Jeanne061397
asked on
Gateway FPD1810 Monitor has thin horizontal black lines running across the screen intermittently.
I have a Gateway FPD1810 (18") olderMonitor attached to my Gateway Computer that has thin horizontal black lines running across the screen intermittently. I also have another monitor attached to the same computer which is a Gateway 19" FPD1976W. This monitor works great and does not ever have black lines running through it.
When the lines show I give the monitor a little whack on the side of it and they go away but return some time later.
I have taken this monitor off my computer and attached it to my husband's computer (he only has one monitor so I had to use the blue cable.) It worked fine on his computer.
I then took his monitor and hooked it up to my computer and monitor and his monitor worked great. He doesn't want my monitor as it is not as clear as his.
I returned the monitor again to my machine and then the black lines appeared again.
My question is, what could be causing the noise (or think black lines running across the monitor). They are not always there but come every now and then and when I hit the monitor they go away but return again at a later time.
I have checked all the cables and they seem to all tight and since this monitor worked on my husband's machine and his worked great on mine, I can't figure out the problem.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Jeanne
When the lines show I give the monitor a little whack on the side of it and they go away but return some time later.
I have taken this monitor off my computer and attached it to my husband's computer (he only has one monitor so I had to use the blue cable.) It worked fine on his computer.
I then took his monitor and hooked it up to my computer and monitor and his monitor worked great. He doesn't want my monitor as it is not as clear as his.
I returned the monitor again to my machine and then the black lines appeared again.
My question is, what could be causing the noise (or think black lines running across the monitor). They are not always there but come every now and then and when I hit the monitor they go away but return again at a later time.
I have checked all the cables and they seem to all tight and since this monitor worked on my husband's machine and his worked great on mine, I can't figure out the problem.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Jeanne
Can you switch the monitor connections on the two you currently use so your 19" screen is connected to where the 18" currently is (& vice versa)?
This will help rule out if it's the connection or the monitor. Are you useing a splitter to connect two screens or do you have two separate connections from the PC one to each screen?
I'm assuming your husband's connects using a blue VGA cable so does the 18" screen have a choice of connectors (possibly white - DVI and blue VGA)?
This will help rule out if it's the connection or the monitor. Are you useing a splitter to connect two screens or do you have two separate connections from the PC one to each screen?
I'm assuming your husband's connects using a blue VGA cable so does the 18" screen have a choice of connectors (possibly white - DVI and blue VGA)?
ASKER
Dear MisterTheory and Masqueraid,
Thank you for responding so rapidly.
Let me try to explain myself a little better.
I have two monitors connected to my Gateway Computer . They are white & black cables and I think they are called DVI cables.
One of them is a Gateway 19" Wide Screen FPD1976W monitor and the cable is black and a DVI cable.
The cable that is connected to the Gateway FPD1810 (18") older Monitor is white and it is also a DVI cable.
The older Monitor with the white DVI cable is the one acting up and getting the think black lines.
My husband's monitor is hooked up to his computer with a blue VGA cable although he does have the special connection that he could hook up a DVI cable but it is only hooked up with the blue VGA cable.
When I decided to switch monitors this is what I did.
I unhooked the old 18th Monitor and hooked it up to husband's computer using the blue VGA cable that was attached to his computer. (I did not have an extra DVI cable so I had to use the blue VGA cable.
I then took his monitor over to my computer and used the same DVI cable that was still attached to my computer and hooked his monitor up to my computer.
Both monitors on my computer worked perfectly using the same DVI cables.
The old 18" Monitor worked perfectly on my husband's computer using the blue VGA cable.
That's why I can't figure out what the problem would be. Could it possibly be that the DVI connection in the old Monitor is bad?
If you think that is the case, I guess I'll chuck the monitor or should I try to buy a NEW DVI cable and try connecting it to the computer and old monitor.
Right now I have been typing and there are no lines at all, the monitor is working great.
It is weird! Sometimes when I get the lines, instead of whacking the monitor I just move it a little bit up or down. Also sometimes after I get the lines my text gets extremely large until I move it and then it goes back to normal.
I will try to switch the monitor cables as you suggested. I am not using a splitter to connect the two screens. I have two separate DVI connections from the PC to each screen.
I hope this is making sense. I for now will shut down the computer and switch the DVI cables.
Just now the lines came and the words became LARGE. I moved the screen slightly and we are back to normal.
I'll report more later.
Thank you for taking your time and patience to help me with this problem.
Jeanne
Thank you for responding so rapidly.
Let me try to explain myself a little better.
I have two monitors connected to my Gateway Computer . They are white & black cables and I think they are called DVI cables.
One of them is a Gateway 19" Wide Screen FPD1976W monitor and the cable is black and a DVI cable.
The cable that is connected to the Gateway FPD1810 (18") older Monitor is white and it is also a DVI cable.
The older Monitor with the white DVI cable is the one acting up and getting the think black lines.
My husband's monitor is hooked up to his computer with a blue VGA cable although he does have the special connection that he could hook up a DVI cable but it is only hooked up with the blue VGA cable.
When I decided to switch monitors this is what I did.
I unhooked the old 18th Monitor and hooked it up to husband's computer using the blue VGA cable that was attached to his computer. (I did not have an extra DVI cable so I had to use the blue VGA cable.
I then took his monitor over to my computer and used the same DVI cable that was still attached to my computer and hooked his monitor up to my computer.
Both monitors on my computer worked perfectly using the same DVI cables.
The old 18" Monitor worked perfectly on my husband's computer using the blue VGA cable.
That's why I can't figure out what the problem would be. Could it possibly be that the DVI connection in the old Monitor is bad?
If you think that is the case, I guess I'll chuck the monitor or should I try to buy a NEW DVI cable and try connecting it to the computer and old monitor.
Right now I have been typing and there are no lines at all, the monitor is working great.
It is weird! Sometimes when I get the lines, instead of whacking the monitor I just move it a little bit up or down. Also sometimes after I get the lines my text gets extremely large until I move it and then it goes back to normal.
I will try to switch the monitor cables as you suggested. I am not using a splitter to connect the two screens. I have two separate DVI connections from the PC to each screen.
I hope this is making sense. I for now will shut down the computer and switch the DVI cables.
Just now the lines came and the words became LARGE. I moved the screen slightly and we are back to normal.
I'll report more later.
Thank you for taking your time and patience to help me with this problem.
Jeanne
ASKER
Hi Again,
I just took the cables off the back of both monitors. I can switch them as they are not exactly the same. I took a picture and I'm sending it here. Hope you get it.
I guess we'll have to try something else.
Jeanne
IMG-0296.JPG
IMG-0297.JPG
I just took the cables off the back of both monitors. I can switch them as they are not exactly the same. I took a picture and I'm sending it here. Hope you get it.
I guess we'll have to try something else.
Jeanne
IMG-0296.JPG
IMG-0297.JPG
Hello, often cables will not be fully populated with pins that are not needed. In this case, the white cable is a "single link" DVI cable. The black cable is a "dual link" cable. The dual link cable is needed on systems that are running very high resolutions and refresh rates (it has a second set of wires to carry the video signals, like an extra lane on a highway). I really believe you can still swap the cables. There is no harm, in this case trying the black cable will still provide all of the necessary pins to run the older monitor. Please try it. Scott.
ASKER
OK, I'll take them apart in the morning and see if anything happens differently. I'll get back to you tomorow.
Thanks, Jeanne
Thanks, Jeanne
ASKER
Sorry, couldn't get to the computer today, will report tomorrow.
Jeanne
Jeanne
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ASKER
Hi,
Instead of switching the two cables, a friend of mine had an extra DVI cable exactly like the one that is on the old monitor. I had to go get it and this morning I put the new cable on it. I haven't been home most of the day but I'll be working on it tonight and will watch for any lines.
So far, I have not seen one. I wonder if it is the cable that was bad.
I'll let you know what happens after I test it for a day or too.
Jeanne
Instead of switching the two cables, a friend of mine had an extra DVI cable exactly like the one that is on the old monitor. I had to go get it and this morning I put the new cable on it. I haven't been home most of the day but I'll be working on it tonight and will watch for any lines.
So far, I have not seen one. I wonder if it is the cable that was bad.
I'll let you know what happens after I test it for a day or too.
Jeanne
ASKER
Well, can you believe this. The cable that I borrowed from my friend has been working for two days and I have not had one black line. Apparently my white cable went bad. What do you think? It is great, I won't have to buy a new monitor.
Jeanne
Jeanne
ASKER
Hi Again,
Well, I guess it wasn't the cable that was bad as yesterday and today the monitor is acting up again. Do you think it is time to just invest in a new monitor?
Jeanne
Well, I guess it wasn't the cable that was bad as yesterday and today the monitor is acting up again. Do you think it is time to just invest in a new monitor?
Jeanne
Hi Jeanne, I am not sure how old this monitor is, but you may want to double-check that it is out of warranty. If it is out of warranty, then I tend to agree with you , it is time to replace it. Someone else may have another idea, but I don't think you can get it fixed for what a new one costs. I am sorry, best of luck in the future. Scott
I really fear you may have a problem with a poor connection or bad solder joint inside the monitor (on a circuit board). When you wack it and it works, that usually means you moved something inside. These can be very hard to diagnose and are generally not cost-effective to try to get it fixed. You can try to find the source of the poor connection by wiggling the cable connection, pushing any buttons or switches that may be present on the monitor and gently applying pressure to the frame of the monitor to flex it slightly to see if you can make the problem come and go, but then it will still require someone to go inside and find the exact point of failure and fix it (if possible)
I wish I could offer something more positive, but I can't think of anything else.
Best Regards, Scott