Is my monitor or video card about to go?

[HamdenRice]

I'm seeing small barely visible horizontal static lines running down the screen.

I remember seeing this on my computers in the past as they aged, and it was usually around the time I replaced the computer. I don't really want to replace this one because I have so much crap on it, and had the harddrive replaced just a few years ago. The computer is 8 years old, so I'm surprised it's kicking the bucket.

Any ideas?

[Statistical]

1. Is it a CRT (tube) monitor?

Do the lines "move" up and down the monitor?

If so then likely it is an issue w/ monitor and not your computer. CRT "draw" the screen one line at a time as they age the electron gun slowly goes out of alignment. The "line" you are seeing is electron gun slightly overdrawing the screen. i.e instead of moving down 1 full line it is overlapping and moving down 0.98 of a line. After enough lines that error adds up and it overdraws an existing line creating an artifact.


Nice news in LCD monitors are cheap. Likely you can get a better, higher resolution monitor that is lighter and wastes less energy (heat) than your old CRT.

Buy a good monitor and you can keep it and use it on your next computer system also.

[HamdenRice]

2. Thank you so much!

It is an old fashioned tv type monitor. I kind of figured it was going because when the computer is in sleep mode and the screen is black, and I move the mouse to activate the monitor, it takes a while to light up.

The problem is exactly how you describe it, with the lines moving down the screen. Your explanation makes so much sense!

This is DU's greatest forum!!!!

[CK_John]

3. DeGauss your CRT May give it a needed boost. Do not open that CRT up, those condensers can

discharge a killing jolt.

<http://www.wikihow.com/Degauss-a-Computer-Monitor>

I only use the menu button method.