Monitor Broken - Help - Ideas?

[SuperGLS]

My computer monitor broke today. It turns on, then displays the Acer logo, then the desktop, then it turns off. Sometimes it keeps doing it over and over, other times it doesn't and if I hit a button it'll start doing it again. I took it all apart. I found out that if when it is turning on I can hold the "Auto (Adjust)" button that the screen stays on. So, Amy says I should just tape the "Auto" button down. I think that's a crappy but good idea. I don't feel like spending another $200 on a monitor right now.

Thoughts? The internet says I should just buy another monitor...

[Keyan]

I'll gladly hold down the fort while your monitor breaks down and hell breaks loose on EXD.



Just give me admin powers.

[ricerrx7]

Replace the mouse.

[Tommy]

Acer Monitor....nuff said

check the warranty, or buy a new one.

[SuperGLS]

It was cheap, what can I say. I would check the warranty, but I'm sure it's not more than 2 years. Plus I messed up the edges pretty bad prying it open, so I'm sure they wouldn't warranty it anyway.

James, I have another computer (wife's laptop) plus I'll have a backup monitor from a friend tomorrow. Good try though!

I should just buy a new computer (iMac) and then put the Mac Mini in the car...

[2loud2k2xd]

get a free monitor off of craigs list :D

or superglue the button down.

[Qyn]

The power supply inside the monitor is shot. Solder prolly loosened just enough to ruin it.

[TDO]

When you say its displaying the Acer logo do you mean the Bios Screen? I'm betting that if it starts up and only blacks out when it gets to the desktop that it is a software issue.

Are you using windows XP? Do you know how to get into safe mode? If so follow these steps in safe mode.

1.Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2.Click the Advanced tab.
3.Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings to open the Startup and Recovery dialog box.
4.Clear the Automatically restart check box, and click OK the necessary number of times.
5.Restart your computer for the settings to take effect.

Then tell us what happens

[Keyan]

When you say its displaying the Acer logo do you mean the Bios Screen? I'm betting that if it starts up and only blacks out when it gets to the desktop that it is a software issue.





he has a mac.


fail.

[swifty]

run it over with the XD

[Munky]

When you say its displaying the Acer logo do you mean the Bios Screen? I'm betting that if it starts up and only blacks out when it gets to the desktop that it is a software issue.

Are you using windows XP? Do you know how to get into safe mode? If so follow these steps in safe mode.

1.Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2.Click the Advanced tab.
3.Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings to open the Startup and Recovery dialog box.
4.Clear the Automatically restart check box, and click OK the necessary number of times.
5.Restart your computer for the settings to take effect.

Then tell us what happens

Not even close. Did you even read what he posted? It's his MONITOR that has a problem, not his computer.

Plus, like Jim said...he has a mac.

Please direct your attention to this thread:

http://www.elantraxd.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29203

[SuperGLS]

Munky, that thread didn't help...

[Munky]

Munky, that thread didn't help...

Hahah, that was directed to TDO, not you.

When you cracked open the monitor, did you check all the wires to see if something came loose? It sounds to me like a loose wire, especially since it works if you hold in a button.

[agdaniels]

Sounds like something is sending it to power save mode prematurely, so when you press a button it wakes up, then just goes back to sleep.

If you go into your bios and it doesnt ever cut off, it could potentially be something with the os.

[Munky]

Or it could be something with your VGA/DVi connection. When you pull the video signal, it automatically goes into sleep mode...maybe it's not getting a signal. Possibly a bad signal from the computer?

[agdaniels]

Same train of thought, what got me is that it gets to desktop without cutting off. If he can chill in bios and it doesnt cut off, then its some bad signal or driver issue in the os.

[SuperGLS]

Yeah, I was thinking it was something loose, that's the whole reason I opened it up, but everything looks good. I might take a picture and see if anyone can see something wrong.

I did what my wife said and taped the button down and now it works fine. The only thing is that every couple of minutes the "Auto Config, Please Wait" message from the monitor pops up in the middle of the screen for about two seconds. Ha.

MIDPOST EDIT- Now even that isn't working. Now the Auto button is still taped down but Im also holdimg the "Down" button to get the screen to stay on.

There was this flyer on the mailbox and some guy had two 15" Dell LCD's for $10 each. I'm going to call him shortly and see if he still has one available. That'll be good to get me through until I can fix this or buy another one. Another monitor will also ensure that there is nothin wrong with the computer itself.

[Munky]

Yeah, I was thinking it was something loose, that's the whole reason I opened it up, but everything looks good. I might take a picture and see if anyone can see something wrong.

I did what my wife said and taped the button down and now it works fine. The only thing is that every couple of minutes the "Auto Config, Please Wait" message from the monitor pops up in the middle of the screen for about two seconds. Ha.

MIDPOST EDIT- Now even that isn't working. Now the Auto button is still taped down but Im also holdimg the "Down" button to get the screen to stay on.

There was this flyer on the mailbox and some guy had two 15" Dell LCD's for $10 each. I'm going to call him shortly and see if he still has one available. That'll be good to get me through until I can fix this or buy another one. Another monitor will also ensure that there is nothin wrong with the computer itself.

If you can't find one, let me know, I come across cheap 15" monitors all the time, I could find a good temporary one for you

[bdiggy]

Maybe time to take up another XD collection?

[hyunelan2]

Are you using one of those DVI/VGA adapters? I've had those give me some weird problems in the past with the monitor not getting a strong-enough of a signal, and putting itself into power save.

If your monitor has dual inputs (DVI & VGA) have you tried using the other input?

I buy Acer monitors for our work systems, and have yet to have one completely fail. I have had some do some goofy things on dual-monitor systems, but usually reseating the video card has cured that - a different story.

[SuperGLS]

Yeah, the Mini has DVI out only, but came with a DVI to VGA adapter which I have been using the entire time (2.5 years with the comp).

Here are some pictures.

[Deviant]

I think it is mad at you for displaying all that cricket on it. On a serious note from the pictures it looks like nothing is wrong. I would search ebay for possible replacement parts.

[Ugzz]

its a pita to work on those things. i would just replace it, but im lazy about that kind of tedious work. also nothing looks obviously broken, so it would be a needle in a haystack kind of ordeal.. tigerdirect.com keeps running acer 22 widescreen flat screens for like 170-180 :D

[Munky]

I found your problem:

http://www.crookedh.com/munky/problemsolved.jpg















Seriously though, I don't see anything wrong. Could it be your DVI > VGA adapter? That would cause a signal loss if it went bad...

[SuperGLS]

I know this is retarded, but I don't think I want to buy another Acer.

I found fairly good deals at Tigerdirect and Newegg, but I'm unsure what brand to buy now.

I'm getting good at typing with one hand and holding the button down with the other hand, ha.

As for the cricket, I do most of my cricket watching on the TV via my wife's laptop. Maybe this monitor got jealous?

[Deviant]

17" Haans G (http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0277173), 19" Haans G (http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0282089), 19" HD Gateway/eMachines (http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0266219).

[agdaniels]

again, did you try running it in bios and see if it cuts off? If it doesnt start cutting off till you get to your desktop, it may not be the monitor

[CRAZIECRACKER]

its an acer....

what did you expect?

its most likely your video card.

[Deviant]

its an acer....

what did you expect?

They usually have good hardware, falling apart is the problem most of the time.

[SWortham]

Find a monitor on Craigslist for free... I like that idea at least as a temporary solution. In fact, there are a lot of used CRT monitors that people are trying to get rid of but can't. We have 3 in our garage and not even Goodwill will take ours.

[hyunelan2]

its an acer....

what did you expect?

its most likely your video card.

Only the monitor is an ACER, the rest is a MAC. So, if you're insinuating the video card failed because it's an acer - you fail.



I like my Hanns-G Monitor that I have (19" digital). I got it from PC Connection about a year and a half ago for $299 - $100 rebate - $100 rebate = $99.

If you do buy another monitor, don't get one that has VGA only, make sure it is a digital (DVI) monitor. Before you spend the money, borrow someone elses monitor and make sure your MAC didn't crap out somewhere.





P.S. Gateway/Emachines consumer products are owned by Acer now.

[Ugzz]

They usually have good hardware, falling apart is the problem most of the time.

i second this. our acers here at CMU are rock solid. some are like 4 years old. and you could NOT beat the price at purchase time. I have three acer 19's on my desk now. all are perfect and are about 2 years old. We have more trouble with larger name brands with extra features out the azz then anything. Esp viewsonic, and they used to pwn the competition back in the day. not so much with the durability these days..

[TDO]

he has a mac.
fail.

I'm sorry next time I will magically know what computer he is using. Stupid Me!

Not even close. Did you even read what he posted? It's his MONITOR that has a problem, not his computer.


Yes, I read his post. Have you ever worked in the tech support industry? Hordes of people refer to their monitor as their "computer". I was merely asking super for more information or clarification.


I think everyone needs to work at being better assholes next time!

[Munky]

Yes, I read his post. Have you ever worked in the tech support industry?

Yes. I do it for a living, thanks. ;)

[Ugzz]

me 3, 8 years now. currently managing easily 250 computers and hundreds of users by myself. it sucks, we are supposed to have 3 techs, everything is fubar right now. im just barely holding it together. if it werent for exd i would have quit by now due to stress..
but this is a story for another thread :D

and macs are weak

[Munky]

I'll give Mac some credit, they handle graphics way better than most PC's can. But... I hate the interface (and Apple's proprietary bull****) just enough to never use one.

[Deviant]

Macs are nice if you're using them for multimedia type things. They are an artsy computer for people with too much money. They have started using 3rd party hardware anyway so all you get anymore is the OS.

[Munky]

They are an artsy computer for people with too much money.

That should be their company slogan.

On that note, everyone should read this:

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant (NSFW - Language)

[Ugzz]

I'll give Mac some credit, they handle graphics way better than most PC's can. But... I hate the interface (and Apple's proprietary bull****) just enough to never use one.

define graphics. if you mean the apps are better, thats one thing. but as far as graphics go, the new macs use the same damn cards and chips as pcs. there is no real difference these days. mac os 10.5 EATS ram, Vista EATS ram, 10.4 and xp use similar cpu and ram recourses also. at this point i wouldnt say one is better then the other in any way shape or form. its just which os you personally like better. benches are starting to even out, everything is really starting to even out.

now you can even hack a standard run of the mill intel bastes pc to run osx just the way the new macs do. they can even run powerpc apps. everything a new mac can do, same performance and all. its been done. it violates apples copyright law, but that doesnt stop people :P

our staff office uses 4 pc's and 5 macs. and three of the 5 macs have to run parallels becuase we need to run some apps that are PC only. If your coding software, do you code for 98% of the market, or 2% of the market. .. Exactly, im stickin pc just for that reason..

also, Leopard licks my balls

ok, im OT enough :D

[Munky]

You make a good point, Rob. You have to keep in mind, the lat time I actually saw a Mac in action it was Mac OS X versus XP. So yeah, pretty much everything on the Mac looked and performed better. But again, it all depends on what the PC has in it, too.

I still prefer PC. :)

PS: Vista is nothing more than Mac OS X for people who hate Macs.

[Deviant]

I know there are already Mac bashing threads, but I just wanted to exclaim my extreme hatred for Apple software meant to run on Windows.

[Munky]

It's ok, soon enough James will exclaim his hatred towards our Mac hatred and shut us all up. Hahaha.

[Ugzz]

Well james? what you got? Bring it

i should note that there is a G5 under my desk, but i rarely switch to it. Id rather use the badass pc im using now :D

[Munky]

Well james? what you got? Bring it

Psst....he's not onine. ;)

[Ugzz]

well then.. Lets run a muck all around the forum!

[Qyn]

You do know that I WORK for Apple... and still <3 my XP PC. Minis are teh hawtness tho. Only good machine we make. Can you tell I do Desktop support? (Portables too).

[Ugzz]

i like the minis, but hate one thing.. you cant upgrade crap. if i am buying a pc, even a slimline pc. i can still upgrade the vidcard with a slimline one, often slim pcs still have a full size cdrom, so that can be upgraded. and those are HUGE for me, with a mini you can what.. swap the HD for a bigger one, and put in more ram.. and thats it. and if you swap the drive yourslef it would prolly void the warranty anyway.. Same with imac, there pretty but you can only upgrade the memory. anything else and you have to take the whole thing apart..

in my pc i can swap out anything for anything, add extra drives, dual vid cards, just a ton of options.. and on my slime at home, it still has pcix slots, i can put in a nice managed gigabit card, a geforce 8600 slimline, a nice quality dvd burner. hell i can even swap out the crummy intel dual core 2.0ghz for a quad core 3.0 if i wanted. you do that crap to an apple and its c-ya later warranty cause you just busted something open you werent supposed to..


ok wait.. ummm. Monitors yea... monitors... so like, you should get another one?
yeah see, thats totally on topic, if you yell at anyone i say it should be munky..
just because
and he said that cricket sucks, i heard him i swear

[babot]

It was cheap, what can I say. I would check the warranty, but I'm sure it's not more than 2 years. Plus I messed up the edges pretty bad prying it open, so I'm sure they wouldn't warranty it anyway.

James, I have another computer (wife's laptop) plus I'll have a backup monitor from a friend tomorrow. Good try though!

I should just buy a new computer (iMac) and then put the Mac Mini in the car...


UH OH.

Acer has 3 years warranty for monitors (at least their web site says so for my Acer monitor).

[SuperGLS]

You guys are stupid. Well not really. Rob, I use my computer for 4 things. 1, running EXD. 2, using the rest of the internet. 3, listening to music. 4, some school work. All things that I don't need to constantly update my computer to handle. I have no real problems with PCs (my Dell before my Apple was good to me overall), but all the shutting down and restarting that I always had to do was no fun. Haven't had one problem (big or small with the Apple). Plus, most things are truly easier to do on a Mac (like hook up a camera, printer, etc with no drivers or software). The only problem that I do have is that it doesn't support Sopcast (which lets me watch cricket!).

Unfortunately the local guy with the monitors had already sold them. So I'll pick up one from a friend tomorrow.

I looked at the Acer site and there might be some help I can get from them. We'll see.

[Qyn]

^5. Downloading copious amounts of pr0n.

[SuperGLS]

No no no no no. Smart people just look at porn. DLing porn is so 1998.

[Ugzz]

yeah, thats what dsl/cable/fios is for. having the ability so stream everything :D

and super, im not actually bashing mac, just saying personally i like to upgrade my comp, like every 6months im adding or changing something, so its not for me.

as far as stability and use, our office is split near 50/50 pc/mac and honestly the macs and pcs both need update/ both crash similar amount and both has similar maintenance. the only real diff is that IF an accessory is mac compatible, your right, its plug and play and your done. with a pc its drivers etc. but the flipside is that half of the **** out there is NOT mac compatible anyway..\\

as far as which is better, its personal pref. tomAto tomAWto :P

but leopard does suck, i mean so does vista though, so once again.. even heh

[kennef]

Did you try slapping and/or hitting the monitor? Seriously.

In general, macs are for people who don't really care what's inside their computer.

[SuperGLS]

Oh yeah, I meant to add that it is sometimes difficult to find a specific type of program for an Apple, but I'm been successful getting everything I've needed.

So, I borrowed a 17" CRT monitor from a friend and it works. So, it's definitely not the Apple (like I had any doubt...). I feel like I'm in the stone age with this big piece of poop on the desk though.

Going to call Acer and see what's up.

Anyone think it could be the VGA cable from the other one? I can't a cable just ceasing to work one day out of no where.

[Munky]

Anyone think it could be the VGA cable from the other one? I can't a cable just ceasing to work one day out of no where.

I've had it happen to me once before. Screen flickered once, went out, and didn't come back on again. Swapped cables and it worked again.

[Ugzz]

ive seen it with dvi cables, but never wit ha vga. always worth a look though!

[SuperGLS]

So I put the monitor back together (minus two screws, hmm) and then I hooked it up with the same VGA cable to the laptop (same way I hook the laptop up to the TV for cricket) and it is working fine (for over 20 minutes now). So, what does this mean?

I think I'll try to take the monitor to a friends to see if it works over there. Unfortunately the VGA cable on this 17" CRT is one that is integrated into the back of the monitor or I'd just make a quick switch to see what's up.

Computers are stupid.

[Ugzz]

Computers are stupid.

aint it the truth.

no idea whats up though, maybe it just needed taken apart? in doing so whatever was loose is now fixed.. ? possible

[Deviant]

Computers are stupid.

Computers are quite dumb they'll only do what you tell them to do, but most problems stem from the user. It's like that commercial, the HUman element.

[SuperGLS]

Didn't get a chance to take it to another computer but I just decided to try the monitor again on my computer and so far so good. We'll see.

[SuperGLS]

Still working. It seems as if I fixed it. Jesus must love me.

Interestingly enough the new iMac's came out and that means the prices went down a bit, so now it's only $1300 for the one I would buy. Oh wells.

[SuperGLS]

I just manage to get EXD back up and now the monitor is ****ed again. I love my life.

[Deviant]

Haha that's what you get for using a Mac! JK

[SuperGLS]

So I held one of the buttons in when I was typing that previous post and then my finger got tired so I let it go and now the monitor is fine.

Computers are stupid.

[Deviant]

Don't be mad at your computer because its IO devices suck.

[Ugzz]

i just looked it up to see what i would pay for an imac, their educational discount suxorz. its only 100 bones. so instead of 1400 its 1300 for the 2.66ghz model :P

and on the 2.4ghz modei its only 50 bucks off.. that is some serious anal leakage

[SuperGLS]

Now it's doing it again. This time I unplugged the VGA cable and it still kept doing it. Definitely a power supply problem I think. Maybe it's overheating?

[Vampyrate]

Idea 1: Git rid of the apple, your monitor is angered by this.

Idea 2: Pee on the apple, your monitor is angered that you haven't yet.

Idea 3: Curl up in the corner and cry.


thats all i got this early in the morning

[SuperGLS]

Now I just unplug the monitor when I'm sleeping or not home so that it doesn't catch fire and burn down the apartment building.

Working ok right now.

[SuperGLS]

I just bought this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8643961&type=product&id=1195598242810&ref=39&loc=01&srccode=cii_11138&cpncode=07-54167716-2

Going to pick it up after work tonight.

[Vampyrate]

nice, dell is only good at monitors from my experience... other than that you still need to pee on the monitor, your apple is angered at you

[CRAZIECRACKER]

shoulda bought a samsung!

[SuperGLS]

I actually ran by and picked it up on my lunchbreak. Wow, 22" widescreen is a lot bigger than a 19" standard. It's nice. It has the DVI output too.

From what I understand, Samsung makes the Dell monitors.

Plus, it was on sale.

[Qyn]

I'm rockin' a 22" Acer... loooove it.

[Munky]

I use nothing but Dell monitors at work, and they are definitely great quality.

The 24" I'm using right now has PIP. Beat that, *****es.

[Vampyrate]

42" plasma with ambilite (phillips) tv that has PiP and i hook my laptop up to it to play games when the rents arent home over school breaks

[Ugzz]

still lookin for an awesome replacement, this is a damn good deal:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3829368&sku=M975-2201&CMP=EMC-TIGEREMAIL&SRCCODE=WEM1614V

[Munky]

still lookin for an awesome replacement, this is a damn good deal:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3829368&sku=M975-2201&CMP=EMC-TIGEREMAIL&SRCCODE=WEM1614V

I wouldn't pay that much for a refurbished monitor. You can get a new one that size for $20-$30 more depending on where you shop.

[Ugzz]

i missed the last few posts where he said he bought one anyway :P

also there is a huge article PC magazine did about regurbs. and how on many electronics they CAN be better then new. Becasue if they new ones have a bad resister that pops, then the refurb has that already fixed.

but i picked up an acer for 199 and while i do love it, the gateways/lgs/dells are better. the acers quality and brighness are great, but it has some white bleed through on very dark screen areas and it bugs the crap out of me. Also my desk is higher then most and i have to tilt the acer down some for the viewing angle to be clear. if i keep it flush it gets a little black.

morale of the story, many of the $250 lcd > $200 ones. not all mind you, and i do love my acer, but at the end of the day i do wish i would have spent an extra 50 bones