CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [339]
Video cards are pretty durable, but they have two components that do go bad: the fan and the RAM. Lucky for you, if either of these goes out, it tends to show the same error—bizarre screen outputs followed shortly by a screen lockup. Usually Windows keeps running; you may see your mouse pointer moving around and windows refreshing, but the screen turns into a huge mess (Figure 19-74).
Figure 19-74 Serious video problem
Bad drivers sometimes also make this error, so always first try going into Safe mode to see if the problem suddenly clears up. If it does, you do not have a problem with the video card!
The last and probably most common problem is nothing more than improperly configured video settings. Identifying the problem is just common sense—if your monitor is showing everything sideways, someone messed with your rotation settings; if your gorgeous wallpaper of a mountain pass looks like an ugly four-color cartoon, someone lowered the color depth. Go into your Display Properties and reset them to a setting that works! The one serious configuration issue is pushing the resolution too high. If you adjust your resolution and then your monitor displays an error message such as “Input Signal Out of Range” (Figure 19-75), you need to set your resolution back to something that works for your video card/monitor combination!
Figure 19-75 Pushing a monitor too hard
Troubleshooting Monitors
Because of the inherent dangers of the high-frequency and high-voltage power required by monitors, and because proper adjustment requires specialized training, this section concentrates on giving a support person the information necessary to decide whether a trouble call is warranted. Virtually no monitor manufacturers make schematics of their monitors available to the public, because of liability issues regarding possible electrocution. To simplify troubleshooting, look at the process as three separate parts: common monitor problems, external adjustments, and internal adjustments.
Common Monitor Problems
Although I’m not super comfortable diving into the guts of a monitor, you can fix a substantial percentage of monitor problems yourself. The following list describes the most common monitor problems and tells you what to do—even when that means sending it to someone else.
Almost all CRT and LCD monitors have replaceable controls. If the Brightness knob or Menu button stops working or seems loose, check with the manufacturer for replacement controls. They usually come as a complete package.
For problems with ghosting, streaking, and/or fuzzy vertical edges, check the cable connections and the cable itself. These problems rarely apply to monitors; more commonly, they point to the video card.
If one color is missing, check cables for breaks or bent pins. Check the front controls for that color. If the color adjustment is already maxed out, the monitor will require internal service.
As monitors age, they lose brightness. If the brightness control is turned all of the way up and the picture seems dim, the monitor will require internal adjustment. This is a good argument for power-management functions. Use the power switch or the power-management options in Windows to turn off the monitor after a certain amount of time.
Common Problems Specific to CRTs
The complexity of CRTs compared to LCDs requires us to look at a number of monitor problems unique to CRTs. Most of these problems require opening the monitor, so be careful! When in doubt, take it to a repair shop.
Most out-of-focus monitors can be fixed. Focus adjustments are usually on the inside, somewhere close to the flyback transformer. This is the transformer that provides power to the high-voltage