I may not be able to read your reply, but thanks.

June 10, 2006 4:29 AM

My 17" Dell LCD monitor is erratically flashing on and off: possible reasons and solutions?

On startup, the monitor will flash on and off in one-second increments: the entire display, including the power button. If I turn it off and on again it may resolve, it may not. The frequency of problem decreases the longer the monitor is on, but not entirely. Jiggling or otherwise physically adjusting the monitor sometimes helps, sometimes not. Virus scans are clean, and there have been no power surges. My house is not on a sacred burial ground. I'm buying a new output cable for it today to see if that resolves the problem. I have searched various hardware/Dell message boards to see if I can find similiar incidents without much success because hey, my monitor keeps flashing on and off. Any other thoughts? Finally, if I'm hosed, what do you think of this bad boy as a replacement?

posted by melissa may to computers & internet (7 comments total)

You may need a new power cord. Check it for physical damage. There may also be a bad bypass capacitor in the monitor, allowing line irregularities to affect it in this way. Try running it through a line conditioner, but only if you can borrow one easily or have it handy
posted by IronLizard at 5:40 AM on June 10, 2006

Stupid question: Have you first checked all of the cables to make sure they're tight?
posted by SpecialK at 9:49 AM on June 10, 2006

SpecialK, not stupid: first thing I did was check the cables which were all tight. Then I unplugged everything, used compressed air to clean out all the connectors, and replugged, hoping that a little dust was my only problem. It was not my only problem. However, so far, since I posted this, it hasn't cut out, so if someone read this and has since been chanting on my behalf, don't stop.
posted by melissa may at 10:00 AM on June 10, 2006

Hrmm... if the power light is flicking off as well, sounds to me like it's either an issue with the power cable, or something internal to the monitor. Do you still have any warranty left on the monitor?
posted by antifuse at 10:57 AM on June 10, 2006

Of course I don't have any warranty left on the monitor! This couldn't possibly have happened if that were the case. So, if you or anyone else has used the new one I linked, I'd love to hear it, because if it's internal I need to do this on the cheap.
posted by melissa may at 11:07 AM on June 10, 2006

Melissa - Yeah, the new LCD looks like it'll be OK if you need to go that route. I'd go down to your local CompUSA store and look at LCDs there; write down the specs from that one online and compare them to what's at the store so you can see what you're getting.
posted by SpecialK at 11:26 AM on June 10, 2006

You may need a new backlight.
posted by evariste at 11:32 AM on June 10, 2006