Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

Now and again, for no apparent reason, my CRT monitor screen shrinks
sideways. There will be a "tick" sound (rather like static
electricity being discharged, but louder), there will be a very brief
flash across the screen, and then it collapses. It seems to be bowed,
as well : things are more squashed towards the middle than at the
outside edges, where they look almost normal. After a while, it will
suddenly open out again. I have been told that it could be either the
card or the monitor which is causing it, but no one has been able to
tell me how to find out which one is the culprit. The only suggestion
has been to replace one or the other and see if the problem persists.
This seems a bit drastic, especially as both are expensive items, and
it stands to reason that I shall replace the wrong one!

Can anyone suggest some tests I could carry out to see which one is
faulty, please, or point me in the direction of another newsgroup
which may be able to help?

Many thanks
Kate

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"Kate" <@*slamaspam*.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
newsame6h$hu$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk...
> Now and again, for no apparent reason, my CRT monitor screen shrinks
> sideways. There will be a "tick" sound (rather like static electricity
> being discharged, but louder), there will be a very brief flash across the
> screen, and then it collapses. It seems to be bowed, as well : things are
> more squashed towards the middle than at the outside edges, where they
> look almost normal. After a while, it will suddenly open out again. I
> have been told that it could be either the card or the monitor which is
> causing it, but no one has been able to tell me how to find out which one
> is the culprit. The only suggestion has been to replace one or the other
> and see if the problem persists. This seems a bit drastic, especially as
> both are expensive items, and it stands to reason that I shall replace the
> wrong one!
>
> Can anyone suggest some tests I could carry out to see which one is
> faulty, please, or point me in the direction of another newsgroup which
> may be able to help?
>
> Many thanks
> Kate

It's the monitor. It's dying. Time to get a new one, since repairing it
will probably cost more than a new one would, but you can look into that.

If you can borrow one from a friend, you might try that, just to confirm it.
But I have zero reason to believe it's not the monitor.


RF.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

In article <dame6h$hu$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk>, "Kate"
<@*slamaspam*.demon.co.uk> says...
> Now and again, for no apparent reason, my CRT monitor screen shrinks
> sideways. There will be a "tick" sound (rather like static
> electricity being discharged, but louder), there will be a very brief
> flash across the screen, and then it collapses. It seems to be bowed,
> as well : things are more squashed towards the middle than at the
> outside edges, where they look almost normal. After a while, it will
> suddenly open out again. I have been told that it could be either the
> card or the monitor which is causing it, but no one has been able to
> tell me how to find out which one is the culprit. The only suggestion
> has been to replace one or the other and see if the problem persists.
> This seems a bit drastic, especially as both are expensive items, and
> it stands to reason that I shall replace the wrong one!
>
> Can anyone suggest some tests I could carry out to see which one is
> faulty, please, or point me in the direction of another newsgroup
> which may be able to help?
>
> Many thanks
> Kate
>
>
>

You could try a lower refresh rate and see what happens. How old is
your monitor and what make and model. Ditto video card. My money is on
the monitor going bad.

Bill

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"Bill" <spamtrap@tinlc.lumbercartel.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1d38729d87ec3df298975d@news.supernews.com...
> In article <dame6h$hu$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk>, "Kate"
> <@*slamaspam*.demon.co.uk> says...
>> Now and again, for no apparent reason, my CRT monitor screen
>> shrinks
>> sideways. There will be a "tick" sound (rather like static
>> electricity being discharged, but louder), there will be a very
>> brief
>> flash across the screen, and then it collapses. It seems to be
>> bowed,
>> as well : things are more squashed towards the middle than at the
>> outside edges, where they look almost normal. After a while, it
>> will
>> suddenly open out again. I have been told that it could be either
>> the
>> card or the monitor which is causing it, but no one has been able
>> to
>> tell me how to find out which one is the culprit. The only
>> suggestion
>> has been to replace one or the other and see if the problem
>> persists.
>> This seems a bit drastic, especially as both are expensive items,
>> and
>> it stands to reason that I shall replace the wrong one!
>>
>> Can anyone suggest some tests I could carry out to see which one is
>> faulty, please, or point me in the direction of another newsgroup
>> which may be able to help?
>>
>> Many thanks
>> Kate
>>
>>
>>
>
> You could try a lower refresh rate and see what happens. How old is
> your monitor and what make and model. Ditto video card. My money is
> on
> the monitor going bad.
>
> Bill

The monitor refresh rate is set at 85 Hz. I did try 75 Hz but it made
no difference, although when I reset it to 85 Hz the problem went away
for a few days. It is quite old, I suppose - bought in 1995 - and is
an LG Flatron 795FT Plus. The video card is an nVidia GeForce
FX5700LE and is only just a week or two over 1 year old.

I had a new computer in June 2004 (the video card was new then), but I
kept the old monitor. Before that, I was having similar problems with
it, but it is only recently that they have recurred, so it does make
me wonder if it is the card after all.

The idea of borrowing another monitor is a good one, so I shall ask
around. I really would hate to buy a new monitor and then find that I
should have replaced the card. Would "card creep" cause this sort of
thing, do you know?

Thanks for the replies
Kate

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"Kate" <@*slamaspam*.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
newsamn5a$1nn$1$830fa79d@news.demon.co.uk...
> The monitor refresh rate is set at 85 Hz. I did try 75 Hz but it made no
> difference, although when I reset it to 85 Hz the problem went away for a
> few days. It is quite old, I suppose - bought in 1995 - and is an LG
> Flatron 795FT Plus. The video card is an nVidia GeForce FX5700LE and is
> only just a week or two over 1 year old.
>
> I had a new computer in June 2004 (the video card was new then), but I
> kept the old monitor. Before that, I was having similar problems with it,
> but it is only recently that they have recurred, so it does make me wonder
> if it is the card after all.
>
> The idea of borrowing another monitor is a good one, so I shall ask
> around. I really would hate to buy a new monitor and then find that I
> should have replaced the card. Would "card creep" cause this sort of
> thing, do you know?
>
> Thanks for the replies
> Kate

This problem points to circuitry within the monitor that's designed to
control the size of the screen failing. Problems like these can be exactly
like you describe, in terms of working fine for a bit, then going wonky
again, until the parts finally fail completely. The 'clicking' you heard
also points to it being a monitor problem. No videocard would produce a
clicking sound, unless it actually explodes.

RF.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"RaceFace" <nospam@myplace.com> wrote in message
news:hnCze.7251$mN.81368@news1.mts.net...
>
> "Kate" <@*slamaspam*.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
> newsamn5a$1nn$1$830fa79d@news.demon.co.uk...
>> The monitor refresh rate is set at 85 Hz. I did try 75 Hz but it
>> made no difference, although when I reset it to 85 Hz the problem
>> went away for a few days. It is quite old, I suppose - bought in
>> 1995 - and is an LG Flatron 795FT Plus. The video card is an
>> nVidia GeForce FX5700LE and is only just a week or two over 1 year
>> old.
>>
>> I had a new computer in June 2004 (the video card was new then),
>> but I kept the old monitor. Before that, I was having similar
>> problems with it, but it is only recently that they have recurred,
>> so it does make me wonder if it is the card after all.
>>
>> The idea of borrowing another monitor is a good one, so I shall ask
>> around. I really would hate to buy a new monitor and then find
>> that I should have replaced the card. Would "card creep" cause
>> this sort of thing, do you know?
>>
>> Thanks for the replies
>> Kate
>
> This problem points to circuitry within the monitor that's designed
> to control the size of the screen failing. Problems like these can
> be exactly like you describe, in terms of working fine for a bit,
> then going wonky again, until the parts finally fail completely.
> The 'clicking' you heard also points to it being a monitor problem.
> No videocard would produce a clicking sound, unless it actually
> explodes.
>
> RF.
>
I thought that if the card was playing up, it might be sending the
wrong signals to the monitor. Still, I will try and borrow a monitor
for a week or so to see what happens. If everything works OK, then I
will have to decide what monitor to buy. There are so many to choose
from!

Thank you for your help.
Kate

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

Yes, you HAVE to try replacing one or the other to tell which is bad.
Assuming you don't have a spare monitor laying around, I would recommend
finding a computer store with a generous return policy and buy an
appropriate video card to replace your current one. It's an easy
installation. If the new video card does not fix the problem, then return
the video card for a refund and buy a monitor from the store.

--
DaveW



"Kate" <@*slamaspam*.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
newsame6h$hu$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk...
> Now and again, for no apparent reason, my CRT monitor screen shrinks
> sideways. There will be a "tick" sound (rather like static electricity
> being discharged, but louder), there will be a very brief flash across the
> screen, and then it collapses. It seems to be bowed, as well : things are
> more squashed towards the middle than at the outside edges, where they
> look almost normal. After a while, it will suddenly open out again. I
> have been told that it could be either the card or the monitor which is
> causing it, but no one has been able to tell me how to find out which one
> is the culprit. The only suggestion has been to replace one or the other
> and see if the problem persists. This seems a bit drastic, especially as
> both are expensive items, and it stands to reason that I shall replace the
> wrong one!
>
> Can anyone suggest some tests I could carry out to see which one is
> faulty, please, or point me in the direction of another newsgroup which
> may be able to help?
>
> Many thanks
> Kate
>

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

In article <damn5a$1nn$1$830fa79d@news.demon.co.uk>, "Kate"
<@*slamaspam*.demon.co.uk> says...
>
> "Bill" <spamtrap@tinlc.lumbercartel.com> wrote in message
> news:MPG.1d38729d87ec3df298975d@news.supernews.com...
>
>
<snip>
> >>
> >
> > You could try a lower refresh rate and see what happens. How old is
> > your monitor and what make and model. Ditto video card. My money is
> > on
> > the monitor going bad.
> >
> > Bill
>
> The monitor refresh rate is set at 85 Hz. I did try 75 Hz but it made
> no difference, although when I reset it to 85 Hz the problem went away
> for a few days. It is quite old, I suppose - bought in 1995 - and is
> an LG Flatron 795FT Plus. The video card is an nVidia GeForce
> FX5700LE and is only just a week or two over 1 year old.

Ten year old monitor? Be grateful it's lasted this long.


>
> I had a new computer in June 2004 (the video card was new then), but I
> kept the old monitor. Before that, I was having similar problems with
> it, but it is only recently that they have recurred, so it does make
> me wonder if it is the card after all.
>
> The idea of borrowing another monitor is a good one, so I shall ask
> around. I really would hate to buy a new monitor and then find that I
> should have replaced the card. Would "card creep" cause this sort of
> thing, do you know?

Doubt it. Check around for a monitor to borrow or buy cheap. Maybe
even rent one.

>
> Thanks for the replies
> Kate
>
>
>

Bill

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

Kate wrote:
> Now and again, for no apparent reason, my CRT monitor screen shrinks
> sideways. There will be a "tick" sound (rather like static
> electricity being discharged, but louder), there will be a very brief
> flash across the screen, and then it collapses. It seems to be bowed,
> as well : things are more squashed towards the middle than at the
> outside edges, where they look almost normal. After a while, it will
> suddenly open out again. I have been told that it could be either the
> card or the monitor which is causing it, but no one has been able to
> tell me how to find out which one is the culprit. The only suggestion
> has been to replace one or the other and see if the problem persists.
> This seems a bit drastic, especially as both are expensive items, and
> it stands to reason that I shall replace the wrong one!
>
> Can anyone suggest some tests I could carry out to see which one is
> faulty, please, or point me in the direction of another newsgroup
> which may be able to help?

It's highly unlikely that the video card could cause a display
distortion like that - almost certainly the monitor.

--
Robert Hancock Saskatoon, SK, Canada
To email, remove "nospam" from hancockr@nospamshaw.ca
Home Page: http://www.roberthancock.com/

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"Kate" <@*slamaspam*.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
newsamv13$hbn$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk
> "RaceFace" <nospam@myplace.com> wrote in message
> news:hnCze.7251$mN.81368@news1.mts.net...
>>
>> "Kate" <@*slamaspam*.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
>> newsamn5a$1nn$1$830fa79d@news.demon.co.uk...
>>> The monitor refresh rate is set at 85 Hz. I did try 75 Hz but it
>>> made no difference, although when I reset it to 85 Hz the problem
>>> went away for a few days. It is quite old, I suppose - bought in
>>> 1995 - and is an LG Flatron 795FT Plus. The video card is an
>>> nVidia GeForce FX5700LE and is only just a week or two over 1 year
>>> old.
>>>
>>> I had a new computer in June 2004 (the video card was new then),
>>> but I kept the old monitor. Before that, I was having similar
>>> problems with it, but it is only recently that they have recurred,
>>> so it does make me wonder if it is the card after all.
>>>
>>> The idea of borrowing another monitor is a good one, so I shall ask
>>> around. I really would hate to buy a new monitor and then find
>>> that I should have replaced the card. Would "card creep" cause
>>> this sort of thing, do you know?
>>>
>>> Thanks for the replies
>>> Kate
>>
>> This problem points to circuitry within the monitor that's designed
>> to control the size of the screen failing. Problems like these can
>> be exactly like you describe, in terms of working fine for a bit,
>> then going wonky again, until the parts finally fail completely.
>> The 'clicking' you heard also points to it being a monitor problem.
>> No videocard would produce a clicking sound, unless it actually
>> explodes.
>>
>> RF.
>>
> I thought that if the card was playing up, it might be sending the
> wrong signals to the monitor. Still, I will try and borrow a monitor
> for a week or so to see what happens. If everything works OK, then I
> will have to decide what monitor to buy. There are so many to choose
> from!
>
> Thank you for your help.
> Kate

Kate, in all my years of putering around, what you describe going on
(clicks and screen scaling wrong) have only been the monitor going out.
That same thing has happened with a few of them. You can try that
monitor on another computer and a different monitor on your computer. I
think you'll find the monitor still has the problem. As an OP says in
this thread, the video card isn't going to make those noises. Nor, in
my experience, will it "miss-sync" the signal to make the monitor do
that. It's a chip that controls either the height or the width. You
can have it repaired, but with the cost of decent CRT and even LCD
monitors being so low these days, it's cheaper to replace it.
McG.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"Robert Hancock" <hancockr@nospamshaw.ca> wrote in message
news:LHFze.204200$El.31849@pd7tw1no...
> Kate wrote:
>> Now and again, for no apparent reason, my CRT monitor screen
>> shrinks sideways. There will be a "tick" sound (rather like static
>> electricity being discharged, but louder), there will be a very
>> brief flash across the screen, and then it collapses. It seems to
>> be bowed, as well : things are more squashed towards the middle
>> than at the outside edges, where they look almost normal. After a
>> while, it will suddenly open out again. I have been told that it
>> could be either the card or the monitor which is causing it, but no
>> one has been able to tell me how to find out which one is the
>> culprit. The only suggestion has been to replace one or the other
>> and see if the problem persists. This seems a bit drastic,
>> especially as both are expensive items, and it stands to reason
>> that I shall replace the wrong one!
>>
>> Can anyone suggest some tests I could carry out to see which one is
>> faulty, please, or point me in the direction of another newsgroup
>> which may be able to help?
>
> It's highly unlikely that the video card could cause a display
> distortion like that - almost certainly the monitor.
>
> --
> Robert Hancock Saskatoon, SK, Canada
> To email, remove "nospam" from hancockr@nospamshaw.ca
> Home Page: http://www.roberthancock.com/

I managed to find the invoice for my monitor and it isn`t as old as I
thought - bought in 1999. Since I my first post it hasn`t played up
at all, so maybe I will keep it for a bit longer, but remain aware
that it could expire at any time. In a way it is a pity it isn`t the
video card that is faulty, as that is still under guarantee!

Thanks for all the advice.
Kate

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

In article <das8pt$6vk$1$830fa795@news.demon.co.uk>, "Kate"
<@*slamaspam*.demon.co.uk> says...
>
>
<snip>
> Any recommendations would be very
> welcome.
>
> Kate
>
>
>

Took a quick look at what's being offered in U.K and it appears your
s.o.l. for a crt of profesional graphics quality crt's. It appears
Sony <and there by others that used their crts > has gone out of the
CRT business. You'll need to scour Ebay or chose an LCD.

Bill

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"Phil Weldon" <notdiscosed@example.com> wrote in message
newsnmAe.20966$eM6.18201@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> 'Kate' wrote, in part:
> | Since posting the above I have noticed something interesting. The
> | screen had collapsed, so I tried restarting the computer. The
> display
> | was full-size until my desktop came up, when it collapsed again.
> A
> | few seconds later, it opened back out. Now, if it was
> _definitely_
> | the monitor at fault, surely the display would have been reduced
> in
> | size right from re-start, rather than when the video card driver
> was
> | loaded?
>
> _____
>
> The problem, without a doubt, is in your monitor. For a CRT
> monitor, the horizontal sweep circuit provides the power to drive
> the electron beam from side to side. The same circuit also develops
> the high voltage (~15,000 -20,000 VDC) that accelerates the electron
> beam toward the screen. This is a high power circuit, and the most
> likely circuit to fail in a CRT monitor. Even dust collecting
> around the high voltage circuitry can cause arcing and intermittent
> failure (say, a click or pop and then the picture collapses. A
> thorough internal cleaning might fix the problem, but don't try it
> yourself.
>
> A Trinitron CRT is still the best choice for your stated uses. The
> monitor does not need to be a Sony; many manufacturers use Trintron
> CRTs in monitors. Viewsonic is a respected brand, and something
> like a Viewsonic PerfectFlat A95f ( 19" ( 1600 X1200 @ 75 FPS, 1280
> X 1024 @ 85 FPS, 1024 X 768 @ 100 FPS) with a Trinitron CRT costs
> about $200 in the USA. That line of Viewsonic monitors have a lot
> of settings to perfect the geometry.
>
> An LCD monitor will have perfect geometry, but the color rendition
> will not be as good as a CRT monitor and the color and contrast will
> change according to the viewing angle, even from one point to
> another on the screen from the same viewing position. The new
> monitor you choose should also come with color rendition files that
> aid in matching printer, scanner, and printer matching.
>
> Phil Weldon
>

Pat : My OS is Windows XP Home. I tried reducing the video
acceleration and then I reduced the refresh rate to 60Hz. The display
opened up, but, of course, it does flicker rather disturbingly. I
then experimented with different refresh rates; sometimes the
distortion was worse, sometimes the same. I returned it to 60Hz and
then pushed video acceleration back to `Full`. The display remained
full-screen.

I left it at 60Hz while typing the above and then re-set it to 85Hz.
The display is still full-screen. Does that give any more clues as to
what is going on? Sorry to keep hammering on about this, but I am
finding the replies most interesting and informative.

BTW, what is "fubar"?

Phil : Cleaning the inside of the monitor might be worth trying.
Thanks for the suggestion. In 6 years, I guess a fair amount of
grunge could have been attracted to it. There might even be a spider
or two in there!

I had not realised that other monitor manufacturers used Trinitron
CRTs, so shall do a Google using that alone. I would like a 19"
screen (the one I have now is 17" ), but CRTs are so bulky and my desk
space is limited, so I shall probably have to stick with a 17".

Bill : thanks for checking out the UK market for me. I shall
definitely go with a CRT for my main display, but could I use a small
TFT as my second monitor? The GeForce FX5700LE is a dual-head,
although I only have the one monitor at the moment. Two CRTs would
take up too much room (see above).

Thanks again, everyone, for all your help and advice.
Best wishes
Kate