How to troubleshoot Dell Monitor Issue?

How to troubleshoot Dell Monitor Issue?

Hello Bill,

Too bad to hear that you are having monitor problems that cannot be ignored, since the monitor allows you to view your desktop and is currently unavailable due to the symptoms you described. I have been working as a computer hardware tech for almost a decade now and quite familiar with problems associated with your monitor.

To properly diagnose your monitor problem we have to do a few checks first to confirm that every device on your computer setup works as it was intended to be.

• As a preliminary, we have to make sure which part of the system the problem is coming from. Is it the monitor or the tower containing the CPU, motherboard and other peripherals? Is it a VGA connector gone loose problem? Do the diagnostic checks by:
• Unplugging and replugging the VGA/DVI cable connectors from monitor to CPU. Check for loose joints, screw if necessary. Do the same for video cards that may have been unseated and gone loose. Remove from PCI slot, clean contacts and reinsert when done.
• Facilitate a real time test by borrowing a known good monitor from a friend and trying it out on your rig. See if it creates the same symptoms. Confirm your findings. Is it the monitor or the CPU rig? If it’s coming from the CPU, do the video card slot checks, or in your case which has a dual card setup, try it out on each port, connecting one at a time and noting the results. Now if a monitor is unavailable, you can test your own monitor using another CPU, or on an external display setup using a laptop. Note the results as well.
• Remove any magnetic influences nearby which might cause some problems on your monitor, noting the “discoloration” you previously mentioned. This more or less affects monitors using CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) technology. It sort of distorts the images on the monitor because magnetism affects the yoke connected around the CRT, disrupting the scanning lines.
• The constantly moving “black and white” lines from top to bottom may mean one of two things. It may be what they call a “retrace” line, which has completely blanked out the image with a thin white line moving from top to bottom. It is caused by a faulty RGB circuit board located at the neck of the CRT mentioned earlier. The screen brightness circuit has lost control of the brightness setting, causing the lines to appear. Another might be the individual Red, Green, and Blue controls that have malfunctioned as a result of ageing.
• Another similar cause for modern day monitors is a faulty power supply module that has blown capacitors, causing unfiltered voltage fluctuations to manifest on your screen. They can be returned to normal state once replaced. The power supply module itself has a “repair” or “replace” option if the opportunity presents itself.
• In cases where the power supply checks OK, it could be a video drive circuit error on the monitor itself that causes image distortion when warm enough. The circuit is replaceable by any service center that repairs computer monitors.
• On the software side, it would not do any harm if you do the usual checks for updated video card drivers and proper video resolution settings. They may or may not have any effect, depending on the software configuration you have.

You see, it is just a case of properly identifying which is malfunctioning, and in your case it is either the monitor, or your CPU rig. From there, you should have gathered by now which needs further attention.