Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Computer and screen

Advice on laptop repair on short timeline - laptop repair decision-making advice needed.

mercredi — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:00:42 -0800

Advice about repairing/replacing this laptop, including possible online repair options? Total screen/top half damage on HPdm4 laptop. (Speed and cost considerations inside). So, in a moment of inattention, the screen and entire top clamshell/chassis on my roommates HP dm4 laptop was broken. The entire bottom (keyboard half) is intact and perfectly functioning plugged into an external monitor.

It was purchased from best buy and still under warranty, if relevant.

The person who broke it is willing to pay for repair/replacement, but we'd like to get the most affordable option.

Should we repair or replace?
Is it feasible to just get the top half replaced? Are these relatively interchangeable components? Is the price going to be significantly less than the replacement cost? (about $800)

If we do repair, where should we go?
If we do go with repair, should we go with best buy, where the computer was bought, should we fedex to a great online repair place, or does anyone have a recommendation in Washington, DC?

(assume, unless it's super-simple that we don't have the technical ability to install replacement parts ourselves. All data is already backed up.)

I know this is a slightly mundane question, but my roommate is super-stressed out at work, and I'd really love to be able to fix this for her quickly and efficiently. So thanks in advance!

Eyestrain headache

lewedswiver — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:57:29 -0800

I keep getting headaches from looking at computer screens. About once a week (perhaps), I get rather vicious headaches from looking at computer or smart phone screens for long periods of time. The only thing that seems to make these go away is the passage of time -- I can try to go to sleep, though it can be hard to get to sleep with a headache, and it probably takes closer to 24 hrs than 8 hrs to make it go away.

Usually it feels like an aching in the lower part of my forehead, and the pain often radiates downwards toward my eye. It is not infrequent that I feel a rather excruciating pain coming from my eyeball itself (more often the left eyeball than the right).

Is there anything I can do about this?

----------

My computer, a Windows Vista laptop, is currently set to have ClearType activated. The refresh rate is 60 Hz, though the drop-down menu doesn't list any other options. (Common suggestions from Google are activating ClearType and making the refresh rate higher, though I've read that refresh rate means more or less nothing with regard to LCD screens as opposed to CRT.) My cell phone, an LG Optimus V that has a rather unsharp screen (I'm comparing this to an iPhone, iPod Touch, and a T-Mobile MyTouch), may also be significantly contributing to the eye strain.

The obvious answer is to simply stop looking at screens for so long. I'll try (but sometimes I need to). I'm looking for any less-obvious answer.

Thanks!

Help Me Diagnose This LCD Damage

baltimoretim — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:44:06 -0800

Has anybody seen this kind of damage to an LCD screen? Can I fix it? I was given a 1-year-old HP laptop by an acquaintance who couldn't didn't know how he screwed up the screen. The damage drove him to buy a new laptop and ditch this one.

Check out these images:

http://imgur.com/fdtI4
http://imgur.com/xFVIX
http://imgur.com/LNrB0

The weird marks show up in all situations, no matter the background color. When I plug an external monitor into the laptop, the marks do not show up on the external monitor, which makes me think it's a screen issue and not a video card issue.

What do you think?

Specifying where new windows are to appear

foursentences — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:01:40 -0800

Is there a way to specify exactly where, on my screen, each successive new window should appear? The default Windows 7 behavior is this: every time a new window loads, it's slightly displaced from the last -- maybe an eighth of an inch to the left -- and so I have to re-direct it to the location where I want it. I'd like to automate this.

I'm looking to come as close as possible to the following functionality:

1. I open, say, Word; it appears on the left half of my laptop screen.
2. I open another Word window; it appears on the right half of my laptop screen.
3. I open Firefox; it appears on the left half of my external monitor.
4. I open Excel; it appears on the right half of my external monitor.
5. I open another Firefox window. All four "slots" are now filled, so it places the new window in whichever slot was least recently the active window.

If you have advice using Autohotkey, I'd probably be able to implement it, and would be interested. But if a feature along these lines has already been created somewhere, I'd rather not spend time recreating the wheel.

I am aware of (and I use) kluges like WindowPad, WinSplit, and Ultramon -- all very useful, but none of them quite a solution (unless I'm missing some buried feature somewhere in one of them).

Thanks!

$700 laptop for grandpa that does not have a glossy screen?

Wossname — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:03:45 -0800

$700 laptop for grandpa that does *not* have a glossy screen? So, my grandpa is tired of the desktop and wants a laptop to free up desk space. We've gone shopping locally and only ever see laptops with glossy screens. This makes us both sad.

Grandpa really only surfs the net, uses email, and Office. He uses a DVD drive every now and then and needs a 2-3 USB ports for whatever new gadgets he just bought. He is not interested in a Mac.

A glossy screen is a deal breaker due to the lighting in his office. He doesn't want to fiddle with any screen covers or hoods. So, a matte screen is a must.

What are some good laptops with large screens and full keyboards (number pad a plus)? I can evaluate specs myself to make a final decision, but if I am ordering online I need to know for sure if the screen is matte -- not all the laptop makers mention this in their specs.

In short: $700 laptop, must have a non-gloss screen!

Help me screen my next monitor

bryon — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 09:40:03 -0800

I am going to buy a new computer soon. As a migraineur, I’m concerned about the kind of display I get. I have read that LCD screens have no flicker rate and are good for migraine sufferers. I’ve also read that LCD screens are backlit with fluorescent lights and are terrible for migraine sufferers. I have found varying statements about TFT monitors. I found this post about monitors, but it’s six years old and technology has, presumably, moved on. (I’m presently using an old CRT with both the brightness and contrast turned way down.)

So knowing that MMMV, give me your data, anec- and otherwise, about the best screen choice for me. Thanks!

Looking for screen resolution breakdown by user demographics.

Wossname — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:11:51 -0800

Looking for screen resolution breakdown by user demographics. Are there any stats (year 2008 or newer) that correlate computer screen resolution statistics to typical user demographics? Ideally with a look at household income, where device is used (home vs work), or even user's age.

I'm looking for something like:
1024x768 -- HHI: $60,000 -- Age: 45-60

Multiple studies are fine. I'm not sure if such a thing exists, as it'd have to be done via survey.

(Less resolution-specific stats, like distribution of smart phones, laptops, or generic large screen monitors would also be useful.)

Using a laptop screen as a display for a different laptop.

une_heure_pleine — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 05:48:57 -0800

My laptop has a broken screen. Before I send it off for repair, I need to back it up, but I can't do that without a screen. I don't have access to a monitor to plug it into, but I do have two other working laptops available. Can I somehow hook them up so I can use one of the working screens with the broken laptop? I've asked around, but everyone I know has a laptop rather than a desktop, so I can't find a monitor to hook it up to.

The laptop with the broken screen that I need to back up is a Toshiba Satellite L300, about 18 months old. The other two I have are a 1-2 year old Dell, and an old Toshiba Satellite circa 2001. All are running Windows, if that matters. They can all be hooked up to the same network if required.

The only one I'd feel ok dismantling at all is the old Toshiba- the Dell isn't mine and the newer Toshiba is still under warranty.

Is there a way to do this? What kind of cables would I need? Or is there some other way entirely to think about the problem?

I'm not scared of experimenting, but I'm not all that familiar with IT jargon, so plain English explanations appreciated.

Where to go and what to expect for laptop repair?

longtime_lurker — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 15:19:26 -0800

My laptop's screen isn't working. Where in Chicago should I take it to be fixed? What should I expect? Hooking it up to an external monitor works fine, so it's the connection to the screen that's not working. It's an Asus from Best Buy. How much might a repair cost? Will it be a "while you wait" kind of thing, or should I expect to drop it off and come back for it? Or will it have to be shipped somewhere?

I'm in the Pilsen neighborhood, so recommendations for a repair shop close to there would be nice. Thanks!

Why are my file sizes so different?

DiscourseMarker — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:58:46 -0800

I'm having a problem with screen recording software on Windows XP. I have two identical computers, both of which have been recently re-formatted and had fresh installs of Windows XP. I am using them to record screen video of both sides of IM conversations. I am using the open source program CamStudio to record the screen activity. Both computers have identical settings in CamStudio.

Here's the problem: Computer A will produce an .avi file of about 500MB for an approximately 30-minute video; the *same* 30 minute conversation on Computer B is producing .avi files of 1.5-1.6GB!

Why is the second computer producing such large file sizes? I'm concerned in part because CamStudio documentation can only handle file sizes up to 2GB, and I'm worried about corrupted files (this is part of a research project). I'm concerned that the massive discrepancy in file sizes is indicative of a larger problem that could cause the computer to fail in the middle of a session.

I am a Mac person, and I inherited these computers (they are probably more than 5 years old), so I'm not as adept at Windows troubleshooting.

Please hope me MetaFilter!!

Computer screen blinking on and off

Harald74 — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:40:36 -0800

My secondary PC screen is blinking on and off when certain events occur. OK, so I cannibalised an older PC here at work to get a graphics card with dual DVI out. The previous one was a gForce-based one with one DVI and one VGA output. I removed all nVidia drivers and applications, and installed the correct drivers for the "new" card, which is a Club3D Radeon X1300PRO 256MB CGAX-HP136. I grabbed the drivers and extras from ATI's site and installed them.

I got my new setup with two screens to work perfectly from the start, but with 1280x1024 @ 75 Hz resolution. As soon as I switched to the native display resolution of 1600x1200, which the graphics card could run at only 60 Hz, the secondary display started blinking on and off at approx 1 Hz. I procured a third screen of the same kind (HP LP2065) to try out, and checked and switched cables, but the problem persisted. A Google search turned up someone who had a similar problem which was cured by killing the "ATI Hotkey Poller" service in XP. For me this fix stopped the incessant blinking, but the screen still blinks off for a split second about every minute or so.

And there's one more sympton: When I move a Windows Explorer window unto the secondary screen, and that windows is either bigger than about half the screen area, or I enlarge it to that size while it's on the secondary screen, the scrren also goes black. Shrinking the window back below the threshold gives me my screen back.

I run Windows XP SP2, which is mandated by my workplace, so I can't really change that. But I'm open to other suggestions.

Portable battery powered computer with screen above keyboard

neustile — Fri, 07 May 2010 09:18:58 -0800

Is there any portable battery powered computer (or computer-like device) of any vintage that is flat with the screen above a real keyboard, like a big Blackberry? No folding hinge. Examples I can think of: TRS-80 Model 100, the Kindle, AlphaSmart line... any others?

Fix mah fuzzies!

gnutron — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:00:51 -0800

Yesterday I attached my PC to my TV. Across the display, there are barely-noticeable vertical strips of fuzziness...or inconsistency in the resolution. It's annoying the crap out of me and I don't know how to fix it. The PC is a custom-ordered job sporting a Geforce 7900GT video card and plenty of RAM. The TV is a Olevia 32" widescreen. I'm running at 1380x768.

Everything is working fine and dandy...I even played some TF2 while sitting on the couch. But when I am viewing pages with lots of text - documents and certain web pages, it's obvious that there are vertical strips across the screen where the text is fuzzier than in adjacent areas. Like the resolution is not consistent across the entire screen. And if I slide the document across the screen, it's clear that these areas are fixed - I can see the text slide through areas of fuzziness.

I poked through the display options but I can't seem to find anything that helps. Hope me metafilter!

Laptop screen dying: DIY to prevent RIP?

googly — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:00:05 -0800

My laptop screen appears to be dying. Is there anything I can do? I have a 3-year-old Dell Latitude X1 laptop that has taken a fair bit of abuse over the years. Recently, the screen has started having an intermittent problem: part of the screen will take on a much lighter shade, and it will look as if the resolution has been reduced - almost exactly like when Windows is run in Safe Mode. Here are some pix:

Normal.
Abnormal: 1, 2, 3.

I can rectify this problem by slightly bending the screen from the side, or by changing the angle of the screen.

My questions:

(1) What is the problem? I assume its hardware related, and (hopefully) some connecting wire that is being bent/broken. Or could it be the motherboard?

(2) Is this something that I might be able to fix on my own and for relatively cheap? The computer works great otherwise and I'd really love to hang on to it, but I'm not willing to pay $1000 for a replacement screen.

(3) Is there some way that I can diagnose and/or fix this? I am comfortable opening up electronics and doing basic repair work (e.g. replacing drives and fans and so forth) but hardly an expert.

Laptop screen replacement question.

hwestiii — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:19:26 -0800

Looking to possibly replace my laptop screen. Confused by the options. The screen on my Fujitsu Lifebook began flickering occassionally several months ago, but the problem has recently become so frequent that it is nearly unusable and I'm looking at replacement options.

After searching around on the web, it seems like the problem could be in one of two places, the inverter board that the display plugs into, or the display itself.

What I'm trying to figure out is if there is a reliable way of determining which it actually is. I don't want to replace one item only to find out that the problem is actually the other.

Passports, please.

mdonley — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:40:20 -0800

What, exactly, does a Schengen-zone immigration officer at an airport see on his screen when he scans my machine-readable, has-entered-the-Schengen-zone-before non-Schengen passport? I'd love to see a screenshot, or just an explanation of the information available to the officer at first glance.

How long before my backlight goes out?

Mrs. Buck Turgidson — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:56:18 -0800

The backlight on my 5-year-old laptop screen has just started to get dimmer and pinkish in the corners. How long do I have before it goes completely out? Days? Weeks? At any moment?

Backlight or Inverter? How can you tell?

doomtop — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:54:28 -0800

Backlight or Inverter? How can you tell? Generally, when a laptop's LCD screen is functioning but extremely dim to the point of not really being able to see, this means that either the Backlight or the Inverter for the Backlight needs to be replaced.

Is there any way to determine whether the problem is due to the Backlight or due to the Inverter, without testing by replacing one or the other?

I am trying to avoid having to buy one part only to find out the problem is the other one.

Need Cleen Screen

imjustsaying — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:40:11 -0800

How can I safely get this glossy laptop LCD clean and free of dust without running the risk of damaging it? Dirty computer LCD screens drive me crazy.

My laptop is a Sony VGN-FE550G with a glossy screen. My acid test for a a really clean screen is to fill it with a black background and view it with bright light hitting it.

When I managed to get the dust off of it I invariably end up with streaks.

my computer screen is too small!

arcadia — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:25:22 -0800

Help! My computer screen has shrunk and I can't make it big again! Calling all geeks and dweebs: help me fix this problem so I can continue using my ancient and hammered computer. Some sort of unexpected shutoff happened, and now my computer screen is 640 x 480 pixels, with about 2" black space on all sides. Also the colours are set at 16 colours. If I click Control Panel > Display > Settings, I'm taken to the place where I'm apparently supposed to be able to fix these things. However the only colour setting offered is 16, and the little 'Screen Area' sliding thingamajig is stuck at the far left and won't move when I try to move it with my cursor. What gives?
It's an IBM Thinkpad 6000 series, running Windows ME.

19" LCD (1440x900) + (?) + eMachines T2862 = crisp, clear, monitoring

carsonb — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:40:22 -0800

Please help me fit my new monitor to my crappy old computer. I was just gifted a low-end 19" widescreen LCD monitor with a native resolution of 1440x900. My desktop PC is a hills-old eMachines T2862 with an Intel Integrated Graphics Controller that doesn't seem to support that resolution. Having looked over similar questions here and tentatively probed some other boards that cover the topic, I'm under the impression that I need to acquire a video card. Now, I've opened the case on this computer on numerous occasions, and have happily installed various plug'n'play components (2nd hard drive, more RAM), but find myself woefully clueless when it comes to graphics cards.

So, some questions:

1 - Do I really need a new graphics card? I got a vague idea from some other boards that there might be programs available that can alter the resolution options of and IGC. (Power Strip?) I suppose this would be preferable assuming that those programs are free.

2 - OK, so I probably need a new graphics card. Do you know if my computer is capable of accepting one? What should I look for in the guts to check? Which card should I get? I am decidedly not a gamer, do not watch television on my computer, and only occasionally watch DVDs. In other words, I don't need something super-elite and would prefer the bare-bones, cheap option. Please advise.

3 - Finally, should I plug in my old CRT for now? Am I ruining my shiny new LCD monitor by running it at a non-optimal resolution?

Maybe I'll just use Comic Sans and hork everyone off

Lucinda — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:07:24 -0800

What one font is the easiest to read on both on a computer screen *and* off a sheet of paper? I have just taken over the creation of our knitting guild newsletter. It is sent to some members as a hard copy, to others as a PDF file. (I don't know how many of the PDF receivers print it out to read it, but I usually read it directly off the screen.)

Since time immemorial, the text of it has been 10pt Arial. No one has complained about it, but I'm wondering if there is a better font that can be used that might be easier to read in both cases (on screen and on paper).

(And so people can gripe about the changes being made, and how much nicer the newsletter looked *before* Lucinda took over, etc., etc.)

Laptop screen quality questions.

archagon — Mon, 07 May 2007 22:57:06 -0800

Laptop screen quality questions: 1. In general, how good are laptop screens at reproducing color?
2. If you're using a laptop, take a look at the following gamma chart. Does the area on the left have any yellow in it?
3. Aside from adjusting the gamma, is there any way to make a laptop screen look better without reducing the image quality?

My laptop screen pales in comparison to my LCD desktop display, even though it got very good reviews. It's rather annoying when I'm doing PS work.

Blinky the Laptop

TheGoldenOne — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 07:47:29 -0800

Laptop screen blackout issues: Sometimes my laptop screen will flicker black. Sometimes it will stay blacked out until I play with the angle of the screen, then it flickers a little more and eventually goes back to normal. What's going on here? Bad connection? Do I need to send it back from whence it came? If so, how do I back up everything?

-It's a new laptop. I got it in December. I've been gentle.

Is there a Windows program available that'll allow you to expand/maximize a window into just half the screen?

PWA_BadBoy — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 10:55:15 -0800

Is there a Windows program available that'll allow you to expand/maximize a window into just half the screen? [more inside] I've got a 23" LCD widescreen monitor at home and two 17" monitors at work set up with a dual monitor setup.

I really like the ability at work to click the maximize button on a window and it just automatically maximizes to whichever screen the currently unminimized window is primarily residing on. However the best I can do on my 23" widescreen is right click along the task bar and then go "Tile vertically" to achieve a similar effect.

Basically, is there a program that allows me to "maximize" and treat two left and right halves of my 23" monitor like it's a dual screen so when I maximize a window, it only maximizes into half the screen?