Display shakes

[abanerji]

This issue has been troubling for about a year now. I have searched using google, but did not get any relevant solution.

PC is Compaq Evo (nearly five years old), and monitor has recently been serviced by a technician. He says it is quite fine.

OS is XP-SP2 (fully patched), AVG free, AVG antispyware, ZA free, ProcessGuard. AVG AV & antispyware updated daily. Safe browsing habit. Also use spywareblaster to restrict notorious websites.

Problem does not happen in safe mode. However, it occurs in normal mode, sometimes after monitor gets up from "turn off" state. The active app window (e.g., Word) will suddenly go a bit out-of-screen horizontally, and then revert back to normal (after delay) - however, the delay factor is variable from few to several minutes.
Intel graphics driver has been updated.

Shall appreciate leads to troubleshoot.

 

[Conjon]

do you mean sort of wavy? because when I put mine in a high res it goes really wavy, and I dont know why

 

[abanerji]

No, not wavy.

Like I mentioned, the window just goes wider (edges out of screen) ... sometimes will happen in rapid succession, as if the app is shaking.

 

[SNGX1275]

Your monitor is dying. Buy an LCD.

 

[tipstir]

Yeah I have to agree, replace it, nosense trying to figure that riddle

 

[Tmagic650]

If the monitor works fine in SAFE MODE, it has to be a driver issue. Try lowering or raising the video refresh rate. You might try turning off video accelleration too

 

[Tedster]

considering CRTs use a lot of energy, and you can can a used CRT dirt cheap or even better an LCD - I wouldn't have even bothered fixing it. Just replace it. Dispose of your old CRT properly by bringing it to an electronics recycler.

CRTs contain lead and phosphorous and are poisonous to ground water.

 

[SNGX1275]

If the monitor works fine in SAFE MODE, it has to be a driver issue. Try lowering or raising the video refresh rate. You might try turning off video accelleration too

Not necessarly. Sometimes they run at certain resolutions better than others when they are failing. Sometimes they act fine when displaying less white.

I've had 2 CRTs die on me, one failed (did wierd things) at higher resolutions first, but lower worked. The other I have is still working, as long as I keep the white space down to a minimum. If there is a lot of white, the bottom third of the screen does a rapid zig-zag motion, and I can also make that happen anywhere else by making a white rectangular box and dragging it up or down anywhere on the screen. As long as I keep at least 3/4 of the screen something other than solid white everything is fine. When its doing its zig-zag thing I can fix it for a few seconds by smacking it.

I think the monitor is shot.

 

[Tmagic650]

"Not necessarly. Sometimes they run at certain resolutions better than others when they are failing. Sometimes they act fine when displaying less white"

So you want to argue? We are talking CRT monitors here and not LCD monitors here, right? In CRT monitors, solid state relays switch frequency circuits in an out, depending on the running frequency. The higher the frequency, the faster the switching happens. This faster switching, pulls more current from the supporting power circuits.

The more white a CRT displays, the more current the CRT pulls. This again loads the supporting power circuits.

This problem that abanerji has, can be related to a failing monitor, but a simple video adjustment from the connected computer can either help or not help. It's worth a try, isn't it?

 

[SNGX1275]

Yes CRT. He's got an old Compaq and I've never seen an LCD "shake". I just disputed it being a driver issue. Because I have never heard of a driver causing that behavior.

 

[abanerji]

Thanks to all for the lively discussion ... means a lot to a non-techie (me).

I just wanted to be sure that the fault is in the monitor, and not with "something inside the cabinet" (e.g., video card) ... I apologise for my ignorance about the technical aspects of a computer system.

As I mentioned in my original post, I had given the monitor for service to a centre, and the technician was quite categorical that the internals were quite fine; in fact, his opinion was that it should go for another couple of years. So, when the monitor started doing a jig on my PC again (after the service), I was confused.

Shall get back here after I know definitively ... just to share my case, if it helps other non-techies.