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Conference noted::ibmpc-95

Title:	IBM PCs, clones, DOS, etc.
Notice:	Intro in 1-11, Windows stuff in NOTED::MSWINDOWS please
Moderator:	TARKIN::LINND

Created:	Tue Jan 03 1995
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	3023
Total number of notes:	28404

3013.0. "display changes width, a little!" by STRATA::LPIPER () Thu May 22 1997 18:40

    Not too sure if this is a monitor question or a video card question,
    but here goes:
    
    Once in a while, (one or two a week) when I power up my system, the 
    display (I guess it's called the desktop?) is slightly larger than it
    'normally' is, meaning the width only has increased such edges (L&R) are
    out of the viewable area of the monitor's tube.  It appears horizontaly
    stretched out.  A reboot using the "start" box usually fixes it,
    meaning the display (desktop) is back to where it normally is, just
    filling the monitor's viewable area.  Am I doing something wrong, have
    something set wrong, etc?
    
    Hardware:
    	MagInnovision 17DX tube
    	Diamond 2000 videocard, latest driver versions, checked FAQ's, etc.
    	software switches are mostly set to default values, running
    	1024 x 680 x 24bit display.
    
    It "appears" the monitor is merely doing as it's told, so maybe the
    culprit is in the video card or driver?   ...but I'm guessing.

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
3013.1	monitor is more likely	CPEEDY::BRADLEY	Chuck Bradley	`Thu May 22 1997 22:08`	19
	re: <<< Note 3013.0 by STRATA::LPIPER >>> -< display changes width, a little! >- i have not seen that problem, so this is just a guess. if you have not changed any settings on the video card the fault is probably in the monitor. there have been reports of other effects, pincushioning and squiggly edges for example, that went away when the monitor got warm. you might get more insight by keeping notes about some experiments with temperature. does it drop back to normal size after a while? is it more likely to happen when the monitor is cold than when it is hot? ditto for system box. maginovision makes many of the gateway monitors that have had problems discussed in here. there are some other notes about class action law suits and rebates on failed monitors.
3013.2		NPSS::NEWTON	Thomas Newton	`Thu May 22 1997 23:22`	15
	Don't be surprised if your monitor problem gets worse. I have a MAG Innovision monitor that's now maybe 2-3 years old, hooked to a Mac. It's started doing things like - Making the display MUCH wider, so that the left and right sides of the desktop fall off the screen, and the part in the middle has W-I-D-E characters and graphics. - Scrunching up the right side (and maybe the left side) of the display, to the point of unreadability. When it first started doing this, it happened only occasionally and you could always fix it by cycling the power. Now it happens a lot and the power cycle trick doesn't always work.
3013.3		WRKSYS::INGRAHAM	Andy	`Fri May 23 1997 12:07`	2
	Instead of cycling the system power, cycle only the monitor's power and see if it fixes it. That would help you isolate it.
3013.4	I also had such a problem	ASABET::MCWILLIAMS		`Fri May 23 1997 12:29`	10
	re: 3013.2 I had the same problem with my Gateway monitor (which is a Mag). I just attributed it to a problem with the horizontal scan and bought a new 17". It is interesting that this crowning affect is more pronounced under DOS than under Windows. /jim
3013.5	thanks for the help	STRATA::LPIPER		`Fri May 23 1997 14:27`	8
	from .0, the originator - Thanks a bunch, everyone! I'll try the suggestions, and interesting how much there's to learn from this collections of notes. sounds like I shoulda' bought the Sony I wanted in the first place, sigh...$$'s fly away quickly, don't they. Thanks again. ldp
3013.6	What happened to me...	EVMS::YAHWHO::PETROVIC	Think... there must be a harder way...	`Fri May 23 1997 15:15`	17
	re: .all I have a DX17F, a little over 2 years old which seemed to experience some of the characteristics you all have written about. I noticed the display width would 'jiggle' intermittently and that rebooting and/or power-cycling the monitor wouldn't cure it. I had to move the machine from its resting place and when I powered it up again, the 'jiggling' went away. I took the opportunity to reseat the cables at both ends when the box was out, so I could only guess that reseating the cable did something. What prompted me to do that??? Phase of the Moon, I'd have to say. The display's solid and has been since about Christmas, when I did all this. At the time I was running WFWG3.11 and have since oopsgraded to Win95, so I believe this sort of rules out driver problems. Of course, I could be wrong. Chris
3013.7	right on with the suggestions	STRATA::LPIPER		`Tue Jun 03 1997 14:29`	10
	re: .0 from L. Piper yup...of course, since the monitor "knew" it was being talked about, it was well behaved for a week! But yesterday, the suggestion of powering down the monitor momentarily after the width problem showed again proved a good one. This monitor is definately ill, and now, so am I. (don't suppose there's any fixing it, huh?) I do remember a "Shoe" cartoon strip which suggested that, "...removing all the electronic parts and stuff inside the monitor case, tipping on it's back, ,and filling it with dirt makes a nifty planter!"