happened right after that, I would check further...if not, yes it's the monitor.

sag10 said:

Hmmm--how would I do that?

sag10 said:

Don't think so...

LaVisHh said:

The Broadband guy installed about 4 weeks ago or so...

AnotherLover2 said:

You would turn off your computer...remove the power-cord from the wall/socket.

THEN you would open up where your computer hardware is located...your tower, etc.

THEN you would touch some metallic part of the case, then you would remove a screw (most likely). Then you pull straight up, on your card...the one that your monitor attaches to (be sure to unplug monitor cable first!). Then push it all the way back in...making sure it is "seated" properly, then reverse all the above!



(this is probably NOT the problem, but it is worth is try!)