Problem, need help

Q_Ball

Ok i have a 1gig t-bird running windows ME with a nVidia TNT m64. i only got this comp recently but for some reason the monitor keeps going blank and then coming back, sorta like if i turned it off and on in quick succession. Does anyone know why this could be happening? i haven't got the latest drivers yet cos i'm not sure which ones i should get

cheers

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Sweeet

SantaHoe

Hum.
Well is there any specific time when the monitor goes off? (ie. does it always go off when...) Or is it completely random?
Is the monitor picture off or just black but on?

It could be anything from a dodgy video card, to a loose monitor cable, a knackered monitor, power-saving features, to screwy video settings.

More details would help a lot.
A few things to try:
[1]. Reseat (ie. unplug then plug back in) your monitor cables, make sure they're in all the way, and that they are firmly in place.

[2]. Boot into the system BIOS (usualy by pressing Delete or F1 when the PC first comes on). Leave the BIOS menu open for a while (you don't need to change anything, just leave it on the screen for however long it usualy takes the monitor to shut off) and see if it happens there.

[3]. Try the monitor on a friends PC, this should tell you wether it's the monitor or PC at fault.

[4]. Check if there's any remaining warranty on your monitor, you could have it checked over and save yourself the bother.

[5]. When the monitor goes off - does the power indicator LED stay on, go off, or turn amber/orange?
If it goes off then you've probably got a wonky power cable going into your monitor, in which case you could swap it with your PCs power cable just to confirm.
If it's turning amber, there's a good chance that your video card is using a resolution/refresh-rate that your monitor doesn't like, or the video card isn't sending a signal at all.
A green LED - sounds a bit dodgy, maybe a knackered tube or something.

If the monitor works fine in the BIOS and a friends PC, then it's probably some software/configuration problem or perhaps related to faulty/misconfigured hardware elsewhere in the machine, in which case you're in for a great time! (ie. reseat the video card and get updated drivers etc.)

But try those few things anyway.

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Q_Ball

cheers santa.

It stays green but it would just go black and then come back again. i've used the adapter refresh rate, the optimal and the 60hz which the monitor supports but it still happens. i am brining the comp in on thursday to get a cd-rw/dvd combo drive they didn't install the first time so i'll get them to have a look at it then. i also got a set of detonator drivers, 631 i think that i'll have to install when i get home.

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Sweeet

Chubby

I have a similar problem with my monitor. It's a cheapass Hansol thing and I am using a geforce ddr. What make is your monitor?

What seems to be happening anyway is that it takes the monitor a while to warm up. When I turn it on the gamma is slightly darker than it's set to and it's slightly misaligned to the edge of the screen. It settles into my settings after 5-10mins and somethings it'll black out for a split second and come right back on. This usually only happens when I am playing a game and it does it once and then all the gamma and alignment crap is fixed. A very odd behavior but it doesn't bother me so I never looked into it.

[This message has been edited by Chubby (edited 29-01-2001).]