[hanndav]

Help!
My monitor has been slowly getting worse and worse and yesterday it just couldn't cope with a normal screen. I bought a new monitor which I plugged in this morning.
The same thing seems to be happening. I can get into safe mode but in device manager there isnt even a listing for a monitor.

OK so now I'm thinking that it's not the monitor that's died but the graphics card?
Any ideas?
Thanks

[hanndav]

OK So maybe what I'm asking is, is there any way to tell if it's the monitor or the graphics card?

[Maxatoria]

Can you swap the screen with a friend for a few hours as if the fault still happens its the card and if the friends machine has problems its the monitor

[Tinky-Winky]

Hi hanndav,

Does your PC have on-board graphics that you can try the monitor on?

Also if you have access to a friends PC you could try the monitor there.

TW

[Stig]

Originally Posted by hanndav

Help!
My monitor has been slowly getting worse and worse and yesterday it just couldn't cope with a normal screen. I bought a new monitor which I plugged in this morning.
The same thing seems to be happening. I can get into safe mode but in device manager there isnt even a listing for a monitor.

OK so now I'm thinking that it's not the monitor that's died but the graphics card?
Any ideas?
Thanks

What symptoms are you seeing? What is 'getting worse' and what is not 'normal'?

Even if you could see a setting in Device Manager it wouldn't help for a monitor.

More information needed!

[chrisjr]

Originally Posted by hanndav

OK So maybe what I'm asking is, is there any way to tell if it's the monitor or the graphics card?

You said in your OP that you went out an bought a new monitor and got the exact same results. Now it would be extremely unlikely that two random monitors would have the same fault (not impossible but very very very very unlikely). Therefore the chances are it is something common to the two monitors.

That means, your PC, specifically the graphics card though could be a power supply issue or some other fault that is affecting graphics performance. Or it could even be the cable between PC and monitor.

Easy way to check the cable is to swap it for another one. Or if you are using VGA swap to DVI (or vice versa) if both formats are supported by the graphics card and monitor.

Is the monitor plugged into a motherboard socket or a separate graphics card in a slot on the motherboard? If the latter does the PC have on board graphics? If it does then try using that (may have to temporarily remove the slot in card). If that is OK then it will point at the slot in card being faulty.

[hanndav]

OK I'm fairly sure it's the graphics card as when I put on the new monitor it's the same. That is, the display can handle a safe mode like screen or DOS-like but not full on graphics such as my normal windows backround.
I used all the new cables with the new monitor.

[Stig]

Originally Posted by hanndav

OK I'm fairly sure it's the graphics card as when I put on the new monitor it's the same. That is, the display can handle a safe mode like screen or DOS-like but not full on graphics such as my normal windows backround.
I used all the new cables with the new monitor.

What do you mean it 'can't handle it?' Please be specific!

It might just be a refresh rate issue which is easily fixed.

[emptybox]

When you go into Device Manager it's 'Display adaptors' that you want to look at, to make sure it's properly identifying your graphics card and has the right driver.

[hanndav]

Thanks for all your replies. It was the graphics card, intalled a new one and all is well...... apart from the fact that the PC is now running VERY slowly even shutting down takes 5 mins. But at least I have a PC that's usable albeit slowly.

[DeelyBopper]

Originally Posted by hanndav

Thanks for all your replies. It was the graphics card, intalled a new one and all is well...... apart from the fact that the PC is now running VERY slowly even shutting down takes 5 mins. But at least I have a PC that's usable albeit slowly.

Swapping out the graphics shouldn't have a noticeable effect on your shutdown time. Is it slower than before?

[Maxatoria]

Theres probably the old drivers still there causing some mayhem in the corners, its probably best to backup anything of importance and reinstall windows

[hanndav]

Originally Posted by DeelyBopper

Swapping out the graphics shouldn't have a noticeable effect on your shutdown time. Is it slower than before?

It's way slower on start up and shut down.

Originally Posted by Maxatoria

Theres probably the old drivers still there causing some mayhem in the corners, its probably best to backup anything of importance and reinstall windows

I removed the old drivers before installing but there was an error message on installing the new driver, something about C++?
I think I will do a clean install, it's been a while anyway.
Thanks again.