I have a 17" ADI Microscan 5P/5P+ monitor that is now over three years old. I had been using the computer into the early hours of one morning with no troubles and shut down the computer as normal. When i turned the computer on the next evening, the screen appeared to fade, but when you look at the screen closer you can see that it has actually ghosted. There are now about 8-10 ghosts are every image on the screen which makes everything that should be black appear to be gray.

I have turned things on and off, but regardless of whether my TV, stereo, or anything else electrical is on or off the monitor display is the same. I have also tried the monitor's built-in degauss option but this doesn't appear to make any difference.

I have checked in the device manager and both my graphic card (3Dfx Blaster Banshee Voodoo 2) and the monitor adapter are shown to be the correct drivers and functioning properly. I have checked that all the leads are plugged in correctly but to no avail.


Any ideas? Has anyone else come across a similar problem and know of any solutions.

Many thanks.

Hi paulcooper-

The first suggestion I would have is to try the monitor on a different computer.
If you have the same problem, then your monitor is suspect. And you would eliminate video card problems etc.
Secondly,(and something you might try first), is to try a new monitor cable.
I have seen this problem occur with an inferior (or aging) monitor cable. It is possible you are receiving outside interference. Things like florecent lights, generators etc. have been known to cause ghosting, and an aging cable- Especially a longer one than necessary could be the culprit. "Crosstalk" between individual conductors in your cable can also cause ghosting and interference.

Hi Jabarnutcase!

Several days have now passed since problem first developed, and after disconnecting, cleaning contacts & pins, re-connecting and fully tightening the video lead I noticed a slight improvement.


When I switch on the computer gets as far as Windows logon before ghosting starts, as opposed to as soon as monitor has powered on. Leaving the computer for 5 / 10 minutes the display gets clearer, ie a single ghost instead of about 6 or 7.

And if I push the lead towards the back of the monitor the ghosts disappear and the colours and display looks normal. However though, I presume there is a problem with the lead as however clear of ghosting the display is the right hand side of each object is blurry / streaky.

One problem I do have though, if you are aware of the monitor type, is that the video signal lead is actually pre-attached inside the rear of the monitor, not plugged in. How can I replace this lead? Is it possible?


Thanks for your help!!

Hi again-
Yes, the fact that you can move the cable around and actually change the ghosting pattern does seem to indicate a bad cable- The shielding may just be poor from age, or there is a poor connection where it enters the monitor. Or, the monitor itself may just be on the way out.

The bad news is, you definately do not want to open up the monitor to replace or check the cable.
There are Lethal voltages inside a monitor! (Even long after it is unplugged).
It may be time for a new monitor. :( If you have a local reliable shop, they could look at it for you and possibly fix it, (or give you an estimate to do so), but it may cost more than it's worth.

Again, just to positively confirm this, I would try the monitor on another computer if possible. (Or another monitor on your computer).
Good luck! ;)

I haven't been able to try my monitor on another computer, but I have tried my computer with another monitor. I don't actually have internet connection on my own computer, so when I had a large download to update some game data, I moved my PC to my girlfriend's house and transferred it across a parallel cable as a local network. Switching the 2 PC's to work on the one monitor, they were no display problems. Also when I did get my PC back to my own monitor it was working OK for a while, before going on the blink one day.


As you say I can't really replace or repair the cable myself, and you mentioned that the cable may have bad shielding from age. I don't suppose there is any way of improving the shielding without getting a repairs shop to do it? :confused: :(


Solution looks like spending a bit of cash then!:mad:


Thanks,
Paul

Sorry Paul-
I really don't know what to tell you there. I'm not even sure it is just the cable itself or another problem with the monitor.
It does seem quite evident now from your last post, that it's the monitor with problems.
If you look around, you can get some pretty good deals on 17"CRT's these days. Or, like I said, see what the local repair shop has to say. (If you have one!)
Again, good luck.