Computers & Networking

[lea]

My computer monitor flickers if we tap it on the side it stops, then starts up again, sometimes we go hours and not problem, other times it drives us nuts, We have a  Gateway computer, it works fine except for this monitor problem, it was purchased in 2004,  it has  a "nvidia GE Force 2 MX 400 video card, I checked with Nvidia and tried downloading the latest driver but then the computer wouldn't start so I had to go back to a previous date so that the computer would start, do I need to look at getting a new monitor? IF so what sort of monitor would be best, someone said the resolution would not be good on a wide screen, but the only ones I have found at Best Buy and other places are the wide screens.   I hope someone can  suggest a solution so we can enjoy this second computer and stop hitting the monitor

thanks Lea

[hockeycanuckjc Trusted Contributor]

There might several possible issues to this.

Lets spare the expense of abusing the monitor hitting for now shall we?

What I want you to try is wiggling the monitor cord for a couple of seconds. Check for irregularities in the picture or operation of it.  If you do not encounter a problem, then there could be another reason for why it is not working. It is possible that the graphics card on the computer is going out. If this is the case, you can replace the graphics card on your computer. Since I do not know the make and model of your computer, you might want to take it to a Best Buy store and get reccomendations on what to do.

If the graphics card is not causing the problem, and the wiggling is not producing irregularities in operation, you may have a power supply issue inside the monitor. It might just be then that you would need to buy a new monitor.

Message Edited by hockeycanuckjc on 11-29-2008 02:15 PM

[CatherineMcClar]

I'm having a similar flickering problem with the LG widescreen LCD monitor which came with our first Vista computer (an HP desktop, purchased about a year after Vista came out).  It mostly only seems to flicker when I'm playing games with animations in the graphics (such as Civilization IV or Astral Masters).  The most common suggestion I found (f.ex. in the HP Help & Support area preinstalled on my computer) was to increase the refresh rate.  Doing this has not eliminated the flickering, but has lessened the severity somewhat (it just flickers as vertical lines or bars at 75hz; at the default of 60hz it flickered as both vertical and horizontal lines).  I ran HP's Monitor Diagnostic Tool (which included a simple wireframe animation), and it didn't turn up any problems.

Hockeycanuckjc's suggestions sound pretty practical, and I'll try them.  I've also seen on another thread on this board that Nvidia graphics cards (my HP computer has an Nvidia Geforce 8500GT) can have issues with the drivers, especially after Windows Vista has just automatically downloaded its latest updates -- so it's possible that the graphics card driver could be getting cranky (though I haven't yet confirmed or denied that theory in regard to my own computer).

I think my HP computer is still covered under its Extended Service Plan (though I'd have to check the sales receipt to be sure), but I want to do as much troubleshooting as I can before calling Best Buy tech support, so I'll be able to explain my problem more knowledgeably, and hopefully not have to jump through as many hoops as usual before they authorize an in-home service call.

[Adamtech Emerging Expert]

The real question lea is, does the power seem to go out to the monitor, does the picture become distorted or does the picture go out all together?

[CatherineMcClar]

The picture gets distorted, as if it were a piece of fabric with some threads pulled in one direction (or both, if the refresh rate is set at the default 60hz) -- but (usually) only with programs which have animated images on-screen (such as the 2 games I mentioned in my previous post).

[CatherineMcClar]

My spouse also noticed flickering when watching video clips online (from movies or TV, not the slide-show types); it looked like watching an old-timey movie with a lot of "dirt" on the film.

[CatherineMcClar]

This morning the flickering got worse in Civ 4, and then the screen blanked while the in-game music was still playing.  I forced a power-down, rebooted in Safe Mode, shut down normally, and then rebooted normally.  The computer's working fine at the moment; however, I haven't yet tried playing any games with animations or running any video clips yet since the last reboot, either.

[Adamtech Emerging Expert]

Your last post sounds like what mine used to do when I played EverQuest. The graphics chip would over heat causing screen tearing and game crashes.

[CatherineMcClar]

Overheating might have something to do with it.  I just got done blowing out the dust from the inside of the case, and the flickering is gone from Astral Masters and YouTube videos -- but still present in Civilization 4 (which probably has the most animation, going on for the longest time, of those 3 things).

[Adamtech Emerging Expert]

If you have the cash, try replacing the graphics card and see if the flickering goes away. I suspect that the issue is with the card itself.