Monitor Mystery?

[Pilgrim]

I have a 19" LCD Monitor which is 5 years old, I also have an ATI Radeon Graphics Card which is 3 years old.

About 10 days ago I turned my PC on one morning and got a wide black band across the middle of the screen with slightly lighter bands top and bottom, the black band gradually got wider until the whole screen was black, I switched the monitor off by the switch on the front of it and then turned it on again, it worked as normal.
Over the next few days the same thing happened a few more time but it was gradually getting more reluctant to work.
This only happens when I switch on for the first time each day, once it is working properly it continues to do so for the rest of the day even if I reboot, once it is working there is no indication of a problem.

My first thought was to check all the connections to the monitor and graphics card including reseating the card in its PCI slot, no change. The GPU is showing 47-48°C which is what it has been from new.
My next thought was to move the monitor from the graphics card to the onboard graphics but the problem remained.
Having got that far I had more or less decided that it had to be the monitor, except for one thing; while turning the monitor off and then on again rarely makes a difference any more if I use the reset button to restart the computer it all works normally?

The way the screen actually looks on startup varies, sometimes it is one or more black bands in different positions, sometimes I get most or all of the desktop but very dim and then it gradually disappears.
When I do get it working it looks as good as it always has and as I said, once it is working it keeps working all day.

The computer itself appears to be booting normally but if I cannot see the desktop I cannot be certain.

Anybody got any ideas?

[JayCub]

Not sure i can help with this one as i have had a couple of monitors die but no graphics cards, if it was possible i would try and get a second monitor to try as im lucky in that respect of having a spare one.

All the cards i have used are Nvidia which get a blast of air to clean off the dust.. but reading your post it sounds like the monitor has trouble starting, and the card i would imagine would be more intermittent.

as the temps haven't changed the air flow is constant and the fact you used the onboard graphics and the problem remains, leaves you to heading towards a new monitor.

The last monitor that died on me showed similar behaviour to your own and the problem is the price of them.
im more reluctant to say you need a monitor and hope you get your hands on a second to try as it's really a process of elimination that you are used to.

[hal9000]

The fact it does the same with onboard and discrete video certainly points to the monitor. It sounds like something inside is malfunctioning while cold and then works when it's warmed up sufficiently or something like dry joints etc. Does it do the same if you leave the PC on and turn the monitor off for an hour or two to let it cool down.

Obviously, trying it on a different PC would help to rule out your PC totally.

[Bearcat]

Did you re-install the driver software for your graphics card? I ask, because I had a similar problem a couple years ago and it ended up being the driver software.

[Raymond]

The fact it does the same with onboard and discrete video certainly points to the monitor. It sounds like something inside is malfunctioning while cold and then works when it's warmed up sufficiently or something like dry joints etc. Does it do the same if you leave the PC on and turn the monitor off for an hour or two to let it cool down.

Obviously, trying it on a different PC would help to rule out your PC totally.

Agree with hal9000. Since you have done most of the logical troubleshooting steps, the problem definitely points to the monitor.

[A Guy]

Does your monitor have on screen displays/menus? To adjust brightness, etc. (most do). On startup, when the problem occurs, pull up the monitors own menu. If it is affected, it is the monitor 100%. A Guy

[Pilgrim]

Thanks for all the replies.

A Guy - Yes it does but if the screen comes up black I cannot access them.

Raymond & hal9000 - I have not tried turning it off for an hour or two but on the subject of temperature in general, the room temperature has dropped considerably in recent times due to a change in the weather.
Something like dry joints occurred to me but I would not normally expect it to show up after 5 years, I think it more likely that one or more components is failing, if I do replace it I might open it up to see if there is anything visible, if there is I might be able to repair it.
At the moment I only have one PC and one monitor with no access to any others.

Bear - Strangely enough I did that just before this started but that would not account for the problem being there with the onboard graphics.

Jay - I have been considering buying a second possibly smaller monitor to have as a spare, if I replace the main monitor I have been thinking about buying a larger widescreen one but both these things depend, as you say, on the price.
There is also the issue if I buy a larger one of having to move my entire set-up as there is only just enough room for the one I have, that would pose practical problems.

I had more or less concluded that it was the monitor as I was not even getting the BIOS screen come up and this morning it took ten minutes to get it working although now it looks as good as it has ever done.

I am going to look online to see what is available and get an idea of prices then, unless it dies completely, I will have a look at the various computer shops the next time I go into town.
The monitor I have is a Suyama, I got it from an independent shop and it came with a 3 year guarantee, I paid £140 for it which at the time compared favourably with other places so when I have got an idea of current prices I will probably go back and see what they've got now.

This is only the second monitor that I have had, the first came with the original PC from PCW, it died just 2 days after the 1 year guarantee ended and needless to say they did not want to know.

[solin]

What's in the monitor menu there are options such Degauss magnetic signs, try running it. Or damage to the chip. LCD seems less endurance in the appeal of conventional monitors. Graphic LCD also less smooth compared to CRT monitors. LED (Light Emitting Diode) is more solid than the LCD. Compare..

[Redfox]

try to use the monitor in other cpu. if the problem still there then your monitor had the problem. it may be the vertical component inside the monitor.

[A Guy]

Thanks for all the replies.

A Guy - Yes it does but if the screen comes up black I cannot access them.

If you cannot get the monitors own menus to display, even if disconnected from the PC, it is a Monitor problem. The OSD (On Screen Displays) come from within the monitor itself, not from the PC.

try to use the monitor in other cpu. if the problem still there then your monitor had the problem. it may be the vertical component inside the monitor.

It is an LCD monitor, no vertical sweep

A Guy