# Fuzzy, blurry screen (sometimes)



## lipsmove (Aug 25, 2005)

My husband just built a new computer. Sometimes the monitor goes blurry, or fuzzy, and everything looks out of focus. We have tried going into safe mode and the problem doesn't happen in safe mode.

The monitor is a Dell M992 and the video card is a GeForce FX5700LE.

If he plays an online game, the problem mostly goes away, and stays away for up to an hour after he stops playing the game. We have reformated the hard drive and nothing changed.

I can't use the computer for more than 5 minutes at a time because I get a headache from trying to read blurry words. Any ideas on what this could be? All of the video drivers are up to date as far as we know. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.


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## lemondrop (Jun 24, 2004)

Welcome to TSG  

Do you have another monitor you could test with?
Does your computer have onboard video so you can temporarily eliminate the video card?


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## lipsmove (Aug 25, 2005)

We do have another monitor that we could test with...but since everything looked okay in safe mode and sometimes in game programs I wasn't sure this was needed.

About the onboard video, I have no idea. How can I check for this?

Thank you for the reply.


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## lemondrop (Jun 24, 2004)

lipsmove said:


> We do have another monitor that we could test with...but since everything looked okay in safe mode and sometimes in game programs I wasn't sure this was needed.


Most drivers don't load in safe mode. This includes monitor and video drivers. You have another monitor so it would be a good idea to test it. Process of elimination.



> About the onboard video, I have no idea. How can I check for this?


Check on the back of the computer for a blue "D" shaped *female* (not to be confused with the blue male serial plug) plug other than the one that the monitor is hooked up to. It will be up by the parallel printer port.


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## lipsmove (Aug 25, 2005)

Well I checked with the other monitor and everything looked fine. As for the onboard video, I didn't see what you described. So I guess it is the monitor then? Is it possible that it gets "tired" and more and more blurry as the time it has been on progresses?

Of course it has to be the heaviest part of the computer that isn't working properly  Now to find the warranty information...


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## lemondrop (Jun 24, 2004)

lipsmove said:


> So I guess it is the monitor then? Is it possible that it gets "tired" and more and more blurry as the time it has been on progresses?


Could be a heat issue. You may want to extend the test time to be 100% sure it is the monitor. Play around like you normally would to see if it does become blurry again. Sure wouldn't want to be digging around and messing with warranties unless you need to.



> Of course it has to be the heaviest part of the computer that isn't working properly  Now to find the warranty information...


Funny how things work out, huh? 

EDIT
BTW: Have you checked the resolution the monitor is set for? Low resolutions will often give blurry results. right click on your desktop and hit properties. Click the settings tab. Click the advanced button. Check under the monitor tab for the refresh rate. What is it set at?


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## lipsmove (Aug 25, 2005)

I will try that. Thank you for your help! :up:


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## lemondrop (Jun 24, 2004)

No problem. :up: 

Just be sure to check the edit (added BTW) at the end of my last post.


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## lipsmove (Aug 25, 2005)

We have tried every resolution and the refresh rate is 85. We mirrored the settings on my monitor and his still wouldn't work right.

You say it could be a heat issue, that means from the monitor getting too hot?


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## lemondrop (Jun 24, 2004)

lipsmove said:


> We have tried every resolution and the refresh rate is 85. We mirrored the settings on my monitor and his still wouldn't work right.


Just making sure. I didn't think it would be this because of the apparent random behavior of the blurriness.



> You say it could be a heat issue, that means from the monitor getting too hot?


I'm going to stress the word maybe here. If it is in fact the monitor itself it could be any number of issues from overheating electronics to a poorly aligned gun. Even a small vibration could be playing with a loose focus control. It's really hard to even speculate without being there.


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## cristobal03 (Aug 5, 2005)

This might be a stupid question, but I didn't want to assume anything. I didn't notice anywhere in your posts, is the monitor new or old? Also, is it flatscreen or cathode-ray tube (like a TV)? 

One of the first signs of old CRT monitors going south is an intermitent fuzzy picture, or inconsistent screen size/color. Though this doesn't explain why you didn't experience the problem in safe mode. On the other hand, if the other monitor is working fine, it is pretty likely not a driver issue because most drivers apply to the controller, not the device (in other words, if it was a driver issue you'd almost certainly have the same problem no matter what monitor you used).

Do you use the computer the same--or as close as possible--in safe mode as you do when you boot normally?

Just some random questions.

chris.


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## lipsmove (Aug 25, 2005)

lemondrop said:


> I'm going to stress the word maybe here. If it is in fact the monitor itself it could be any number of issues from overheating electronics to a poorly aligned gun. Even a small vibration could be playing with a loose focus control. It's really hard to even speculate without being there.


Just wanted to make sure it was still the monitor we were talking about. I get lost in computer talk sometimes and wanted to clear it up. As long as I know it is most likely a monitor problem then I know how to get that fixed.

cristobal03 - The monitor is new. A month old at the most. It is a CRT. I didn't use safe mode much on it, just for about 10 mins to see how it looked when booted up.


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## cristobal03 (Aug 5, 2005)

lipsmove said:


> If he plays an online game, the problem mostly goes away, and stays away for up to an hour after he stops playing the game. We have reformated the hard drive and nothing changed.


Sorry for the bump.

Does the game change the display resolution? That would explain a bunch. Safe Mode sets the resolution to 800x600 usually, and a lot of games use that same resolution. You say you've tried every resolution, but you'd almost have to have a fresh start on each setting. In other words, you couldn't try a new resolution after it went fuzzy and expect it to change if it's a loose gun.


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## lipsmove (Aug 25, 2005)

The resolution in the game is set the same as the desktop resolution.


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## lemondrop (Jun 24, 2004)

lipsmove said:


> Just wanted to make sure it was still the monitor we were talking about. I get lost in computer talk sometimes and wanted to clear it up. As long as I know it is most likely a monitor problem then I know how to get that fixed.


Yup, still talking about the monitor  I was talking about the monitor guts.

Hope all goes well with any repairs :up:

Good day.


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## cristobal03 (Aug 5, 2005)

Mmk, bottom line. If it's a new monitor that is behaving poorly on different computers, and good monitors behave fine on the original computer, it's a bad monitor. Don't be surprised; cathode-ray tubes are pretty unreliable. My guess is that if you ordered it online (since the computer is a Dell) the canon got dislodged en route. Troubleshooting CRTs isn't worth the money or effort. If you can, borrow an LCD (flatscreen) from a friend for a day. Leave the computer on all day, turn off any screensavers, use the computer as often as you normally would. If there's no problem, I'd consider investing in a flatscreen. I haven't priced them lately but you can get a reasonably good monitor for around $150 I think, and it will last much longer than a CRT.

Good luck,

chris.

[edit]
If you use the warranty I would insist on getting a discounted flatscreen rather than a replacement CRT monitor.
[/edit]


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## lipsmove (Aug 25, 2005)

Thank you both for your help!


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